It’s 30 years today since one of the major highlights of Richmond’s Save Our Skins campaign.

On Sunday, September 30, 1990, 20,000 people flocked to Essendon’s Windy Hill ground to watch a Legends match between Richmond and Carlton.

The Tigers Of Old, coached by Tommy Hafey, and the Old, Dark Navy Blues, coached by Ron Barassi, did battle in a special fund-raising effort for the then financially-embattled Richmond, which had launched its Save Our Skins campaign the previous month, aiming to raise one million dollars by October 31 that year, or be forced to fold, relocate or merge.

The Legends match was a huge success and it played a significant part in the Tigers’ survival.

Here’s how ‘The Age’ football writer at the time, Stephen Linnell, viewed the afternoon of wonderful nostalgia:

“The doors of the Windy Hill antique shop opened yesterday, revealing treasures long discarded by the football world.

There were ageing full-forwards, ankle-high boots and illustrious torpedo punts. And, if you looked hard enough, even drop kicks were on display. Once a formidable means of disposal, the once-revered drop kick has been mothballed for years. But it made a welcome return during the Richmond Legends match against former rival Carlton.

The relics on display yesterday were indeed priceless works of art. Mementoes that will never shed their value. The match proved to be a football purist’s delight.

Before 20,000 people, the former greats of the game shed the cobwebs of time to battle not the opposition, but their own weary, tired and ageing frames.

In his pre-match address, Richmond’s coach Tom Hafey told Kevin Bartlett not to chase Brownlow Medal votes. Bartlett, as expected, did not listen.

Richmond’s John Ronaldson, the drop-kick king, cast a giant shadow over the ground, but was unable to recapture his 1967 Grand Final form. He was not alone.

For the record, Richmond came from behind to win the match by 11 points, 9.9 (63) to Carlton 7.10 (52).

The match raised nearly $100,000 for the Save Our Skins fund.”