It is 100 years since Richmond won its inaugural league football premiership. Tony Greenberg reflects on the Tigers’ historic 1920 Grand Final victory over Collingwood.

Richmond, which left the VFA, where it won two premierships, to join the VFL in 1908, had made the league’s Grand Final for the first time in 1919, only to be comfortably beaten by the Magpies.

But the Tigers entered the 1920 season with renewed optimism after securing the services of former Collingwood skipper and star, Dan Minogue, as their captain-coach.

Under Minogue’s astute and inspirational guidance, Richmond won 14 of 16 home-and-away games that season to finish on top of the ladder, just ahead of Fitzroy on percentage.

The Tigers started their 1920 finals campaign with a 23-point loss to Carlton in the semi-final, but the top-of-the-ladder finish assured them of a passage into the Grand Final, where they would meet Collingwood for a second successive year.

It was the fourth Grand Final in-a-row for the Magpies, and the 1920 premiership-decider had added spice, given Minogue’s controversial defection from Victoria Park to Punt Road.

Richmond went into the big match minus the services of its ill star spearhead, George Bayliss, who had won the league’s leading goalkicker award that season with 63 goals. 

The Tigers also sensationally lost gun centreman, George Ogilvy, after the league acted on a protest from Carlton and disqualified him from playing in the Grand Final because he was ruled to be residentially tied to Essendon.

Despite those couple of major setbacks, however, Richmond rose to the challenge superbly on that first Saturday in October, 1920, played at the MCG in front of a crowd of more than 53,000.

Richmond’s Grand Final line-up contained several of the finest players of the era, including tough, talented captain-coach Minogue, champion full-back, Vic Thorp, who is an ‘Immortal’ at Tigerland, the silky-skilled, versatile, Donald Don, brilliant small men, Frank ‘Checker’ Hughes and Clarrie Hall, along with the dynamic ruck duo of Barney Herbert and Hughie James.

But the Tigers’ best player in the 1920 Grand Final was centre half-back Max Hislop, who did a mighty job in totally blanketing the influence of dangerous Magpie Harry Curtis.

Collingwood’s line-up contained a good deal more experience, but on this day nothing was going to stand in the way of Richmond’s date with destiny . . .

After an even first quarter, the Tigers used their superior speed and skill, coupled with fierce determination, to wear down their highly-acclaimed opponents.

Richmond led by nine points at half-time, maintained that lead at the last break and then, in the final term, outscored Collingwood three goals to two, to win by 17 points – 7.10 (52) to 5.5 (35) – and capture the premiership.

Don was the Tigers’ leading goalscorer in the match, with two, while the ‘sealer’ was kicked for the team by debutant Bill James. The 1920 Grand Final turned out to be James’ one and only game for Richmond.

Vic Thorp, playing his 176th game, was the most experienced member of the Tigers’ 1920 Grand Final side, Barney Herbert was the oldest, at 31 years, 225 days, and the youngest was Donald Don at 20 years, 46 days.

After the game, Club stalwart, Herbert, yelled out to the hundreds of supporters crammed into the Richmond rooms: “What did we do?”

They roared in reply, “WE ATE THEM ALIVE!”

And, that’s how the Tigers’ famous ‘Eat ‘em Alive’ catch-cry originated . . .

1920 Grand Final details

Richmond 1.2 2.5 4.7 7.10 (52)
Collingwood 1.2 1.2 3.4 5.5 (35)

Goals – Richmond: Don 2, Weatherill, Harley, H. James, W. James, Hall.
Best – Richmond: Hislop, H. James, Hall, Moffatt, Herbert, Smith, Thorp, Hede.

Richmond’s 1920 premiership team

B: R. Hede, V. Thorp, E. Taylor
HB: J. Smith, M. Hislop, G. Parkinson
C: S. Morris, F. Hughes, R. Carew
HF: D. Don, R. Weatherill, F. Harley
F: H. James, D. Minogue, W. James
R: B. Herbert, D. Moffatt, C. Hall