It’s 30 years ago today that the great Maurice Rioli announced his arrival on the league football stage with a breathtaking burst of brilliance.
Rioli was a mature-aged recruit for Richmond, 24 years and 200 days old on debut. He had been a star for WAFL club South Fremantle and his arrival at Punt Road had sent the Tiger faithful into raptures.
The Tigers had missed the finals in 1981 after winning the premiership in 1980, and duly sacked coach Tony Jewell, replacing him with five-time flag hero Francis Bourke.
Their opponents in the 1982 season-opener were Fitzroy, who had finished a desperately unlucky fourth in 1981, having lost a thrilling cut-throat first semi-final to Collingwood by one point.
The Lions were coached by triple Carlton premiership player, Robert Walls, and their line-up contained players of the calibre of Bernie Quinlan, Garry Wilson, Matt Rendell, Mick Conlan, Leon Harris, Grant Lawrie, David McMahon, Laurie Serafini and Chris Smith.
Richmond and Fitzroy had originally been scheduled to meet in Round 2, 1982, before the then VFL decided to bring it forward as a stand-alone fixture to kick off the season, a week before the other matches.
A crowd of 38,686 were in attendance at Waverley Park on Saturday, March 20, 1982, to witness Maurice Rioli produce something extra special first-up for the Tigers.
After a relatively even first quarter, Richmond seized the initiative in the second term, courtesy of Rioli’s majestic midfield magic, to take a 26-point lead into the main change.
With Rioli winning plenty of ball and pumping it into the forward line in typically precise manner, big Tiger spearhead, Brian Taylor, had a field day.
BT finished with eight goals, as the Tigers powered away to win by 41 points - 20.10 (130) to 13.11 (89).
Rioli was Richmond’s top possession-winner for the match with 24, and his creative genius had instantly revived the Tigers’ fortunes.
They were back as a force to be reckoned with, and would go on to contest the 1982 Grand Final, losing to Carlton by 18 points, with Rioli winning the Norm Smith Medal for best afield in the premiership-decider.
He subsequently won the Jack Dyer Medal, as Richmond’s Best and Fairest player, to cap off an excellent debut season at the Club, in which he gathered 20 disposals or more 13 times in the 21 games he played.
Match details
Richmond 5.1 10.2 13.6 20.10 (130)
Fitzroy 4.3 5.6 9.10 13.11 (89)
Goals - Richmond: Taylor 8, Bartlett 3, Mugavin 3, Wiley 3, Cloke, Rowlings, Smith.
Leading possession-winners - Richmond: Rioli 24, Rowlings 23, Wiley 21, Cloke 17, Raines 16.
The Tiger team
K. Bartlett, D. Cloke, E, Dunne, P. Egan, J. Jess, M. Keane, G. Landy, M. Malthouse, A. Martello, N. Mugavin, G. Raines, M. Rioli, B. Rowlings, T. Smith, G. Strachan, B. Taylor, D. Weightman, P. Welsh, R. Wiley, B. Wood.
