It took 637 days, but in Round 10 of the 2021 season, fans finally got to witness the rematch of the 2019 VFL Grand Final.

On that day, Richmond and Williamstown played out one of the more pulsating and drama-filled deciders in recent memory, with the Tigers surviving two late shots on goal to clinch the 2019 premiership by three points.

The climax to the sequel was just as intense as the original, with Richmond and Williamstown fighting out a draw.

The Seagulls’, Mitch Hibberd set sail for goal as the final siren sounded, but the ball was spoiled dead on the goal line by quick-thinking Tiger, Garret McDonagh.

The ball trickled back into the field of play, the goal umpire signalled dead ball and packed up his flags.

Williamstown pushed the younger Richmond outfit to the limit, the final score reading, the Seagulls, 11.8 (74) to the Tigers, 10.14 (74).

Downer Oval, more affectionately known as Point Gellibrand, is nestled on the shores of Port Phillip Bay and in the depths of winter, can be at the mercy of the elements.

As one of the most picturesque grounds in Victorian football, it shone on a sparkling June afternoon as the Seagulls and Tigers reacquainted themselves after an extended absence.

After waiting 21 months to resume pleasantries, it took until nearly time-on in the opening term for the first goal to be scored.

Richmond had done will to lock the ball in its front-half for the majority of the first quarter before Williamstown used its wits and nous to slingshot the ball from its defensive half and score a goal on turnover.

The Seagulls kicked three goals in the blink of an eye, skating to a handy 15-point lead.

Marlion Pickett brought his form from AFL to the second tier, accumulating the ball and using it to advantage forward of centre in the opening term.

Pickett collected the ball on the forward flank and drove it to the teeth of goal where Ryan Garthwaite provided a strong aerial contest, bringing the ball to ground for Lachlan Street to crumb and goal.

Shortly after, Garthwaite jagged his own goal by teaming with ruckman, Samson Ryan.

At a forward 50 stoppage, Ryan fended off his opponent and palmed the ball into the path of Garthwaite who gathered and wobbled through a left-foot snapping goal.

The Tigers swung the momentum back in their favour before the Seagulls kicked a goal in the shadows of quarter-time, extending their lead to eight points.

The physicality increased in the second term, with the more seasoned Williamstown capitalising with back-to-back goals, pushing its lead to 20 points.

The Tigers were being tested mentally as the Seagulls capitalised.

Richmond steeled itself and got the game back on its terms in the back-end of the second term, with Garthwaite lighting the fire with his second goal.

Riley Collier-Dawkins then fuelled the growing wave of momentum as he extracted the ball from congestion and let fly off a step from the paint of 50, with the ball sailing through and hitting the fence behind the goals on the full.

Williamstown then hit back against the flow before Thomson Dow lifted the spirits of his team with a goal after the half-time siren, his first as a Tiger.

Derek Eggmolesse-Smith upped the intensity early in the third term after trapping a Seagulls defender in a bear hug and being justly rewarded with a free-kick inside 50.

The dashing half-back flanker nailed the goal and was flocked by his teammates.

The Seagulls reinstated their buffer with back-to-back goals before Ryan and Garthwaite then teamed well once again.

Deep inside 50, Garthwaite cleared a path for Ryan to ghost in front of the pack and drag down a strong contested mark.

The budding tall slotted his set-shot and the Tigers were on a serious march.

Patrick Naish reaffirmed that march after drifting forward and clunking a strong mark on the lead, converting the subsequent set shot.

The Tigers were within two points and beginning to roar.

However, Williamstown again kicked a goal via a free-kick off the ball as it tested the resolve and patience of its young opponent.

The Seagulls led by seven points at the final change, which set up a classic finish.

Naish levelled the scores early in the last quarter with a booming set shot from a slither beyond the arc and the belief of the Tigers started to swell.

Garthwaite then handed Richmond the lead for the first time since the 16-minute mark of the first quarter and the swelling belief was starting to bubble over.

A contest that had a bevy of momentum swings had another twist when Seagull Adam Marcon squared the scores midway through the final term.

The ball lived in Richmond’s forward 50 for a large chunk of time following Marcon’s goal, however, the Tigers struggled to convert.

The Seagulls then swung the territory battle in their favour and eventually drew a free kick, setting up the final shot on goal.

Games don’t get much closer than that, and much will be learnt from the result moving into the second half of the year.

WILL 4.2 7.5 10.6 11.8 (74)

RICH 2.6 5.10 8.11 10.14 (74)

Goals:

RICH: Garthwaite (3), Naish (2), Eggmolesse-Smith (1), Ryan (1), Street (1), Collier-Dawkins (1), Dow (1)