Richmond Football Club
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Full name | Richmond Football Club |
| Nickname | The Tigers |
| Strip | Black guernsey with a yellow sash, black shorts, black and yellow hooped socks |
| Founded | 1885 |
| Sport | Australian rules football |
| League | Australian Football League |
| First season | 1908 |
| Ground | Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Club song | 'Tigerland' |
| President/Chair | Gary March |
| Coach | Terry Wallace |
| Captain | Kane Johnson |
| 2006 | 9th of 16 |
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League. Considered one of the "big four" Melbourne clubs, Richmond's support level has waxed and waned over the last twenty years in line with its erratic on-field performances. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990, when a large debt almost forced them to fold. In the last 15 years, Richmond has worked itself back into a strong financial position without enjoying any sustained finals success. But the Tigers boast a mighty history (ten premierships) and a host of star players and personalities who have contributed to the formation of the unique Richmond football identity.
Since its inception in the mid-1880s, the club has been based at the Richmond Cricket Ground (better known as the Punt Road Oval), just a few hundred metres to the east of the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where the Tigers have played their home games since 1965. A late bloomer, Richmond struggled until the turn start of the twentieth century, so it was not offered an invitation to join the Victorian Football League (VFL) until 1908. After World War I, Richmond matured quickly, enjoyed more success than many of the more established clubs. The Tigers created big rivalries with both Carlton and Collingwood. At this time, the city of Richmond was an industrial, blue-collar area nicknamed "Struggletown". The working-class supporters identified strongly with the club and the Tigers developed a massive following during the golden period of the 1930s.
Extraordinary high points interspersed among long periods of mediocrity has been the pattern of the club's form in the years since World War II. Regardless, Richmond's team has to only show a hint of success and a game against one of the other "big four" will pack them in at the MCG. In 1972, the Tigers were the first sporting team in Australia to attract one million paying spectators in a season, an extraordinary achievement. Currently, the team is in a rebuilding phase under third-year coach Terry Wallace and looks to have enough promising talent to make the finals for the first time since 2001 in its one hundredth year of VFL/AFL competition.
[edit] History
[edit] The Earliest Days
A team of footballers playing as Richmond is mentioned by the newspapers in the first years of Australian football, circa 1860.[1] HCA Harrison, the so-called "father of the game", captained Richmond briefly at this time before moving to Geelong. .[2]This loosely organised group has no continuity to the present club. A number of teams formed in the Richmond area during the game's rapid expansion of the 1870s and early 1880s. .[3] However, all played at a junior level and it was considered an anomaly that Richmond, one of Melbourne's biggest locales, didn't boast a senior team. The wait ended when the Richmond Football Club was officially formed at the Royal Hotel Richmond, on February 20, 1885..[4] A successful application for immediate admission to the Victorian Football Association followed - the VFA was the premier Australian football competition at this time. The club shared the Punt Road Oval with the Richmond Cricket Club, one of the strongest cricket clubs in Australia which had been playing on the ground since 1856.
At first the team wore a blue uniform. One of the most important features of a nineteenth century footballer's uniform was his headgear, and Richmond opted for yellow and black striped caps, the same as the cricket club. After a couple of years, yellow and black stripes replaced blue as the colours of the team's guernseys. The team was variously called the "Richmondites", the "Wasps" or, most commonly, the "Tigers".
During the late 1880s, the VFA was expanding rapidly. A booming economy and large numbers of immigrants made Melbourne the largest city in the Australian colonies. The city was besotted with football and many clubs clamoured for admission to the VFA. Richmond struggled to make an impression and after a promising season in 1888 (when they finished fifth with eleven wins), the club slipped backwards. In a theoretically amateur sport, the strongest teams were luring the best talent with undisclosed payments to players and were not keen to schedule matches against teams with poor followings (such as Richmond) that couldn't generate much gate money.
As the local economy slipped into severe depression in the early 1890s and the crowds began to dwindle, a cabal of strong teams began to agitate for a reform of the competition. Richmond were not considered part of this elite group, who usually voted together as a block at VFA meetings. A lack of commitment and focussed effort was holding the Tigers back. In 1896, Richmond simply forfeited a match with South Melbourne at half time when they were a long way behind on a very wet day. Later in the season, the Tigers had their points wiped against Essendon when it was discovered that they had too many men on the ground. In the closing three weeks of the season, Richmond's gate takings amounted to just 5 pounds.
Richmond finished the season last of the thirteen clubs, and picked a bad time to perform so poorly. In October 1896, the cabal of six strong clubs broke with the association to form the VFL and invited two other clubs to join them: Carlton and St Kilda. Obviously, Richmond's struggles during the season had not helped when the invitations to the new competition were being considered. Richmond's performances didn't immediately improve in the emaciated VFA until the turn of the century. During this period, the team was held together by the stalwarts Charlie Backhouse and Alex Edmonds while the administration benefitted from the guidance of George Bennett, a noted state politician, who was president of the club for two decades.
[edit] Success at Last
The Tigers were boosted by a significant country recruit in 1901. George 'Mallee' Johnson was an instant sensation and the first true star player at the club. Richmond leapt to third place and then in 1902, with Johnson dominating the ruck, Richmond entered the closing weeks of the season neck and neck with Port Melbourne at the head of the ladder. Just when a play-off between the clubs to decide the premiership looked certain, Port faltered against Williamstown to hand Richmond its' first flag.
Having missed a potential bonanza from a premiership play-off, the VFA decided to emulate the VFL and introduce a finals series in 1903, a fateful decision for the Tigers. After finishing the season as minor premier, Richmond lost both finals and were runner-up. The following season, the club became embroiled in a feud with umpire Allen, accused by the Tigers of failing to curb the illegal tactics or arch-rival North Melbourne. With the two clubs scheduled to meet in the Grand Final, Richmond announced that they wouldn't play under Allen. The VFA called the Tigers' bluff, appointed Allen for the match and North Melbourne won the premiership on forfeit. Richmond were now openly at odds with the VFA and matters failed to improve in the next few years.
The club was campaigning against violence (both on-field and among the crowd), ungentlemanly conduct and poor sportsmanship, issues that plagued the VFA to a far greater extent than the rival VFL. Richmond cultivated links with some League clubs by playing practice matches against them. The Tigers knew that they were a major asset to the Association. They had built up a large following and played on one of the best grounds in the competition, where they remained unbeaten for five consecutive seasons. In 1905, Richmond confirmed their status with a second premiership, this time overcoming bitter rivals North Melbourne, a club perceived as the antithesis of Richmond. Mallee Johnson had moved to Carlton, but youngster Charlie Ricketts dominated the season and won plaudits among the pressmen, who voted him the best player in the VFA.
However, Ricketts was also lost to the VFL and injury hit the club hard. In 1906-07, the Tigers played finals without looking likely to win the flag. The club earned a rebuke from the VFA for scheduling a practice match against Geelong before the 1907 season, but Richmond went ahead with the commitment and earned further censure. Later in the year it became clear that the VFL wanted to expand its competition and Richmond won a place ahead of North Melbourne, which had been strengthened by an amalgamation with West Melbourne as part of their bid. Richmond were granted admission along with the now defunct University.
[edit] Into the Big League
The first few seasons in the VFL were less than spectacular. Although the club turned up some star players, it let a lot of talent leave and the administration was unstable after George Bennett's death in 1908. In 1916, the side played in the finals for the first time, however, with the ravages of war having reduced the competition to just four clubs, finals qualification was automatic. Finally, in 1919, the Tigers made their first Grand Final appearance, losing to Collingwood. Richmond stoked a rivalry with the Magpies by recruiting their former skipper Dan Minogue as playing coach and the Tigers gained vengeance by beating Collingwood in the 1920 Grand Final to secure a first flag in the big league. This was folllowed by an even better performance the next year. The only club that continued to beat Richmond on a regular basis was Carlton. Finishing minor premier with only one loss for the season in 1921, the Blues were the hottest premiership favourite, yet Richmond managed to beat them in two classic finals matches played over successive weeks to go back-to-back. Almost overnight, the Tigers had overtaken foundation clubs such as Geelong and Melbourne on the premierships-won table.
The rest of the decade saw four more Grand Final appearances, all of which would end in frustration. From 1927 to 1929 Richmond became the first club in the VFL to lose three consecutive Grand Finals, all of which were to neighbouring arch rivals, Collingwood.
The next VFL flag came in 1932, with the Tigers triumph over Carlton in a tough encounter which saw Richmond wingman Alan Geddes play the second half with a broken jaw. Another Tigers premiership came in 1934, this time against South Melbourne's famed "Foreign Legion", avenging the Tigers' loss in the previous season's Grand Final.
Prior to the commencement of the 1940 season, internal problems were brewing between the key personalities at the club. Some felt that the uneven performance of the team was due to Bentley's coaching methods, and that he should be replaced. Dyer walked out on the club and threatened to play in the VFA after his father, a committeman who was involved with the anti-Bentley faction, lost his position at the board elections. Finally, the matter was resolved and Bentley kept his job, while Dyer returned to training on the eve of the season. The problems appeared to have been solved when the Tigers won the semi final against Melbourne to go straight into the Grand Final. However, the Demons reversed this result with a crushing win to pinch the premiership. The Tigers had been out-thought by their old mentor Checker Hughes, who had assigned a tagger to negate Dyer. Dyer was furious that Bentley had done nothing to prevent his opponent taking him out of the game. The Richmond committee agreed with this assessment, so when Bentley (after retiring as a player) attempted to negotiate a higher fee to continue his coaching tenure, he was rebuffed. Incensed, Bentley quit Punt Road and moved to Carlton as coach, adding further spice to an already fierce rivalry between the two clubs.
Despite the tribulations created by the Second World War, the Tigers were able to maintain a commendable level of consistency on the field. The club had quite a lot of players in reserved occupations who remained at home, while the administration became adept at securing star players who were temporarily in Melbourne on war service. Dyer was a fearsome presence in his role as playing coach, but he was unable to improve the Tigers' ability to win finals matches. A loss in the 1942 Grand Final to Essendon (after starting as favourite) meant that over the previous 18 years, Richmond had won two flags but been runner-up eight times. Jack Titus set a still unbetean record of playing in six losing Grand Final teams. In 1943, Richmond broke through to beat Essendon in a thrilling Grand Final by five points, a win that the club dedicated to ex-player Bill Cosgrove, an RAF pilot who had been killed in action a few weeks before the match. But another Grand Final loss followed in 1944, when Dyer's team failed against Fitzroy on a very hot day.
In the immediate post-war era, despite an influx of excellent new players, Richmond struggled to make the four, appearing in the finals only once, in 1947. The Tigers seemed to have lost the killer instinct. Dyer continued on as coach for three years after his playing retirement at the end of 1949, but was asked to retire by the committee who felt the club needed a shake up. Under a succession of coaches, the 1950s were wasted years for Richmond. With the demands of potential players increasing with each passing year, the club refused to allocate sufficient funds to recruit and they failed to replace star players as they retired. When stalwarts such as Des Rowe and dual-Brownlow Medallist Roy Wright left, the team slumped dramatically and finished with a wooden spoon in 1960.
1966 heralded the start of the Tom Hafey era, one that would see the club winning four premierships under his leadership. They won the 1967 flag in a thrilling encounter with Geelong, ending a 24 year premiership drought. In 1969, it became two in three years as Richmond, who had finished fourth on the ladder, beat the much fancied Carlton in the Grand Final by 25 points.
The Tigers were dominant in 1972 and were hot favourites in the Grand Final against Carlton. However, the Blues stunned the Tigers in a game of ridiculous high scoring. Even Richmond equalled the then record highest score in a Grand Final of 22.18(150), but Carlton beat it with 28.9(177). The Tigers got their revenge in an intensely physical clash in the 1973 Grand Final and went back-to-back in 1974 with a strong win against a resurgent North Melbourne.
Richmond won its last premiership with a then record-breaking margin of 81 points over arch-rivals Collingwood in 1980. After reaching and losing the 1982 Grand Final, it has been a rocky road for the Tigers who have struggled to come to grips with the rules and regulations of a modernized AFL, including the draft and salary cap. The successes of the early 1980s were bought at high financial cost through expensive recruiting, and were followed by severe cut backs that saw several top players depart.
[edit] The Recruiting War
Still smarting from the loss of star players to Collingwood, the Tigers set themselves for war with the Magpies in 1984 by signing three of their players: John Annear, Craig Stewart and Phil Walsh. Not only were there big contracts and transfer fees to pay, but the costs of an expensive court action as well. Richmond also signed a number of mediocre players on big contracts, and the club's financial situation took a battering. With the team failing to improve, a challenge to the committee was brewing and Richmond's traditional political stability threatened. The rebel group, organised by long-time servant Bill Durham, convinced former player and coach Barry Richardson to be leader. An election in late 1984 failed to clarify the situation. The challengers had the numbers, but Ian Wilson stubbornly held on to the presidency into the new year. When the one hundredth birthday of the club arrived in February 1985, there was too much dissention to mark the moment fittingly. Eventually, Wilson handed over to Richardson, who had selected his former premiership teammate Paul Sproule to return from Tasmania and take over the coaching position on a guaranteed contract.
As the season progressed with Richmond still struggling, Sproule came under pressure. Richardson guaranteed his position but at the end of the year the committee over-ruled Richardson and sacked Sproule. Incensed, Richardson walked out of Punt Road, which was in turmoil again. Desperately, the Tigers turned back to Tony Jewell, who was appointed coach for a second time, the only man in the club's history to get a second go at the job. Jewell later commented on the destruction wrought on the club during his four year absence..."the supporters were gone, the members were gone, the money was gone...a real shame."
With the competition set to expand, the Tigers made a number of misguided moves in 1986. To fill the vacancy left by Richardson, Richmond wooed high-flying West Australian entrepreneur Alan Bond to become president. Bond came with an agenda to raise money for the club by listing on the stockmarket and relocating to Brisbane. When the latter plan was revealed in the media, a furious reaction from supporters and high profile club personalities buried the proposal almost immediately. Early in 1987, Bond's tenure at the club ended in farce when he resigned without presiding over a single game. The off-field confusion was reflected in the players' performance as Richmond slumped to only its second wooden spoon in 70 years.
[edit] Save Our Skins and a Return to the Finals
Although the new president, ex-captain Neville Crowe, had stabilised the club and scored a coup by persuading club legend Kevin Bartlett to coach, the matter of servicing the huge debt remained a chain around the Tigers' neck. The club managed to stay solvent by cutting expenses to the bone and paying only two-thirds of the allowable salary cap. But there was no money for recruiting to improve an impoverished playing list. The club struggled to come to terms with the draft after its inception in 1986, and made a number of poor choices - notably, the number one pick in 1987 was used on a player who had only two games with the Tigers.
Finally, with the economy in serious recession and interest rates touching seventeen per cent, Richmond's creditors began calling in the debts. At one point, an attempt was made to seize the club's 1973-74 premiership trophies as securities for unpaid debts, an embarassing situation. For a number of years, the exact amount that the club owed was not publicly revealed. In 1990 the club launched a public campaign Save Our Skins to raise over one million dollars to discharge the debt once and for all. The emotive campaign, invloving many former players and club identities, succeeded within the alloted deadline as the club was saved by its supporters.
But playing performance didn't turn around. Acrimony hit the club again in late 1991. Coach Kevin Bartlett's contract was not renewed and he was replaced by veteran premiership coach Allan Jeans, who the club secretly approached mid-season. Bartlett, furious with the way the situation was engineered by the administration, vowed to never return to the club again. He has maintained this vow to the present day, despite being nominated as one of four "immortals of the club" in 2003. Jeans had no more success than Bartlett, and after his health deteriorated, he passed the job to ex-Tiger premiership player John Northey for 1993. Northey returned the team to the simple long-kicking style of the halcyon days under the legendary Tom Hafey. Along with some draft concessions granted by the AFL, Northey's efforts gradually improved the Tigers. The team fumbled an opportunity to make the 1994 finals, then opened 1995 with its best start to a season in 75 years and eventually made it to the preliminary final. With a talented playing list and a strong administration led by Leon Daphne (the Tigers' first president from the corporate world, the Alan Bond farce aside), Richmond looked set to become regular finalists again.
[edit] Lost Opportunities
Somehow, the anticipated success failed to materialise, partly because Richmond allowed the coaching position to again become unstable. When the Tigers offered to reappoint Northey for only one year (a derisory offer to a man who had just taken the club to their first finals series in 13 years), Northey accepted a longer-term contract to coach Brisbane. Richmond, caught short, appointed the Bears' ex-coach Robert Walls for 1996. After several humiliating thrashings in 1997, Walls became the first Tiger coach to be sacked mid-season. Walls was replaced by his erstwhile assistant Jeff Gieschen, whose stint also ended disappointingly. At first, the side improved under Gieschen, but as the team stumbled back to the lower reaches of the ladder in 1999, the Richmond administration made a secret, unsuccessful bid to lure Kevin Sheedy back to the club as coach. Acknowledging Richmond's lack of faith in him, Gieschen resigned at season's end.
Mindful that the coaching position had been the poison chalice of league football for more than two decades, Richmond made a determined effort to support new coach Danny Frawley. In his debut season of 2000, Frawley took the Tigers to ninth place for the fourth time in seven years, a record that frustrated both the club and the supporters, and became the butt of many jokes amongst rival supporters. The following year, the players silenced the doubters by winning fifteen games to take a double chance in the finals. Although the Tigers had an emotional win over old rivals Carlton in the club's first finals meeting for 19 years, they were soundly trounced by Essendon and Brisbane in the other two finals.
Mistaking the Tigers' third placing as a prelude to a Grand Final appearance, Richmond over-estimated the strength of the list and settled for trading established players in the next two years. In the next three seasons, the team managed just 18 wins. The administration continued to support Frawley and ensured that he would see out his contract, a far cry from the way many of his predecessors were treated. This did not win the approval of all the fans, some of whom made aggressive protests at the club's continual inability to become regular winners. By 2004, it was clear that Frawley's time was coming to an end. His mid-season resignation (effective at the end of the year) failed to spark the Tigers, and the club hit rock bottom. By losing the last 14 games of the year, Richmond finished with the club's fifth wooden spoon.
[edit] Enter Wallace
Determined to turn the club around, Richmond set their sights on the man that they believed to be the best coaching candidate available, ex-Western Bulldogs mentor Terry Wallace. Convinced to sign on by an unprecedented five-year contract, Wallace enjoys a level of job security never before offered to a Richmond coach. Immediately, he began a long-term program to overhaul not only the playing list, but the club's off-field structure as well. Wallace has a media presence that is essential in the modern game, an area that has not been a strong point for Richmond in the past. With a number of high draft picks to work with, the Tigers' secured the outstanding young midfielder Brett Deledio with their prized number one choice. In his rookie year of 2005, Deledio was voted the winner of the AFL's Rising Star Award, the first significant individual award won by a Richmond player for over 20 years.
In Wallace's first two seasons, the Tigers failed to make the finals (securing yet another ninth placing in 2006) but won more games than most outside of the club expected. Wallace has significantly altered the list by focussing on young players and making a couple of canny trades for experienced players such as Troy Simmonds and Patrick Bowden. Richmond now boasts an excellent group of talented young players such as Deledio, Andrew Raines, Dean Polo, Richard Tambling, Will Thursfield, Nathan Foley and Matthew White who can form the nucleus of a good side for a number of years. Veterans such as Matthew Richardson, Nathan Brown, Joel Bowden, Kane Johnson and Troy Simmonds all look capable of playing for a number of years yet.
In the recent off-season, Richmond delisted Mark Chaffey, Greg Stafford (both retired), Andrew Kellaway (a controversial sacking), David Rodan (who has gone to Port Adelaide), Tom Roach, Dean Limbach and Jeremy Humm. At the draft table, the Tigers selected the following players:
- Jack Riewoldt - a forward from Tasmania (192cm & 84kg) at pick 13
- Shane Edwards - a midfielder from North Adelaide (180cm & 69kg) at pick 26
- Daniel Connors - a utility from Bendigo (183cm & 78kg) at pick 58
- Carl Peterson - a forward from Claremont (183cm & 70kg) at pick 60
- Andrew Collins - a midfielder from Bendigo (184cm & 71kg) at pick 73
In addition, the Tigers traded for Fremantle's Graham Polak and drafted ex-Geelong forward Kent Kingsley.
[edit] The Future of the Club
Like most of the other Melbourne-based clubs, the Tigers have struggled to compete with the resource-rich teams outside of Victoria. Richmond's large support base and steady finances should ensure that the club is not under pressure to relocate, although they have been forced to play a number of home games at Docklands due to the reduction in the number of venues in Melbourne. This has proved unsatisfactory to the club as the financial return is not as great as that enjoyed by the stadium's tennant clubs, the team's record at the ground is poor and the Richmond supporters don't like it as much as the MCG.
But the Tigers must be mindful that a couple of years of bad losses could undo Richmond's position. The club has only to look at their struggling old rivals Carlton to realise that no situation is impregnable. Meanwhile, the supporters clamour for a return to the successes of the 1960s and 1970s. With a sixteen-team competition regulated by the salary cap and the player draft, success is much more difficult to achieve than in the old era under the VFL. Richmond's challenge will be to win more matches than it has in the recent past, to secure the better fixtures from the AFL, draw its share of media attention and therefore keep the books balanced.
Richmond remains entrenched at its spiritual home at a time when even Collingwood has moved its base. The Punt Road Oval has benefitted from money coming from the Jack Dyer Foundation (established 1996) and more recently, a government grant announced in 2006. Eventually, the redevelopment will be a twenty-first century facility available to the people of Richmond, a far cry from the dilapidated state it was left in for many years. Most importantly, it will remain the physical link between the club and the proud community from which it materialised 120 years ago.
[edit] Supporter Base
Richmond has an enormous support that can lie dormant during times of poor performance but is vociferous and very noticeable during periods of success. In the golden era of the 1960s and 1970s, the Tiger supporters were sometimes labelled rabid and arrogant, a description that matched how the club's rivals felt about the Tigers in general. Whilst the fans support their star players with gusto, some have a tendency to turn on players, especially if a player is not seen as true to the club. As an example, Wayne Campbell attracted the ire of the fans in the middle of his career when he criticised the internal workings of the club and asked to be traded. However, he stayed at the club and went on to captain it for four seasons.
The building of the fan base was a slow burn for Richmond. In the 1890s, the club never sold more than three hundred season's tickets, but the following was built up with success in the VFA and membership numbered about 2,000 at the time of admission to the VFL in 1908. Between the wars, the club captured the imagination of the residents of Richmond. The successful Tigers were a positive motif for the oppressed working class community which suffered deprivation during the Great Depression. At this time, the Richmond community was almost one-half Catholic, and this demographic was reflected in the club amongst the players and officials.
As Melbourne dramatically spread out in the post-war years, so too did the Richmond supporters. Many were now concentrated in the eastern suburbs, which eventually formed the club's metropolitan recruiting zone. Indeed, at one point during the early development of the Waverley Park ground, the Tigers considered making the stadium its home for this reason. Following the barren period of the 1950s, Richmond was able to tap into the large number of fans by moving home matches to the MCG and almost doubled attendance figures. The Tigers maintained this advantage over the other clubs until the mid-1980s, when poor administration led to a downturn in every area of the club. As the club struggled for funds, the membership plummeted from over 10,000 to under 3,000.
The greatest display of loyalty from the fans occurred during 1990. Threatened by liquidation, the supporters rallied to pay off the multi-million dollar debt via the "Save Our Skins" campaign. During the fully professional AFL era, the Tigers have enjoyed a level of support that allows it to determine its own destiny by regulalry turning a profit. With the growth of the game outside Victoria, Richmond has picked up a lot of support in the other states of Australia.
| Year | Members | Placing | Total Attendences1 | Average Attendence1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 8,158 | 13th | 474,209 | 21,555 |
| 1993 | 9,918 | 14th | 484,665 | 24,233 |
| 1994 | 8,229 | 9th | 646,365 | 29,380 |
| 1995 | 14,647 | 3rd | 1,104,219¹ | 44,169 |
| 1996 | 20,308 | 9th | 852,421 | 38,746 |
| 1997 | 24,975 | 13th | 783,933 | 35,633 |
| 1998 | 27,092 | 9th | 1,023,631 | 46,529 |
| 1999 | 29,047 | 12th | 882,077 | 40,094 |
| 2000 | 26,869 | 9th | 854,280 | 38,831 |
| 2001 | 26,501 | 3rd | 1,173,121¹ | 46,925 |
| 2002 | 27,251 | 14th | 776,137 | 35,279 |
| 2003 | 25,101 | 13th | 830,841 | 37,765 |
| 2004 | 27,133 | 16th | 751,914 | 34,178 |
| 2005 | 28,029 | 12th | 802,883 | 36,494 |
| 2006 | 29,406 | 9th | 855,186 | 38,872 |
| 2007 | 26,882* | TBD | TBD | TBD |
1 includes three finals matches in both 1995 and 2001.
* as of 2nd April 2007
So this equates to 12,295,882 people who have watched a Tigers' match over the last fifteen years, for an average of 36,814 - quite remarkable figures for a team that has made the finals only twice in the period.
The Official Richmond Cheer Squad are an organised group of passionate supporters that attend every Richmond game whether in Melbourne or interstate, recognised as being the most passionate of supporters.
[edit] Club Identity and Culture
Club culture can be indefinable. It is a mixture of history, personalities, media invention and supporter desire but it is also very much a product of how the people actually invloved with the club view themselves over time. Club identity can change over time or it can change temporarily.
Initially, Richmond saw itself as a gentlemanly and sportsman-like club; it even went to the extent of sacking a player who used poor language. During the early 1900s, the club used the press as a forum to publicise a campaign against violence in the game, which earned the derision of some rival clubs. This image followed the club into the VFL in 1908 and during the First World War the club empahisised the number of men associated with the club who had enlisted and served overseas. But the club's actions in 1916, when it voted with three other clubs seen as representative of the working class (Collingwood, Fitzroy and Carlton) to continue playing football, left no doubt as to which side of the class divide that the Tigers belonged. The club's self-consciously non-confrontational image can be partly attributed to two of long serving presidents - George Bennett (1887-1908) and Frank Tudor (1908-1918). Both were Richmond men and respected parliamentarians who took the view that how the game was played was more important than whether the game was won.
After World War I, the club's attitude hardened as they attempted to match it with the then power clubs Collingwood and Carlton. Eventually, the Tigers became more prosaic in their approach to recruiting and training.
[edit] Stadium
The club play all regular season home matches at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The club also play some away games at the ground as well as playing at the Telstra Dome on the other side of Melbourne.
The stadium has a capacity of approximately 100,000. The club usually draw large attendances against Victorian clubs however this happens against rivals in most cases, such as Essendon, Collingwood and Carlton.
Richmond train at their former home ground the Punt Road Oval.
[edit] Club records
- VFL Premierships: 10 (1920, 1921, 1932, 1934, 1943, 1967, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1980)
- VFA Premierships: 2 (1902, 1905)
- Australian Champions: 3 (1969, 1973, 1974)
- Pre-season/Night Series Premiership: 1 (1962)
- Brownlow Medal Winners: 5 (Stan Judkins 1930, Bill Morris 1948, Roy Wright 1952 & 1954, Ian Stewart 1971)
- Biggest Crowd: 119,165 (vs Carlton, Grand Final 1969 at MCG)
- Biggest Home & Away Crowd: 92,436 (vs Collingwood, Round 4, 1977 at MCG)
- Most Games: 403 by Kevin Bartlett (1965-1983)
- Most Games as Coach: 248 by Tom Hafey (1966-1976)
- Most Games as Captain: 168 by Percy Bentley (1932-1940)
- Most Club Best & Fairest Awards: 6 by Jack Dyer (1932, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1946)
- Most Seasons as Club Leading Goalkicker: 11 by Jack Titus (1929, 1930, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942)
- Most Goals in a Career: 970 by Jack Titus (1926-1943)
- Most Goals in a Season: 112 by Michael Roach (1980)
- Most Goals in a Match: 14 by Doug Strang (vs North Melbourne, Round 2, 1931 at Punt Road Oval)
- Youngest Player: Mick Maguire 15 years 328 days (Round 1, 1910)
- Oldest Player: David Cloke 36 years 215 days (Round 24, 1991)
- Highest Score: 34.18 (222) (vs St Kilda Round 16, 1980 at SCG)
- Lowest Score: 0.8 (8) (vs St Kilda Round 16, 1961 at Junction Oval)
- Biggest Winning Margin: 168 points (vs North Melbourne Round 2, 1931 at Punt Road Oval)
- Biggest Losing Margin: 141 points (vs North Melbourne Round 2, 1990 at MCG)
[edit] Current squad
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2 Darren Gaspar (veteran) 11 Joel Bowden 12 Matthew Richardson (veteran) 13 Trent Knobel 14 Dean Polo |
17 Kane Johnson (captain) 20 Ray Hall 21 Shane Tuck 22 Danny Meyer 25 Jay Schultz 31 Chris Hyde |
34 Cleve Hughes 38 Luke McGuane 40 Kelvin Moore 41 Nathan Foley 43 Cameron Howat (promoted rookie) 44 Angus Graham (rookie) 45 Tasman Clingan (rookie) 46 Jake King (promoted rookie) |
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for player profiles and stats go to Richmond Tigers stats and profiles
[edit] Club Leadership Since Admission to the League in 1908
[edit] Club Administration Since Admission to the League in 1908
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President
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Secretary
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General Manager
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[edit] Individual awards
[edit] Best and Fairest
- See Jack Dyer Medal
[edit] Champion of the Season winners
[edit] Brownlow Medal winners
- Stan Judkins (1930) (co-winner)
- Bill Morris (1948)
- Roy Wright (1952, 1954)
- Ian Stewart (1971)
[edit] Leigh Matthews Trophy winners
- None
[edit] Coleman Medal winners
- George Bayliss (1920)
- Jack Titus (1940)
- Dick Harris (1943)
- Michael Roach (1980, 1981)*
nb. Roach was the first winner of the Coleman medal in 1981. Prior to this no official recognition was given to the competition's leading goalkicker
[edit] AFL Rising Star winners
- Brett Deledio (2005)
[edit] Norm Smith Medal winners
- Kevin Bartlett (1980)
- Maurice Rioli (1982)
[edit] Mark of the Year winners
- Michael Mitchell (1990)
- Michael Roach (1979)
[edit] Goal of the Year winners
- Michael Mitchell (1990)
[edit] Australian Football Hall of Fame Members
As legends of the game:
As players of the game:
- Percy Bentley
- Francis Bourke
- Royce Hart
- Dan Minogue
- Charlie Pannam
- Vic Thorp
- Jack Titus
- Dale Weightman
- Roy Wright
As coaches of the game:
[edit] Richmond Team of the Century
In 1998, Richmond announced its' team of the twentieth century. The selection of the twenty two players shows an even spread of champions from all the eras of the club: Thorp from the club's first premiership wins of 1920-21; McCormack, Strang, Titus and Dyer from the inter-war years; Rowe, Morris and Wright from the battling era after the war; Richardson and Knights from recent times. But the great days from the late 1960s to the early 1980s provide the bulk of the side: Sheedy, Green, Keane, Bourke, Barrot, Clay, Hart, Dean and Bartlett who made up the core of Tom Hafey's teams, and later success stories Weightman and Raines. Ian Stewart, named on the bench, created a record as the only man to win selection in a team of the century at two clubs - he was named in the centre of St Kilda's team as well.
| Richmond Team of the Century | |||
| B: | Kevin Sheedy
1967-79, 180cm 81k, 251 games 91 goals, from Prahran (VFA) |
Vic Thorp
1910-25, 178cm 83k, 263 games 7 goals, from Beverley |
Michael Green
1966-75, 193cm 94k, 146 games 83 goals, from Xavier College |
| HB: | Basil McCormack
1925-36, 180cm 80k, 199 games 1 goal, from Rochester |
Gordon Strang
1931-38, 185cm 83k, 116 games 108 goals, from Albury |
Mervyn Keane
1972-84, 185cm 82k, 238 games 36 goals, from Wycheproof |
| C: | Francis Bourke
1967-81, 185cm 83k, 300 games 71 goals, from Nathalia |
Bill Barrot
1961-70, 180 cm 76k, 120 games 91 goals, from Ashburton |
Dick Clay
1966-76, 185cm 85k, 213 games 80 goals, from Kyabram |
| HF: | Matthew Richardson
1993- , 195cm 104k, 234 games 690 goals, from Devonport (Tas) |
Royce Hart
1967-77, 187cm 86k, 187 games 369 goals, from Clarence (Tas) |
Roger Dean
1957-73, 175cm 73k, 245 games 204 goals, from Richmond Scouts |
| F: | Dale Weightman
1978-93, 170cm 69k, 274 games 344 goals, from Mildura Imperials |
Jack Titus
1926-43, 175cm 66k, 294 games 970 goals, from Burnley |
Bill Morris
1942-51, 188cm 86k, 140 games 98 goals, from Old Scotch |
| Foll: | Roy Wright
1946-59, 188cm, 102k, 195 games 127 goals, from North Kew |
Jack Dyer (capt)
1931-49, 185cm 89k, 312 games 443 goals, from St Ignatius |
Kevin Bartlett
1965-83, 175cm 71k, 403 games 778 goals, from S Yarra Try Boys |
| Int: | Des Rowe
1946-57, 182cm 83k, 175 games 24 goals, from Coburg (VFA) |
Geoff Raines
1976-82, 180cm 78k, 134 games 53 goals, from Swan Hill |
Ian Stewart
1971-75, 180cm 78k, 78 games 55 goals, from St Kilda (VFL) |
| Matthew Knights
1988-2002, 179cm 74k, 279 games 141 goals from Merbein |
|||
| Coach: | Tom Hafey
Played 248 Won 173 Lost 73 Drawn 2 |
||
[edit] Richmond Hall of Fame
The club's hall of fame was created in 2002 with 23 inductees. Below is a list, separated into catagories, of members and the year they were inducted. So far, four Richmond "Immortals" have been named, the first of whom was Jack Dyer, the year before his death in 2003. Dyer was followed by Kevin Bartlett, Tom Hafey and Francis Bourke.
| Players | Players | Players | Coaches | Servants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Barrot 2007
Kevin Bartlett 2002 Percy Bentley 2002 Martin Bolger 2005 Francis Bourke 2002 Ron Branton 2006 Dick Clay 2002 David Cloke 2007 Roger Dean 2002 Jack Dyer 2002 Alec Edmond 2007 |
Alan Geddes 2007
Michael Green 2004 Clarrie Hall 2006 Dick Harris 2004 Royce Hart 2002 Frank Hughes 2004 Hugh James 2005 Mervyn Keane 2005 Basil McCormack 2004 Bill Morris 2002 Max Oppy 2004 |
Michael Roach 2002
Des Rowe 2004 Kevin Sheedy 2002 Vic Thorp 2002 Jack Titus 2002 Dale Weightman 2002 Bryan Wood 2006 Roy Wright 2002 |
Tom Hafey 2002
Dan Minogue 2002 |
Charlie Backhouse 2002
Charlie Callander 2002 James Charles 2002 Allan Cooke 2006 Neville Crowe 2002 Ray Dunn 2002 Barney Herbert 2004 Tony Jewell 2002 Barry Richardson 2004 Graeme Richmond 2002 Alice Wills 2002 |
[edit] Current Club Guernseys
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Home
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Clash
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- This is the 2007 jumper design. The club's current major sponsors are Motorola and Australian Finance Group. The jumper is made by sportswear company Reebok. [3]
[edit] References
- Hansen B: Tigerland, Richmond Past Players and Officials Assoc, Melbourne 1992
- Hogan P: The Tigers Of Old, Richmond FC, Melbourne 1996
- Richmond Football Club - Hall of Fame
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Richmond Football History
- Official Website of the Richmond Football Club
- Yellow and Black Info - Richmond Supporters Discussion Forum and Website
- PuntRoadEnd - Richmond Supporters Website & Forum
- Tiger Talk - Discussion Group / Mailing List for the Richmond Football Club, est. 1996
- One-Eyed Richmond Richmond Supporters Discussion Forum and Website
- Full Points Footy History of the Richmond Football Club
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