It’s 50 years ago today (June 12, 1967) that talented Tiger teenager Royce Hart’s reputation soared to dizzy heights in his debut season of league football. Tony Greenberg takes up the story . . .
Richmond faced the toughest challenge in the 1967 VFL competition at the time, when it travelled to Princes Park to tackle the unbeaten Carlton side on the Queen’s Birthday Monday holiday.
The Tigers were coming off a narrow defeat at the hands of another arch rival in Collingwood the previous round, which was just their second loss of the ’67 season.
The importance of the clash with Carlton was highlighted through a spirited confrontation pre-game between Richmond coach Tommy Hafey and officiating field umpire Peter Sheales, who was making a routine visit to the Tigers’ rooms.
Chief football writer for ‘The Age’ newspaper Percy Beames reported that Hafey challenged Sheales not to allow Barassi to take charge of the match. Hafey asked Sheales, “Who is going to umpire this match – you or Barassi?”
Sheales was taken aback by Hafey’s statement, but replied, “I am in charge of the game and Barassi will do as he is told. If he tries to hold up play, he will be penalised 15 yards, and if he disputes my decisions he will be reported.”
“That’s all right by me then,” Hafey said. “We are a play-on side, which likes to keep the ball moving and all I want is a fair go for my team.”
According to Beames, Hafey’s complaint stemmed from a growing feeling that umpires had allowed the Carlton captain-coach to get away with “too much” on the field. Frequently, when a Carlton player had been penalised, Barassi had raced to the spot and questioned the decision.
Hafey needn’t have worried this day, however, because Barassi was injured in the first five minutes of play. He was tackled hard, thrown to the ground, and struck on the right thigh by a Richmond player’s knee.
Barassi was severely hampered in his movements as a result and didn’t reappear on the ground after half-time.
There was a finals-like atmosphere at Princes Park for this crucial clash, with a huge crowd of 39,049 jamming into the ground.
Richmond raced away early, piling on four goals before Carlton had scored, and still held a handy 15-point advantage at the main break, with exciting, young key forward Royce Hart having kicked four goals on tough, veteran Blues’ full-back Wes Loft.
The home team hit back hard in the third term and scores were all tied up at three-quarter time.
A see-sawing, spine-tingling final quarter ensued, but when Ian Robertson burst through a pack to kick his fifth goal of the game, and give the Blues a four-point lead, they seemed certain to hang on and maintain their unbeaten run.
Enter Royce Hart . . .
With just seconds remaining on the clock, Richmond forced the ball forward from the centre bounce.
Hart swooped on the loose ball and, just as he was tackled, put boot to leather with all his might.
His thumping kick miraculously cleared a big pack, 20 metres out from Richmond’s goal, and bounced through to propel the Tigers to a famous two-point victory.
Here’s how leading football writer for The Age, Ron Carter, assessed the ‘Hart-stopping’ finish at Princes Park on Monday, June 12, 1967 . . .
“The greatest optimist in the world could not have hoped that the kick by Royce Hart in the final seconds of play would snatch Richmond a two-point win over Carlton yesterday.
It never looked like a goal as the ball came off Hart’s left boot more than 70 yards out. But how that kick travelled!
Even when it cleared the heads of the pack, the chances of it going through the goals seemed fairly remote.
It had to bounce straight for 30 yards, and not be touched by a Carlton player – but, to the joy of every Tiger player and supporter, that is exactly what happened.
It was a near thing. Carlton defender Ron Stone raced frantically after the ball, and touched it inches over the line.
You could not wish for a more thrilling finish to a great game.
What a way for Carlton to lose its first match for the season! It’ll always be claimed by the Blues that they were beaten by a lucky kick.
It may have been a lucky kick which eventually won the Tigers the match, but it was hard work and not luck which put them back in the game after Carlton had a 16-point lead near the end of the third quarter.
What made Hart’s kick more sensational and breath-taking was that, only 20 seconds before, Carlton had struck what appeared a decisive blow.
A goal by Ian Robertson, a minute before the end, put the Blues four points ahead and was almost as nerve-racking as Hart’s winning kick.
Robertson dropped the ball in the goal square and seemed to fumble the ball and hesitate. He knew he had to be very careful not to put his foot over the line as he kicked.
Carlton captain and coach Ron Barassi must have had to restrain himself from hobbling on to the field to lend his team a hand in the tense final minutes.
Barassi spent the second half of the match sitting in the coaches’ box as his team took control of the match, lost it, won it and then lost it again.
His thigh injury in the first five minutes was a crippling blow to Carlton and, no doubt, the Blues will maintain they would have won had Barassi not been injured . . .
From the way Richmond started – it had 4.2 on the board before Carlton scored – it looked as though the Blues’ first defeat was going to be a real drubbing.
Richmond’s forwards had almost a free hand, although the torrid opening had players crashing and flying everywhere.
Sheer persistency brought Carlton back.
It took control across the centre with Cliff Stewart and Bryan Quirk on the wings, and Alex Jesaulenko switched to ruck-roving, to make up for Ron Barassi, gave Sergio Silvagni all the support he needed.
John Northey and Hart were still dangerous forwards for Richmond, and their efforts prevented the Tigers from dropping behind by half-time.
Again in the third quarter the Blues played like a team inspired . . . with three winning half-forwards, Robertson, Kekovich and Jesaulenko and Silvagni superb in general play, the Tigers had real troubles.
Richmond were forced to watch Carlton score five goal straight, before retaliating.
Desperation was equally distributed between the two sides, but the reason for Richmond holding its game together in the hectic few minutes was mainly through the fine play maintained by Hart and Northey and by a determined long-kicking last quarter from centreman Bill Barrot.”
Match details
Richmond 4.4 7.8 9.12 13.15 (93)
Carlton 2.1 5.5 10.6 14.7 (91)
Goals – Richmond: Hart 5, Northey 4, Patterson 2, A. Richardson, B. Richardson.
Leading possession-winners – Richmond: Barrot 23, Bartlett 23, Jewell 23, Bourke 20, Northey 20, K. Shinners 19.
Goals – Carlton: Robertson 5, Jesaulenko 3, Silvagni 2, Board, Gallagher, Kekovich, Waite.
Leading possession-winners – Carlton: Silvagni 33, Jesaulenko 21, Lloyd 21, Board 20, Stewart 20.
