Richmond’s achievement in finishing on top of both the AFL and VFL ladders at the end of the 2018 home-and-away season is only the second time it has accomplished such a feat.

The previous year the Tigers managed to do this was in 1967, when they went on and defeated Geelong in the senior-grade Grand Final, but lost to North Melbourne at reserve-grade level.

The 18 wins recorded by Richmond, to secure top spot on the 2018 AFL ladder, is the equal most it has ever recorded in a home-and-away season.

Back in 1972, the Tigers finished second with 18 wins, but were subsequently beaten in the Grand Final that year by ladder leader Carlton (18 wins, one draw and three losses).

A decade on from that, Richmond topped the 1982 home-and-away ladder with 18 wins, only to again be beaten by the Blues (third place on the ladder) in the Grand Final.

Up until this year, the Tigers had won the so-called minor premiership eight times – in 1920, 1933, 1934, 1943, 1944, 1967, 1974 and 1982.

They subsequently won the major premiership in five of those years – 1920, 1934, 1943, 1967 and 1974.

Throughout the past three decades, however, the premiership record of league teams that have finished on top of the ladder at the end of the home-and-away season is decidedly ordinary.

Since the competition became known as the AFL in 1990, the minor premiers have gone on and won the flag just nine times over the course of those 28 seasons.