As Richmond prepares to pay special tribute to Kevin Bartlett, as its second 1973-74, back-to-back premiership ‘Coming Home Hero’ for 2014, at Friday night’s blockbuster against Collingwood, Tony Greenberg reflects on the performances of the Tiger great in those golden years.
There were many attributes that propelled Kevin Bartlett to a magnificent career at the game’s highest level . . . blistering speed, superb stamina, cat-like reflexes, elite ball-winning ability and uncanny goal sense.
It was another less tangible attribute, however, that drove Bartlett right throughout his 19 seasons and, in particular, the aftermath of Richmond’s devastating defeat at the hands of arch-rival Carlton in the 1972 Grand Final.
Bartlett possessed a fierce will-to-win. He thrived on the Tigers winning (which they did far more often than not throughout his playing days) and hated being on the receiving end of a loss.
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The pain of that shock ’72 Grand Final defeat burnt deep within Bartlett. But, rather than be weighed down with negativity, KB managed to turn it into a positive.
He used the loss on the most important day of the football year, as prime motivation for the 1973 season.
Bartlett’s insatiable desire to win the ball, and help Richmond win games, in his capacity as the team’s first rover, became even greater throughout ’73.
The Round 14 match against North Melbourne, was the first time that season where Bartlett finished with less than 25 disposals in a match
By season’s end, KB had picked up 25 disposals or more 21 times, in the 23 games he played (out of a possible 26), with 30 touches or more coming in eight of those games.
He had a season-high 37 disposals against St Kilda at Moorabbin in Round 3, and against Fitzroy at Waverley Park in Round 7.
In Richmond’s frenetic finals campaign that year, Bartlett had 24 disposals in the qualifying final loss to Carlton, 36 in the first semi-final success against St Kilda, 25 in the thrilling, come-from-behind preliminary final victory over Collingwood, and 27 in the Grand Final triumph over the Blues.
Bartlett was rated the Tigers’ best player in the 1973 premiership-decider. He ran himself ragged throughout the four quarters, racking up possessions all over the field, constantly pumping the ball forward, and kicking a goal, as Richmond gained sweet revenge for its ’72 GF loss with a decisive 30-point win.
KB averaged an amazing 29.6 disposals per match for the 1973 season and, to further underline his value to the team, slotted through 31 goals.
Not surprisingly, he won the third of his five Club Best and Fairest awards in 1973.
Far from resting on his laurels, however, Bartlett actually took his game to an even higher level the following season.
In 22 games (out of a possible 24), he had 25 disposals or more 17 times, with 30 touches or more on 12 of those occasions.
KB again averaged more than 29 disposals per match, with a season-high 44 coming against Geelong at Waverley Park in Round 17.
He also scored 47 goals for the ’74 season, with a best return of six, against South Melbourne at the Lake Oval, in Round 10, and against Fitzroy at Waverley Park in Round 13.
So dominant had Bartlett been throughout the home-and-away rounds, he was a piping-hot favorite to win the Brownlow Medal (then held on the Monday night after the final round).
Much to the displeasure of Richmond officials, however, KB finished third (22 votes) behind North Melbourne’s back-to-back Brownlow winner Keith Greig (27 votes) and Melbourne’s Gary Hardeman (23 votes).
Unfazed by all the fuss surrounding what was deemed his “shock Brownlow failure”, Bartlett focused on what was really important to him – helping the Tigers win another premiership.
KB was a key factor in Richmond’s second semi-final win against North Melbourne, picking up 22 disposals and kicking a vital goal in a low-scoring battle.
Two weeks later, Bartlett yet again shone on football’s biggest stage, finishing with 27 disposals (only teammate Kevin Sheedy had more for the match, with 29) in the Tigers’ convincing 41-point victory over the Kangaroos in the 1974 Grand Final.
The huge influence Kevin Bartlett had exerted on Richmond’s back-to-back premiership glory of 1973-74 was confirmed a short time later, when he took out his second Best and Fairest in-a-row (his fourth overall to that stage).
You’ve got to be a very good player to win a Best and Fairest in your team’s premiership year.
To do it two years in succession, as Bartlett did (and three all-up, with 1967 being the other time), speaks volumes for his football brilliance.
