Throughout 2025, we are transporting Richmond supporters back 60 years to what was a pivotal season in the Club’s history – 1965. In today’s flashback, we are focused on the Tigers’ clash with St Kilda in Round 14 of the ’65 season at Moorabbin. Here is the match report in The Age newspaper by Graeme Warner.

Darrel Baldock and St Kilda settled Richmond’s final four hopes at Moorabbin on Saturday, but the Tigers were their own executioners.

The elegant, electrifying display by Baldock certainly helped Richmond’s defeat, but it was not the main reason.

An always cluttered and often confused forward line caused the Tigers’ ruin.

The game could have been won for Richmond in the first quarter, when it had a slight wind advantage. The Tigers had 10 scoring shots to the Saints’ three, but were only 12 points ahead at the change.

This was not good enough, especially when they kicked only three goals in the next two goals.

Richmond’s last-quarter fight back, led by John Northey, was a supreme effort, but in the end the Tigers’ poor kicking in the first and third quarters was too much of a handicap.

The game was highly entertaining, with hard tackling, some good high marking and flashes of brilliance from both sides.

St Kilda opened on a confident note, with full-forward Verdun Howell goaling within half a minute, but then the Tigers took control and kept in attack for the rest of the quarter.

Alan Morrow and Neville Crowe struggled hard in the ruck but neither could gain the upper hand. However, Bill Barrot, Bill Brown and Don Davenport provided plenty of opportunities for the Tiger forwards.

But at centre half-forward Pat Guinane was well held by Brian Sierakowski, and full-forward Mick Erwin was inaccessible because of the choked forward region.

In the second quarter, Richmond’s forward line looked better – but whether this was illusion or reality, it was only temporary.

And Erwin was now being forced to move out towards the centre to get away from his crowding team mates. He once marked 60 yards out and a few minutes later 80 yards out, almost on a wing.

By contrast, St Kilda left plenty of room for Darrel Baldock to move around. In these circumstances, it was easy for him to regularly get the ball to Howell.

Daryl Griffiths, who went into the centre when Ian Stewart left the field in the first quarter, gave the Saints plenty of drive.

His opponent, Bill Barrot, got many kicks by playing wide of the centre, but Barrot disposal generally was poor.

Match details
Richmond   3.7   4.7   6.13   11.17 (83)    
St Kilda   2.1.  8.4   10.7   14.12 (96)

Goals – Richmond: Northey 3, Barrot 2, Guinane 2, Brown, Dimattina, Erwin, Hogan. 
Leading disposal-winners – Richmond: Barrot 34, Brown 19, Dimattina 19, Cameron 17.
Best players – Richmond: Barrot, Northey, Brown, Gowers, Busse, Smith, Davenport.

Goals – St Kilda: Howell 5, Smith 3, Roberts 2, Griffiths, Kennedy, McMaster-Smith, Neale.
Leading disposal-winners – St Kilda: Baldock 30, Oakley 27, Smith 22, Griffiths 20, Kennedy 19, Sierakowski 19.
Best players – St Kilda: Baldock, Sierakowski, Griffiths, Howell, Morrow, Synman.

Attendance: 34,076