Throughout 2025, we are transporting Richmond supporters back 60 years to what was a pivotal season in the Club’s history – 1965. Today we feature the Tigers’ top-class, upset victory over Essendon in Round 15 of the ’65 season at the MCG. It was the second time Richmond defeated the eventual 1965 premiership team that year. Here is the match report from The Age newspaper by Peter Stone.

Essendon never got past first base in its game against Richmond on Saturday when the Tigers continued to dumbfound supporters with their hot and cold performances.

The Tigers played dry weather football in Saturday’s wet conditions to completely humiliate Essendon and keep alive a remote chance of contesting the finals.

Richmond ran hot for the full 100 minutes, and was a vastly different side to the one which surrendered its colours to top team St Kilda last week.

Roars of encouragement from the crowd in the first half turned to polite hand-clapping in the second half as Richmond continued to produce near-perfect football against the apathetic opposition offered by Essendon.

Essendon seemed to be waiting for an opportunity to get into the match, but the opportunity never came against the pressure football of the Tigers.

When the Tigers went to an almost match-winning lead of 39 points in the second quarter, the dormant Essendon side still looked to have a chance of fighting its way back into the game.

But, the Tigers played as if their lives depended on the result in the third quarter, when Essendon had the use of the scoring end, and restricted the Bombers to 1.3 while kicking 1.1 themselves.

This was pressure football at its best, with both backlines on top, but the Bombers could not gain the break to develop their own play-on game.

Essendon had “thrown in the sponge” by the last quarter, and Richmond added a further 3.4 to the Bombers’ solitary point, kicked by gallant rover John Birt, who did not stop trying against superior opposition.

Richmond players were faster in the race to the ball and were always in front of their man.

Slick pick-ups from the muddy ground, and effective hand-passes with the slippery ball, set Richmond’s play-on game in motion and the “loose man” was created almost at will.

The Richmond big men completely dominated the game, winning almost every hit-out from the centre bounce and controlling the throw-ins from the boundary.

In addition, they marked the greasy ball as if it were dry and did not let Essendon’s rucks come into the game.

The Essendon big men seemed unwilling to enter into the game and it was left to 19-year-old follower Bruce Waite, playing only his third full League game, to take on the Richmond rucks single-handed.

Waite battled gamely all day, but was completely outclassed by Richmond’s Neville Crowe, Alan Richardson, Ross Warner and Paddy Guinane.

Essendon’s two “big guns” – Don McKenzie and Brian Sampson – were hardly sighted.

Essendon’s half-backs left their opponents to get kicks at will and the pace of the Richmond half-forward line left Essendon’s Geoff Pryor, Daryl Gerlach and Alec Epis clutching at open spaces.

Richmond exploited the expanses of the MCG, playing the ball wide on the flanks and its players were always in position to accept well-directed passes.

Positional moves by Essendon coach John Coleman in the third quarter – Ken Fraser to the centre, Jack Clarke to a half-forward flank and Ken Timms to centre half-forward – failed to make any impression on the bolting Tigers.

Essendon’s only real winner on the day was wingman Russell Blew, who was opposed to inter-state wingman Bill Brown. However, Brown only needed two kicks to Blew’s six to become an effective player for his side.

Match details
Richmond    3.2    10.5    11.6    14.10 (94)        
Essendon    2.1    4.2    5.5    5.6 (36)

Goals – Richmond: Erwin 4, Guinane 3, Northey 3, Hogan 2, Crowe, Dimattina.
Leading disposal-winners – Richmond: Barrot 30, A. Richardson 27, Cameron 22, Davenport 21, Brown 20.
Best players – Richmond: Cameron, Barrot, A. Richardson, Guinane, Dimattina, Davenport, Dickeson.

Goals – Essendon: Fordham 3, Gross, Johnston.
Leading disposal-winners – Essendon: Blew 29, Birt 27, Mitchell 21, Clarke 19, Fraser 18.
Best players – Essendon: Blew, Mitchell, Waite, Epis, Gross, Birt.

Attendance: 32,031