Richmond’s love affair with the Apple Isle existed long before Royce Hart came across the Bass Strait for six shirts and a suit.
In August 1912, 27 years into Richmond’s existence, the Club journeyed on its first interstate trip ever. The destination? Tasmania.
READ MORE: RICHMOND TO PLAY HOME GAMES IN HOBART IN 2026 AND 2027
Richmond players and officials photographed in Hobart in 1912
The 26 players and accompanying officials were so excited at the prospect of leaving the mainland, that the players flew the Club’s yellow and black flag from the masthead of the SS Loongana for the entire trip.
Richmond Secretary, George Beachcroft, brought along his camera to document it all for the Club’s Annual Report.
As part of their visit, the Tigers defeated a combined Southern Tasmanian team at Hobart by 20 points, in front of 4,000 spectators.
For their farewell at the Tasmanian wharf, the newspaper wrote, “a great crowd had assembled to say goodbye, and as the ropes were thrown off and the ship turned her head towards home, the boys on board realised at last that their short holiday was over and that they were leaving a land that was dear to them in every heart”.
When the Club won their first VFL premiership in 1920, they were on the same ship just three days later for a 10-day trip to Tasmania.
Embarking from Melbourne, the players wore straw hats with yellow and black ribbons and took a homemade mascot of a Tiger’s head, and a handmade RFC premiers’ flag with them.
On this occasion, the Tigers defeated a team from Hounville, which included three Richmond players on their side.
The Tigers returned again and again to Tasmania over the decade.
In 1922 they defeated a combined Tasmanian side, by only three points, on a muddy Hobart ground. The following year, Richmond's Reserves side made its first journey to Tasmania. The money for that trip was raised with a charity match against a women’s team on the Punt Road Oval.
Richmond players and officials on top of Mt Nelson in 1922
In 1927, the Tigers defeated a second string Tassie side in Hobart by 16 points. Richmond’s side was made up of the then-secretary Percy Page, retired players Vic Thorp and Checker Hughes, and somewhat surprisingly, the young property steward Charlie Callander (seen below third from the right).
In the 1930s, Richmond defeated a Tassie team, and a Northern Tasmania team, and in 1944, the Tassie officials asked the Club to play serious in their match in Hobart – and so we did, winning by 22 goals. Jack Titus kicked 16 of them.
One of our more recent matches played in Tasmania was the 2022 'Healing for Hillcrest', which paid tribute to families and communities of Hillcrest Primary School following a tragic accident in Devonport.
As aficionados of Richmond history would know, Graeme Richmond was tipped off by the Club’s Tassie recruiter, Harry Jenkins, about the skills of a teenager called Royce Desmond Hart.
“Young Hart was playing with Clarence under 19s and he had been a rover in the Tasmanian schoolboys’ team,” GR recalled in a 1971 interview.
“I met their parents at their home in Lindisfarne and we discussed Royce’s future. At the time Royce was a scrawny-looking kid with a sallow complexion. He didn’t look much. About four weeks later we were told that Royce was playing brilliantly at centre half-forward, so I went back to Tasmania and Royce signed with us.”
Although the AFL and Richmond have never maintained a list of every known Tassie-born Tiger player in our history (I’ll add that to my research projects), a search through multiple documents and Club records has enabled me to collate at least 50 names of Richmond players/coaches born in Tassie, or recruited from Tassie.
How’s this for a list!
Grant Allford, Gary Arnold, Sam Banks, Lance Behan, Chris Bond, Seth Campbell, Noel Carter, John Chivers, Cameron Clayton, Lance Cox, Garry Davidson, Mackenzie Ford, Lloyd French, Brendon Gale, Jack Gale, Michael Gale, Rex Geard, Angus Graham, Royce Hart, Verdun Howell, Paul Hudson, Ben Harrison, Tom Hislop, David Jacks, John Klug, Sam Lonergan, Rhyan Mansell, Brad Miller, Mark McQueen, Stephen Mount, Toby Nankervis, Trent Nichols, Loyal Oakley, Derek Peardon, Justin Plapp, Jade Rawlings, Matthew Richardson, Michael Roach, John Robson, Jack Riewoldt, Stan Ryan, Ian Stewart, Paul Sproule, Jervis Stokes, Ray Stokes, Scott Sutcliffe, Darryl Sutton, Norman Walker, Carl Watson, Jeromey Webberley, Maverick Weller, and Shane Williams.
Our very own Tony Greenberg, the go-to-guy for all Richmond info from the 1960s onwards, pieced together a best side of the last 60 years from the above names.
Backs: Chris Bond, Grant Allford, Ben Harrison
Half-backs: Cameron Clayton, Stephen Mount, Sam Banks
Centreline: Michael Gale, Ian Stewart, Shane Williams
Half-forwards: Matthew Richardson, Royce Hart, Jack Riewoldt
Forwards: Trent Nichols, Michael Roach, Brendon Gale
Followers: Toby Nankervis, Paul Sproule, Noel Carter
Interchange: Justin Plapp, Mark McQueen, Darryl Sutton, Rhyan Mansell, Seth Campbell
