Throughout 2026, we are cranking up the Tigerland time machine and transporting yellow and black barrackers back to 1966 to relive a pivotal year in Richmond’s history.

We take a look today at the Tigers clash with arch-rival Carlton in Round 12 of the ’66 season at a rain-soaked MCG, through this match report by The Age football writer Maurice Carr.

Richmond never relaxed its efforts to develop systematic, attacking play in the appalling conditions at the MCG on Saturday, and its faith in positive football paid off with a 31-point win over Carlton.

It was percentage play...many of the Tigers’ rallies floundered in the mud, but more than enough came off.

In contrast, Carlton seemed convinced that constructive football was impossible in the conditions, and this lack of enterprise made the match a foregone conclusion from about half-way through the second quarter.

After half-time, the Blues were merely making up the numbers, and did not have the ball on their side of the centre for more than 10 of the last 50 minutes.

If Richmond’s team effort had not been enough to overcome Carlton, the play of Roger Dean, at centre, and Barry Cameron, at centre half-forward, could have won the match.

Dean has been a man for all seasons this year – good when it is fine and very good when it is wet.

He was the best on the ground and, although Ian Collins, his opponent for most of the match, was among Carlton’s most serviceable players, he did not come close to checking Dean’s effectiveness.

Dean moved over the treacherous centre quagmire with amazing sureness and earned 33 kicks, most of them long and well-directed.

At 2 p.m., when there was a heavy downpour during the Reserves match, Richmond selectors decided to play Barry Cameron at centre half-forward instead of Ross Warner.

They reasoned, correctly, that Cameron, named 19th man, would be able to handle the conditions better than Warner, who relies largely on marking ability.

But even the selectors must have been surprised at the success of the switch, as they saw Cameron reducing Carlton champion John Goold to mediocrity.

With Dean winning so many kicks around the centre, Cameron provided the Tigers with a bonus in attack by repeatedly outmanoeuvering Goold to take simple chest marks.

In the last quarter, Goold was switched on to Dean, but had no more success than Collins.

Carlton’s ability to take the initiative was sharply reduced by the strong rucking of Neville Crowe, who had the better of John Nicholls at bounce-down and throw-ins, although Nicholls did some good work in general play.

The alert roving of Peter Hogan and Kevin Bartlett made sure the ruck advantage was not wasted.

Although Richmond never looked in danger of losing, it was not an easy win.

The victory represented hard and relentless work against a determined defence.

It was no small achievement to hold Richmond to 61 points when most of the match was played between the centre-line and Richmond’s goals.

Wes Lofts played strongly at full-back, and made Carlton’s score look a little more respectable by kicking a goal when switched to full-forward in the last quarter.

While Carlton showed defensive ability, it was clearly handicapped by a defensive attitude to the rain and slippery ground, and this was the real difference between the teams.

Match details
Richmond   2.3   4.7   6.12   8.13 (61)        
Carlton   1.3   3.3   3.4   4.6 (30)

Goals – Richmond: Guinane 4, Cameron, Hogan, Northey, Ronaldson.
Leading possession-winners – Richmond: Dean 35, A. Richardson 26, Hogan 23, Davenport 22, Cameron 21.
Best – Richmond: Dean (best on ground), Cameron, Hogan, Crowe, Bartlett, Smith, Perry.

Goals – Carlton: Gallagher 2, Board, Lofts.
Leading possession-winners – Carlton: McLean 24, Gallagher 21, Collins 19, Goold 19, Crane 18.
Best – Carlton: Gallagher, Lofts, McLean, B. Gill, Collins, Nicholls, Crane.

Attendance: 38,094