Throughout 2026, we have been 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 turn our attention today to the Tigers’ final home-and-away round match of the ’66 season against Fitzroy at the MCG.

Richmond’s finals fate was out of its own hands entering the last round of season 1966.

The Tigers were fifth on the ladder, two points out of the top four, behind Essendon in fourth place, Geelong third and St Kilda second.

For Richmond to clinch a finals berth for the first time since 1947, it had to beat Fitzroy and hope one of the Bombers, Cats or Saints lost.

The Tigers kept their part of the bargain, defeating the Lions by 67 points, with recalled veteran utility Fred Swift leading the way on the goalkicking front booting, five goals from full-forward in his first senior game since Round 4 after battling a serious knee injury and then a broken hand.

Rover Blair Campbell, who kicked the winning goal for Richmond from a set shot after the final siren the previous week, in his senior debut against South Melbourne at the Lake Oval, having started the game on the bench as the 19th man, relished a full game, picking up 23 possessions and kicking three goals. 

Mike Patterson (four goals) and Paddy Guinane were dominant with their aerial ability, while dashing Geoff Strang was superb throughout the match, particularly after being shifted into the centre position in the second half.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, however, Essendon comfortably accounted for Melbourne at Windy Hill, Geelong crushed Carlton at Princes Park, while St Kilda, which at times looked like going down to Hawthorn at Moorabbin, just managed to scrape home.

Nevertheless, Richmond with 13 wins, one draw and four losses, achieved its best result in a season since making the Grand Final in 1944.

Here is the match report of the Tigers’ final round clash with Fitzroy that appeared in The Age newspaper by Maurice Carr...

The Tigers played like optimists in the first half of the match at the MCG on Saturday, as though they hoped Fitzroy would not have the impudence to win.

However, Fitzroy appeared unaware of its lowly position in football society and was two points ahead at half-time.

Richmond’s nonchalance may have been a combination of having watched the Reserves compile a mammoth score against Fitzroy (32.19 to 5.5), and the ease with which the ball was won in the first few minutes of the senior game.

Having things pretty much their own way, the Tigers began to indulge in a flashy exchange of handball, circulating the ball midfield in a rather senseless game of keep-it-off.

Fitzroy, in contrast, put more value on its share of the ball, and threaded it through the Tigers’ defence with long, accurate kicks.

Wingman Wayne Eastman and rover Ian McCrae frequently hit forwards on the chest with long passes.

Before the first quarter had finished, Fitzroy was playing effective and attractive football.

The whole Fitzroy centreline was winning and confusion was evident in the Richmond ranks.

Although Fitzroy was eventually defeated by a big margin, its second quarter was the brightest spot in the match and produced the best football.

Neville Crowe’s excellent marking often cut short promising Fitzroy moves, but he also was responsible for starting many of the futile handball sequences which went around in diminishing circles.

Richmond had Strang at centre, Barrot on a wing and Clay on a half-forward flank after half-time, but control of the game was not wrested easily from Fitzroy.

About halfway through the third quarter Fitzroy broke under the long-kicking barrage which Richmond set up, beginning often with Strang at centre.

Pat Guinane and Mike Patterson took many brilliant marks, and, as the size and strength of Richmond began to assert itself in the air, the game developed into a procession.

Match details
Richmond   4.9   6.11   13.18   20.23 (143)                        
Fitzroy   2.3   7.7   9.8   11.10 (76)

Goals – Richmond: Swift 5, Bartlett 4, Patterson 4, Campbell 3, Barrot, Crowe, Northey, A. Richardson.
Leading possession-winners – Richmond: Crowe 25, Campbell 24, A. Richardson 23, Strang 23, Barrot 22, Bartlett 21, J. Perry 21.
Best – Richmond: Strang (best on ground), Patterson, Guinane, Crowe, Bartlett, Campbell, Swift, Northey.

Goals – Fitzroy: Lazarus 4, Lynch 2, McCrae 2, Aspinall, Cobain, Eastman.
Leading possession-winners – Fitzroy: Lynch 21, Lazarus 19, Hackwill 17, Hobbs 17, Peoples 17.
Best – Fitzroy: Eastman, Lazarus, McCrae, Aspinall, Drake, Lynch, Peoples.

Attendance: 18,986