To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Tigers’ 1980 premiership, Richmond Media is transporting Yellow and Black barrackers back in time throughout 2020 to follow the Punt Road path to that fantastic flag triumph. Today we take a look at ‘The Age’ newspaper’s review of Richmond’s Round 10 match of the ’80 season against North Melbourne at the MCG, which took place on Saturday, May 31 before a crowd of 61,769. 

“Quite simply, the decisive difference between Richmond and North Melbourne in a sizzling game at the MCG on Saturday was the golden boot of Michael Roach.

Twice last year Roach got a bag of goals against North and the Tigers lost. This time, with the North forwards spraying their shots in the intensity of it all, Roach’s cool personal contribution was the determinant.

There was nothing spectacular or flamboyant about Roach. He just went about his task in a workmanlike, opportunist way, had four from two slips catches and two frees by quarter-time and finished with a polished 7.1.

It was the last of his seven, from a left-foot snap when wrong-footed in the scoreboard pocket, that finally led North coach Ron Barassi to move the harassed Daryl Sutton.

Barassi said later he felt no-one could have done much better against Roach in the first quarter and one of his next three goals also came from a free-kick, but Barassi would give his right arm to have Roach as his spearhead.

With 51 goals in 10 matches, one was left with the impression Roach has the striking rate necessary to top the ton well before the end of the season.

Roach apart, the game was an absorbing test of strength and fierce will to win. North had several players down on form, but the desperation generated by Barassi and matched by the Tigers kept the atmosphere electric.

There was not time to stop and argue, push and prod. The slightest lapse of concentration and your opponent was away.

Perhaps Keith Greig and Bryan Wood illustrated most clearly the desperate nature of the man-to-man contest. Both were determined not to let the other get on top and both did good things without being dominant.

Only Wayne Schimmelbusch was outstandingly in charge of another position. He was positively brilliant . . . “magnificent”, Richmond coach Tony Jewell said later.

Both coaches agreed Gary Dempsey had an edge on big Mark Lee, but Lee did many useful things. Perhaps his lesser influence helped keep the normally lively Tiger little men quieter in the first half, but North’s rovers could not capitalise.

Richmond’s defence was often under strain, but Francis Bourke played another of his exemplary games, using superb judgment to break up attacks while shadowing Malcolm Blight out of contention.

Jewell admitted to concern when forced to replace Bourke at three-quarter time, but he need not have worried. Jim Jess rose to the occasion, and well supported by Malthouse, Smith and Strachan, held on in a fierce finish.

At the other end, Glendinning gave David Cloke a hard time for half the game and often initiated attacks while Law, Montgomery and Icke all played a part in preventing Richmond from developing reliable avenues to goal.

It was a strange game in that North, suspected of some lethargy after games at VFL Park on the preceding Saturday and Tuesday, bounced away from the Tigers at the start of each of the first three quarters.

North kicked the first two goals in the opening stanza and ran to its biggest lead of the game of 16 points before being pegged back.

In the second, North again bounced forward first and, in the third, kicked three goals before the Tigers scored, again being pegged back for the Tigers to retain a margin at the change.

This suggested North was running out of steam and would have preferred 20-minute quarters, so when Richmond reversed the procedure and goaled first in the last term it appeared to be all over.

But North came back and how Barassi must have been praying for a Roach up front as three shots, including a deliberate one by McCann went astray in the time-on period.

North could have snatched the points, but Richmond was a deserved winner.

It also had last quarter wobbles, kicking five points between its two goals. In fact, the tenseness of the finale led to only 2.7 being kicked by both sides in the last 15 minutes.

David Cloke probably was the most telling player in the closing stages. Moving around with aggression and vigour, bringing the smaller players into the game more, Cloke was a constant headache to North and deserved his accolades later.”

Match details

Richmond                     6.4       9.7       13.10    15.15 (105)
North Melbourne          4.7       7.13     10.15    13.20 (98)

Goals – Richmond: Roach 7, Wiley 2, Bartlett 2, Monteath, Lee, Wood, Cloke.
Best – Richmond: Jess, Bartlett, Cloke, Roach, Raines, Bourke, Rowlings.

Goals – North Melbourne: Briedis 4, Boyse 3, Bond, Greig, Podolczak, Blight, McCann, Glendinning.
Best – North Melbourne: W. Schimmelbusch, Boyse, Dempsey, Briedis, Law, Icke, Glendinning.