In the lead-up to Richmond’s big 2020 preliminary final against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on Friday night, Tony Greenberg takes Yellow and Black barrackers back in time to the Tigers’ tremendous 1973 preliminary final victory over arch-rival Collingwood.

Richmond finished the 1973 home-and-away season in second place on the ladder with 17 wins and five losses.

Collingwood topped the table with a 19-3 win-loss record, while reigning premier Carlton clinched third spot with a 15-7 record.  Essendon (13-9) and St Kilda (12-10) rounded out the then final five.

In the first week of the '73 finals series, Carlton defeated Richmond by 20 points in the qualifying final and St Kilda thrashed Essendon by 67 points, with Collingwood gaining automatic entry into the second semi-final as its reward for finishing on top.

The Tigers proved too strong for St Kilda in the first semi-final, winning by 40 points, setting up a do-or-die preliminary final clash with Collingwood, who lost to the Blues by 20 points in the second semi.

It shaped as an epic penultimate match of the ’73 season, with the long-time, fierce rivals locking horns for the right to challenge Carlton in the Grand Final.

There was added intrigue going into the preliminary final, with champion Tiger centre half-forward and captain Royce Hart under a major injury cloud due to a knee problem that had hampered him for much of the season. 

Hart, who had played just 10 out of a possible 24 games to that stage of the season, was considered more than likely to miss, which would have been a major blow to Richmond’s chances in the cut-throat encounter.

At the last minute, however, the Tigers named Hart as their 19^th man, as insurance, in case something went drastically wrong and he was required to come off the bench to provide his customary inspiration (there was no interchange system in those days).

It turned out to be the best insurance policy ever underwritten at Tigerland . . .

Before a huge MCG crowd of 98,652, a pumped-up Collingwood outfit jumped Richmond, piling on 6.7 to 2.2 in the first quarter.

That deficit for the Tigers blew out to as much as 45 points during the second quarter, with Yellow and Black barrackers distraught at the team’s ineptitude on such an important occasion.

A late goal by big forward Neil Balme, just before the half-time siren, cut the margin to 36 points at the long break, but hopes of a Richmond victory still appeared remote, to say the least.

Enter Royce Hart . . .

Club doctor Bill Grainger had strongly advised against Hart taking part in the on-field action, given it would jeopardise his prospects of playing the following week in the Grand Final.

But, as powerful Club official Graeme Richmond argued in inimitably forceful style, there would be no tomorrow for the Tigers if they didn’t take a punt on Hart’s fitness in the second half of the preliminary final.

Coach Tommy Hafey agreed with GR’s strong recommendation, and Hart was summoned into the battle after spending the first half on the bench, in a last-ditch effort to resuscitate Richmond.

Hart’s arrival on the field had an instant impact on the Tigers . . .

He kicked an inspirational goal right at the start of the third quarter that was the catalyst for an amazing Richmond comeback.

Richmond's Royce Hart kicks for goal. Source: Fairfax Images

Hafey had made several other moves in a desperate bid to lift the flagging Tigers, but it was Hart, who provided the required impetus to propel them on the path to a famous victory.

Richmond slammed on 6.6 to 2.2 for the term, to trail by only eight points at the final change.

Having seized the initiative, there was no way the Tigers were going to allow their opponents to wrest it back off them, although it took until the 19-minute mark  of the last quarter for them to hit the front for the first time in the match, when champion rover Kevin Bartlett goaled.

Another Bartlett goal, minutes later, sealed one of the greatest, most memorable wins in Richmond’s history – 15.15 (105) to 14.14 (98).

Here’s how Tigers coach Tommy Hafey, captain Royce Hart and two other key players, Kevin Sheedy and Francis Bourke, assessed the team’s mighty, fighting win . . .

Tommy Hafey: “We won because our players were more desperate in the second half. At half-time every player realised what had to be done. They all knew their first half was disgraceful. We knew we had to play attacking football to have a chance. That, plus many positional changes, gave the side a different look. And players who had been down in the first half lifted themselves. We will have to improve to beat Carlton next week, but I feel we can.” 

Royce Hart: “I felt we were gone at half-time, but it was a tremendous team effort to get up. We had to attack as much as we could after giving away that big start and, when Neil Balme came good in the second half, it gave us someone to attack through.”

Kevin Sheedy: “It was a sorry (first) half for us. We didn’t follow instructions – go in hard and team together – and we paid the price. At half-time I felt we would have to get our game moving quickly – handball, play on. And in the end team effort won the match for us. Finals matches are probably 30 per cent more intense than home-and-away games. That’s why our second half was one of our best. Desperation was the key. I guess no Richmond players were outstanding for the full four quarters, but some individual efforts inspired us. Neil Balme, for example, was down in the first half, but he began to take those big marks we know he can grab and he finished with five goals, while (Francis) Bourke’s fightback was great to watch.”

Francis Bourke (From ‘The Hafey Years’ book): “I’ll never forget at half-time when we were six goals down and Graeme (Richmond) just launched. It was all impromptu and it really fired the players. He had such urgency and vitality. It was death or glory – those were the stakes. Subsequently Royce came on and KB (Kevin Bartlett) went berserk and we got up. Royce just had that capacity. He kicked a goal almost as soon as the game had restarted after half-time. I mean, the siren had barely stopped and Royce had it in his hands. So the momentum was very much behind us. When the crowd got involved our confidence lifted . . . Kevin Bartlett kicked goals in the last quarter, I remember, which were important – the game still had to be won. Also, our game style was completely different to Collingwood’s style. We kicked the ball long, played on quickly and that meant we could score quickly if we were playing well.”

Match details

Richmond           2.2          4.7          10.13     15.15 (105)
Collingwood      6.7          10.7        12.9        14.14 (98)

Goals – Richmond: Balme 5, Bartlett 3, Stewart 2, Hart 2, Carter, Roberts, Sproule. 

Best – Richmond: Bartlett, Keane, Walsh, Sheedy, Balme, Bourke.

Goals – Collingwood: Kink 3, Atkinson 3, Thompson 3, M. Richardson 2, Heard 2, Holmes.

Best – Collingwood: Bisset, Dean, Jenkin, W. Richardson, Cranage, Holmes.