Winning the first three games of a season has proven to be an elusive factor throughout Richmond’s league football history.

The Tigers were chasing a third consecutive victory at the start of the 2021 season but came up well short against the Sydney Swans in yesterday’s Round 3 MCG encounter, losing by 45 points.

Since entering the VFL competition in 1908, Richmond has strung together three or more wins on-the-trot, from the outset of a season, just 15 times. And, of those 15, only four have turned out to be Tiger premiership years – 1920, 1934, 1973 and 2017.

Here is the list of Richmond’s three-game-plus winning streaks at the start of a season . . .

1919 – won first three games.

1920 – won first eight games.

1931 – won first five games.

1934 – won first three games.

1939 – won first six games.

1941 – won first three games.

1942 – won first five games.

1944 – won first four games.

1958 – won first three games.

1966 – won first three games.

1973 – won first three games.

1982 – won first four games.

1995 – won first seven games.

2013 – won first three games.

2017 – won first five games.