Formed in 1885 and entering the Victorian Football Association (VFA) the same year, Richmond F.C. have grown one of the largest and most passionate group of fans in the AFL toady. Their 2017 ‘fairytale’ premiership whipped Punt Road into a frenzy, in scenes we are unlikely to see in the AFL for many years to come.
After joining the VFL in 1908, the Tigers had to wait until 1920 for their first premiership, but then quickly picked up their second, going back-to-back. However, the rest of the 1920s weren’t so roaring for the Tigers, who remarkably lost three consecutive grand finals in 1927, 1928 and 1929, each time to bitter rivals Collingwood.
Richmond’s most successful era saw the coaching exploits of the legendary Tom Hafey combine with midfield great Kevin Bartlett to lead their club to a period of supreme dominance and four flags in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Bartlett went on to play 403 games for the club, making him the third most capped player in AFL history, and saw him win his fifth premiership in 1980. This was an 81-point mauling of the Magpies, intensifying the rivalry between the two clubs.
This 1980 premiership proved the last until Richmond’s recent triumph. The intervening period was one of great turmoil for the Tigers, whose poor performances on the park led to several financial difficulties. Narrowly avoiding liquidation, the Tigers emerged in the 21st century largely unscathed, but earned a reputation as a team that always appeared on the verge of success, but never delivered.
This unwanted reputation explains in part the nature of Tigers’ fans’ celebrations after breaking a 37-year drought to win the 2017 premiership. Coach Damien Hardwick, and Brownlow and Norm Smith Medalist Dustin Martin were central to this success, shaping up as the key architects at Punt Road for years to come.