It was 30 years ago today - July 20, 1980 - that Richmond recorded its highest-ever score in a league match.
The SCG was the neutral venue of the day, St Kilda was the opponent, and the crowd was 14,077, as the Tigers embarked on the greatest goalkicking spree in their history.
Back then, before the birth of the Sydney Swans, the then VFL used to fixture certain matches during the season at the SCG in a bid to promote the code up north.
Richmond entered the Round 16, 1980 clash with St Kilda as a red-hot favorite, despite having suffered a surprise loss to Fitzroy at the Junction Oval in the previous round. The Tigers were top of the ladder, with 12 wins and a draw, while St Kilda was 11th (in the 12-team competition), with three wins and a draw.
Ironically, the drawn result for both teams came in their Round 3 encounter early that season - Richmond 18.20 (128) to St Kilda 19.14 (128). This was Alex Jesaulenko’s first game as St Kilda’s playing coach, after the Saints had sacked Mike Patterson, who had been a member of the Tigers’ 1967 premiership side.
Interestingly, two weeks after that draw, Richmond kicked 29.25 (199) against Fitzroy at the MCG, to equal the record for its highest-ever score, which had been set in Round 2, 1931, against North Melbourne at Punt Road (30.19).
Those at the SCG that Sunday in late July 1980, or watching Channel Seven’s live telecast, couldn’t possibly have imagined what was about to unfold, after a first quarter which saw the rank outsider, St Kilda, seize the initiative from the Tigers. The Saints scored seven first-term goals, to Richmond’s five, to take a 10-point lead into the first change.
After that, however, it was all one-way traffic, the Tigers piling on eight goals to nil in the second quarter, 11 goals to three in the third, and 10 goals to one in the final term, to finish with a total of 34.18 (222) to 11.4 (70).
Richmond’s high-flying, superstar spearhead Michael Roach was best-on-ground, with a superb 10-goal display, while the ever-dangerous, evergreen, Kevin Bartlett (the oldest member of the Tiger team at 33 years and 136 days of age) bagged six, skipper Bruce Monteath scored five and David Cloke booted three.
“It was a long time ago, so there’s not a lot I recall about the match,” Roach said when I quizzed him about his memories of that momentous day in Tigerland history.
“I do remember, however, that it was a really nice day, weather-wise, and I also remember the fiery speech that TJ (coach Tony Jewell) gave us at quarter-time,” Roach said.
“We were hot favorites going into the game, and we were getting beaten.
“TJ came flying down the stairs onto the ground and absolutely ripped into us.
“He had steam coming out of his ears and I reckon he pulled some more hair out, too.
“It was a vintage TJ spray . . .”
Roach, in typically modest fashion, played down his own performance that day . . .
“The SCG was an ideal spot for a full-forward to play, when your team was consistently winning the ball out of the middle,” he said.
“It took just one kick out of the centre to reach you up at full-forward. And, with players such as Geoff Raines, Barry Rowlings, Rob Wiley and ‘Flea’ (Dale Weightman) dominating around the middle of the ground, my job was certainly made a lot easier.”
Match details
Richmond 5.3 13.7 24.11 34.18 (222)
St Kilda 7.1 7.1 10.3 11.4 (70)
Goals - Richmond: Roach 10, Bartlett 6, Monteath 5, Cloke 3, Dunne 2, Smith 2, Weightman 2, Bottams, Collins, Wiley, Wood.
Goals - St Kilda: Barker 4, G. Cunningham 3, Meehan 2, M. Scott 2.
Best - Richmond: Roach (best on ground), Bartlett, Lee, Weightman, Wiley, Monteath.
Best - St Kilda: Barker, Kellett, Breen, Nettlefold, Cunningham, Dunne.
Selected teams
Richmond
B: Strachan, Bourke, Malthouse
HB: Tempany, Jess, Keane
C: Wood, Raines, Collins
HF: Bartlett, Cloke, Smith
F: Weightman, Roach, Monteath
R: Lee, Rowlings, Wiley
IC: Dunne, Bottams
St Kilda
B: Fidler, Barker, Colling
HB: Dunne, Kellett, Elphinstone
C: Greetham, Burns, Cunningham
HF: Nettlefold, Breen, Durnan
F: Herbert, Scott, Meehan
R: Sarau, Bromberg, Duperouzel
IC: Vane, Stone
