As Richmond prepares for its Round 22 clash with Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday, Tony Greenberg reflects on a talented, tenacious little Tiger, who was a final-round specialist… 

Billy Brown played 129 games for Richmond from 1963-71, and was an important member of the Club’s 1967 and 1969 premiership sides.

During his senior career at Tigerland, the 171cm wingman-turned-rover averaged almost right on a goal per game, finishing with 124 six-pointers from his 129 appearances.

His highest individual goal tally in a match was five, which he scored on three occasions – amazingly, in each of the final home-and-away rounds of the 1967, 1968 and 1969 seasons!

In the last round of the ’67 season, Richmond needed to beat Geelong at Kardinia Park to clinch top spot on the ladder.

A nine-goal first-quarter blitz was the catalyst for the Tigers to go on and record an impressive 12-point victory, with first-year wonder forward Royce Hart, and Billy Brown the heroes on the goalkicking front that afternoon. 

Hart booted six goals, while Brown slotted through five.  Four weeks later, the same pair would kick three goals apiece in Richmond’s drought-breaking premiership triumph over the Cats.

Fast-forward 12 months . . . Richmond, the reigning premier, is out of the top four, despite winning its previous five games on-the-trot.  The Tigers need to beat Melbourne at the MCG in the final home-and-away round and hope St Kilda, in fourth spot, gets beaten by Geelong.

With Billy Brown in sparkling form, Richmond romps home by 49 points – 18.21 (129) to 12.8 (80). Brown is the team’s leading goalkicker on the day with five, but despite a sixth successive win, the Tigers are denied a place in the finals when the Saints down the Cats.

One year later, Richmond is finishing the 1969 season with a full head of steam after slumping to sixth place (12 teams back then) with a 6-6 record at the completion of Round 12.

The Tigers had then proceeded to win six of their next seven games, with an inspirational come-from-behind victory over Carlton in the second-last round of the season catapulting them into the top four.

Now, all that was standing beaten Richmond and a certain finals berth, was Footscray at the MCG in the final round.

Once again, it was Billy Brown who led the way, booting five goals as the Tigers crushed the Bulldogs by 90 points – 23.16 (154) to 9.10 (64).

Four weeks later, Richmond would prove too powerful for arch-rival Carlton, beating the Blues by 25 points in the ’69 Grand Final, to claim its seventh VFL premiership.