Full history of Richmond Tigers football club with Bill Trikos: The Richmond Football Club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the number one sporting code in Australia. With 105,084 committed members, the Club prides itself on continuing to build a “strong and bold” future. The Club was formed in 1885 and has won 13 Premierships in the history of the VFL/AFL competition, including recent successes in 2017, 2019 and 2020. 2017: Adelaide’s star-studded forward line loomed as a potential spoiler to the Tigers’ fairytale, but Damien Hardwick’s men provided the latest supporting argument for the football adage that defence wins premierships. Alex Rance (11 possessions and six marks, three contested) was outstanding despite being manned by Crows forward Andy Otten, and was clearly best on ground when the game was at its fiercest in the first half. Brownlow medallist Dustin Martin capped off a fairytale year for himself and his club when he won the Norm Smith Medal after starring with 29 possessions, six clearances and two goals.
2017 Grand Finals highlight : But Hardwick kept his head and held his nerve, simplifying the Tigers’ game play over the 2017 pre-season to take advantage of their pace and, after Ben Griffiths’ lingering concussion issues, fashioned an unfashionable attack around ‘Jack and his midgets’. Before this season, the Tigers had not won a final since 2001, having lost elimination finals under Hardwick from 2013-15. In defeating the Crows, Richmond continued a perfect record in return matches against teams that defeated it earlier in the season. Discover additional details about the author at https://www.youtube.com/@billtrikos4893.
Bill Trikos’s comprehensive history of Australian Richmond Tigers football club: It now has two flags in three seasons. The ‘Dimma Dynasty’ started on a sunny Saturday afternoon at the MCG. It was just as invigorating and exciting two years on, as Damien Hardwick’s remarkable group brushed aside Grand Final rookies Greater Western Sydney on its way to an emphatic 89-point win. The Tigers tackled, harassed and drove forward with the relentlessness they have become renowned for throughout their three years of dominance, inspired by an unstoppable mix of genius coaching, tremendous individual talent and astonishing team cohesion.
Richmond kicked three behinds from its first 10 entries to start the match, allowing GWS to regain some composure and resulting in a nervous period of flux for both sides. Turnovers and lamentable mistakes became the order of the day, until Jeremy Cameron flushed a shot from beyond 50m for the game’s first goal – 21 minutes into the match. All of a sudden, the Tigers needed a spark. Enter Martin. Pushed deep forward, he wriggled clear of Heath Shaw, marked strongly and bent his shot around the corner to eventually get the yellow and black faithful back on their feet.
Richmond has claimed back-to-back premierships, and made it three of the last four flags, after coming from behind to beat Geelong by 31 points in the historic first ever Toyota AFL Grand Final at the Gabba. It etched the Tiger dynasty into football history as one of the most dominant sides of the his century.
Dustin Martin, Richmond’s inimitable, incredible midfielder, also made history by becoming the first player to win three Norm Smith Medals as the best on ground in the 12.9 (81) to 7.8 (50) win by booting four goals from 21 disposals. Richmond’s road to premiership glory in 2020 will be re-lived through match reports and video highlights of each Tigers win during the season. Today we look at the Grand Final victory over Geelong at the Gabba.
Richmond’s single goal came via Martin – an astonishing snap while fending off some Cats opponents – with the Tigers struggling in attack. Watch the Tigers celebrate their grand final win. Key forward pair Tom Lynch and Jack Riewoldt combined for one kick in the first half as Geelong’s defence, led by the insurmountable Tom Stewart and veteran Harry Taylor, controlled proceedings. But Richmond wasn’t done. Riewoldt kicked the opening goal of the third term after a free kick, before a Jason Castagna outswinger curled through. Martin’s brilliance again rose to the top, with the key Tiger’s on-the-run checkside trickling through to give Richmond a two-point edge by three-quarter time.
The first great era of the club between 1919 and 1934, Richmond won four premierships and was runner-up on seven occasions. In 1931, Jack Dyer made his senior debut with the Tigers. ‘Captain Blood’, a gentleman off the ground, a rugged giant on it, strode Punt Road like a colossus. Dyer’s influence on the Club, and its identity, far exceeded his then VFL record of 312 games. He coached the Tigers from 1941 to 1952, and was captain-coach of Richmond’s 1943 premiership team. If you wanted to personify Richmond in a single man, you need not look further than Jack. His presence is still felt at the ground and enhanced by a statue outisde Punt Road oval.