I couldn't find this on the net so I typed it in...Bartlett best on ground at reunion By Chris de Kretser and Daryl Timms
Sat 04 APR 2009, Page 70
RICHMOND put its terrible start to the season behind it yesterday by turning the clock black 29 years to celebrate the club's most recent premiership heroes.
The 1980 team was inducted into the AFL Premiership Club before the Tiger faithful at the regular Tommy Hafey Club lunch.
And it was Richmond games record-holder Kevin Bartlett, who has only recently returned to the fold, who put a smile and roar back into what could have been a grim audience.
"KB" was at his hungry best at the mike, hogging the limelight with some uproarious stories of the Tigers of old and some wonderful self-deprecation of his own mighty feats.
He had the audience in fits as he poked fun at his premiership teammates and showed why he has been sorely missed for so long at the club.
Ironically, the celebration was of club patron Hafey's worst defeat. He was the coach of Collingwood, which the Tigers defeated by a then record Grand Final margin of 81 points.
KB didn't spare Hafey with his friendly ribbing, saying the coach had left Richmond to chase the big dollars at the Magpies, and also making fun of his legendary tough training regimen.
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REFERRING to Richmond's task of playing Geelong at the Cattery today, KB said that on his first visit there as Tigers coach, a bloke called Gary Ablett kicked 15 goals.
"We put a lot of work in countering him next time we played them and he only kicked 10," he said.
"And the next time he only kicked eight - he was playing on the wing - but no one gave us any credit."
HE SAID full-foward Michael Roach was the most selfish player of all time.
"After his took the mark of the century, I ran up behind him yelling 'handball, handball' and he ignored me and went back and slotted the goal," KB said.
DESPITE Bartlett winning the Norm Smith Medal, Hafey had a go at him for not laying a single tackle in the 1980 Grand Final.
"I told Tommy that I had the ball all day. It's hard to tackle when I'm running and bouncing the ball all day. Do you want me to tackle myself?" KB said.
The 1980 team: Emmett Dunne, Greg Strachan, Barry Rowlings, Tony Jewell (coach), Francis Bourke, Merv Keane, Geoff Raines, David Cloke, (back row) Bryan Wood, Michael Roach, Dale Weightman, Stephen Mount, Robert Wiley, Bruce Monteath (captain), Daryl Freame, Kevin Bartlett. Missing: Mick Malthouse, Mark Lee, Jim Jess, Terry Smith (deceased), Peter Welsh (deceased).
Btw OER has a tribute page to the 1980 flag here:
http://oneeyed-richmond.com/history/1980gf.htm
