The Tigers’ lair since 1885: the history of Punt Road OvalChristopher Talbot
Herald Sun
September 9, 2016 THE words Punt Road Oval may conjure images of the crumbling Richmond board at the moment, but the venue holds a special place in the heart of every Tiger supporter.
The ground, which is right next to the MCG and bustling Punt Road, was the home ground of the Richmond Football Club from 1885 until 1964.
Richmond and Footscray in action in a VFA match at Punt Road Oval in 1904. Picture: HWT Library.Punt Road was also used by the Melbourne Football Club during and immediately after World War II, when the MCG became a military base.
After the 1964 season, Punt Road was widened to increase traffic flow which reduced the capacity of the oval to only 22,000 — and then-president of Richmond Ray Dunn negotiated to move the club’s home games to the Melbourne Cricket Ground starting from 1965.
It was a move that angered other VFL clubs who said the relocation to the prestigious ground would give the Richmond an unfair advantage.
Excerpt from The Argus in 1955, which outlined the anger expressed by many VFL clubs when Richmond flagged it would like to move its home games to the MCG. Picture: Trove.
Melbourne aerial view looking over Yarra Park with the MCG and Punt Road oval (on the left) taken in 1952. Picture: HWT Library.Richmond’s last-ever game for premiership points at Punt Road took place on Saturday, August 22, 1964, when the Tigers took on Hawthorn in the final home-and-away round of the season, before a crowd of 15,500.
In that game, Hawthorn had taken control of the contest by halftime and won by 43 points. A disappointing end for the club on their home turf.
But Richmond says fans were happy about the move to the MCG.
“At the time, there wasn’t a huge fanfare about this being the club’s Punt Road farewell (as a home-game venue). It was quite a smooth transition, with the vast majority of supporters embracing the move to the ‘G’,” the club says.
Colin Dobson played one game for Richmond, selected as the 19th man for the final game at the ground. He sat on the bench for the entire game, later saying: “I’m glad I didn’t have two games now, with one I’m famous”.
Ray Poulter (left) and Ian Egerton compete for a mark at Punt Road Oval in 1954. Picture: HWT Library.
Richmond's Jack Dyer boots the ball during training at the Punt Road Oval in 1940. Picture: HWT Library.
The crowd sit around the boundary line at the Punt Rd Oval during the King's Birthday holiday game in 1949 when Richmond played Carlton. Picture: HWT Library.The ground consistently drew crowds of more than 20,000, with a record 46,000 spilling over the fence in a 1949 mid-season match against archrival Carlton.
Some of the greatest players in footy history regularly graced the hallowed Punt Road Oval turf — including Jack Dyer, Jack Titus, Vic Thorp, Percy Bentley, Bill Morris and Roy Wright.
Punt Road oval pictured from the sky with a hot-air balloon flying over the hallowed turf. Picture: HWT Library.
Punt Road oval turned into a lake in 2005 after torrential rain hit Melbourne and flooded the ground. Picture: HWT Library.Richmond continues to use Punt Road as their training ground and administrative offices — with the ground undergoing a $20 million redevelopment which was completed in 2011.
In 2014, Richmond’s stand-alone VFL team started playing its home games at Punt Road.
Punt Road oval’s new facilities after a $20 million redevelopment which was completed in 2011.There was an almighty stink at the Punt Road in 2001 when a Richmond Fan pulled up in a dump truck and dropped a massive load of chicken poo outside the ground following the Tigers loss to Geelong by 42 points.
Poo to Punt Road. Chicken manure was dumped at Punt Rd Road Oval by disgruntled Richmond supporter 'Gecko' in 2001 after Richmond’s loss to Geelong.The footy club ran a decade-long campaign to remove cricket from the oval, and the Richmond Cricket Club reached the historic agreement after intervention from then-premier, John Brumby, with the Victorian Government agreeing to help fund the move and sponsor the redevelopment of a new facility at Mount Waverley in 2011.
Richmond fans pose with the Jack Dyer statue out the front of the Punt Road Ground. Picture: HWT Library.
Richmond player Matthew Richardson next to the statue of club legend Jack Dyer at Punt Road Oval. Picture: HWT Library.Outside Punt Road ground is a massive statue of Richmond legend Jack “Captain Blood” Dyer, who made his debut at Punt Rd in Round 2, 1931 and his last, in Round 19, 1949 — 312 matches later.
He was a colossus of the ground and the competition, and the main grandstand at Punt Road is named after him.
An architect’s impression of how Punt Rd Oval would look as a 40,000-seat AFL venue, with a rejuvenated Richmond station as part of the master plan. Picture: HWT Library.
How a redeveloped Punt Rd Oval will look next to the MCG. Picture: HWT Library.This year Richmond proposed a master plan for a new stadium at punt Road with up to 40,000 seats and a fans’ zone area between the ground and the neighbouring MCG. The debate over a new Melbourne stadium was ignited when Collingwood president McGuire suggested a new stadium on the Hisense Arena site, which prompted Richmond’s senior management to put the Punt Rd plans back on the agenda.
Ground stats from Punt Road* Most individual goals in a match: 14 by Doug Strang (Richmond vs. North Melbourne, Round 2, 1931)
* Highest Score: Richmond 30.19 (199) (vs. North Melbourne Round 2, 1931)
* Lowest Score: St Kilda 1.10 (16) (vs. Richmond 1910)
* Greatest Winning Margin: 168 points (Richmond vs. North Melbourne Round 2, 1931)
* Drawn Matches: 6
* Record attendance: 46,000 (Richmond vs. Carlton, 1949)
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/the-tigers-lair-since-1885-the-history-of-punt-road-oval/news-story/75d29bd71bf9b3157b0342041bc83235
