MARKS OF THE CENTURY
THOMAS O'HALLORAN, 1920s v Melbourne
Thomas O'Halloran was a ruckman and centre half-forward, who was regarded as the best mark of his era. As this mark taken against Melbourne at the MCG in the 1920s illustrates, O'Halloran had that exciting ability to leap head and shoulders above a pack of players to mark. It's something he managed to do quite frequently throughout his time at Tigerland.
ROYCE HART, 1967 Grand Final
In the frenetic last quarter of the 1967 Richmond v Geelong Grand Final classic, with the scores all tied up, teenage Tiger forward sensation Royce Hart floated above Cats' defender Peter Walker to pull down a breathtaking mark. It remains one of the enduring memories of a fantastic day in Tigerland's history.
MALCOLM GREENSLADE, Round 3, 1971
On loan to Richmond, while doing his National Service in Victoria, Greenslade had quite an impact in just two games with the Club. In his debut game for the Tigers, against St Kilda at Waverley in early '71, the star Sturt (SA) spearhead took a towering chest mark over teammate Roger Dean.
KEVIN SHEEDY, 1974 Grand Final
Throughout an illustrious 251-game career with the Tigers, Sheedy was not really renowned for his marking prowess. But this grab over North Melbourne's Gary Farrant in the 1974 Grand Final was an absolute gem. Sheedy planted his right foot firmly in Farrant's back and was almost parallel to the ground when he marked.
BRYAN WOOD, 1977 elimination final
For years, this spectacular mark by the star Tiger wingman featured prominently on Channel Seven's, "Up There Cazaly" football promo. Wood's aerial acrobatics were performed against South Melbourne in the 1977 elimination final at Waverley. He got a decent ride on the way up, before arching his back and then grabbing the ball.
MICHAEL ROACH, Round 5, 1979
The superstar full-forward was a noted high-flyer during his 200 game career at Tigerland, but the mark he took against Hawthorn at the MCG in 1979 was, almost literally, out of this world. 'Roachy' actually rose so high over a huge nest of Hawk players, he ended up making it a chest mark!
GEOFF RAINES, Round 12, 1982
Not only was Raines a beautifully balanced player and a booming kick, he could soar for marks. This particular day, against Fitzroy at the MCG, 'Rainesy' propelled himself over the Lions' David McMahon and grabbed the ball in one clean motion, to complete a stunning mark before crashing back to the turf.
MICHAEL MITCHELL, Round 5,1990
Mitchell was only 173cm tall, and weighed just 66kg, but he was one of the finest marks ever to grace a football field. His best aerial effort for Richmond was a 'pearler' against Fitzroy at the MCG in 1990, which won the Mark of the Year award. 'Mitch' balanced on the shoulders of Lions' backman Brett Stephens before juggling the ball in one hand.
DAVID BOURKE, Round 16, 1996
The son of a Tiger 'Immortal', the one area of his game that David Bourke could justifiably he was better than his old man, was marking. Throughout a 85 game career at Richmond, Bourke jnr. took several screamers, but this one, against Essendon at the MCG in 1996, was an absolute standout.
MATTHEW RICHARDSON, Round 19, 2007.
Richmond was striving for just its second win of the 2007 season when it confronted Collingwood under the MCG lights in Round 19. Outstanding key forward Matthew Richardson, in typical style, inspired his teammates with a vintage ‘specky’ over Magpie Heath Shaw.
