TIGERS GOOD FOR TWO MORE FLAGS

... if their suspect knees hold that long

Monday, September 30, 1974, The Age

by Percy Beames on the 1974 Grand Final

It is just as well for the 11 other clubs and the League premiership that a few knees are wearing out at Richmond.

Otherwise the talented Tigers - the first team in 14 years to win successive premierships - might monopolise the flag for years to come.

Indisputably, the Tigers stand head and shoulders above the opposition after their 41-point victory over North Melbourne in Saturday's Grand Final at the MCG.

Their ability, classy teamwork, balanced power and fierce comradeship could win them at least two more premierships.

That is if the "dicky" knees of Royce Hart, Barry Richardson, Francis Bourke and Kevin Sheedy do not wear out first.

Hart, Sheedy, Bourke and Richardson are the class of players who turn good sides into great sides.

Money cannot buy what they mean to a team.

Before Saturday, North Melbourne had spent something like $500,000 in the belief that money can guarantee a premiership. It knows better now.

But let's not belittle North's magnificent effort. Last in 1972 to runner-up in 1974 is no small achievement.

Sure North took a thrashing, disappointing the MCG crowd which was so overwhelmingly on its side. But it can write that off to experience.

North made the grade as a top side and for the next couple of years at least will stay that way. Ron Barassi will see to that.

Barassi tried to warn his players before Saturday that a Grand Final was a different ball game. But they never realised that pressure could take such a new and fearsome meaning.

The Tigers killed most North players with ruthlessly applied pressure.

It started in the ruck with Michael Green and Neil Balme, and flourished through the ruck-roving of Sheedy and the center drive of damaging Paul Sproule.

It spread into attack where Hart, at centre half-forward, was unbeatable.

When North managed to go forward, it was there with Richmond defenders pulling down big marks or charging through packs with arrogant ease.

For about 12 minutes at the end of the first quarter and the start of the second, North ruffled Richmond's composure, but that was all.

Urged On

The Kangaroos, urged on by an emotional crowd of 113,839, kicked five goals while holding Richmond to one point.

Two goals came during time-on at the end of the first quarter. Nine minutes into the second quarter and three others followed.

The score - North Melbourne 6.2 to 3.9 - showed how well the Kangaroos had pushed home their opportunites.

But, although it took a little time to become evident, the Grand Final was finished then as a contest.

Sheedy lit the fuse that saw Richmond's ability explode into devastating power play.

Sheedy marked about six metres out on an acute angle. Every North defender was convinced he would try for goal.

Not Sheedy. His quick thinking saw the opportunity for a handpass over the head of Bradley Smith on the mark; Mike Green accepted it and tapped the ball through - and that was the beginning of the end.

From that point every Richmond player improved. Just as surely player after player in North's side slipped out of sight.

Barassi tried everything, turning his team almost inside out, to no avail.

Even a touch of muscle by a couple of North Melbourne players failed to help. If anything it stirred Richmond into even fiercer efforts.

The Tigers were too fast and too desperate.

They showed it in the way the ball was for ever being knocked, tapped, pushed or handballed forward and the way that players almost uncannily backed one another up.

The Kangaroos couldn't get high enough into the air or else their judgement was faulty in trying to spoil Hart, Richardson, Green, Neil Balme, Robert McGhie and Gareth Andrews.

And, to top everything off, the Tigers almost inevitably kicked the ball a football mile.

The lesson for every club next year is simple - they must copy the Tigers' style.

Richmond proved that players cannot shepard, back up or tap on too much , and that there is no adequate substitute for the long kick and the direct approach to goal.

The win also vindicated coach Tom Hafey's insistence on a gruelling fitness programme.

No team devoted more hours to training this season than the Tigers and they proved themselves the fittest side in the League.

Hafey has now coached Richmond to four premierships in the past eight years - a most imposing record for someone who half-way through 1969 was on thin ice with the club committee.

They were at a premiership victory barbeque at Mr Wilson's Malvern home yesterday after a hectic night of celebrations.

While the premiership cup held gallon after gallon of champagne, the Tigers had dined and danced at the Melbourne Town House.

Hafey told a cheering crowd of supporters and officials: "It was Richmond against the world today - and we won."

He said he hadn't coached a better side before he was forced to make several circuits of the dance floor on the shoulders of his players.

Suspended team manager Mr. Graeme Richmond said he had always considered the 1967 side Richmond's best.

"I think this year's side is the best we have fielded." he said.

"Checker Hughes and Norm Smith have always been talked of as the best coaches. Now Tom Hafey has proved he is one of the all-time greats."

Secretary Alan Schwab told the gathering: "I will never forget the looks on the faces of Sir Maurice Nathan and Mr. Eric McCutchan when that cup was presented."

Sir Maurice and Mr. McCutchan were invited to the function, but did not attend. The VFL was represented by Mr. Jack Hamilton.

From the Grandstand - John Kennedy - written in collaboration with staff writer Peter McFarline.

Richmond's hand-passing and kicking in Saturday's Grand Final was as near to perfection as you can get.

As Hawthorn coach, that was my outstanding impression of the game.

That handball and positional kicking are the two things that helped Richmond most - and the two things I'd like to bring to Hawthorn.

The way Tom Hafey has his side playing makes Richmond the envy of every other League club.

Richmond played a wonderful, natural game. It is no wonder players from other clubs want to go to Richmond. Their style of football is so attractive.

Before the game, I thought North Melbourne could win. I felt Richmond, particularly players like Royce Hart and Barry Richardson who have had serious injuries, could have been a little rusty.

By quarter-time, I felt it was obvious that Richmond would win by a big margin. It looked a much better side both in ability and strength.

It was all to North's credit that they came back at Richmond in the second and third quarters.

But honestly, North never really looked like going on with it. That last quarter showed they just weren't up to it.

Overall, Richmond was a much more accomplished side. Its ruckmen, Neil Balme and Michael Green, were too strong. Only Barry Goodingham could compete with them and the odds were very much against him.

There were some outstanding individual achievements by Richmond players.

Kevin Sheedy's display had everything - great skill, great courage and fanatical determination.

His hand-passto Green in the goal square was a good example - cool but daring. Had he been off-line with the hand-pass, the ball would have gone through for a point.

He fooled everyone. Every North Melbourne player seemed to go to sleep for a second. But it was the sort of mistake that any team, even the best, can make.

Royce Hart was another. He played a great game at centre half-forward. His kicking was tremendous and North had no answer.

Even when North were attacking, Hart was dropping back to the centre picking up kicks. That's not fair.No coach expects a centre half-forward to do that.

I thought John Rantall was a great trier all day for North. He had a job to do and fought hard.

Keith Greig on the wing played well. He has tremendous talent and, although I am not generally in favour of players running too far with the ball, Keith finishes off his play so well.

Looking at the game from North's point of view, it had many players who just didn't show the skill they do have.

But it is not the end for them. They will stay as a top team, especially while Ron Barassi is coach.

From the Grandstand - Bob Rose - written in collaboration with staff writer Ron Carter.

It's no good fooling ourselves, Richmond is way, way out in front of all other clubs.

And unless the rest of us get down to a lot of hard work, that gap is going to get even wider.

Just look what the Tigers did to North on Saturday. They thrashed the Kangaroos, the next best side in the VFL right now.

Richmond is the yard-stick all right. All othersides must either match it or go under.

They must learn to get more out of their players - what Tom Hafey gets from his boys.

Hawthorn is the only other club which gets the maximum out of the players.

You must have players like Richmond's - players who are willing to listen and learn.

North is aware of this, I know, and I'll guarantee you Footscray is, too, but we have a lot of work to do before we get up to Richmond's level.

There are three good reasons why the Tigers are so much better than the others ... they're fitter, more disciplined and they have talent.

We saw all that in the Grand Final.

Their fitness I believe comes from a tough summer training programme. It enables them to withstand the hard training during the season.

Then there's that special brand of Richmond discipline which stands out throughout their games. The Tigers have a job to do and a plan to play by ... and they do it. Only the forwards try to mark the ball from behind. The others go for the punch from behind all the time and takes discipline.

The discipline shows in other ways too.

The Tigers play to a long-kicking plan and even when they are on top they don't pass short.

And then there's all that Tiger talent. It's all over the field.

They have stars like Royce Hart, Kevin Sheedy and Kevin Bartlett, but there's strength in every position.

Other sides drop away in talent but not the Tigers.

The Tigers are supremely confident, too. That comes from playing in so many big games together. Maximum value from every kick is a must to them.

And how about the way Kevin Morris, Sheedy and Francis Bourke got Sam Kekovich in and got his mind off getting the ball?

The Tigers can create an incident and not let it affect their own game. That's part of their tactics.

The anti-Richmond feeling, which has built up around the town during the last few months, would have helped the Tigers.

I was in the Collingwood teams which were hooted on and off the field in the 1950s and I know it made us all the more determined. It brings a club together.

Looking at the game from Ron Barassi's point of view, he just didn't have the equipment to counter Richmond's strengths.

Barassi didn't have anyone to throw in to stop Paul Sproule and Sheedy getting the ball away from the centre in the second quarter.

And once Barry Davis was hurt, the way was clear for thr Richmond pair to take over at the centre bounces.

John Burns played well for three quarters but he contributed nothing in the centre in the second quarter when Richmond sealed the game.

The only criticism I could make of North's tactics was that it hadn't learnt from its previous game against Richmond that Gareth Andrews could be such a stumbling block in the back pocket.

Why didn't North try to take him out of the game away from the goal square and Doug Wade?

In the previous game, North had Mick Nolan standing alongside Wade with Andrews parked there, too, and on Saturday Kekovich did the same thing.

by Mike Sheahan

Richmond and North Melbourne officials said repeatedly before Saturday's Grand Final that it would be no grdge match, but they obviously weren't speaking for the players.

The premiership battle produced numerous incidents with regular clashes behind play as opponents showed their dislike for each other and settled old scores.

Most spectacular of the incidents erupted midway through the third quarter about 90 metres behind play.

While field umpire Ian Robinson sorted things out at the scoreboard end, about a dozen players brawled on the North Melbourne half-forward line.

Punches were thrown, players wrestled and a goal umpire, a boundary umpire and trainers tried to restore order while play continued at the opposite end.

North full-forward Doug Wade made a spectacular entry into the fray by sailing over the top of Tiger Robert McGhie and crashing to the ground.

The donny-brook involved North's burly ruck-rover Sam Kekovich, who had his strength tested several times, and Richmond half-backs Kevin Morris and Francis Bourke.

Morris had the satisfaction of playing in another premiership team and settled a score on Saturday.

Kekovich finished the game with a badly swollen upper lip courtesy of Morris.

Two weeks earlier in the second semi final at VFL Park, Morris was heavily upended by the powerful Kekovich and spent several minutes in the trainers' hands.

Richmond knew before the game that everyone other than their own supporters dearly wanted North to win its first flag.

But it must still have been surprised when Robert McGhie's first mark of the match was greeted by boos.

The Tigers soon got used to it as they were booed while kicking for goal and when they got any free kick which wasn't obvious.

Richmond settled a seven year "debt" with star back pocket Gareth Andrews by winning this year's flag. Andrews was centre half-forward in the Geelong team which lost by only nine points to Richmond in the controversial 1967 Grand Final. The Cats of 1967 believed that a couple of umpiring decisions and a bit of bad luck cost them the flag.

But Richmond adequately compensated Andrews on Saturday when he played in his second Grand Final. The safe, strong marking defender joined the Tigers in a swap with former Richmond forward Rex Hunt after seven rounds this year.

Ironically, Andrews' last game with Geelong, his first with Richmond and Saturday's Grand Final all were against North Melbourne. He played in five games against North this year.

For the people who love comparing teams from different eras, Saturday's Richmond line-up would beat Melbourne's all-conquering teams of the 1950s. That's the opinion of Ron Barassi, and if anyone is qualified to make the comparison, it's Barassi. In addition to coaching North Melbourne on Saturday, he played in six Melbourne premiership teams and was the Demons' star of the 1950s.

"Richmond would beat the old Melbourne sides because football has changed and sides are now bigger, fitter and faster. But Melbourne was just as great a side in its own era." Barassi said.

Despite Richmond captain Royce Hart chronic knee trouble, he said more surgery was most unlikely.

Hart, who had a cartilage removed from his left knee after the 1973 Grand Final, said on Saturday night the remaining cartilage in his left knee was torn.

"But I've just started in a new business and won't have the time to have the cartilage out." he said.

Richmond's premiership win made everything the club had been through this season worthwhile, victorious coach Tom Hafey said after Saturday's Grand Final.

"It's a tremendous feeling to win two in a row and every Richmond player deserves credit.

"I don't want to individualise. It was a team effort and I think this told on North in the finish."

Royce Hart (Richmond captain): Now we have the chance to go on and win three flags in a row. I was tremendously proud to be able to play in this one. I think this team is god enough to go on to another one. It was a great team effort.

Attendance: 113,839.

Umpire: Ian Robinson

1974 Richmond Premiership Side

B: M. Keane R. Clay G. Andrews HB: F. Bourke R. McGhie K. Morris C: B. Wood D. Thorpe W. Walsh HF: D. Cloke R. Hart P. Sproule F: D. Cumming B. Richardson N. Balme R: M. Green K. Sheedy K. Bartlett I: C. Clayton B. Roberts

Quarter Scores

Richmond	3.8	10.11	12.17	18.20-128
North Melbourne	3.2	8.3	11.4	13.9-87

Goals:

Richmond: Richardson 5, Hart 3, Sheedy 2, Balme 2, Green 2, Cumming, Walsh, Thorpe, Cloke.

North Melbourne: Wade 4, Kekovich 2, Cable 2, Peterson, Burns, Greig, Davis, Briedis.

Best:

Richmond: Sheedy (B.O.G.), Hart, Green, Sproule, Balme, Walsh.

North Melbourne: Greig, Cable, Schimmelbusch, Rantall, Burns, Smith.

Replacements:

Richmond: Wood by Clayton on last quarter; Sheedy by Roberts in last quarter.

North Melbounre: Davis (hamstring) by Briedis at half-time; Peterson by Cowton in last quarter.

Reports:

P.Baker (North Melbourne) by field umpire Ian Robinson for delibrately striking Royce Hart (Richmond) to the side of the head with a clenched fist in the final quarter.

Stats

	K	I	C	K	S	HB	FF	FA	M	G	B
	1	2	3	4	T
Keane	5	-	4	2	11	-	3	2	1
Clay	2	1	5	2	10	-	3	1	2
Andrews	2	6	1	2	11	1	-	1	7
Bourke	5	3	2	4	14	3	-	1	1
McGhie	2	2	2	1	7	2	-	2	6
Morris	4	2	4	4	14	2	-	1	1		1
Walsh	5	2	3	6	16	3	1	1	5	1
Thorpe	4	2	5	6	17	5	4	2	1	1	3
Wood	2	1	1	2	6	3	2	2	2
Cloke	1	1	1	1	4	1	-	-	3		1
Hart	7	5	3	4	19	3	4	2	5	3	2
Sproule	5	6	3	3	17	7	1	5	5		5
Cumming	1	-	2	2	5	13	1	4	1	1	1
Richardson	3	-	-	5	8	2	-	5	4	5	1
Balme	2	4	1	2	9	2	2	5	2	2
Green	1	2	4	1	8	4	-	3	6	2
Sheedy	3	6	5	3	17	12	6	2	6	2	2
Bartlett	5	6	6	10	27	-	2	2	1		3
Clayton	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	1	-
Roberts	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Richmond	59	49	52	60	220	64	29	42	59	18	20
North Melb	57	46	54	45	202	64	42	29	45	13	9