The day KB tripped the light fantastic at the ‘G’
richmondfc.com.au
By Tony Greenberg
Wed 06 August, 2008
It’s exactly 25 years ago today – August 6, 1983 – that Richmond great Kevin Bartlett made league football history by becoming the first player to reach the 400-game milestone.
The event was celebrated with a week of activity, culminating with Bartlett’s appearance in front of 81,966 fans at the MCG for the Round 19 Richmond-Collingwood game.
Bartlett was 36 years and 153 days old as he proudly strode on to the ‘G’ for a match which had the build-up of a big final, even though both teams had been struggling throughout that season.
Richmond, coached by Bartlett’s teammate in five Tiger premiership triumphs – Francis Bourke – had a 6-12 record going into the game and was in 11th place on the ladder, while Collingwood, with a 9-9 record, was just outside the top five (as it was back then), in sixth spot.
The Tigers looked like celebrating KB’s magic milestone in style when they led by seven points at three-quarter time of a low-scoring battle, but the Magpies finished stronger in the final term to run out 10 point winners.
Nothing, however, could detract from Kevin Bartlett’s super-special day. Tigerland, indeed the whole football world it seemed, was caught in the grip of “Bartlettmania”.
Match detailsRichmond 4.4 7.7 9.12 11.13 (79)
Collingwood 5.0 7.2 9.5 13.11 (89)
Goals – Richmond: Roach 4, Weightman 4, Rowlings 2, Egan. Collingwood: Walsh 3, Annear 2, Mike Richardson 2, Williams 2, Allan, Banks, Fellowes, Taylor.
The Richmond team that day was:
Kevin Bartlett
Greg Conlan
Phil Egan
Dan Foley
Tim Gepp
Jim Jess
Merv Keane
Graham Landy
Mark Lee
Alan Martello
David Palm
Neil Peart
Maurice Rioli
Michael Roach
Barry Rowlings
Paul Sarah
Greg Strachan
Matthew Wall
Dale Weightman
Robert Wiley
The Collingwood team that day was:
Graeme Allan
John Annear
Dennis Banks
Ricky Barham
Ray Byrne
David Cloke
Peter Daicos
Wes Fellowes
Tony Kelly
Greg Phillips
Billy Picken
Michael Richardson
Tony Shaw
Andrew Smith
Craig Stewart
Michael Taylor
Graham Teasdale
David Twomey
Phillip Walsh
Ironically, four members of that Magpie line-up – Annear, Cloke, Stewart and Walsh – later crossed over to Richmond.
KB had seven kicks in the first quarter and finished with 16 for the match, but for the first time in 27 games, didn’t manage to score a goal.
Ray Byrne, his Collingwood opponent on the day, said to KB as they lined up before the game: “Fancy all these people coming along to see you play on me.”
Later that night, KB received an envelope from Ray with a toothless comb inside!
Full article at:
http://www.richmondfc.com.au/tabid/6301/Default.aspx?newsid=64911