The Mighty Tigers, 1980
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Match summary
Richmond did not just beat Collingwood in yesterday's VFL grand final at the MCG — it shamed the Magpies. There have been many poor grand Finals in the past and Collingwood has featured on the losing end of a number, but yesterday's 81-point loss was the greatest the Magpies have ever suffered in a grand final.
Collingwood's quest for that all-too-elusive flag was almost a forgotten cause after the first quarter and was certainly all over by half-time. At that stage the Tigers were coasting but still ruthless, leading by 43 points. So it is an ease of yet another 12 months wait for the Magpies who have been consistently knocked down on the last leg of their premiership trail since taking their last flag in 1958. If ever a side which came into a final with fairly good credentials was completely deflated it was the Magpies.
In a star-studded Tiger team one man stood out—33-year-old Kevin Bartlett—who added the day to glorious displays earlier in the finals series against Carlton and Geelong. Bartlett, the oldest player afield, kicked seven of the Tigers' 23 goals to bring his tally in this year's finals to 21, and it was a fitting reward that he should be named player of the match. With that title, went the prestigious Norm Smith Medal, which was hung around Bartlett's neck by another veteran of the Victorian football scene, Ron Barassi.
A crowd of 113,461 fans packed the MCG for the first [grand final] clash of the two neighbouring teams since 1929. This is the best grand final crowd since 113,837 packed into the MCG to see the Tigers beat North Melbourne in the 1974 grand final.
After waiting 51 years for a premiership clash between the two sides whose territory is separated only by the tram-line down the centre of Victoria Street, the one-sided result was an anticlimax. Less than 10 minutes into the first term the two teams were level on 2.2 (14) but then the Tigers bolted and for the rest of the day it was a case of "catch us if you can". But the obviously tired Magpies could not do that and they had given up the chase midway through the afternoon.
Three hard finals matches in which they had covered themselves with glory was just too much for the Magpies who failed to come up with the zest expected from them. For the last half it was a painful operation for the Collingwood fans and a joy for the Tiger supporters to watch.
With a backline which was rock-like, a centre which constantly provided drive and young Mark Lee outpointing big Peter Moore almost all day it was little wonder that the Tigers were almost constantly on top. Lee was at his brilliant best and some of his knockouts were staggering—he hit the ball so hard at the centre-bounce that many times it landed among the half-forwards.
While Bartlett probably stood out more than any other player and served up vintage football, there were plenty of other Tigers who contributed fully. One of these was David Cloke, who was not far behind Bartlett with half a dozen goals.
Bill Picken, switched from defence to attack, tried hard for the Magpies and his three goals did help to make the final score look respectable, small as it was. Of the rest, the form on the day was so much down on that of the three previous weeks that there was hardly any resemblance to the combination that beat North Melbourne, Carlton and Geelong to reach the grand final.
Bartlett record
Richmond's crushing 81-point victory over Collingwood in yesterday's VFL grand final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground clinched the Tigers their 10th premiership and proved that the team will be a potent force in the 1980s. The Tigers' victory had a stunning aura of power and was a perfect blend of experience and youth.
Veteran Kevin Bartlett, who kicked seven goals to total 21 for the finals series, was a great inspiration to his teammates in his 339th VFL game. Only one player, Collingwood's Ron Todd with 23, has kicked more goals during a finals' series. Bartlett topped Melbourne player Jack Mueller's tally of 20 goals kicked in 1948. After the game Bartlett, 33, said that he hoped to play for at least one more season. The balding wispy-haired Bartlett tore holes in the Collingwood defence and spearheaded the Richmond victory to win the man-of-the-match award.
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Big David Cloke, who had been doubtful with a heel injury, was another vital link in the Tigers' attack, kicking six goals from the forward pocket. Bartlett said he now rated this year's premiership side as the equal, of the four other Richmond premiership teams in which he has played.
Tigers' coach Tony Jewell said the whole team set out at the start of the season to prove to Bartlett and his veteran teammate Francis Bourke that they were every bit as good as the Richmond premiership sides of 1967, 1969, 1973 and 1974. He paid high tribute to Richmond's younger brigade including Stephen Mount, Terry Smith, Geoff Raines and Greg Strachan who he said had improved immensely.
"We overcame a lot of setbacks in the race towards the grand final and the players really proved ^their championship class", he said. "Jimmy Jess suffered a burst eardrum against Geelong and other boys had bouts of concussion as well as cuts and bruises galore.
"I would like to see Richmond build up into a side like Collingwood which always played in the finals but only a lot better. "Richmond is capable of winning many more premierships".
Jewell also said that Cloke and Strachan both had pain-killing injections before the game and again at halftime. "I thought we trained well on Monday night then poorly on Tuesday but I was not at all worried after Thursday", Jewell said.
Jewell, who played back pocket in Richmond's 1967 premiership side and was under fire last season because of Richmond's lack of success, said he felt that too many people over-exaggerated the importance of a coach's position. "At Richmond he's a vital link but in the overall scheme he plays a relatively small part", he said.
Asked about having beaten his old coach Tom Hafey, Jewell said "Tom's a great mate of mine and if anything I feel very sad for him". Jewell said he was sure Richmond would win before the game although he did not take Collingwood lightly because of the Magpies’ determination shown in earlier finals. "We were fortunate to have seven players in our side who have played in winning grand final teams", he said.
Among these were former Hawthorn players Peter Welsh, who fought his way into the senior team after joining Richmond midway through the season and played mainly in the reserves before the finals began and the brilliant Barry Rowlings who narrowly passed a final fitness test after a severe hamstring injury.
Perhaps the unluckiest players were Ian Scrimshaw, also formerly of Hawthorn and young Bruce Tempany who sprained an ankle during the second semi-final. Tempany, 21, who missed eight games during the season and who has been hobbling on crutches for the past week, said he felt like crying when the final siren sounded but he was still thrilled to see his team mates succeed so convincingly.
Scrimshaw, who did not know he was out of the 20 until yesterday morning, was philosophical at missing out but admitted that someone had to be left out.
Champion VFL goalkicker Michael Roach, who kicked two goals at full forward to bring his season's tally to 112, described the win as a great team effort and said he was pleased to have played a part in it.
Scene set for screamers by streamers
Unprecedented scene's engulfed the hallowed turf of the MCG just before the start of yesterday's historic VFL grand final, between old rivals Richmond and Collingwood. The Collingwood banner was raised just before 2pm, almost half an hour before the official start of the match at 2.32pm. A huge colourful banner reading "Richmond — Tigers on the prowl" draped the outer grandstand as well as did an equally prominent black and white banner which said just "Collingwood".
A capacity crowd of around 113,000 had jammed into the MCG. Richmond and Collingwood supporters were extremely vocal when the team songs were played as were many Geelong, South Melbourne and Fitzroy supporters who saw their sides fight out the under-19 and Commodore Cup grand finals.
Tiger supporters got an early lift when Richmond 15.13 (103) beat Fitzroy 13.11 (89) in the Under 19's grand final. Geelong then won the Commodore Cup grand final by kicking 24.15 (159) to South Melbourne's 19.12 (126).
Outside the ground, hordes of scalpers lined the pathways into the stadium asking up to $200 a ticket. Inside, the huge crowd roared loudly as the song 'Up There Cazaly' was played by a combined services band.
Greater excitement followed when the VFL's little-league footballers paraded along the boundary line on the outer side of the arena. Television compere Ron Casey then addressed the crowd and introduced a series of acts. Australian international singing star Peter Allen, wearing red jeans and a red jumper bearing the insignia — 'Advance Australia Fair', then ran onto the ground to the strains of 'Waltzing Matilda'.
The crowd was relatively hushed as he sang his big hit 'I Still Call Australia Home', which he composed, before possibly the biggest audience of his career.
In the Magpies' dressing room
There was despair written on every face in the Magpies' dressing room at the MCG last night. Coach Tom Hafey kept the players behind locked doors for almost an hour trying to work out just what went wrong yesterday afternoon.
While this was going on, loyal Collingwood fans in their hundreds were lined up outside the locked rooms banging on doors and waiting for the players who had put on one of the club's worst finals displays.
"What can we say about that?" Hafey said when he finally faced a media barrage 75 minutes after the game ended. "It was our worst performance of the year on the day when it counted most, and I cannot fathom the reason for it. "The players were in a terrific frame of mind and had done everything right on the way up".
Asked whether the Magpies were leg weary after three earlier hard finals games, Hafey said, "No one used it as an excuse….I thought when we were seven goals down at half time we could come back but we just did not get the ball enough. On the other hand, Richmond played desperate and purposeful football. "Our good players like Peter Moore, Rene Kink, Ron Wearmouth and Ricky Barham were actually our worst on the day. "At three-quarter time I had to tell all the players they just had to keep on trying", Hafey said.
Questioned about the brilliant half-forward effort, seven goals five behinds, by his long-standing friend, Richmond veteran, Kevin Bartlett, Hafey said "He was just absolutely magnificent". He said Barham assured everyone before the game that his suspect leg was all right but as soon as he went for the ball early in the game it began to trouble him.
For full match details, click here.
Footnotes
Title: Magpies never flow
Author: Canberra Times Staff Writer
Publisher: The Canberra Times (ACT: 1926-1995)
Date: 28 September 1980, p.19 (Article)
Web: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article125624454
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