Richmond's History

Richmond won two VFA premierships, in 1902 and 1905. After an injury-ridden 1907 season which saw them finish 3rd place in the VFA, the Richmond committee decided to make an official approach for admission to the Victorian Football League. The timing couldn't have been better as the VFL had itself decided that the competition was in need of expansion. Richmond were granted admission along with University.

The first few seasons in the VFL were less than spectacular. In 1916, the side played in the finals for the first time, however, with the ravages of war having reduced the competition to just 4 clubs, finals qualification was automatic. In season 1919, the Tigers made their first Grand Final appearance. losing to arch rivals Collingwood. For the second year in a row, Richmond and Collingwood contested the 1920 Grand Final, with the Tigers gaining revenge and their first flag in the big league. In 1921, Richmond defeated Carlton to win the club's second VFL premiership.

The next VFL flag came in 1932, with the Tigers triumph over Carlton in a tough encounter which saw Richmond wingman Allan Geddes play the second half with a broken jaw. Another Tigers premiership came in 1934, this time against South Melbourne. In 1942 Richmond contested another Grand Final, only to lose to Essendon.In 1943 Richmond beat Essendon in the Grand Final which, due to the war, was played at Princes Park.1966 heralded the start of the Tom Hafey era, one that would see the club winning four premierships under his leadership. They won the 1967 flag in a thrilling encounter with Geelong, ending a 24 year premiership drought. In 1969, it became two in three years as Richmond, who had finished fourth on the ladder, beat the much fancied Carlton in the grand final by 25 points.The Tigers were dominant in 1972 and were hot favourites in the Grand Final against Carlton. However, the Blues stunned the Tigers in a game of ridiculous high scoring. Even Richmond equalled the then record highest score in a Grand Final of 22.18(150), but Carlton beat it with 28.9(177).

The Tigers got their revenge in an intensely physical clash in the 1973 Grand Final and went back-to-back in 1974 with a strong win against a resurgent North Melbourne.Richmond won its last premiership with a then record-breaking margin of 81 points over arch-rivals Collingwood in 1980. After reaching and losing the 1982 Grand Final, it has been a rocky road for the Tigers who have struggled to come to grips with the rules and regulations of a modernized AFL, including the draft and salary cap. The successes of the early 1980s were bought at high financial cost through expensive recruiting, and were followed by severe cut backs that saw several top players depart. By 1990 the club was close to bankruptcy and was only saved by a public campaign Save Our Skins to raise one million dollars. Recruiting of quality juniors in the late 1980s and early 1990s was later counterbalanced by attempting "quick fixes" in trading draft picks for experienced players - with mixed success. A succession of acrimonious replacements of coaches also upset the team's stability. Wooden spoons came in 1987, 1989 and 2004, but perhaps more frustrating for supporters was a succession of four 9th places between 1996 and 2000, which saw the team just miss the finals. The only finals played since 1982 have been in 1995 and 2001.Just prior to the 2005 season,

Richmond appointed Terry Wallace as coach. Wallace played for Hawthorn and Footscray with a season at Richmond (1987) squeezed in between. He was a successful coach at the unfashionable Footscray and with a high turnover of players, much is expected of the Tigers in the coming years.In 2005 the Tigers began their new era under Terry Wallace with a small step up the ladder from 2004s 16th. The four places the Tigers rose up the ladder was, although unspectacular, a sight for sore eyes for long suffering Tiger fans. During the season the Tigers spent time near the top of the ladder and unveiled a new superstar in the 2004s number 1 draft pick Brett Deledio. An exciting, quick midfielder Deledio had a big impact in his first season of AFL taking home the NAB Rising Star ahead of 21 other young players. The award, the first one by any Richmond player for a number of years was an excellent reward, which Deledio richly deserved. In the 2005 Draft Richmond drafted 3 younsters, Jared Oakley-Nicholls (number 8), Travis Casserley (number 40) and Cleve Hughes (number 24). Richmond's current captain as of 2006 is Kane Johnson.