Fourteen numbers Richmond fans don’t want to read before facing Geelong, and one they do
WE CAN’T sugar coat it. Richmond’s record against Geelong is bad. Really bad. These numbers reveal the scale of the horror show. But there is a possible silver lining for the Tigers.
Richmond
Don't miss out on the headlines from Richmond. Followed categories will be added to My News.
WE CAN’T sugar coat it. Richmond’s record against Geelong is bad. Really bad.
Tiger fans were delighted to leapfrog the Giants in Round 23 to set up a qualifying final against the Cats at the MCG.
The venue is a big plus, but if they looked at the recent — and not so recent — history between these teams, perhaps they wouldn’t have minded getting on a plane to Adelaide.
Reddit user, and Tiger supporter, jbjimmyjb1 posted “12 depressing Richmond statistics” on the site last week.
FINALS HEADACHE: THE TOUGHEST CALL OF DIMMA’S YEAR
MEMORY LANE: THE LAST TIME CATS, TIGERS MET IN A FINAL
MARK ROBINSON: PRESSURE ON SCOTT TO PRODUCE IN SEPTEMBER
FIELD MARSHALL: CATS, TIGERS TURN UP PRESSURE FOR FINAL
We can go two better. But we also found a possible silver lining for the success-starved yellow and black army.
Unfortunately, they will have to read through all the bad news first.
14 TERRIBLE RICHMOND v GEELONG NUMBERS
1. Richmond hasn’t beaten Geelong since 2006.
2. The Tigers have won one of their past 21 games against Geelong. Over the past 35 years the record is 41-7 Geelong’s way.
3. The last time Richmond defeated Geelong at the MCG was Round 12, 1999.
4. Damien Hardwick has never beaten Geelong as coach — the only team he is yet to record a win against.
5. Geelong’s 13-game winning streak against Richmond is its third-longest ever. The Cats won 16 in a row against St Kilda from 1897-1903 and 26 in a row against North Melbourne from the Kangaroos’ entry into the VFL in 1925 until 1936.
6. It is the second-longest current winning streak in the AFL, behind North Melbourne’s 16-game run against Melbourne. In a possible plus for the Tigers, Hawthorn’s 14-game winning run against Carlton and St Kilda’s 14-game winning streak against Melbourne both ended this year ... so, streaks are made to be broken.
7. Richmond hasn’t won a final since 2001. Since then its September record is 0-3. In that time Geelong has played in 28 finals, winning 15 including the 2007, 2009 and 2011 premierships.
8. There is no current player who has lost to Richmond in a final. The last surviving one was Dustin Fletcher, who played in the 1995 second semi-final.
9. The last time Richmond won a final on September 8 was 1928. It has lost three finals played on that date since then. Geelong has played three finals on September 8 in its history for one win and two losses (including a surprise loss to Fremantle at the MCG in 2012).
10. In 1995, one of two years since 1982 that Richmond has had the double chance, it was beaten by Geelong in the preliminary final.
11. Of the 38 players who have appeared for Richmond in 2017, Dion Prestia is the only one to have played in a win against Geelong (he had 20 disposals in the Suns’ 40-point victory in 2014).
The Tigers could boost their credentials by picking Shaun Hampson, who played in a win for Carlton against the Cats in 2009, or Ivan Maric who defeated Geelong twice as a Crow. Bizarrely Bachar Houli, Shaun Grigg and Toby Nankervis all played against the Cats for other clubs but lost every time. Even Jacob Townsend played two games against Geelong as a Giant for two defeats.
READ MORE: CAN TIGER ARMY DARE TO DREAM OR WILL CATS SPOIL THE PARTY?
WIN-LOSS RECORD v GEELONG
12. Andrew Mackie is the only current Geelong player to lose against Richmond playing for Geelong.
13. Geelong inflicted Richmond’s worst-ever loss, a 157-point thumping in 2007.
14. Gary Ablett Sr played 20 games for Geelong against Richmond from 1982-96, winning 18 of them and kicking 117.62 including hauls of 14, 12 (twice), 10 and eight (twice). The most goals kicked by a Richmond player against Geelong is eight — by Kevin Bartlett in the 1980 second semi-final and Michael Roach in 1986.
BUT IT’S NOT ALL BAD NEWS, TIGER FANS
Richmond holds a 7-2 edge over Geelong in September. They may have faced each other in only one final in the past 37 years (which the Cats won), but you’ve got to take the positives where you can.
Watch: Tigers star stumbles off the track after heavy hit
Richmond fans look away now! Star forward Tom Lynch has stumbled off the track during match sim on Friday – and he wasn’t happy. See the vision and get the latest intel.
Next steps for Richmond’s ‘ACL quintet’ revealed
Richmond were decimated by injury in 2024, particularly knee complaints. Now, Richmond’s “ACL quintet” are taking the next step in their road back to the top level.