Richmond legends Matthew Richardson and Kevin Bartlett recall the 1967 Grand Final between the Tigers and Geelong

Police had to be called to Spring St as Richmond star Neville Crowe was rubbed out for the 1967 Grand Final clash with Geelong — Tiger greats Kevin Bartlett and Matthew Richardson speak about the drought-breaking premiership.

Michael Warner

5 min read

October 23, 2020 - 6:40AM

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It was the cruellest of suspensions, casting a shadow over the last Grand Final clash between Richmond and Geelong 53 years ago.

In a decision that still rankles old time Tigers fans today, Richmond ruckman Neville Crowe was rubbed out after the 1967 second-semi final against Carlton for a phantom strike on Blues counterpart John Nicholls.

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John Nicholls puts his hand to his face after clashing with Neville Crowe — but did the strike connect?

“It was a massive story and a very emotional time because Neville had been the captain and an iconic figure that had driven the club for years,” Crowe’s teammate Kevin Bartlett reflected this week.

“Neville had been a star, had won best and fairests, and sort of kept Richmond alive and it was tragic that at the end of his career he got to a Grand Final and got rubbed out.”

Crowe received a four-week suspension, but video of the incident — inadmissable in those days — clearly showed that Crowe’s open right hand had not made contact with Nicholls face.

The case reached a flashpoint when Nicholls told the VFL tribunal that he could not remember much of what had happened.

“My memory is not too clear,” the Blues ruckman said after boundary umpire Ron Fitzgerald had given evidence suggesting he had seen Crowe’s clenched fist make contact with Nicholls.”

Also on this week’s episode, Lauren Wood, Michael Warner, Scott Gullan and Jon Anderson give their Grand Final predictions and debate Jeremy Cameron’s likely move to Geelong, the North Melbourne coaching situation and the virtual Brownlow.

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Police were called to the league’s then headquarters in Spring St where an angry mob had gathered.

“We lost Neville Crowe, but replacing him was Johnny Ronaldson and it just happened to be that he became the matchwinner on the day, kicking three goals for the game and two in the last quarter, including one of the greatest goals ever kicked in a Grand Final,” Bartlett said.

Richmond president Ray Dunn talks with a tearful Tiger supporters as a shattered Neville Crowe leaves his hearing.

Future Tiger Matthew Richardson watched the VHS tape of the game “dozens of times” as a kid growing up in Devonport, Tasmania.

His father, the late Alan Richardson, was Richmond’s ruck-rover and a key player in the club’s drought-breaking flag

“I remember it being a real big deal getting the video recorder and renting out the VHS videos on a Friday night. That was basically the only footage that I’ve seen of dad,” Richardson said.

“A lot of things come to mind — Freddy Swift kicking it out to the centre with the big drops kicks, Royce Hart’s famous mark floating across the front, Johnny Ronaldson’s drop kick goals from the forward pocket of the MCC members, and of course Freddy marking it a metre inside the line and all the Geelong people thinking it was the other side.

Richo watched the ‘67 premiership win over and over.

“Dad would sometimes watch it with me and I’d ask him questions about it. He got injured right at the end with about five minutes to go.

“He played really well and we had the premiership medallion in the crystal cabinet with all the good stuff in it. It took pride of place.”

Bartlett was 20 when the Tigers saluted in ‘67 — the first of his five premierships.

“You’ve got to grab the opportunity while it’s there,” he said.

“I don’t think anyone can be certain who will win (the rematch on Saturday). The only thing is, Richmond have been very good at winning the big games of recent times - — they have got that in-built belief. That might be the difference.”

The 167 premiership win was the first of five for Richmond legend Kevin Bartlett.

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The 1967 Grand Final is best remembered for a contentious incident late in the final quarter when Swift took a mark on Geelong’s goal line with the Cats trailing by just 9 points.

“(Geelong ruckman) Polly Farmer was a great fella and he used to talk to me about it all the time,” Bartlett said.

“He used to say, ‘That was a goal and we were robbed’. It would have been one of those goal line videos these days — the ARC would have been playing over and over and over again.”

It’s fair to say forward Royce Hart was one of Tom Hafey’s favourites.

THE DAY HAFEY SAVED HART BUT LEFT TEAMMATE IN THE SURF

Simeon Thomas-Wilson

Richmond’s game plan under Tom Hafey was largely just kick it to Royce Hart, and the Tigers legend has recalled the preferential treatment he got from his former coach over his teammates.

Hart arrived at Richmond in 1966 from Hobart after the club’s master recruiter Graeme Richmond had offered the now famous recruiting lure of six Pelaco shirts and a Hersh suit for the young bank teller from Tasmania.

A then 19-year-old Hart won a VFL premiership in 1967, one of four in his career, when Richmond defeated Geelong in what is considered one of the classic games of footy.

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He quickly became an integral part of Hafey’s team, so vital in fact the then Richmond coach left another one of his players out in the surf at Bondi on an end of season trip so he could help Hart get back onto the beach.

“What happened was we were out in the water and the tide at Bondi took us out and we went out about 100 metres,” Hart told the Herald Sun Footy Podcast.

“And Tommy was swimming with Tony Jewell and myself, so I was a bit further out than Tony Jewell and Tommy swam past Tony Jewell and gave me a couple of pushes to get on a wave and I came in and so did Tommy as well.

“So we were lying on the beach on our towels and about 15 minutes later Tony Jewell comes in and he is looking blue and he looked awful.

“And he said why didn’t you come up and get me, and Tommy said back pockets are a dime a dozen centre-half forwards are had to get … I’ve never seen someone look so sick.”

Royce Hart and Tom Hafey at the 1969 Grand final team function.

Hart, who said he was missing the high-scoring, big-marking and long-kicking style of footy in the past, said his former side was the better defensive side ahead of Saturday’s Grand Final against Geelong but need to find goals.

“I think today Richmond stand a real chance of losing the game if they can’t get their two key forwards (Tom Lynch and Jack Riewoldt) to kick at least six goals,” he said.

“Because I don’t think key forwards can survive on 10 possessions between them a game and a couple of goals, Lynch and Riewoldt have to kick goals.”