St Kilda did not get off to a good start, losing their first 48 VFL games on the trot. That was just the beginning.
The Saints were one of the foundation clubs of the league in 1897 and waited until 1966 for their first premiership – and are still waiting for the second. Glory seemed within reach in 1991-92, and even more so in 1997. In 2009, a cruel grand final loss. Then the following year – worse still, a draw and then ignominious defeat in the reply.
Footscray have had their almost ups and completely downs, taking home the cup just once since joining the league in 1925 – and not featuring in a grand final since 1961. This puts them behind the Saints in at least one category. The Dogs faced extinction in 1989 and fought back from the brink. They’ve played in a respectable number of finals series since but an appearance on the big day remains as elusive as Harold Holt.
What can be said about the Fremantle Dockers that hasn’t already been said about Boris Johnson? In 2013, after almost 20 years of almost defiantly mediocre football, they finally made a grand final. They played the first quarter as though even they were surprised to be there, then staggered through the rest of the game like a punch drunk boxer. In 2015 they were the least convincing minor premiers in history – stuttering to a narrow home win against a wildly inaccurate Sydney before being sent packing by the Hawks two weeks later. They’ve now returned to their natural habitat near the bottom of the ladder.
But of all the long-suffering fans, there are none who suffer like those who support the Richmond Football Club. The worst thing about the past 34 years has been the relentlessly inexplicable nature of the relentlessly disappointing results.
In an earlier piece, I compared the Dockers 2016 fall from grace to that of Richmond in 1983.
Between the Saints first and last flag in ’66 and the end of the 1982 season, the Tigers won five premierships from seven grand final appearances. In 1983 they collapsed spectacularly, and didn’t play finals again until 1995.
In fairness, the 1980s were a politically – and financially – turbulent time for the club.
By 1995 there was stability, and a wonderfully talented side. They made a preliminary final against their bete noir – Geelong – who duly delivered a caning. However, there was much promise.
In ’96 the Tigers missed the finals on percentage, and the Club staggered a little before a top-four finish in 2001. The Tigers made the preliminary finals again, losing to the Brisbane Lions as the merged entity marched to the first of three consecutive flags.
2002?
Richmond fell ten places – to 14th on the ladder. To quote the fake reporter who found Clayton Bigsby: “How could this have happened?”
Similar to the 1983-1995 drought, after the 2001 prelim it took the Tigers until 2013 to make the finals again.
The agony didn’t stop there. Richmond had had a great season, finishing fifth on the ladder with 15 wins and seven losses. In the first week of the finals they faced Carlton, a team that had finished ninth with 11-11, who were only in the finals by virtue of Essendon’s creative chemistry. Carlton won by 20 points.
One Richmond fan said to me: “Of course we lost. Of course. Only we could find a way to be knocked out of the finals by the team that finished ninth.”
This time, though, the Tigers held their nerve and made the finals (8th) the following season. For a week.
The Tigers finished fifth with 15 and 7 again in 2015, and again were eliminated in the first week.
In stark contrast to 2013, they were eliminated by a very good eighth-placed side, a North Melbourne team that had faced a tough draw that season.
Fans had a right to feel confident about the future, if they’d not been weighed down by three decades of history. They had a core of excellent players entering their prime – and almost all of the pieces of the puzzle were on the table.
And so here we are. The Tigers are 7 and 10, and will be 7-11 after this coming weekend. On form, they will likely finish 8-14.
Yes, this season is hyper-competitive, but Richmond supporters have a right to ask why this keeps happening to them.
It’s no use flogging the coach. Robert Walls, Jeff Gieschen, Spud Frawley and Terry Wallace aren’t holding them back, and it’s not Damien Hardwick’s fault they couldn’t take a trick for a dozen years in the ‘80s and ‘90s.
Richmond is the sleeping giant of the AFL. At the end of March this year, the Tigers had more members than any club in the league. More than Collingwood. More than Hawthorn. More than West Coast or Adelaide. Miles ahead of Geelong, North, Carlton and the Dogs. They also have the best club song – no contest.
Napoleon said of China: “Let her sleep, for when she wakes she will shake the world.”
What is the missing ingredient that will wake the Tigers?
Mark
Guest
Won a final against a wildly inaccurate Sydney team missing Parker, Jack, Franklin, Smith and then Reid for the second half. Yep, worst minor premiers ever.
Dad of footy-playing kids
Guest
Intriguing comment re MCG. As a Hawks fan, I so often hear/read commentary along lines of 'unfair home ground advantage in Finals, particularly the GF, for Hawks at the MCG' and interstate Clubs pleading for more MCG exposure.
Jack
Guest
Milo, Richmond better wake up soon because they have lost potential fans and members over the last 36 years, Little kids don't want to follow mum and dads loser team. .I have many Richmond Tiger friends whose kids are rabid Hawthorn fans ... Winning teams breeds new fans.Tigers are leaking the young fans year after year after year...
michael RVC
Roar Pro
AR, the Top 5 at RFC is not as you put it. Rance yes. The others are talented but play within their talents only, nothing more. The "more" is what you see at many, perhaps 10 other clubs. The view you have put is one of the key reasons for RFC's fortunes over many years, ie the playing group is about half as good as the club and supporters believe, hence the gap between expectation and capability. Rebuild.
Milo
Roar Rookie
Youre dreaming Andrew, albeit I like the dream. My fear would be that even with an easy draw and enough wins to make the eight, the Tigers fall away again when the following season's draw becomes tougher. Fundamental change in culture in recruitment, development and leadership is what's needed and its hard to see that coming through with the current coaching and players in charge.
Milo
Roar Rookie
Sleeping Giant has always referred to RFC these past 30 odd years. That's because of its membership and supporter base which is massive across the country. that said, too many more poor seasons and bad decisions and that base is under threat.
Gecko
Guest
I think you're right that development has been a problem, especially going back 10 years, but recruitment has been a bigger problem. To say their development is the worst in the league, you need to offer good evidence. Where's your list of players that went to other clubs and, because of different development, became stars? Or do you have startling evidence that Conca and Griffiths would, at a different club, have become stars?
Lroy
Guest
Sleeping Giant and Richmond in the same sentence?? What are you smoking man? Jesus they finished 8th a couple of times and went out in straight sets... Given the weakness of the bottom sides in the AFL you dont even have to be reasonably good to finish tenth.. You win and extra game and your in the finals... I said pre season Richmond were a joke.. eveyone piled on to give it to me... well looks like I was right eh?? I dont even rate their alleged ''guns'' spray on tans, frosted tips, tats like hells angels.. seriously, not naming names, but I wouldnt take any of them over their equivalents at the Crows, Swans or Hawks.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
"Can’t argue with stats. Ronan, but I never once saw Browny strutting petulantly…" I don't mark Richo down based on his occasional stroppy behaviour. I never saw hum sulk and just not try...Richo was one of the hardest working key forwards I've ever seen...he would lead hard 1, 2, 3 times and work his opponent into the ground. If he was petulant and lazy...I'd have an issue. But he was petulant and very hard working...so I give him a pass.
andrew
Guest
i reckon the tigers have got some really good kids coming through and expect them really lift up in 2017 to the next level, if you to this group the established 5, plus a fit chris yarran, and an easy draw from a low finish, i can easilly see them leapfrogging like west coast did in 2015 and the giants have in 2016. i think a top 4 finish is on the cards for 2017 and they are building nicely for a serious tilt at the flag in the few years after that whilst these young kids come through and play with the big 5. dimmas masterplan seems to be coming together right on cue.
BigAl
Guest
Can't argue with stats. Ronan, but I never once saw Browny strutting petulantly... I do remember him displaying bone headed bravery and feel he should have had a better awareness of the fact that he owed it to the team to "stay healthy", as they say in the NFL. These are the attributes that linger, when thinking back on champions. Your last point is extremely relevant, in that Browny was a part of a team that over achieved, and Richo one that greatly under achieved.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
"Matthew Richardson, a man who spent his whole career being not as good as he could have been, for various reasons." That's a bit harsh on Richo. He tried his guts out and his career numbers are sensational - averaged 2.8 goals and 8 marks (2.77 contested) per game. Compare those numbers to Jonathan Brown who gets universal praise as a champion - 2.2 goals per game, 7 marks (1.9 contested). Richo was always over-criticised, in part because of the club he played for.
Troy
Guest
What worries me most is a lack of top players from lower in the draft. Deledio, Cotchin, and Martin came from finishing low on the ladder, not from any particular shrewdness. More credit for picking and developing Riewoldt and Rance, though they were still relatively high draft picks. The context of the past 30 years is important here though. It's not so much being in the finals three years and then out that's unusual - that happens all the time - it's the 30 years before that which is the disappointing part.
Jason
Guest
Because apart from Schulz none of those players were ever junior stars? its just a silly what if to be honest. If Dusty, Lids, Jack, Rance and Cotchy went to other clubs that would be stars, most if not all would be much better players at other clubs. Its our development, its on par with the worst in the league and has been for so many years... decades even.
Tricky
Guest
"What other coach is afforded that?" Nathan Buckley comes to mind
Josh Mitchell
Roar Rookie
It is definitely a privilege to play at the G, I don't think anyone's denying that. However I think there's merit to the idea of a genuine "home ground advantage," too. Aurora is a fair fortress for the Hawks, North's done similarly with Bellerive, Geelong has Kardinia, and even the Bulldogs have taken to showing their strength at Etihad during their revival in the past two seasons. It's certainly a long way from being the driving factor behind the Tigers' problems, but I wouldn't dismiss the idea of it becoming a strong advantage if (when) it happens. Gale came out earlier this year with the suggestion to turn Punt Road into a 40,000 seat stadium. Would be great to see it come to fruition, I think.
Gecko
Guest
'We take star juniors play them out of position, hide them to cover up weaknesses of theirs or the teams.' If young Richmond players were really as good as you think they were, why have they not become stars after moving to other clubs? Think Pettard and Fiora. Even the several Richmond players that moved to port played only a couple of decent seasons then faded.
Gecko
Guest
FGU that's a feasible suggestion for matches against interstate teams, though probably can't be implemented until current corporate deals expire. It may increase Richmond's home-and-away wins slightly but would, if anything, impact negatively on their performance in finals.
Milo
Roar Rookie
Who are all the players with leadership that Wallace dumped? Your point's right about the back and forwards to the VFL of younger players. Only now is Hardwick saying he's committed to playing a few in the ones for some time. Previously he had this idea that he took from Hawthorn in that the players have to earn the jumper to play in the ones. You can only execute that plan if you have good players in the ones but we never had too many outside (Enid Blyton's) 'famous five' already mentioned. So you need to play these VFL kids consistently to find out which can play and which cant. Once you do become a good team then fine, earn your stripes a-la Hawthorn.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Totally agree Milo, you don’t hear the Hawks complaining they don’t get to play at Waverley Park anymore. And it is a massive privilege to play at the G. Anyone who doesn't like it should come to the Gabba more often, if you need a reminder of what a truly bad stadium experience is like.