Richmond have broken the record for the longest winning streak at the MCG with a 28-point victory over Collingwood.
The Tigers notched up their 18th straight victory, surpassing Melbourne’s 17 consecutive wins at the MCG spanning from Round 2, 1955, to Round 13, 1956. The last team to beat Richmond on their home deck was Sydney in Round 13, 2017, over 400 days ago.
Richmond hold a 19-2 record at the MCG over the last two seasons, those two defeats coming by a combined 11 points, including a goal after the siren courtesy of David Mundy.
It was fitting that the MCG consecutive wins record was broken against Richmond’s cross-town rival Collingwood in front of an 88,180-strong crowd.
The first versus third clash on a clear afternoon felt closer to a finals match-up in late September than it did a home-and-away game in July.
Richmond have gone 2-0 up on Collingwood for season 2018, having already toppled the Pies by 43 points in Round 6, but it remains to be seen whether these two juggernauts of the AFL will have a third meeting in the finals, where the stakes will be raised once again.
(Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
While Richmond’s MCG run is now historically dominant, the Tigers are yet to win a game outside of Victoria this season, falling to Adelaide, Port Adelaide, West Coast and Greater Western Sydney.
But their interstate woes will be nearly irrelevant as another win has them inching closer to the all-important top-two finish on the ladder, which would grant them a home finals run.
Throughout their 18-game MCG win streak Richmond have been running out games to win by an average margin of 41 points. Just three of those games have been decided by under 25 points.
Richmond and other Victorian MCG tenants are at an advantage over interstate rivals by having the grand final guaranteed to be played in Melbourne, but for the time being the Tigers hold another advantage: the title of boasting the largest supporter base in the AFL.
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Richmond have created a finals-like atmosphere several times throughout the year, having played in front of a 70,000-plus crowd for the sixth time this season. This number will only continue to grow as they host Geelong and Essendon at the MCG in the coming weeks.
Having the opportunity to blood their younger players like Jack Higgins, Ryan Garthwaite, Callum Moore and now Liam Baker, who debuted against Collingwood, on the big stage will help settle their nerves if they play come September.
The MCG win streak was just one of many milestones achieved at Punt Road this week as the Tigers announced they had signed up over 100,000 paid members.
Damien Hardwick also became just the third Tiger to coach his 200th game, alongside Jack Dyer and Tom Hafey.
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