Hardest loses | PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
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Hardest loses

DavidSSS

Tiger Legend
Dec 11, 2017
10,523
17,874
Melbourne
People need to get over 1982. Yes, we were the best team and seen in isolation we should have won it.
But the best team doesn't always win Grand Finals and who better to know that than Richmond?
Every year, two teams who are by definition very good, get to the Grand Final and every year, only one will win it.
So if you're batting over 50% you are doing well.
In my life time, we are 7-2, 78% Not bad IMO.

If we let one slip in 1982 (and 1972 and potentially even 2018 when we didn't even get there) then there are plenty of examples where we may have nicked one.

1967 : Close game and much of the media thought Geelong were the better team on the day.
1969 : We finished 4th in a final four.
1972 : We were the hottest favourite in years and conceded 18 goals by half time !!!
1973 : Probably were underdogs here had we not lost to Cartoon the year before.
1974 : No doubt here.
1980 : Ditto.
1982 : Dropped one.
2017 : Eight goals and some idiots till think Adelaide were the best side for the year.
2019 : No doubt here.

I'll take our overall record in Grand Finals any day of the week. Look at Scumwood.

I get what you are saying, but the loss in 1982 was the start of 35 years of mediocrity.

DS
 

DavidSSS

Tiger Legend
Dec 11, 2017
10,523
17,874
Melbourne

The Richo one has been raised a few times, shattering loss but the decision was completely correct.

A couple of other Tigers had a fair bit to answer for though.

Bollocks, no way that was a free and the 50 was absurd. Richo took a legitimate mark and kicked a goal.

DS
 
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momentai

Tiger Legend
Jul 24, 2004
6,217
2,873
Melb
Bit short on detail but maybe in 2007 the first game v Carlton, Jadyn Post dropped something in the goal square he should have taken at the Punt Road end and Carlton goaled to go ahead with only a few seconds to go.
First game in the season and a bitter disappointment after getting so close and expecting so much.
 
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tigerdell

Hope springs infernal
Mar 29, 2014
4,549
5,156
Bollocks, no way that was a free and the 50 was absurd. Richo took a legitimate mark and kicked a goal.

DS
agreed, highly technical free that was paid in the early rounds and had stopped being paid by mid season (as happens esch year)
 

tigerdell

Hope springs infernal
Mar 29, 2014
4,549
5,156
there was an essendon game 2012 ?? or so where we played so insipid and didnt attack ever.
Fletcher was a grandpa and molasses but simply zoned off and killed us
 

Sintiger

Tiger Legend
Aug 11, 2010
18,199
17,593
Camberwell
There were so many but I recall a game against sydney in about round 13 in 2017 when we dominated the first half and lost and after all the close losses before it I thought here we go again. That was reinforced by the loss to St Kilda a few weeks later when we didn’t fire a shot. I had given up on the year. So much promise down the drain.
How wrong I was
 
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Tigers2011

What did I miss dad?
May 6, 2007
5,863
4,158
Mt Waverley, Victoria
Too many to choose from really, but here goes:

4) that horrible loss to Geelong at Chernobyl in the 2000s, 10 goals to 1 for the first 3 quarters. My daughter was young, wanted her to be a Tigers supporter, that game did not help.
3) 2018 Prelim. We played awful, were lucky to be within 20 points in the last quarter, clearly not playing well and Collingwood were on fire.
2) that Elimination Final against Carlton when they finished 9th. That was terrible, we came 5th, should have slapped them.

The worst of all:

1) 1982 Grand Final. We should have and could have won that one. What followed was awful: sacking coaches, just about going bust, decades of mediocrity. It was the worst. On the bright side, maybe 2017 will have the same impact on Adelaide for decades . . .

DS
Spot on. 1982 GF worst of all - started before the game with the decision not to play Brian Taylor. 2018 Prelim next closely followed by 2013 and 2015 Prelims.

I was also at the game against Geelong in 2007 - truly horrendous and left at halftime and joined Punt Road End that night! Thought the club was truly done at that point and I've stuck with them since going to my first game in 1980. The turnaround in the 2010's has been fantastic and is a reward for everyone, especially the members/supporters that have kept the club alive and kept each other's spirits up through many dark times. The standard for Richmond FC has now been set for future generations too - can only see a strong club from hereon. Won't always challenge for flags but will always be well managed and working towards success.
 

Ridley

Tiger Legend
Jul 21, 2003
17,755
15,433
People need to get over 1982. Yes, we were the best team and seen in isolation we should have won it.
But the best team doesn't always win Grand Finals and who better to know that than Richmond?
Every year, two teams who are by definition very good, get to the Grand Final and every year, only one will win it.
So if you're batting over 50% you are doing well.
In my life time, we are 7-2, 78% Not bad IMO.

If we let one slip in 1982 (and 1972 and potentially even 2018 when we didn't even get there) then there are plenty of examples where we may have nicked one.

1967 : Close game and much of the media thought Geelong were the better team on the day.
1969 : We finished 4th in a final four.
1972 : We were the hottest favourite in years and conceded 18 goals by half time !!!
1973 : Probably were underdogs here had we not lost to Cartoon the year before.
1974 : No doubt here.
1980 : Ditto.
1982 : Dropped one.
2017 : Eight goals and some idiots till think Adelaide were the best side for the year.
2019 : No doubt here.

I'll take our overall record in Grand Finals any day of the week. Look at Scumwood.
I went to the 82 GF with my dad. Obviously devastated by the loss but I’m not sure we were the best team that year. We lost 4 home and away games. 2 to Carlton and 2 to Hawthorn. Hawks got beaten in PF. We beat Carlton in 2nd semi but lost in GF. So our overall record against the other 2 top 3 teams was 1 win 5 losses.

The 2013 EF loss is the one that gets me. Wanted to vomit the whole way home.
 

Tenacious

Tiger Legend
May 19, 2008
5,694
4,068
Spot on. 1982 GF worst of all - started before the game with the decision not to play Brian Taylor. 2018 Prelim next closely followed by 2013 and 2015 Prelims.

I was also at the game against Geelong in 2007 - truly horrendous and left at halftime and joined Punt Road End that night! Thought the club was truly done at that point and I've stuck with them since going to my first game in 1980. The turnaround in the 2010's has been fantastic and is a reward for everyone, especially the members/supporters that have kept the club alive and kept each other's spirits up through many dark times. The standard for Richmond FC has now been set for future generations too - can only see a strong club from hereon. Won't always challenge for flags but will always be well managed and working towards success.

That Geelong game still haunts me.
I wanted to leave at half-time but was out voted - but we did go at 3/4 time
Excruciating
 

Tigers2011

What did I miss dad?
May 6, 2007
5,863
4,158
Mt Waverley, Victoria
That Geelong game still haunts me.
I wanted to leave at half-time but was out voted - but we did go at 3/4 time
Excruciating
It was horrible. Too disgraceful to stay with my then 14 year old. Wondered what sort of club I’d encouraged her to follow. 10 years on we celebrated the first flag in 37 years as a family.
 

momentai

Tiger Legend
Jul 24, 2004
6,217
2,873
Melb
I went and I stayed. I think I was in some kind of trance after half time. I was there by myself, although surrounded by Tiger supporters.
When I got home my wife asked me about the game and I recall using a word I had never used before and never since.
Unspeakable. it was that and more.
 

Ian4

BIN MAN!
May 6, 2004
22,180
4,679
Melbourne
Round 21, 2000. We lost to Sydney by 1 point at Docklands consigning us to another finals miss. it’s the only time I have ever cried after a loss. I was shattered. we were 9-5 and third on the ladder after R14 that year, and still missed out.

I remember being gutted when Richo was called for illegal shepherding of the ball over the goal line for what would have been the winning goal against the Swans Rd4 1996 (I think). This free never gets called. Only against Richo and the Tiges. It was the same feeling as the BS hands in the back Richo copped against Essendon. Geez we had some heart breakers over the journey.

and the exact same thing happened to Jack in 2017 on the 3/4 time siren in the game where Mundy goaled after the final siren. Deboy was the umpire.

if my memory is correct, Chris Naish missed a simple shot on the siren the week after the swans match in 1996. and we missed the finals on percentage.
 

ToraToraTora

Two outta three ain't bad.
Mar 21, 2005
12,662
5,395
QLD
I went to the 82 GF with my dad. Obviously devastated by the loss but I’m not sure we were the best team that year. We lost 4 home and away games. 2 to Carlton and 2 to Hawthorn. Hawks got beaten in PF. We beat Carlton in 2nd semi but lost in GF. So our overall record against the other 2 top 3 teams was 1 win 5 losses.

The 2013 EF loss is the one that gets me. Wanted to vomit the whole way home.

Did we not do the same in 1980?
 

Ridley

Tiger Legend
Jul 21, 2003
17,755
15,433
if my memory is correct, Chris Naish missed a simple shot on the siren the week after the swans match in 1996. and we missed the finals on percentage.

I reckon that might have been against Geelong down in Geelong Bin. Same year though.
 

Ridley

Tiger Legend
Jul 21, 2003
17,755
15,433
Did we not do the same in 1980?
Nah I reckon in 1980 we were clearly the best side and showed it in the finals. We had some strange losses to the bottom side Fitzroy (beat them by 118 points first time around) as well as South Melbourne and Essendon who missed the finals. We also drew with St. Kilda early in the year and then beat them by 152 points in the return bout. We split the H&A games with top 2 Geelong and Carlton. We won at least 5 games by over 100 points. We won all of our finals easily.

Clearly the best team in 1980 but 1982 was much closer I reckon as Hawthorn and Carlton had the wood on us.
 
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kiwitiger

Go the AllBlacks, the Storm , and the Tigers.
Jul 28, 2004
3,183
2,082
Through the Walls , Gieshen , Frawley and Wallace years , there were so many , they all tend to blend into each other in the memory bank , its all a bit of a blur trying to seperate them , but there were a few against the bombers when they were good that seem to stand out from the rest for some reason , plus the geelong final in 95.

More recently , the final losses , Carlton , port ,and North but the Collinwood prelim in particular gets my vote as the worst.
 
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123cups

Tiger Champion
May 1, 2016
3,099
4,076
While 2018 was painful, the future was comforting.

2009 Round 1 was also painful, but supporter expectations in “the before time” came from the transient waves of irrational hopefulness.

The 2015 final hit me the hardest for a number of reasons.

It felt like the players were writing their own story since 2010.

3 years of building
3 years of finals

To me, the spirit of the previous year’s 9-in-a-row finals charge was evidence of something special within the club.

Every year felt better than the last in the bigger picture.

But that clear, upward graph was resisted by everyone non-Richmond in their reduction of our story simply to “you haven’t won a final”. The 3rd attempt was time to finally break through that crash-bang media resistance and provide them with clear, indisputable evidence of our club marching forward, as evident by our numbers and results.

North rested everyone the week before. Media pollution reached dangerous levels in anticipation of our potential failure.

We lost.

It broke us.

Our narrative became undeniably muddled, the pen taken out of our hands. In hindsight, we seemed dependant on outcomes for evidence.

I understand the club having trouble in 2016. There were only two ways to fix that muddled narrative:
1. Immediately to the top to get indisputable results.
2. Reject narrative.

I’ll always remember the way our leaders’ spoke about the 2015 loss over the preseason. It was the worst and best thing to happen to a group that had 6 years of outcomes to point to as evidence.

It was the best thing as it ushered in a reimagining of the club narrative; a blank canvas that meant the club’s leaders could reflect on everything they’ve learnt, experienced, and understood throughout their adult lifetimes - most of which happened together as a group.

We all know the story.

So yeah, for me the 2015 final was my hardest loss... at the time.
 
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