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IMPORTANT // Please look after your loved ones, yourself and be kind to others. If you are feeling that the world is too hard to handle there is always help - I implore you not to hesitate in contacting one of these wonderful organisations Lifeline and Beyond Blue ... and I'm sure reaching out to our PRE community we will find a way to help. T.
PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
Being Grand Final week, I thought I'd take the opportunity to look back at some of the significant Grand Final tems of the last 30, or so, years. To look at some of the common threads that make up Grand Final teams, and what made some of them special.
It's maybe a bit over 30 years, but I thought I'd start with the Tiger GF side of 1974. This team had won its 2nd consecutive GF.
Let's look at this side.
This side is the last premiership side of Tom Hafey's Tiger era & is considered to be an experienced team, but when we look at it, closely, it is a blend of experience & youthful enthusiasm.
The defence was a mixture of the experienced Clay & Andrews at 29yo, Bourke at 27yo, but McGhie & Morris were 23yo, and Merv Keane was only 21yo at the time.
The forwards had the aging & injured "Bones" Richardson at 28yo, Hart & Thorpe were 26yo, but Balme & Cloke were 22 & 19yo respectively.
The rucks were experienced, with Roberts 28yo & Green 26. The midfield was Sproule 29yo, Bartlett 27yo, Sheeds 26yo, Cumming 23 & 'newie' Clayton 17yo. The wingers were Walsh 28yo & Wood 20yo. Clearly, there were no 30yos in the side. Hafey wanted pace, and Dean, Northey, Brown, Barrot & Burgin, et al, were well gone.
The Richmond sides, of that era, were considered generally taller than their opposition. Keane, at 185cm, was taller than most BPs. I thought that he was a HBF playing a BP role, rather than a genuine BP. Andrews 191cm & McGhie 192cm provided the height in defense. Balme 194, Cloke 196 & Richardson 191 were the talls in attack. Noteworthy is that Richardson was a late, but morethanworthy, replacement for the much shorter Mal Brown, and a very young David Cloke was included for twofold reasons, (1) the uncertainty of Hart's fitness, and (2) most knew Cloke's talent & wanted to blood him in big games early.
The main advantage that Tiger sides, of the Hafey era, had was pace, pace & more pace. In 1974, as in other GFs before, the Tigers outlasted & outran their opponents to achieve a very comfortable around 40 point win.
I'll visit other sides as the week continues.
It's maybe a bit over 30 years, but I thought I'd start with the Tiger GF side of 1974. This team had won its 2nd consecutive GF.
| B: | Keane | Clay | Andrews |
| 21,185,83 | 29,185,89 | 29,191,90 | |
| HB: | Bourke | McGhie | Morris |
| 27,185,84 | 23,192,86 | 23,180,84 | |
| C: | Wood | Sproule | Walsh |
| 20,185,85 | 29,180,78 | 28,178,76 | |
| HF: | Cloke | Hart | Thorpe |
| 19,196,90 | 26,187,86 | 26,183,84 | |
| F: | Balme | Richardson | Cumming |
| 22,194,96 | 28,191,83 | 23,175,72 | |
| R: | Green | Sheedy | Bartlett |
| 26,193,95 | 26,180,81 | 27,175,71 | |
| Res: | Roberts | Clayton | |
| 28,199,113 | 17,180,75 |
This side is the last premiership side of Tom Hafey's Tiger era & is considered to be an experienced team, but when we look at it, closely, it is a blend of experience & youthful enthusiasm.
The defence was a mixture of the experienced Clay & Andrews at 29yo, Bourke at 27yo, but McGhie & Morris were 23yo, and Merv Keane was only 21yo at the time.
The forwards had the aging & injured "Bones" Richardson at 28yo, Hart & Thorpe were 26yo, but Balme & Cloke were 22 & 19yo respectively.
The rucks were experienced, with Roberts 28yo & Green 26. The midfield was Sproule 29yo, Bartlett 27yo, Sheeds 26yo, Cumming 23 & 'newie' Clayton 17yo. The wingers were Walsh 28yo & Wood 20yo. Clearly, there were no 30yos in the side. Hafey wanted pace, and Dean, Northey, Brown, Barrot & Burgin, et al, were well gone.
The Richmond sides, of that era, were considered generally taller than their opposition. Keane, at 185cm, was taller than most BPs. I thought that he was a HBF playing a BP role, rather than a genuine BP. Andrews 191cm & McGhie 192cm provided the height in defense. Balme 194, Cloke 196 & Richardson 191 were the talls in attack. Noteworthy is that Richardson was a late, but morethanworthy, replacement for the much shorter Mal Brown, and a very young David Cloke was included for twofold reasons, (1) the uncertainty of Hart's fitness, and (2) most knew Cloke's talent & wanted to blood him in big games early.
The main advantage that Tiger sides, of the Hafey era, had was pace, pace & more pace. In 1974, as in other GFs before, the Tigers outlasted & outran their opponents to achieve a very comfortable around 40 point win.
I'll visit other sides as the week continues.