Richmond (thing)

History: Richmond were formed in February, 1885 at the Royal Hotel opposite Punt Road, their spiritual home ground. They adopted their present colours in 1887.

They won two premierships with the VFA before gaining admittance to the more powerful VFL in 1908, due to their convenient location close to public transportation. Richmond won their first game against Melbourne. Success came relatively quickly. After losing their first grand final to Collingwood in 1919, they made amends the next year by beating the same team to win their first premiership cup. They went back-to-back the following year. In 1927, 28 and 29, the Tigers finished runners-up to Collingwood three times in a row, during the Magpies' unequaled run of four consecutive premierships.

In 1931, the legendary Jack Dyer made his debut. "Captain Blood", as he was known, played over 300 games for the club, then coached for 11 years. His time at the club was one of Richmond's most successful periods. They won premierships in 1932, 1934 and 1943, and finished runners-up in 1931, 1933, 1940, 1942 and 1944. It's no coincidence that this golden era coincided with Dyer's presence at the club.

In the twenty years following World War 2, Richmond had a bit of a slump, but recovered in the mid sixties, thanks to the coaching genius of Len Smith (considered one of the most important influences in shaping the modern, fast, play-on style of game) and the move to the MCG. smith only coached for two years, but his influence was felt even after he stepped down due to a heart condition. Tom Hafey took over in 1966 and the revival continued. Under Hafey, Richmond won four premierships and were runners-up once between 1967 and 1974. Stars of this era included Kevin Sheedy and Royce Hart.

Since then, success has dried up for the tigers. They won the premiership in 1980, and finished runners-up in 1982, but haven't appeared in the Grand Final since then. In 1990, Richmond was even in danger of folding due to financial problems. (One of the first sides to face this harsh reality of our modern game) but they survived thanks mainly to the support of their large (yet notoriously fickle) fan base during their 'Save our Skins' campaign.

In recent years, the Tigers have pretty much maintained a position of mediocrity, seldom rising or falling from the middle section of the ladder. They've finished ninth (and just missed the finals action) on several occasions, and gone through several coaches. To be honest, there doesn't seem to be any signs of much changing in the near future, though only time will tell.