Hart: It’s ’67 all over
RICHMOND champ Royce Hart says there is an uncanny resemblance between his 1967 premiership team and the Tigers who take on Adelaide at the MCG on Saturday.
Both are trying to break long droughts. Neither went in as favourite.
Yet the Class of ’67 landed the club’s first premiership since 1943 and the present day Tigers hope to strike premier- ship gold at the MCG for the first time since 1980.
The four-time premiership Tiger — 1967, ’69, ’73 and ’74 — and captain of two of Rich- mond’s past three premiership teams says his first flag was the sweetest.
“For me ’67 was the best because we were in the same situation then as they are today,” Hart said.
“It had been 24 years since we’d won a flag and we didn’t have one player who had played in a final, let alone a grand final, and we won the flag. It’s very similar to this year’s team.”
Hart, 69, of Hobart, had sage advice for the Tigers.
“Be yourselves, like Dusty was at the Brownlow. That’s what Richmond has got to be. They can’t be anything else but themselves,” Hart said.
Hart believes stats can’t account for what Richmond has heading into its first grand final in 35 years.
“The big thing for me is that these days footy is run by stats men and theorists,” Hart said.
“It annoys me that when a player kicks a goal he has to go straight to the bench for a rest.
“Who’s to say he won’t get on a run and kick three or four goals in a row.
“You can’t kick them sitting on the bench getting splinters in your bum. Stats can’t speak for what Richmond has got going into the grand final and that is momentum.”
Hart, centre half-forward in the AFL Team of the Century, was a superb mark and redefined the role. Remarkably he stood 187cm and weighed 86kg — the same dimensions as Dustin Martin, who wears the same No.4 guernsey. SPEED limits along Punt Rd will be slashed and there are calls for other major roads to be shut for what looms as a once-in-a-generation party.
A Richmond Grand Final victory will spark a frenzied 48-hour party with tens of thousands of Tiger fans swamping Punt Rd, Swan St and Bridge Rd.
More than 16,000 Tiger fans are expected to pack Punt Rd Oval in addition to the 100,000 people at the MCG. Richmond is ready for 30,000-strong contingent on Sunday — should the club claim its first flag in 37 years. .