In 1980, too much footy was barely enough. Swish gives us this brief account of that year’s NFL State of Origin Championship, held in October.
1980 Premiership Port – Harry Tinson
September 28, 2017 by 27 Comments
Matt Watson has his late grandfather’s unopened bottle of 1980 Richmond Premiership port. How much potential in a bottle of alcohol? As he uncovers the story behind the bottle, Matt pledges to open it if the Tigers salute on Saturday.
1980 VFL Club Award Winners: Who Can You Spot?
July 20, 2016 by 23 Comments
Here’s a club by club, team by team rundown of the 1980 VFL award winners. Which up-and-comers can you spot in the U19s? Most Dedicated, Best Clubmen, Most Serviceable, they’re all there.
South Australia v Queensland and NSW 1980 – Double Dare Ya
November 4, 2015 by 26 Comments
The SANFL seemed to play representative games against everyone bar the VFL in 1980. This double header from Adelaide Cup Day has Swish Schwerdt asking whether Qld or NSW footy was better off for the run.
1980 – A Personal Footy Almanac: Grand Final – Richmond v Collingwood
September 26, 2012 by 22 Comments
Richmond tragic Stainless reaches the final stop of his nostalgic journey through the 1980 season – the Grand Final against Collingwood.
1980 A Personal Footy Almanac – Preliminary Final, Saturday 20 September, Collingwood v Geelong, VFL Park
September 19, 2012 by 12 Comments
As a neutral observer of sporting contests, I generally find some reason or other for supporting one team. Today’s tricky. I want the team to win today that’s most likely to lose to Richmond next week. But which is that? Logic tells me I should want Collingwood to get up. They finished fifth. We beat [Read more]
1980 A Personal Footy Almanac – Second Semi Final, Saturday 13 September, v Geelong, VFL Park
September 11, 2012 by 6 Comments
(For Geelong fans still licking their wounds from Saturday night…sorry, folks, I can’t help the timing of this piece…) A roar goes up as umpire John Sutcliffe signals a free kick in the Richmond forward line. In the tense early moments of a big semi-final, it’s pretty typical of the men in white to assert [Read more]
1980 A Personal Footy Almanac – Qualifying Final, Saturday 6 September, v Carlton, VFL Park
September 6, 2012 by 2 Comments
“…and may the best teams win tomorrow, as long as they’re Collingwood and Richmond…”.
I do a sharp double-take as I hear the throwaway line from Geoff Raymond, the principal newsreader on ABC TV at the time. From a man with an inscrutable “ABC” persona and no apparent interest in football whatever, Raymond’s sign-off remark from his evening bulletin on Friday 5 September is unexpected.
1980 A Personal Footy Almanac – Round 22, Saturday 30 August, v South Melbourne, Lake Oval
August 29, 2012 by 2 Comments
Richmond’s run to the 1980 premiership struck a significant speed bump in the guise of South Melbourne at the Lake Oval, leaving a young Sam Steel to ask: What strange meteorological Bermuda Triangle operates down here?
1980 A Personal Footy Almanac – Round 21, Saturday 23 August, v North Melbourne, Arden Street Oval
August 22, 2012 by 3 Comments
I’m pacing the floor of a stately, shady old house in Brighton, Adelaide. I’m secluded in an ornate living room where the house’s one radio is located. The setting is incongruous enough for a football broadcast. The house looks like footy has never before sullied its oh-so-respectable interior. But it’s me who is really out [Read more]
1980 A Personal Footy Almanac – Round 20, Saturday 16 August, v Melbourne, MCG
August 16, 2012 by 3 Comments
It’s three-quarter time and the seats around us are emptying rapidly. No, the game isn’t all over. Indeed, lowly Melbourne is only 4 goals down in a high-scoring affair and with Steven Smith causing our defence all sorts of problems, it doesn’t look like they’re going to lie down easily in the final stanza. No, this [Read more]
1980 A Personal Footy Almanac – Round 19, Saturday 9 August, v Carlton, Princes Park
August 7, 2012 by 2 Comments
One of the particular joys of watching the Reserves back in these times was seeing veteran players dropping back to the “twos” to lend guidance and experience to the next generation. This tradition allowed such players to go out on their terms, usually with far more grace and dignity than the rapid exits and hastily [Read more]
1980 A Personal Footy Almanac – Round 18, Saturday 2 August, v Footscray, VFL Park
August 1, 2012 by 3 Comments
Richmond’s hold on the coveted top spot may be suddenly looking tenuous, but I’m feeling carefree today as I ignore the steady rain and catch the early bus out to Waverley from Nunawading. Mid-year exams are over. In a week that saw the release of AC/DC’s immortal album “Back in Black”, I’m ashamed to admit [Read more]
1980 A Personal Footy Almanac – Round 17, Saturday 26 July, v Geelong, MCG
July 24, 2012 by 8 Comments
This feels more like it. After a topsy-turvey fortnight, walking into a packed MCG for another huge home game has a comforting but invigorating feel. The pressure’s been on me this week with midyear exams in full swing, so it’s great to get outdoors and see the heat turned onto my team instead. After losing [Read more]
1980 A Personal Footy Almanac – Round 16, Sunday 20 July, v St Kilda, SCG
July 18, 2012 by 7 Comments
The final of the VFL’s four exhibition games at the SCG this year was St Kilda’s home game against Richmond. All four games were played on Sunday afternoons as the League, to this point stymied by the State Government from playing Sunday matches in Melbourne, chose to use Sydney as the base for pitching this [Read more]
1980 A Personal Footy Almanac – Round 15, Saturday 12 July, v Fitzroy, Junction Oval
July 11, 2012 by 1 Comment
To this point, the 1980 season had unfolded in a wonderfully rhythmic way for me and for Richmond. The humdrum school week improved steadily as each Saturday approached. Another Tiger win was just around the corner. Yes, always a win. Amazing how an 11 game winning sequence can feel like eternity. The week’s break upset [Read more]
1980: A Personal Footy Almanac: Round 14, Saturday 28 June, v Collingwood, MCG
June 27, 2012 by 8 Comments
In the respectable household of my childhood, the ABC was our default TV channel. So when it came to footy, my weekly staple was “The Winners”, an hour-long highlights package of the best 2-3 games of the round. Buried late on a Saturday night, it wasn’t the ideal viewing time, but there was nothing quite [Read more]
1980: A Personal Footy Almanac. Round 13, Saturday 21 June, v Essendon, Windy Hill
June 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment
“Big crowd today, mate?” asks Cam as the attendant clicks our tickets at the gate. He rolls his eyes in reply. “Sure is”, he grunts. As we climb the steps up onto the terrace and survey the scene for ourselves, we’re not so sure. There seem to be plenty of gaps. The official crowd of [Read more]
1980 A Personal Footy Almanac – Round 12, Monday 16 June, v Hawthorn, MCG
June 14, 2012 by Leave a Comment
“For God’s sake, Moncrieff, learn how to kick!” No, this wasn’t the rant of a frustrated Hawthorn fan trapped among the Tiger hordes. This was me, sotto voce, willing Hawthorn to make a game of it. For Richmond fans today, even a small string of wins is regarded as cause for wild celebration. The notion [Read more]
1980 A Personal Footy Almanac – Round 11, Saturday 7 June, Richmond v South Melbourne, VFL Park
June 7, 2012 by 4 Comments
As we get off the train at Nunawading, I can already see the queue for the bus snaking along the side street behind the station. There are plenty of bright red and white scarves dotted among the yellow and black. And no wonder. South Melbourne hit peak form last week with a 14 goal thumping [Read more]
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