This feud is brought to you by the David Dench unisex tank top in Noel Teasdale Blue. Also available in white, and on other more sensible garments.
Guest Feudster @4boat writes;
Our feud with North Melbourne goes back to 1904.
“Richmond forfeited the title – the first and only time this would happen in VFA history. On September 10th Richmond were narrowly defeated by North Melbourne in a spiteful semi final. During the half-time break, Richmond officials complained to the field umpire that several North Melbourne players were wearing iron spikes in their boots. North Melbourne’s captain Paddy Noonan refused to allow Umpire Allen to carry out an inspection of the players’ boots, and after a stand-off lasting fifteen minutes, play resumed without the inspection being carried out.” [The Argus 12-9-1904]
Allen was appointed to umpire the Grand Final, and Richmond refused to play unless he was replaced. His lack of control in the semi between Footscray and North was cited as further evidence that he was unfit for the job. The VFA refused, Richmond forfeited and the Shinboners collected the flag without firing a shot.
But for most of the first 50 years of our shared time in the VFL/AFL, North Melbourne was just a minnow, well beneath our notice. Played finals in 49 & 50 but that was it – we had other fish to fry. Barassi arrived in 1973, and the next year they made a Grand Final against the reigning premiers, the mighty Tigers. We showed them up that day and secured back to back flags. And perhaps we showed them what was required – they won their first VFL premiership the next year.
In all our meetings since that Grand Final in 1974, they have won the day more often than not. I haven’t been lucky enough to attend that many Tiges games but saw the Roos belt us by 141 points one day in 1991.
In the 90s and early noughties there were games where the Tiges seemed to have a game in their grasp, and one man tore it away – The Duck. I loathed the man. I hated his preposterous mullet, his arrogance, his strut and sneer, his King Street antics. He was an extreme example of that syndrome where personal qualities that create a formidable footballer are less useful in civvy street. His offsider in arrogance was David King. Not such an outstanding footballer – he would never turn a game; but he was a proficient downhill skier. Carey would start the rot and then King would dash though a gap, nail a goal on the run and just puff out his stupid chest and showboat.
I had a lot of respect for most of their team-mates; Blakey, Archer, Stevens, Longmire, Byron Pickett – these blokes were some of my favourite footballers. But I would still jump at any chance to see Carey on the losing side, walking off with his arrogance at least partially deflated.
If you’d like to savour a few examples of the Tiges taking the chocolates against the Roos, have a look at Tiger Tube. It’s guaranteed all-natural 100% Richmond victories.
This chapter of the Book of Feuds is now closed.
I remember a game against North on a Friday night somewhere around 1991/92. We played out of our skins that night in order to right some of the wrongs perpetrated on us by North in those days. At half-time we were roughly ten goals up and doing it on the bit. My friend and I seriously considered leaving and going to the MCG pub where the game would be on delayed telecast and we could relive the first half and then presumably watch us kill them in the second half. We weren’t quite that arrogant and decided to stay. In the second half, Carey happened. He made Scotty Turner look silly, then Paul Bulluss, then both of them at the same time. Aided by Schwass, he almost singlehandedly took that game away from us. At the final siren, we sat in silence and as we looked at each other, there were no words for that moment. I can’t remember for sure but King probably did a bit of showboating when it was safe. That was then…but they’re still doing it to us.