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Richmond vs Hawthorn, Round 9
Richmond and Hawthorn, the two juggernauts of the 2010s. With six premierships of the last nine between us, one might expect this to be a matchup of the ages. Unfortunately, neither team is at the heights they once were, with our eras of dominance well and truly over.
ID: Richmond Premiership Captain Trent Cotchin with three premiership cups.
ID: Hawthorn Premiership Captain Luke Hodge with three premiership cups.
After struggling to get going this season, the Tigers have managed to steady the ship after two wins on the trot, the first time we’ve had back-to-back wins in almost a year. Do the Tigers have the drive to take one last swing at another premiership, or have we fallen into mediocrity? I think we’re going to find out over the next few weeks. With our draw opening up from here, the next two games become absolute must-win matches. At 6-4 we can have a free hit at the Swans, then get to work in the second half of the year.
With the Hawks sitting 12th on 3-5 and still finding their feet under new coach Sam Mitchell, this is a game we should – and must – win. With three losses in a row, however, they will be keen to show the footy world that they’re building in the right direction, meaning they shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Yellow and Black vs Gold and Brown
ID: The Richmond Tigers and Hawthorn Hawks logos beside each other.
The year I finished high school was the year Hawthorn won its last premiership – 2015. Wouldn’t you know it, my favourite teacher in Year 11 and 12 was a die-hard Hawthorn supporter. Mr O taught history, and my friends and I adored him for being down-to-earth and just a generally chill dude. Of course, it was hard not to be jealous of his team constantly winning premierships, while my beloved Tigers continually lost elimination finals.
ID: The Richmond Tigers and Hawthorn Hawks logos beside each other.
There was a shining light, however. While Hawthorn dominated the competition in their golden years, Richmond managed to snatch a couple of good wins over them. In 2015, on the verge of Hawthorn’s three-peat, Brett Deledio kicked three goals in the first quarter to lead Richmond to a stunning victory, delivering Hawthorn’s 5th loss of the year. And you better believe I milked that for all it was worth. The next week, I strutted into my history class early and draped a beautiful Richmond scarf over Mr O’s chair, much to his irritation.
Since 2017, we’ve played pretty well against Hawthorn, although to be fair we played pretty well against everyone from 2017–2020. Of our last seven matches, it’s been five wins, one loss and one draw in favour of Richmond. This, of course, includes the first-ever final between our clubs, being the Qualifying Final in 2018, from which we emerged victoriously. And who could forget this beauty?
ID: Dustin Martin kicks a brilliant goal from the boundary in Richmond's Qualifying Final win over Hawthorn.
And that draw? Undoubtedly the most incredible draw I’ve ever seen, with Shaun Burgoyne and Alastair Clarkson denied a final victory thanks to five goals in a row from the Tigers, including two from Jack Riewoldt in the last minute.
Would it have been a poetic ending to Silk’s career for him to have touched a last-second goal before it crossed the line, securing victory in his final game? Absolutely. But we’ve always enjoyed ruining a footy fairy tale or two. Besides, we had David Astbury to play for.
And so, despite having very similar team colours, Richmond and Hawthorn have quite a colourful recent history.
Will this week prove that we are simply two giants past their prime, or will Richmond take another step toward proving the doubters wrong and set up for one last crack at it? Lose this, and it’ll be hard to argue we are anything more than mediocre in 2022.
The GOAT is back and has shaken off the rust and TheLoungeLizard is going for another bold premiership prediction in 2022, so I’ll tip Richmond by 21 points.
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