1934 Chronology
Position: PREMIERS
Won 17, Lost 3, For 1880, Against 1473.
Captain: Percy Bentley Vice Captain: Allan Geddes
Coach: Percy Bentley
Best Player: Ray Martin
Leading Goal Kicker: Jack Titus (80)
Revenue: Credit Balance:
Membership: 3,916
Seconds: Fifth
Jubilee:
The 1934 season is Richmond’s 50th and the jubilee will be celebrated and promoted throughout the year.
January
Failure of League’s universal constitution proposal
Ernie Saunders trains the Victorian swimming team at the national championships in Brisbane.
___ Rich Saunders competes in the national diving championships in Sydney.
February
Tue. 6
Richmond refuses to clear Jack Baggott to Footscray where he is an applicant for the playing coach position.
Jack Baggott announces his retirement as a player.
Tue. 20
Maurie Hunter is cleared to coach Camberwell in the VFA.
March
Tue. 27
Percy Bentley takes charge of training as the Tiger’s coach for the first time.
___ Colin Deane, who was appointed to coach the Cubs on March 12 informs the Richmond Second Eighteen’s committee that he can not accept the position because he may be transferred to Adelaide. Les Langdon will coach the Cubs until a replacement is found.
April
Mon. 2
Western Australian carnival representative and 1931 Sandover Medallist Lindsay “Bluey” Richards is met by Richmond officials in Melbourne.
Saturday 7
Two practice matches are held at Punt Road.
The first game was between Reserve and District Juniors (with a sprinkling of senior players).
The teams were captained by Payne and Langdon.
Players include: Bear, a wingman (Burnley Locals), Mackrell, a forward and follower (Cubs), Latham , rover from(Kew), J Bolger, half back and brother of Martin Bolger, Smeaton and Scriven both played on each other in the centre (promising local cricketers), Wells, half back, son of former player Charles Wells; H White, rover (brought to game by Jack Baggott who had coached him at State School), Dyer, Martin Bolger.
The second game included players who may have gained selection in the opening round match.
Red and Blues 15.15.105 def Blues 11.19.85
Goalkickers: (Red and Blues) Titus (6), Lahiff (2), McConchie(2),R Chirgwin (2), Jamieson (1), Martin (1), Dyer (1).
(Blues) : Harris (9), Guinane (1), Davey (1)
Players included Wilson , rover (Hamilton), Guinane, half forward (Bungaree), R Chirgwin, centre (Edithvale), Baxter, half back and follower (Serviceton),R Saunders, son of Richmond's head trainer, Garvie, Dick Harris., Sheahan (first ruck), McConchie (half forward), Garran (centre), Judkins (centre), and Foster.
Dick Harris, a prospect from Warrnambool kicks nine goals in his second Richmond practice match.
___ Jack Baggott is appointed non-playing coach of the Richmond Second Eighteen.
Fri. 20
The Richmond Chronicle reports that a new electric bell device had been installed at Richmond.
___ Lindsay “Bluey” Richards decides to play for South Melbourne after South’s secretary found him employment.
Saturday 28
Percy Bentley and Barney Herbert spend a considerable time demonstrating the reintroduced flick pass to the players prior to their practice match. However it is seldom used in the game. No one on the arena seemed to be conversant with the rule, and after some of the players had tried it, and were penalised by the umpires, they resorted to the punch.
May
Sat. 11
Richmond, with at least five injured men on the ground, defeats St. Kilda by four points despite the Saints’ fight back in the final term.
The Cubs’ Pat Davey kicks nine goals against St. Kilda Second Eighteen at Punt Road.
Sun. 12
Richmond players and officials visit the Orthopaedic Hospital in Frankston and give lollies and comics to the little patients.
Thr. 17
Richmond plays a scratch match at training.
Sat. 19
Richmond defeats Carlton by 37 points at Punt Road before 37,000 spectators.
The capacity of the ground’s embankments were increased to carry an additional 5,000 people for today’s game.
Richmond players hear Dan Minogue, Carlton’s coach scold his players through the partition at half time.
A spectator holds up the game after he entered the field to tell the umpire what he thought of him.
Sat. 26
Collingwood inflicts Richmond’s first defeat of the season. The Magpies win by 28 points at Victoria Park.
A Richmond schoolboys’ team coached by Barney Herbert, the Kittens, defeats a Collingwood schoolboys’ team in the curtain raiser.
June
Mon. 4
Jack Cotter represents the League Second Eighteen against the VFA seconds. Jack Baggott coaches the League seconds’ team
Fri. 8
The Richmond Chronicle reports that Allan Beckerley of the Globe Theatre has decided to donate a lounge suite to Richmond’s most effective player. The president (Barney Herbert) and chairman of selectors (Lou Roberts) will cast votes weekly to determine the winner.
Sat. 9
Richmond 16-12 (108) defeats South Melbourne 9-10 (64) at Albert Park before 32,000 spectators.
The Tigers claim top position on the League table and relegate South from first to third.
Fri. 15
Former Richmond secretary Jimmy Eastman dies.
Sat. 16
Kevin O’Neill and Eric Zschech represent Victoria against South Australia in Adelaide.
Ray Martin and Gordon Strang represent the League against the VFA at the MCG. Former Tiger George Rudolph captains the Association.
The Cubs’ Rich Saunders captains the League Second Eighteens team that plays against the VFA seconds. Jack Baggott coaches the team while Jim Cook manages it. The Cubs’ Jack Symons also plays for the League’s seconds.
Sat. 23
The Richmond Guardian reports that the Cubs’ coach Jack Baggott had returned to training, albeit with his injured hand protected by a shield.
Thr. 28
Richmond’s secretary Jack Smith falls some distance at the Richmond quarry and sustains a broken rib and spinal injuries. He will remain at Bethesda Hospital for a couple of weeks.
Sat 30
Collingwood's Horrie Edmonds is cleared to Richmond at a special conveyed meeting of the Collingwood Meeting.
He would play his first game for the Tigers barely a week later.
July
Sat. 7
Richmond lose top position on the League table to Collingwood and slip to third place as a result of Saturday’s matches. Geelong defeats the Tigers at Geelong and Collingwood defeats Melbourne by two points.
Jack Baggott plays his first game of the season with the Cubs.
Thr. 19
Jack Smith returns to duty as Richmond’s secretary.
Sat. 21
Pat Davey kicks seven goals for the Cubs against North Melbourne seconds.
The Cubs hold a reunion of past players and officials in the pavilion in the evening.
The Richmond Cricket Club refuses a request from the Richmond schoolboys’ team to play a curtain raiser to the Richmond v. Collingwood game on the ground.
Sat. 28
Melbourne comes from 25 points behind in the final quarter to upset Richmond by six points at the MCG.
With the loss Richmond slips out of the top four.
Frank “Checker” Hughes wins his first game against the Tigers since he left the club to coach the Red Legs.
An extremely inaccurate Cubs’ team kicks 7-25 (67) to lose by four points to Melbourne seconds 10-11 (71).
August
Sat. 4
Richmond regains a place in the top four after it defeats St. Kida and Carlton loses to South Melbourne.
The Tigers’ remarkably inaccurate score of 7-25 (67) is the same as that kicked by the Cubs the week earlier. This time the Richmond club holds its opponent to 5-8 (38).
Sat. 11
Kevin O’Neill represents Victoria against South Australia at the MCG. Jack Bissett, a former Tiger but now South Melbourne’s captain, captains the Vics.
Richmond 26-26 (182) defeats the Western District League 7-9 (51) in Hamilton. The Tigers give Cubs coach Jack Baggott a run.
Jack Cotter (Richmond Seconds) captains a combined League Seconds team against the Victorian Junior League , at Fitzroy.
Mackerill, Spicer are also selected in the team. The team trained at the Punt Road ground on August 6.
Sat. 18
Richmond (fourth) defeats Carlton (fifth) by 13 points at Princes Park before 30,000 spectators.
Doug Strang plays his first premiership game since his knee operation in May, and Jack Baggott plays his first senior game this year. Allan Geddes, Basil McCormack also return to the team from injury.
Tue. 21
Jack Baggott is acquitted of charging Carlton’s Dave Arrell.
Percy Bentley presents secretary Jack Smith with a one guinea prize for being the first one at the club to have a boy born in Richmond’s jubilee year, 1934. Smith decides to place it back in the pool.
Sat. 25
Richmond defeats Collingwood, another finals contender by eleven points at Punt Road
_ Hughes, “Checker’s” son lines up with the interstate schoolboys at half time.
James Charles, the club's first secretary, and King Mitchell are guests of the club.
Supporters awarded half a guinea to Joe Murdoch, Fritz Heifner, Jack Dyer, Basil McCormick, and Jack Baggott
A silver cup donated by M. Kanis is presented to Jack Baggott, the best player of this game. .
Fri. 31
The Richmond Chronicle reports that the committee had decided that Percy Bentley’s prize for the first baby boy born in Tigerland must be won three times before it becomes the property of anybody.
September
Sat. 8
Richmond comes from 24 points down at half time to defeat South Melbourne by six points, 14-14 (98) to 13-14 (92). It will be labelled, “The greatest win of the season!” by The Richmond Guardian.
A crowd estimated at 40,000 to 42,000 were at Punt Road.
Wed. 12
The Richmond Football Club’s Centenary Jubilee Ball is held at the Rex.
Pat Edmonds kicks nine goals for Post and Telegraph in the Wednesday League.
Sat. 15
Jack Titus kicks two goals against Hawthorn taking his tally to 69, bettering Doug Strang’s club record of 68. Titus will finish the season with 80 goals.
Richmond reclaims top spot on the table in the last round after it defeated Hawthorn, and South Melbourne defeated former leader Geelong.
Goal umpire __ Dummett awards a goal to Hawthorn despite acknowledging that the ball hit the post. Dummett argues that the ball had gone through the posts before the wind took it out again and against one of the posts.
Tue. 18
The League tribunal reprimands Kevin O’Neill for disputing the controversial decision of goal umpire Dummett. The charge laid against Joe Murdoch of striking Hawthorn’s Geoff Hickey is not sustained.
Ray Martin is runner-up to Dick Reynolds in the Brownlow Medal by two votes.
Rich Saunders is awarded the Gardiner Medal, the fairest and best player in the Second Eighteen League.
Training: Richmond trains at the Motordrome throughout the finals series because the Richmond Cricket Club had decided to rope off the centre of the cricket ground to prepare wickets.
Fri. 28
The Richmond Football Club’s jubilee history book is released at news stands. Edited by Derby Clonard and published by Lou Roberts, it is the first substantial book to document the history of the club.
Sat. 29
Richmond defeats Geelong by 84 points in a semi final at the MCG before 35,934 spectators.
The League will receive complaints that Richmond players appeared after half time in motley uniforms.
Richmond’s score of 19-20 (134) is a club record score for a final.
October
Trainers:
It has become tradition that about three Hawthorn trainers supplement Richmond’s staff during the finals. Tiger head trainer Ernie Saunders is temporarily absent from training due to influenza.
Wed. 3
Jack Titus is presented the Burnley Theatre’s trophy for being voted Richmond’s most popular player.
Wed. 10
Barney Herbert and Lou Roberts present Ray Martin with Allan Beckerley’s most effective player trophy at the Globe Theatre.
_ Richmond receives an autographed American football from the University of California. The gift was in response to a signed ball presented to the University by old Richmond player Archie Richardson.
Sat. 13
Richmond wins its 6th premiership
Richmond 19-14 (128) defeats South Melbourne 12-17 (89) at the MCG before 65,335 spectators.
Jack Titus kicks six goals, the most by a Richmond player up until then, in a final/Grand final.
At least three balls are “souvenired” by spectators.
The Sporting Globe's statiscian Dave Stewart (former Richmond vice president) tallies Gordon Strang's marks at 33 for the game. If correct, it is still the most recorded by a Richmond player in a game.
Following after leaving the festivities in the rooms a party of Richmond players, officials and staff dine before a vociferous tour of South Melbourne.
The party then visits Richmond’s three cinemas and Dave Baxter is presented the Hoyts Cinema Cup for being voted Richmond’s most popular player.
Goalkickers: Titus 6.5, Harris 3.1, O'Halloran 3.1, Bentley 2.1, Martin 2.0, Baxter 1.1, Murdoch 1.0, Zschech 1.0, Dyer 0.2, Foster 0.1, Rushed 0.2
Tue. 23
Kevin O’Neil is disqualified for four weeks striking Peter Reville in the Grand Final, but Jack Baggott is acquitted of striking James O‘Meara. South’s Peter Reville is disqualified for the whole of the 1935 season for striking Bert Foster and unseemly conduct during the closing minutes of the Grand Final.
___ The VFL hands over a silver cup to Richmond. It was given to the League to present to the premier club.
Sat. 27
The Tigers leave on a tour of Ballarat.
November
Sat. 24
Arthur Jerrems, the 1876 captain of the second (1871-76) Richmond Football Club, dies.