On October 31, 1907, the Richmond Football Club committee accepted an invitation to become a member of the then-fledgling Victorian Football League. The Tigers now represent one of the games great and enduring cultures, a tradition built on tribal, inner-city football, but which today thrives on a national stage.
The Tigers are one of the great clubs of the Australian Football League, boasting in excess of 100,000 members on the back of their 2017 AFL Premiership triumph. The unyielding passion for the club and the team is represented vividly in more than 100 interviews with players, past and present, conducted by Rhett Bartlett, football historian and son of club immortal, KBKevin Bartlett. This is the raw story of a club and its people, their glory years and their lean ones. The tale is told in the words of those who lived the dream. From Vic Thorp and Jack Titus, to Royce Hart and Matthew Richardson, and icons such as Jack Dyer and Francis Bourke, Tom Hafey and Kevin Bartlett, the story of the Yellow and Black is brought to life. This fully revised and updated version continues the tradition of past players and officials talking frankly about their time at the club. It includes new interviews with the masterminds of the drought-breaking 2017 Premiershipcoach Damien Hardwick, Football Manager Neil Balme, CEO Brendon Gale, and President Peggy ONeal. Also included are the memories of the premiership cup presenter Matthew Richardson, Derek Peardon, the club's first Indigenous player, and Jan Richmond, the widow of club powerbroker Graeme Richmond. For the first time ever in print, the definitive list of every Richmond player from 1885 to 2018 is published, as well as significant changes to the club's Honour Board, and all new photographs. This passionate account of the clubs history is a must for members of the Tiger Army.
