1920 Chronology

Position: PREMIERS
Won 15, Lost 3, For 1435, Against 1012.
Captain: Dan Minogue Vice Captain: Max Hislop
Coach: Dan Minogue
Leading Goal Kicker: George Bayliss (63) (VFL LGK)
Revenue: 3860pounds 15s. 1d. Credit Balance: 301pounds 2s. 7d.
Membership: 5,509
Juniors: Sixth

February
Richmond’s committee decides that a tiger’s head will be featured on its membership tickets, the club having decided to officially adopt the tiger as its symbol.

March
Tuesday 16
Norm Clark is re-appointed coach of Richmond for 1920, only for him to apply and be given the coaching job again of Carlton Football Club on Thursday 18 March. He had coached Carlton in 1912, 1914-1918

Saturday 27
Richmond insert a notice into The Age and into The Herald, asking for applications to coach Richmond for the ensuring season.

Monday 29
Richmond insert a late advertisement into the Herald asking for applications to coach Richmond for the 1920 season.

April
St. Kilda duo Norm Turnbull and Billy Schmidt apply for permits to play with Richmond. The VFL will refuse them.

May
Wed. 26
Richmond's first Wednesday match ever. Match is played at 10.45am
Richmond's second game in 4 days.
During the last quarter of the Richmond v. Collingwood match the veranda of Richmond Cricket Club’s old members’ pavilion collapses under the weight of the spectators perched upon it.
This match was originally scheduled for May 19, but H.R.H Prince of Wales arrival day was changed.
The Prince of Wales travelled down Punt Road around 5pm.

Sat. 29
George Bayliss, Vic Thorp, Max Hislop and Barney Herbert represent Victoria against South Australia at the MCG.
Collingwood District 18-17 (125) defeats Richmond Juniors 0-3 (3) by 122 points at Victoria Park, a (junior and senior) club record.

June
Sat. 5
Billy Schmidt plays his first game for St. Kilda this season. His selection will lead to a walkout by many leading St. Kilda players including the captain Wels Eicke.

Fri. 11
Collingwood complains to the League that no provision is made at the Richmond ground for time keepers. They are forced to use two training tables in the visitor’s dressing room.

Mon. 14
Five Richmond footballers solicit the Richmond Cricket Club for a contribution to their end of season trip to Tasmania. They are rewarded with a 100pound donation.

Sat. 19
Richmond kicks its highest League score of 19-15 (129) against St. Kilda at Punt-road.
Charlie Ricketts, currently training with St. Kilda, visits Richmond’s room before the game.
George Meredith, a nineteen year old, steals six dozen wine glasses from the club at half time. The court will fine him one pound.

Sat. 26
Richmond wins its eighth game in a row. It is its best start to the season since 1902 (then in the VFA), also eight games.
Richmond’s 55 point fourth quarter against Essendon is a club record score for a quarter, bettering the old mark of 53 points set in 1898. The Tigers began the quarter 35 points down and held Essendon scoreless to win.

July
Sat. 3
The RCG is strained to capacity as Richmond loses to Fitzroy in front of 28,000 spectators. It is the Tigers’ first loss of the 1920 season.
Fitzroy will later complain to the League that a stretcher was not made available by Richmond to carry a seriously injured Fitzroy player from the ground. Maybury will respond that a stretcher was available but it was not utilised by the Fitzroy trainers.

Tue. 13
William Mahoney resumes training with Richmond after a five year absence.

Sat. 24
Hughie James, Max Hislop and Jim Smith represent Victoria against South Australia in Adelaide. Richmond’s secretary William Maybury manages the team and the Tigers’ trainer Joe Stokesberry trains it.
Vic Thorp, George Bayliss and Donald Don play for a League team against Ballarat, and Clarrie Hall and Frank Harley do likewise against Bendigo.

Sat. 31
The Richmond Guardian refers to Richmond Juniors as the “cubs”. It will be readily accepted the junior club’s moniker.

August
_ A hot-water shower is again operating at the ground.

Sat. 7
The Richmond Guardian, having predicted that the Magpies (Collingwood) will be “chewed up” by the Tigers, writes that, “We chewed ’em up An’ spat ’em out.”
With Clarrie Hall absent Bill Mahoney plays for the Tigers. It is his first game for the club since July 17, 1915.
George Bayliss’s second of three goals in this game is his 33rd this season. It breaks Percy Martyn’s and Clarrie Hall’s record of most goals kicked by a Richmond player in a League season.
University 23-13 (151) defeats Richmond Juniors 2-9 (21) by a club record (junior and senior) 130 points at the University Oval. Robert Heatley, the captain of University kicks 12 goals against Richmond Juniors.

Sat. 14
Richmond wins its first ever premiership game (Association and League) at South Melbourne after 30 defeats, all against South, the first in 1885.
George Bayliss kicks seven goals for the Tigers.
Ernie Taylor, the son of former Richmond player and trainer Charlie Taylor, plays his first game for Richmond.

Thr. 19
Norman McIntosh is disqualified for the remainder of the season for striking South Melbourne’s Robert Allison.

Sat. 21
Richmond’s score of 20-14 (134) against Melbourne is the highest a Richmond team had ever kicked (Association and League). The previous record was 20-12 (132) against Prahran on May 5, 1906.
This is the third game in succession where Richmond opened with a seven goal first quarter.

September

Sat. 18
A record crowd for a Richmond match of 62,220 attends its semi final encounter with Carlton at the MCG. Carlton 7-11 (53) defeats Richmond 4-6 (30).
Max Hislop captains and coaches the Tigers because Dan Minogue is too ill to play. His pre match speech was, in effect, Well chaps, you know as much about this as I do; do your best (The Argus)
Jack Elder, the umpire, stops the game for six or so minutes in the last quarter to enable troopers to push the crowd back.
George Bayliss kicks only one goal in this game, but he had achieved enough to become the first Richmond player to top the League’s goal kicking with 63 goal this season.

Sat. 25
A rumour spreads throughout Melbourne that Dan Minogue is dead. The truth is that Dan is recovering from quinsy in his home town of Bendigo.
Five past and present Richmond players take part in a famous ring-in match. George Ogilvie and Billy Schmidt are two of ten ring-ins playing for Elmore, while Pat Dooley, Arthur Fehring and Charlie Fehring are three of eight ring-ins with Colbinabin.

Wed. 29
The VFL, acting on a protest from Carlton, debars George Ogilvie from playing in Richmond’s Grand Final team because it learns that he is tied to Essendon.

Thr. 30
About 5,000 people attend Richmond’s last training session prior to the Grand Final.

October
Sat. 2
Richmond wins their 3rd Premiership
Richmond Premiers! In the Grand Final Richmond 7-10 (52) defeats Collingwood 5-5 (35) at the MCG before an attendance of 53,908.
Billy James plays in Richmond’s premiership team in his one and only League game.
George Bayliss does not play in the Grand Final despite playing all previous games this season.
Richmond’s new “Eat ’em alive” motto is popularised during the post game celebrations.
Photo from match
Team Photo before match and action pics
Action shots
Action shots

Wed. 6
Richmond departs for their end of season trip to Tasmania on the SS Loongana. The players wear straw hats with yellow and black ribbons and are photographed with an early incarnation of the club mascot, a "weirdly-shaped figure which was made to resemble the head of a tiger draped in a 'skin' of yellow and black". A flag inscribed with the premiership victory was unfurled along with two black and yellow pennants with the words 'Defiant' and 'On Top'
A photo captions Barney Herbert as leading the eat em alive war cry of the time. The entire team is also photographed on the wharf before leaving. The players and crowd exchange 'we eat em alive' cries, but includes 'feathers and all' at the end , to denote the defeat of Collingwood.

Sat. 9
A Huonville team augmented by Clarrie Hall, Jimmy Smith, Frank Harley and, in the second half, Barney Herbert, defeats Richmond 10-7 (67) to 8-4 (52) at Huonville (Tasmania). Richmond’s treasurer Jack Archer plays for the Tigers in this social game.

November
Sat. 13
A dinner to honour Richmond’s premiership season is given by the club’s president, Alf Wood at the Orient Hotel, Collins Street.