1925 Chronology

Position: Seventh
Won 6, Drew 1, Lost 10, For 981, Against 1131.
Captain: Dan Minogue Vice Captain: Mel Morris
Coach: Dan Minogue Caretaker Coach: Mel Morris
Best All-round Player: Tom O’Halloran
Leading Goal Kicker: Mel Morris (25)
Revenue: L3907 19s. 11d. Credit Balance: L75 6s. 10d.
Membership: 4,778
Seconds: Fifth

January
Ground:
The RCG’s accommodation is improved and enlarged during the first three months of the year, in line with the recent agreement between the football and the cricket club. Embankments are raised, a new press box is erected, the cricket club’s reserve is terraced and a portion of the old pavilion is pulled down.

Tue. 13
Richmond’s committee resolves to admit another club to the League and instruct its delegates to vote for Footscray.

Fri. 16
Footscray, Hawthorn and North Melbourne are formally admitted into the VFL.
With the advent of the new clubs Richmond’s recruiting district is reduced. Richmond’s district now consists of the City of Richmond. It no longer includes Hawthorn, the shires of Dandenong and Doncaster, and the borough of Carrum.
The League adopts the new out of bounds rule that Richmond campaigned against.

Tue. 27
Hughie James, Clarrie Hall and Vic Thorp are to be given 20 pounds, and Barney Herbert is to receive 10 pounds from the Old Players’ Fund. The money is distributed as a reward for long playing service.

February
Carnivals Limited plans to form two new clubs, Richmond District and Melbourne District, and build up the Association clubs with League players.

Thr. 12
The Reform Party (in office) decide their ticket to contest the 1925 election. An “opposition” ticket led by William Maybury will also be formed.

March
Wed. 4
At Richmond’s annual meeting “Reform” candidates are elected to all official positions. Abe Aarons (retired) is replaced by Jos Langdon as treasurer.
Ladies were afforded a special door to enter the polling booth.
The balance sheet shows Richmond paid their players more than any other club, 1967 pounds 2s. 0d. and 276 pounds 6s. 6d. in bonuses, against 1760 pounds 16s. 6d. in 1923.

Tue. 24
The committee decides to send a delegation to Donald Don and ask him to review his decision to retire from the game. The club has full confidence in his integrity and sees his disqualification in June last year as an injustice.
Although Richmond were instrumental in enticing Ivor Warne-Smith from Tasmania, as a former Melbourne player he is tied to Melbourne who will not clear him.

Saturday 28
As the Richmond ground is being used by cricket, the club decide to play its practice match on the Richmond City Reserve. They are the first team to trial the League's new out-of-bound rule ; where by the last player to touch the ball is penalised with a free kick to the other team. Such a huge crowd came to view the first trial of the rule change that the club made 30 pounds in gate receipts.

The official rule wording was:
If any player, when the hall is in play kicks or forces the ball out of hounds, the umpire shall give a free kick to the nearest player on the opposing side, at the spot. where the ball went out. If in doubt, the umpire must bounce the ball five yards inside the boundary line.
A spectator counted the number of out-of-bounds free kicks in the first quarter at 18.
200 member ticket were sold at the game.

April
Juniors:
Ces. Mullen forms the Richmond Boys Football Club. Amongst its players, all under 16, are Laurie Nash and Tommy Lahiff, who captains the team.

Tue. 7
Dan Minogue is appointed to coach the Cubs.

Mon 27
Keith Millar is admitted to Melbourne Hospital , suffering from pleurisy. He had played in a practice match on Saturday, and fell ill on Sunday.

May
Fri. 1
Williamstown player, Allan Geddes is granted a permit to play with Richmond.

Sat. 2
Richmond 11-11 (77) defeats Hawthorn 5-8 (33) at Hawthorn in its first League game.
Goalumpire Swift meets with an accident in his buggy when it collides with a motorcar on the way to the game and is unable to umpire. A substitute is found.

Thr. 14
Joe Harrison is disqualified for three matches for striking Geelong’s Lloyd Hagger.
Cubs player Percy Bentley kicks one goal and ten behinds against Geelong’s seconds.

Sat. 16
Donald Don and Frank Harley play their 100th VFL game for Richmond.

Sat. 23
Vic Thorp becomes the first Tiger to play 250 VFL games for Richmond.
Richmond comes from 23 points down at three-quarter time to defeat South Melbourne 11-9 (75) to 10-10 (70) at Punt-road. The Tigers, aided by Donald Don’s three last quarter goals, worked themselves in front with one minute remaining.
The managers of the English (professional) soccer team touring Australia visit Richmond’s rooms.

June
Sat. 6
Richmond 9-6 (70) draws with Melbourne 10-10 (70) at Punt-road. It is the Tigers’ first draw since June 16, 1917.

Mon. 8
On King’s Birthday a Richmond XVIII plays against a Chinese football team, coached by Barney Herbert, at Punt-road to raise money for the Tigers’ interstate trip.

Sat. 13
Dan Minogue receives a “knock” against Carlton at Princess Park. Injured for the remainder of the season, it will be Dan’s last game with Richmond as a player.

Tue. 18
Mel Morris, vice captain, is appointed to undertake the duties of coach because Dan Minogue is unable to do so due to injury.

Sat. 20
Richmond plays Footscray for the first time since it left the Association and old timers, Arthur “Bolivar” Powell, Charlie Backhouse and Jimmy O’Halloran attend. Richmond welcomes Footscray to the League with three cheers but the Tigers lose by six points.

July
Sat. 4
Allan Geddes represents Victoria against South Australia in Adelaide. Doug Hayes and Tom O’Halloran represent Victoria against New South Wales on the MCG. Ted Bourke, Jimmy Smith and Ralph Empey play for a VFL team against Ballarat in Ballarat.
___ Jim Maxfield is granted a permit to play for Richmond after being disqualified by the Umpire and Permit Committee last year.

Sat. 11
Ernie “Fishy” Taylor wears the number 82.
“Fishy” is straggling behind his team mates as they leave the field, having defeated North Melbourne at North, when he is king hit and knocked out by North’s John Lewis. Police are prevented from entering North’s rooms but “Fishy” is not keen on pressing charges anyway.

Sat. 18
Dan Minogue resumes as Richmond’s coach although he is still unable to play with and captain the team.
People are warned to remain off the ground at three-quarter time and after the match or face prosecution.

Sat. 25
No Richmond players play with Victoria’s team against Western Australia, but the Westralian team includes the nephews of former Richmond champions George Sparrow and Chris Bahen.
With no League fixtures today Richmond journeys to Ararat and defeats the locals. However it comes at a price, Jimmy Smith broke his finger, Mel Morris injured his ankle, and C. Reid and Sam Barrett were injured. RFC 10.12 to Ararat 8.16

Mon. 27
Mr. Allison, the manager of the Westralian team, and seven of his players, including Clem ? Bahen and V Sparrow, attend a Richmond smoke night.

August
Sat. 1
Percy Bentley makes his debut against Hawthorn at Punt-road.

Wed. 5
Charles Backhouse, who played over 200 games for Richmond from 1891 to 1905, dies.

Fri. 7
St. Ignatius (school) defeats Cremorne Street State School 39-20 (254) to nil. Laurie Nash kicks 11 goals.

Mon. 10
Oscar Mitchell returns to the presidency of the Cubs after Percy Bell resigned. It will be Mitchell’s second stint this year after he was replaced by Bell on June 15.

Sat. 15
No Richmond players are selected to play for Victoria against South Australia. Doug Hayes represents Victoria against New South Wales in Sydney. Ted Bourke plays for a VFL team against Bendigo in Bendigo.

Sat. 22
The Richmond Boys team state their claim for “... the under 16 amateur premiership of Victoria” through The Richmond Guardian

Sat. 29
A lump of metal is thrown from the South Melbourne crowd at Allan Geddes.

September
Fri. 4
North Melbourne’s John Lewis admits to striking “Fishy” Taylor on July 11 but he claims that he was provoked, that “Fishy” said unkind things to him during the match. Lewis is disqualified for three matches.

Sat. 5
Dan Minogue is enthusiastically cheered at three-quarter time. It will be his penultimate game as Richmond’s coach and it’s his last at Punt-road in that capacity.

Wed. 9
Richmond’s Queen Carnival, organised to raise money for the Sydney trip, has its climax. The committee’s queen, Edith Archer wins from the supporters’ queen, Gwen Beckerley, and the players’ queen, Molly Murphy.

Sat. 12
Vic Thorp plays his last VFL game for Richmond. He had played a League record 263 games with the Tigers, his first in 1910.
Henry Harrison, captain of the (first) Richmond Football Club in 1861 and a prominent football administrator and player in the 1860s and 1870s, visits the Tigers’ rooms while at the Richmond v. Melbourne game on the MCG.

Mon. 14
Richmond players and officials leave on their trip to Sydney.

Sat. 19
Richmond defeats a combined New South Wales team by 18 points in Sydney before 5,000 spectators. The field umpire is felled by a Richmond player in the first quarter and a replacement is found to finish the game.
Cubs secretary Angus Wishart, through The Richmond Guardian, calls for the Richmond Football Club and the Richmond City Council to support the formation of a “representative” Burnley club.

Sat. 23
The Cubs leave on a trip to Warrnambool.

October
Thr. 29
A Beverley Football Club reunion is held.

November
Tue. 17
The committee announces that players will be paid a bonus of one pound per man per game.

Unknown
During the season, the Richmond Reserves trael to Warrandyte for a picnic and a football match between Richmond Reserve Officials ('Has Beens') and the players ('Neverwassers')