1931 Richmond Chronology

Position: Second
Won 16, Lost 4, For 1774, Against 1287.
Captain: Maurie Hunter Vice Captain: Basil McCormack
Coach: Frank “Checker” Hughes
Leading Goal Kicker: Doug Strang (68)
Revenue: Debit Balance:
Membership: 2,540
Seconds: Seventh

January
Thr. 1 Former Richmond president Alfred Wood dies.

Thursday 22
David Capewell, the RCG’s curator from 1895 to 1930 dies aged 65.

March
Joe Watson replaces Ernie Saunders as Richmond’s head trainer.

The long running dispute between the VFL and the Grounds Management Association ends. The cricket clubs are to pay four shillings for each cricket club member’s ticket. The new conditions have no affect at Richmond because the cricket club donates more than the equivalent amount to the football club.

April
Mon. 6
Richmond plays its first practice match of the season at the Motordrome.
The football club was unable to practice at Punt Road on Saturday because the cricket club was rostered to host a semi final there.
The late start to the preseason is inline with the League’s decree that no club may have more than four weeks training before the opening match.

Tue. 14
Jack Dyer trains with Richmond.

circa 14th
The club starts a fund to aid George Bayliss who had been ill for some time and is confined to hospital. The appeal will raise L62/4/7.

Sat. 18
Jack Dyer plays in his first Richmond practice match.

Fri. 24
The VFL adopts Percy Page’s system for arranging finals games. It will be known as the Page-McIntyre system.

Thurs 30
Maurie Hunter is appointed captain of Richmond

May
Sat. 9
Richmond 30-19 (199) defeats North Melbourne 4-7 (31) at Punt Road. The Tigers’ score and the 168 point winning margin are both League records. Richmond is also the first League team to kick more than 30 goals in a match.
The Tigers kick 12-2 (74) in the second quarter.
Doug Strang kicks a club record 14 goals. It is the Albury recruit’s second game for Richmond.
Jack Titus shares in the goal kicking spree with 8 goals.
Allan Geddes plays his 100th senior game for Richmond.
Jack Dyer is named as the nineteenth man and spends the entire afternoon sitting on the bench. It is his first match

Thr. 14
Doug Strang is exonerated of striking North Melbourne’s Syd Barker junior by the League tribunal.

Sat. 23
Richmond 10-12 (72) defeats the reigning premier Collingwood 9-14 (68) at Punt Road.
A ground record gate of L1,179/19/3 is achieved despite thousands being turned away at the gates.
The crowd estimated at 40,000 to 42,000 one of the largest seen at Punt Road and the fence on the eastern side gave way injuring several spectators.
With Maurie Hunter absent Basil McCormack captains the team while Jack Baggott is elected vice captain.

circa 23rd
The Richmond Cricket Club and the Richmond Football Club decide to apply for more land from the Land’s Department. This is in response to the hint from the League that it will transfer big matches from Punt Road to the vastly more spacious MCG.

Sat. 30
Richmond presents Allan Geddes with a clock to commemorate his 100th senior game with the club.

June
Sat. 6
Basil McCormack, Jack Titus and Bert Foster represent the VFL against the VFA. All three contribute to the League’s 61 point win and McCormack is presented with the best on ground prize.
Jack Dyer returns to St. Ignatius for the day and is largely responsible for their win against the hitherto unbeaten West Richmond.

Sat. 13
Richmond loses its first game this year. Geelong defeats the Tigers by 27 points at the Corio Oval.
A gunshot is fired at a train carriage which was carrying the Richmond team to the game. The shot occurred at 11.12am between Footscray and Yarraville.

Sat. 20
At a dance in the pavilion, Doug Strang is presented with the ball with which he kicked 14 goals. It had been specially mounted and encased in glass by the football manufacturer Syd Sherrin.

circa 20th
Tom Trowbridge presents Richmond with a goal kickers honour board.

Thr. 25
'Checker' Hughes is absent from training due to influenza. Maurie Hunter took over his coaching duties.

Sat. 27
Basil McCormack represents Victoria against South Australia in Adelaide.

July
Sat. 4
Percy Bentley plays his first game of the year.
Some Fitzroy barrackers pelt Richmond players and officials, and the umpire with rocks.

Tue. 21
Percy Maybury resigns as a vice president of the Richmond Football Club to pursue the recently vacated position of secretary of the Richmond Cricket Club.

Sat. 25
A crowd of 38,000 watch Richmond comfortably defeat Carlton at Punt Road. Dan Minogue, Carlton’s coach is greeted with cheers from the Punt Road grandstand at three-quarter time.
Carlton’s Tommy Downs is reported for kicking Maurie Hunter, and would be disqualified until the end of the 1932 season. Carlton will protest the controversial verdict.
Downs would protest his innocence 23 years later in The Sporting Globe: "Maurie Hunter was on the ground, but I was well clear of him breaking away with the ball when he was kicked accidentally on the head by one of his own team"

August
Sat. 1
Jack Dyer plays his second senior game for Richmond. Like his first it is against North Melbourne but this time he had a run on the ground and played well.

Sat. 8
Footscray 10-18 (78) upsets Richmond 7-12 (54) at Punt Road. It is the Tigers’ second loss of the season.

Sat. 15
Basil McCormack vice captains Victoria against South Australia at the MCG. Stan Judkins was to have played for Victoria but was ruled out through influenza.
Long time club official and foundation member Billy Bicknell dies.

Sat. 22
Richmond 10-10 (70) defeats Collingwood 6-10 (46) at Victoria Park. Collingwood’s president Harry Curtis visits Richmond’s rooms and congratulates the Tigers.

Fri. 28
The League decides to retain the current district system. Richmond supports the present scheme based on municipal boundaries.

Sat. 29
Doug Strang kicks 8 goals against Essendon at Punt Road.
Richmond opens the game with 9-5 (59) in the first quarter.
Richmond’s final score of 23-14 (152) is Richmond’s second highest.

September
The Minister for Lands decides to grant the Richmond football and cricket clubs extra space on the south west side.

Thr. 3
Bert Foster is acquitted by the League tribunal of striking Essendon’s ___ Simpson.
George Sparrow captains a veterans team in a charity match. He dons a Richmond jumper declaring it, “the best club of them all.”

Sat. 12
Richmond lose their last game of the regular season to Geelong. It is Richmond’s third defeat of the season and its second to Geelong. By defeating Richmond Geelong claims the minor premiership by percentage.
Percy Bentley breaks a bone in his forearm ending his season.
Arthur “Snowy” Brennan, a former Richmond player, is shot dead by an intruder outside his residence in Fitzroy.

Sat. 26
Richmond 15-9 (99) defeats Geelong 10-6 (66) before 48,353 people at a semi final at the MCG.
Doug Strang, in his first year of VFL football, breaks George Bayliss’s club record for the most goals kicked in a season. Strang kicks three goals today taking his total thus far to 65. He will end the season with 68.

October
Training:
Joe Watson, the head trainer, is absent with the flu during the week prior to the Grand Final. Large crowds of well wishers watch Richmond’s Tuesday and Thursday night training sessions.

Sat. 10
Richmond lose the Grand Final. Geelong 9-14 (68) defeats Richmond 7-6 (48) before 60,712 at the MCG.
It is the first Grand Final since the introduction of the Page-McIntyre finals system.
Allan Geddes wins the prize for being the best Richmond player in the Grand Final.

circa 10th
Richmond’s secretary Percy Page decides to retire because of ill-heath.

November
Mon. 30
A meeting is held to consider alterations to the rules of the Richmond Football Club. The first recommendation that the secretary be appointed by the committee rather than elected by members was overwhelmingly defeated. The second recommendation that the captain and vice captain be appointed by the committee rather than elected by the players is also rejected. The third recommendation that the coach replace the vice captain on the selection committee is narrowly defeated as well.
December
Mon. 21 Richmond’s annual meeting is held at the Richmond Town Hall. Barney Herbert is elected to replace Jack Archer as president. Jack Smith defeats Percy Maybury for the vacant position of secretary.