Preliminary Final, 1995 - Geelong vs Richmond

Richmond's 1995 dream run has come to an end after an experienced Cats outfit soundly beat them in the preliminary final.

Richmond may have booted the first goal of the game, but it was well and truly one way traffic from then on, with Geelong securing a grand final berth by winning 20.9 (129) to 6.4 (40).

Geelong were a class above Richmond.

A quick thinking Matthew Rogers got the Tiger fans in a frenzy at Waverley Park after kicking the first goal in the opening minute or two, but how quickly that all dissipated.

Paul Bulluss strangely lined up in the forward line as the Tigers tried to stretch the Cats defenders, but he and the other Tiger forwards rarely saw the footy all day.

What made matters even worse was the Richmond couldn't do themselves any favours, typified by Michael Gale booting the ball 50m in the opposite direction in the second term.

Duncan Kellaway was one of Richmond's few winners in the early goings of the match, shutting down Peter Riccardi, but the dam wall busted open not too much later and by halftime, the Cats were out to more than a ten-goal lead.

The game didn't get much better for Richmond from there, with Michael Gale accidentally taking out his brother Brendon, while Wayne Campbell ultimately got suspended for a crude hit on Paul Couch.

The Tigers fans to their credit though didn't lose their voice no matter how bad the scoreline got, seemingly very proud of their team, so much so that they were singing the club song in the stands in the fourth quarter.

Alas, they would leave Waverley Park having seen their side's season come to an end, to the tune of 89 points.

There were very few players who could hold their heads high in what was probably the worst performance for the club for the year, however Brendon Gale toiled away and competed hard after having a down week the week prior, while Scott Turner and the aforementioned Kellaway both competed well despite the mountains of footy that was coming their way in defence. Matthew Knights also brought up somewhat of a milestone, kicking his 100th AFL goal.

It was the end to a stunning season for Richmond, one that still lives on in the supporter base's minds, even today.

 Stats for the game courtesy of AFL Tables

A Fighting Fury player ratings - click here for explanation

Brendon Gale	5
Scott Turner	4
Duncan Kellaway	4
Nathan Bower	4
Paul Broderick	3
Chris Bond	3
Michael Gale	3
Justin Charles	3
Stuart Wigney	3
Matthew Knights	2
Chris Naish	2
Nick Daffy	2
Jamie Tape	1
Matthew Rogers	1
Paul Bulluss	1
Stuart Maxfield	1
John Howat	1
Wayne Campbell	0
Greg Dear	0
Mark Merenda	0
Ashley Prescott	0