Round 21, 1996 - Richmond vs Fitzroy

Richmond have shown no mercy to Fitzroy in their last ever game in Melbourne, defeating them by 151 points at the MCG.

After a relatively subdued opening, the Tigers booted 18 goals to 2 in the second half to record a thumping 28.19 (187) to 5.6 (36) victory.

Fitzroy fans stormed the field in support of their team, in their last ever game in Melbourne.

Richmond started the game strongly gaining plenty of the early possession and having many forays forward, but they struggled to convert, with Matthew Richardson in particular missing three relatively easy shots in the opening 5 minutes.

One player who was everywhere early was Matthew Rogers however, who kicked 3 goals to go along with 15 disposals for a scintillating first term.

Volume wise, the crowd while strong in attendance, was pretty quiet vocally, as the game quickly became one way traffic in Richmond's favour.

While Richardson became increasingly frustrated with scragging from his opponents, Rogers continued to find the ball, and the goals, when he popped through his 4th halfway through the second term.

The second half, unfortunately for Fitzroy fans, was highly uncompetitive, as the Tigers piled on goal after goal in a sad and incredibly one-sided affair.

One highlight though was Joel Bowden's first AFL goal, and another being the way the Fitzroy supporters stormed the field after the game to show love for their side, in their last ever game in Melbourne.

Richardson was clearly Richmond's best, taking an astonishing 21 marks, picking up 28 disposals, and booting 7.5.

The aforementioned Matthew Rogers had arguably his best game in the yellow and black with 28 touches and 4 goals, while Brendon Gale also joined the party with a 6-goal, 20 disposal and 11 mark game.

The win would mean Richmond would be clinging to 8th position with just one round to play in the 1996 season.

Stats for the game courtesy of AFL Tables

A Fighting Fury player ratings - click here for explanation

Matthew Richardson	14
Matthew Rogers	12
Brendon Gale	11
Jason Torney	8
Wayne Campbell	7
Justin Charles	7
Chris Sullivan	7
Paul Broderick	6
Michael Gale	6
Darren Gaspar	5
Robbie Powell	5
Mark Merenda	4
Chris Naish	4
Matthew Knights	4
Ben Harrison	4
Joel Bowden	4
Chris Bond	3
Jamie Tape	3
David Bourke	2
Duncan Kellaway	1
Damien Ryan	1