A New Era
At this point in Dean's career, the publicity generated by the Barassi case equalled any that Richmond received for its playing performances - the club was the competition's chopping block. In the six years since Dean's debut, the Tigers had managed just 18 wins from 108 games. However, an ambitious plan to move Richmond's home games to the neighbouring Melbourne Cricket Ground, overhaul the administration and spend big money on a recruiting campaign, really got underway in 1964. Dean was one of a group of experienced senior players who provided a nucleus around which the club could build its team. He was in outstanding form as the team dramatically climbed the ladder, finishing in fifth place in both 1965 and 1966.
Richmond then made the quantum leap to the top of the ladder in 1967. During a high-pressure finals series, Dean provided much-needed leadership and steadiness to a team that contained not a single player with finals experience. Playing in the back pocket, Dean was one of the Tigers' best in a semi final win over Carlton. In the Grand Final, Dean gathered seventeen possessions and took a courageous mark in the dying minutes of the game, slamming into a point post as he hung grimly to the ball. His shrewd play negated the influence of the brilliant Geelong rovers when they rested in the forward pocket. Richmond's first premiership since 1943 was celebrated with great gusto in the inner-Melbourne suburb; the triumph was close to home for Dean, one of the few players in the team who had grown up in the streets of Richmond. He completed his best ever season with a second placing in the club's best and fairest award.
Read more about this topic: Roger Dean (Australian Rules Footballer)
Famous quotes containing the word era:
“It struck me that the movies had spent more than half a century saying, “They lived happily ever after” and the following quarter-century warning that they’ll be lucky to make it through the weekend. Possibly now we are now entering a third era in which the movies will be sounding a note of cautious optimism: You know it just might work.”
—Nora Ephron (b. 1941)