Matthew Richardson (footballer)
| Matthew Richardson | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Matthew Richardson | ||
| Nickname(s) | Richo | ||
| Original team(s) | Devonport | ||
| Draft |
Father-Son Selection, 1992 Richmond | ||
| Height / weight | 195cm / 102kg | ||
| Position(s) | Full Forward/Center Half Forward/Wing | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Richmond | ||
| Number | 12 | ||
| Career highlights | |||
|
AFL
Richmond
| |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Matthew "Richo" Richardson (born March 19, 1975), is a professional Australian rules footballer who plays for Richmond in the Australian Football League. He has been the club's key forward through the late 1990s and the 2000s, and the club's leading goalscorer thirteen times, and has been selected in the all-Australian team in 1996 and 2001.
He has the second most goals in the history of the Richmond Football Club and the eleventh most goals in the history of the VFL/AFL competition.
Career
Educated at St. Brendan-Shaw and Don Colleges in Devonport Tasmania, the fourth pick (a father-son selection) in the 1992 AFL Draft, recruited from Devonport, Tasmania. Combining a 196-centimetre frame with exceptional speed and athletic capacity for a large man, on his day he has been a dominant presence for the Tigers. Suffered a serious knee injury (Torn left ACL) in 1995 in a collision with the fence in Round 9, 1995 vs Sydney at the SCG and missed the rest of the season after reconstructive surgery on the knee including their finals series and would have to wait until 2001 to experience September action. But since then he has been one of the best forwards in the game despite suffering from inaccuracy in front of goal and occasional injuries. He often kicks the goals better from long range. In 1996 he came back strongly, playing all 22 games and finished with 91 goals (49 behinds), earning All Australian.
In 2004, a decision to step back involvement in the Tigers' "leadership group" (the small group of senior players who help lead the club on and off-field) and focus on additional strength training seems to have paid off, with a flurry of goals in the early part of the season after returning from injury including a career best 10 against the Western Bulldogs. His 10th goal in that game was a spectacular snap from the boundryline that sent the crowd into a frenzy but that was Richmond's last win of the year as they lost their next 15 games in a row. Richardson finished with a tally of 65 goals for the season.
In 2005 under the coaching of Terry Wallace he kicked 65 goals again, this time with much more consistency throughout the season.
In 2007 he became one of the most respected AFL footballers due to his courage and passion by playing a game with a fractured eye socket and broken nose and still managing to kick four goals.
In the same year, he won his first ever club best-and-fairest, beating young gun Nathan Foley by a single vote.
Richardson is currently ranked second in the AFL for the most marks ever taken in recorded history, sitting on 2210 behind Stewart Loewe who has 2316.[ Ranked 1st in Total Marks in 2008 with 222]
In 2008 he equaled Saverio Rocca's (Collingwood/North Melbourne) career goal tally of 748. Equal 12th on the all time VFL/AFL goal kicking list He then went on to equal Kevin bartletts record of 778 in round 12 against Melbourne. After 276 games, he has booted 791 career goals and 538 behinds and has taken 2,210 marks.
 | This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. (May 2008) |
Richo has been one of the greatest servants of all time for the Richmond football club. His sensational marking along with being the leading goal kicker for Richmond 13 times, 2 All Australian selections and being a best and fairest winner doesn't say it all about Richo. His tenacity, endeavor and sheer determination to get his hands on the football has always been second to none. The way he always gives his all on the field has inspired so many fans to come to watch him play. As a power forward, he would be forgiven for staying in the goal square and taking marks, but Richo takes it upon himself to run himself ragged, and is known to lead for over 100m when he is needed. This is shown in the distance he covers on match day, which is always around 14km. His strength and contested marking in contests is arguably his best attribute, and many times has he topped the contested marks list at the end of the year. When the ball hits the ground though, his second and third efforts are admirable and another reason to love the man. Although his kicking for goal has let him down at times, Matthew Richardson is what you would call a true, passionate, outstanding and loyal tiger. When its time for Richo to hang up the boots, he will not only go down as one of Richmond's all time greats, but also as one of the game's most entertaining and spectacular forwards.
Trivia
| This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (July 2008) |
Richardson currently holds the record for the most goals kicked at the Melbourne Cricket Ground[1]
He is the son of former Richmond and South Melbourne player Alan "Bull" Richardson. His sister, Samantha, is married to retired North Melbourne footballer Jade Rawlings who now coaches the Coburg tigers in the VFL. Matthew Richardson also prefers to have his socks pulled up to his knees instead of pulled down to his ankles. He has played in the midfield when Richmond are struggling to win the clearances.
References
External links
- Matthew Richardson's profile on the official website of the Richmond Football Club
- Matthew Richardson's playing statistics from AFL Tables
- Matthew Richardson Statistics[[1]
- Feature story from 2005 on Matthew Richardson at the Yellow and Black Supporters Forum and Website