Matthew Richardson (footballer)
| Matthew Richardson | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Richardson in May 2008
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| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Matthew Richardson | ||
| Nickname(s) | Richo | ||
| Date of birth | 19 March 1975 | ||
| Place of birth | Devonport, Tasmania | ||
| Original team(s) | Devonport (TFL) | ||
| Draft |
Father-Son Selection, 1992 Richmond |
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| Height / weight | 197 cm / 103 kg | ||
| Position(s) | Forward/ Wing | ||
| Playing career | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1993–2009 | Richmond | 282 (800) | |
| Representative team honours | |||
| Years | Team | Games (Goals) | |
| 1993 | Tasmania | 1 (1) | |
| 1996–1997 | The Allies | 2 (5) | |
| 2008 | Dream Team | 1 (1) | |
| International team honours | |||
| 1999 | Australia | 2 (1) | |
| Career highlights | |||
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AFL
Representative
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| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
AFL
Representative
Matthew "Richo" Richardson (born 19 March 1975 in Devonport, Tasmania), is a retired Australian rules footballer and current media personality who represented Richmond in the Australian Football League (AFL).
On 4 March 2014, Richardson became a member of the AFL's All Australian selection committee.
Richardson is known for his marking prowess, speed and work rate. He was the club's key forward through the mid-1990s and the 2000s. He led the club's goalkicking for thirteen seasons, and was selected in the All-Australian Team three times - in 1996, 1999 and 2008.
Richardson's 800 career goals currently see him ranked second behind Jack Titus at Richmond, and eleventh on the all-time list of AFL/VFL goalkickers. He also holds the record for most goals kicked without winning a Coleman Medal. He currently holds the record for the most goals kicked at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Richardson was one of the most popular players in the competition, this was shown when the crowd at the 2008 Brownlow Medal cheered every vote he got. Mark Robinson from the Herald Sun wrote "M. Richardson... I'm sure there wouldn't have been a more popular winner".
Educated at St. Brendan-Shaw and Don Colleges in Devonport, Tasmania, Richardson was the fourth pick (a father-son selection) in the 1992 AFL Draft, and was recruited from Devonport, Tasmania. He is the son of former Richmond and South Melbourne player Alan "Bull" Richardson.
Combining a 197 centimetre frame with speed and athletic capacity for a large man, on his day he has been a dominant presence for the Tigers. He suffered a torn left ACL in Round 9, 1995 against Sydney at the SCG after he hyper-extended his left knee while landing as he was running out of bounds and crashed hard into the fence and missed the rest of the season after reconstructive surgery on his knee, including the Tigers' finals series – the Sydney Cricket Ground was forced to increase the distance between the boundary line and the fence (which at the time was as short as 2.5m in places) in response to the injury. In 1996 he came back strongly, playing all 22 games and finished with 91 goals (49 behinds), earning All Australian selection for the first time. He sustained another knee injury in the pre-season of 2001, but recovered to play 22 games and kick 59 goals.
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Wikipedia