Roy Wright (footballer)

Roy Wright

Personal information
Date of birth	(1929-02-23)23 February 1929
Date of death	30 July 2002(2002-07-30) (aged 73)
Original team(s)	North Kew FC
Height	188 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight	102.5 kg (226 lb)
Playing career¹
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1946–1959	Richmond	195 (127)
¹ Playing statistics correct to the end of 1959.
Career highlights
Brownlow Medallist 1952, 1954 Richmond Best and Fairest 1951, 1952, 1954, 1957 Richmond Captain 1958-1959 Interstate Games:- 18 All Australian: 1956 Richmond - Team of the Century Richmond - Hall of Fame - inducted 2002 Australian Football Hall of Fame
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Gordon "Roy" Wright (23 February 1929 – 30 July 2002) was an Australian rules football player with the Richmond Football Club in the VFL during the 1940s and 1950s, and television personality during the 1960s.

The inspiration of the story of Roy Wright, nicknamed the "Gentle Giant", was of a triumph over childhood adversity. As a child, Wright had to wear splints on his legs to overcome weak knees. Later struck down with rheumatic fever, doctors prevented Wright from playing competitive sport until he was sixteen years of age.

At this point, in 1945, friends persuaded Wright to try out with local team North Kew in the strong Eastern Districts Football League. Wright had a dream start in the game, winning the league's best and fairest award, an achievement so eye-catching that talent scouts from the VFL were soon looking the youngster over. Richmond won his signature and he arrived at Punt Road for the 1946 VFL season, quite a rise for a man who hadn't played the game twelve months before.

Wright cut a noticeable figure, with his huge frame (188 cm and over 100 kg) and golden blond hair. In the post-war era, all VFL clubs were valiantly scouring the country, looking for big men capable of dominating the rucks and giving their team first use of the ball at ball-ups and boundary throw-ins. The boundary throw-in disappeared from the game after a 1925 rule change, but the rule reverted to its original form during the war, therefore increasing the emphasis on ruck play. The Tigers could see Wright's rare ability but, due to his truncated early career, felt he still needed to learn the subtleties of the game. Besides, in Jack Dyer and Bill Morris, Richmond already possessed the best ruck combination in the competition.

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