Matthew Richardson
Richardson working with Seven Network in June 2017
Personal information
Full name Matthew Richardson
Nickname(s) Richo, Ricky[1]
Date of birth (1975-03-19) 19 March 1975
Place of birth Devonport, Tasmania
Original team(s) Devonport (TFL)
Draft Father–Son Selection, 1992
Richmond
Height 197 cm (6 ft 6 in)
Weight 103 kg (227 lb)
Position(s) Full-forward
Playing career
Years Club Games (Goals)
19932009 Richmond 282 (800)
Representative team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
1993 Tasmania 1 (1)
19961997 Allies 2 (5)
2008 Dream Team 1 (1)
International team honours
1999 Australia 2 (1)
Career highlights

AFL

Richmond

Representative

Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Matthew Richardson (born 19 March 1975) is a former professional 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.[2]

Background

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 twelfth[3] 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.[4] 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".[5]

AFL career

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.[6]

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.[7] 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.

In 2004, a decision to step down from 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 paid off, with good goal-kicking form in the early part of the season including a career best 10 against the Western Bulldogs. Richardson finished with a tally of 65 goals for the season. In 2005 he kicked 65 goals again, this time with much more consistency throughout the season.

In 2007, in the Dreamtime at the 'G match against Essendon, Richardson played the game with a fractured eye socket and broken nose sustained only a week before. He still managed to kick four goals, and was denied a potentially match-winning fifth when he was penalised for a push-in-the-back against his opponent, Mal Michael. In the same year, he won his first ever club best-and-fairest, beating young teammate Nathan Foley by a single vote. He averaged 15.1 disposals & 9 marks per game, he also kicked 53 goals for the season.

Richardson representing the Dream Team in 2008

Richardson spent a large part of the 2008 season playing on the wing, rather than in the forward line, which allowed him to have a much larger part in the play than previously. Although he did not win the club best-and-fairest, he was selected on the bench in the All-Australian team and finished third in the Brownlow Medal, polling 22 total votes. The 2008 season saw Richardson take 222 marks for the season, including 21 against Hawthorn in Round 20. He averaged 18.2 disposals per game, along with 11.1 marks per game, in which lead the entire AFL for the season and finals. Matthew also managed to kick 48 goals for the season.

In Round 6, 2009 against Sydney at the SCG, Richardson kicked his 800th and last career goal, becoming the eleventh player to reach the milestone in VFL/AFL history. Later in the same match, he partially tore his hamstring off the bone; he missed the remainder of the season with the injury, and announced his retirement after the season.[8] He received a rousing send-off in Round 1, 2010, appearing before the match in Richmond's season opener against Carlton.

Richardson retired in 2009 after 282 senior games for Richmond; he became an Richmond Football Club life member after playing more than 150 games for the club and an Australian Football League life member after playing more than 300 games, including representative and pre-season matches. His career tally of 800 goals was the eleventh-highest at the time of his retirement, and it remained so until Lance Franklin passed him in Round 6 of the 2017 season.[9] Richardson took a total of 2,270 marks during his AFL career, which was the second-highest of any player at the time of his retirement (since the statistic was recorded, starting in 1974).

Media career

It's over, Darce, and it is just an unbelievable feeling...75,000 members and 100,000 here today...(Siren sounds) The Tiges are in the Grand Final! Can you believe it? I can't! But they are!

Richardson commentating for Seven Network during the end of Richmond's 2017 preliminary final victory against GWS[10]

Following his retirement at the end of the 2009 AFL Season and during parts of the 2009 AFL Season when he was injured, Richardson was an AFL expert commentator for telecast matches and a panellist on the review show 'One Week at a Time', both Network Ten shows.

In 2010, Richardson became part of the Seven Network AFL telecast team,[11] initially as a boundary rider and then as a member of the Friday and Saturday night commentary teams, providing expert comments. He also appears on the Thursday night edition of Seven News Melbourne, to preview the weekend's AFL action, and as a panellist on Channel 7's AFL Game Day. He also is the colour commentator in AFL Evolution alongside Dennis Cometti.

Richardson also works for Richmond's media department, presenting their ‘Talking Tigers’ weekly podcast show and other videos on the club's website.

In September 2017, Richardson became a father for the first time when partner Genevieve Holliday gave birth to their daughter Zoey.[12] The same month, Richardson worked the 2017 Grand Final pitting Richmond against Adelaide as a boundary rider and presented the Premiership cup to Richmond captain Trent Cotchin and coach Damien Hardwick following the Tigers' victory. The following year, Richardson and fellow Richmond legend Kevin Bartlett featured on an official recording of We're From Tigerland.[13]

Statistics

[14]

Legend
  G  
Goals
  K  
Kicks
  D  
Disposals 
  T  
Tackles
  B  
Behinds 
  H  
Handballs 
  M  
Marks
Led the league for the season only
Led the league after finals only
Led the league after season and finals
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game)
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
1993 Richmond 12143124112531659252.21.78.03.811.86.60.4
1994 Richmond 121956401533218510842.92.18.11.79.75.70.2
1995 Richmond 12927394211156063.00.310.42.312.86.70.7
1996 Richmond 122291492547733117764.12.211.53.515.08.00.3
1997 Richmond 121947351974924614882.51.810.42.612.97.80.4
1998 Richmond 121655411584119911393.42.69.92.612.47.10.6
1999 Richmond 122067412477532217253.42.112.43.816.18.60.3
2000 Richmond 123138419502904.32.713.73.016.79.70.0
2001 Richmond 122259362495430318292.71.611.32.513.88.30.4
2002 Richmond 12133621126261529172.81.69.72.011.77.00.5
2003 Richmond 1219333421577292173111.71.811.34.115.49.10.6
2004 Richmond 1218655018844232130103.62.810.42.412.97.20.6
2005 Richmond 1222654624749296166133.02.111.22.213.57.60.6
2006 Richmond 1218454020267269150132.52.211.23.714.98.30.7
2007 Richmond 1222534026172333197142.41.811.93.315.19.00.6
2008 Richmond 12204830262102364222112.41.513.15.118.211.10.6
2009 Richmond 12691376311076031.52.212.75.217.810.00.5
Career 282 800 551 3082 879 3961 2270 134 2.8 2.0 10.9 3.1 14.0 8.0 0.5

Achievements & Honours

AFL

Richmond

Other

Personal life

His sister, Samantha, was married to retired Hawthorn, Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne footballer Jade Rawlings.

Matthew also has an older sister, Tracey, and a younger brother, Andrew.

In April 2017, Matthew Richardson and fiancée of eight years, Genevieve Holliday, announced they were expecting their first child a daughter.[15] Their daughter, Zoey Isabella Richardson was born on Sunday 3 September 2017.[16]

References

  1. Gleeson, Michael (13 November 2009). "Richo decides to hang up boots".
  2. Guthrie, Ben (4 March 2014). "Worsfold joins Laws of the Game committee". AFL. AFL. Archived from the original on 18 June 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  3. "AFL Tables - Matthew Richardson - Stats - Statistics".
  4. AFL Tables – M.C.G
  5. Robertson, Mark; Anderson, Jon (24 September 2008). "Boss and Matthew Richardson steal Brownlow Medal show".
  6. Wilson, Caroline (1 May 2005). "Tiger of gold".
  7. Anthony Mithen; Greg Denham (30 May 1995). "SCG acts on Tiger injury". The Age. Melbourne, VIC. p. 48.
  8. Gleeson, Michael (13 November 2009). "Richo decides to hang up boots".
  9. "AFL Tables - Lance Franklin - Stats - Statistics".
  10. The Front Bar – 2017 Grand Final Edition YouTube (originally broadcast by Seven Network)
  11. Matthew Richardson joins Seven. TV Tonight | Retrieved 26 March 2013
  12. Matthew Richardson baby: Richmond champ and partner welcome daughter by Sophie Smith The Herald Sun
  13. Tigers tune-up for Club song Richmond Football Club
  14. "AFL Tables - Matthew Richardson - Stats - Statistics".
  15. "AFL Tiger great's baby news: Matthew Richardson and partner announce expected September arrival". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. 21 April 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  16. Smith, Sophie (3 September 2017). "Matthew Richardson and Genevieve Holliday announce arrival of baby daughter". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 4 September 2017.

Further reading

Richardson, Matthew; Flanagan, Martin (2010). Richo. Random House Australia. ISBN 978-1-74166-972-5

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