THE TOP 20 RICHMOND STARS
1. DUSTIN MARTIN. A midfield bull whose trademark “Don’t Argue” buys him time and space, Dusty uses the footy with power and precision and is lethal around goals. Probably the best since Bartlett. 2. MATTHEW RICHARDSON. A beacon of hope during the Tigerland dark years. Booted 800 goals in 282 games, including 464 on the MCG (the most by any player at the home of footy). A contested-marking machine, Richo played with passion and athleticism and ran the game’s best key defenders ragged.
3. ALEX RANCE. Ranks alongside Matthew Scarlett as the key defender of his generation. Brave, instinctive and athletically gifted, Rance was an intercept king, who had days where he could beat opposition forward lines all on his own, setting up counter-attack after counter-attack. Won a best-andfairest in 2015 and runner-up twice.
4. JACK RIEWOLDT. People laughed when his coach said he kicked too many goals, but the selfless Riewoldt that emerged under Damien Hardwick has become an all-time club great. Three Colemans, two flags, three All Australians, two Jack Dyers and nine times Richmond’s leading goal scorer.
5. TRENT COTCHIN. A midfield star from day one, collecting three bestand-fairests and a Brownlow Medal. Lost his way for a while chasing possessions before transforming himself into the competition’s ultimate team man. 6. MATTHEW KNIGHTS. In the lost years, Richmond’s 1995 second semifinal win over Essendon at the MCG was the high-point for the tortured Tigers faithful. Knights’s three first-half, running bounce goals epitomised his poise and class across 279 games between 1988 and 2002.
7. WAYNE CAMPBELL. Prolific, hardrunning midfielder who played 297 games across 15 seasons, the fourth most for the Tigers. Captain in 2001 when the Tigers reached a rare preliminary final. 8. SHANE EDWARDS. One of the cleanest, most creative players of his era. Does things you need to watch in slo-mo to truly appreciate.
9. BRETT DELEDIO. Richmond’s best and most versatile player for close to a decade. An elite user of the ball, Deledio debuted at age 17 and won the AFL Rising Star, playing 243 games before shifting to GWS.
10. JOEL BOWDEN. Highly skilled leftfoot kick who could play any position. Played 265 games, kicking 171 goals. Two best-and-fairests.
11. DYLAN GRIMES. Can play small or tall, intercept at will and an efficient disposer. Cruelled by hamstring injuries early in his early days but now one of the game’s most complete defenders.
12. DARREN GASPAR. Rarely beaten one-on-one in his back-to-back All Australian years of 2000 and 2001. Cat-like when the ball hit the deck.
13. BACHAR HOULI. Houli was a whipping boy for a while before emerging as an elite rebounding halfback with a penetrating left boot. A role model on and off the field.
14. PAUL BRODERICK. Durable, classy left-foot midfielder. Not blessed with speed but brilliant by hand or foot and composed in heavy traffic. Played 169 games in yellow and black.
15. CHRIS NEWMAN. Skipper during some of the darkest years. Played 268 matches, despite suffering a gruesome broken leg against Collingwood in 2006. Exceptional left-foot kick.
16. TONY FREE. Ferocious, relentless utility and a much-loved player in the Tigers’ lost years. “One of the toughest players I ever ran out with,” a teammate said. Struck down by knee injury in 1995 but good enough to make the club’s Hall of Fame.
17. CRAIG LAMBERT. Tough-as-nails midfielder with quality hands. Stared down taggers, ran both ways and won a best-and-fairest in 1991 before being traded to Brisbane. 18. DUNCAN KELLAWAY. Mr Dependable. Loved by his teammates, “The Glove” had an ungainly kicking style but was as courageous and reliable as they come and got every ounce out of himself, often beating much bigger, stronger star opponents. Set the standard for workrate with 27 disposals on debut. 19. BRENDON GALE. The “Chief” played 244 games during the hard-yard years as a centre-half-forward/ruckman. Took vital grabs deep in defence and only let himself down as a guitarist in the band, Trial by Video. Also kicked 209 goals and 20 or more in six of his 12 seasons. 20. KANE JOHNSON. Hardworking, efficient midfielder who came to Tigerland in 2003 after playing in two Adelaide Crows premierships before his 21st birthday. Captain for four years in another tough period. Johnson won a best-and-fairest in 2006 and runnerup twice.