| Matthew Richardson | ||
 Matthew Richardson playing for the Dream Team
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthew Richardson | |
| Date of Birth | 19 March 1975 | |
| Place of Birth | Devonport, Tasmania | |
| Recruited from | Devonport | |
| Draft | Father-Son Selection, 1992 Richmond |
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| Height/Weight | 195cm / 104kg | |
| Position | Full Forward/Center Half Forward/Wing | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Richmond | |
| Number | 12 | |
| Playing career1 | ||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) |
| 1993- | Richmond | 276 (791) |
| ¹ Playing statistics to end of R22 2008 season. | ||
| State team honours | ||
| Years | Team | Games (Goals) |
| 2008 | Dream Team | 1 (1) |
| Career highlights | ||
AFL
Richmond
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Matthew "Richo" Richardson (born 19 March 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, the club's leading goalscorer thirteen times and has been selected in the all-Australian team in 1996, 1999 and 2008.
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.
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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 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 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 his knee, including the Tiger's finals series. 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 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 paid off, with a flurry of goals in the early part of the season including a career best 10 against the Western Bulldogs. His 10th goal in that game was a spectacular snap from 30 meters out on his left foot that sent the crowd into a frenzy. However this was to be 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, in a match against the Essendon Football Club, 'Richo' earned the widespread respect of the football community by playing the game with a fractured eye socket and broken nose sustained only a week before. He still managed to kick four goals, and what appeared to be a match-winning fifth until the umpire awarded a controversial free kick against him.
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 (recorded since 1987), sitting on 2210 behind Stewart Loewe who has 2316.
In 2008 he passed the career goal-kicking tallies of Saverio Rocca (Collingwood/North Melbourne, 748) and Kevin Bartlett (Richmond, 778) to become the league's eleventh-most prolific goal-scorer of all time. After 276 games, he has booted 791 career goals and 538 behinds and has taken 2,210 marks. Richardson currently holds the record for the most goals kicked at the Melbourne Cricket Ground[1]. He spent a large part of the season playing on the wing, rather than in the forward line, which allowed him to have a much larger part in the play than ever before. 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.
Richardson is a character who probably generates more debate amongst football experts and fans than any other in the modern era. As a player, he is known for his work ethic, stamina, courage and excellent marking prowess (particularly for contested marks), but also for his poor accuracy in front of goal. Richardson is also known for the high level of emotion he displays on the field, which endears his fans and amuses his detractors. Some experts believe he has underachieved for his abilities, while others believe his record has suffered primarily from playing in an era of weak Richmond teams as well as sustaining serious knee injuries.
His sister, Samantha, is married to retired North Melbourne footballer Jade Rawlings who now coaches the Coburg tigers in the VFL.
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ryan O'Connor |
Alex Jesaulenko Medal winner 1996 |
Succeeded by Nathan Buckley |
| Preceded by Kane Johnson |
Richmond Best and Fairest winner 2007 |
Succeeded by Brett Deledio |
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