Competitions All Time Draft - Vote For The Best Team

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Pick 98 - Ricky McLean

Ricky McLean was regarded as one of the toughest players ever to pull on the famous Yellow and Black guernsey. That reputation for ruggedness, however, overshadowed the fact that McLean could seriously play the game . . . The powerfully-built 185cm, 92kg full-forward joined Richmond at the end of 1971, after being cleared by Carlton, where he’d managed only 19 games in half a dozen years.

Southby of Carlton once said to a big audience after discussing that GF hit Balme made on him, that there was a second Richmond opponent who “made Balme look like a pussycat” and if he had to choose between them, he would rather play on Balme any day.​

​

He was referring to Ricky McLean, who was a team-mate at Carlton before moving to the Tigers in 1972. Immediately he got there, he lined up on Southby in a practice match. “I outpaced him and then a big left hand came out and got me right on the nose. I couldn’t breathe out of my left nostril for a number of years. That was the legacy of Ricky McLean,” Southby said. “Balme had white line fever on the ground but McLean had it on and off the ground. I was sh*t scared of him when he was playing for Carlton, let alone when he was playing for Richmond.”​

View attachment 1291498Starved of opportunity during his playing career with the Blues, McLean was hell-bent on making up for lost time at Tigerland. He booted four goals in an impressive first-up display for Richmond in the opening round of the 1972 season against Collingwood, with the Tigers winning a thrilling contest by four points.

That season, McLean finished with a career-high 55 goals, sharing Richmond’s leading goalkicker award with kindred spirit, Neil Balme, with whom he formed a formidable combination, deep in the Tigers’ forward line. The dynamic duo, “affectionately” known as “Biff” and “Bam”, struck fear into the hearts and minds of opposition backlines during the early 1970s.

In the ’72 season, McLean scored multiple goals in a match, with a career-best return of eight, against St Kilda at the MCG in Round 17.

Clearly, the two best sides that year were Richmond and McLean’s old mob, Carlton. They met in the second semi-final out at Waverley and slugged out a low-scoring draw.

McLean kicked five goals against the Blues in the second-semi replay the following week at the MCG, as the Tigers recorded a comfortable victory and became raging hot flag favorites.

Unfortunately, two weeks later, McLean injured his hamstring early in the ’72 premiership-decider against Carlton, and he spent the entire second half on the bench, watching the Blues pile on a record Grand Final score in a major upset.

McLean started the following season strongly, kicking 21 goals in his first six matches. But he then missed a fair chunk of the year, mainly due to injuries, and was not a member of the Tiger team that gained sweet revenge over Carlton in the 1973 Grand Final.

Still, his 32-goal return for the season placed him equal second on the Club’s goalkicking list for that ’73 premiership year.

McLean left Richmond during the 1974 season to play for Tasmanian club Burnie, but returned to Tigerland in 1976, for three more senior appearances that year, before retiring from league football.

He’d averaged more than two and a half goals per game during his time with the Tigers, and had provided the team with a very strong, aggressive focal point in attack.

Ricky McLean profile
Born: 8/11/1947
Height: 185cm
Playing weight: 92kg
Richmond trade history: Traded to the Tigers by Carlton for a monetary exchange in late 1971
Guernsey number at Richmond: No. 31
Debut at Richmond: Round 1, 1972 v Collingwood, MCG
Games at Richmond (1972-1974 & 1976): 39
Goals at Richmond: 103


B: xxxxxxx F.Swift xxxxxxx
HB: D.Rowe D Astbury xxxxxxx
C: S.Maxfield M Rioli Snr xxxx
HF: xxxxxxx P.Guinane xxxxxxx
F: xxxxxxx R.McLean J.Titus
FOL: M.Green T.Free R.Dean
IC: xx xx xx xx

Balme and McLean. What a combo.. when they weren't getting rubbed out

 

[Phar Ace]

Pick 101 - Leo Merrett

Another good winger - Leo (every good team has to have a Leo) Merrett. Won 2 B&F knocking off Jack Dyer no less, and runner up to him as well. The boy can play! Premiership player to boot!

Wingman Leo Merrett made his league debut with Richmond as a 20-year-old in 1940, and it was soon obvious that the Tigers had procured a footballer of rare quality. Boasting exhilarating pace and fine all round skills, he was a star performer throughout the war years and beyond, and had played a total of 170 VFL games and kicked 53 goals by the time he retired in 1949.

In 1943 Merrett was a key contributor to the Tigers' five-point Grand Final victory over Essendon, having been arguably his side's best player in the previous season's loss against the same opposition. He also played in the losing Grand Final of 1944 against Fitzroy. Winner of Richmond's best and fairest award in 1942 and 1944, and a VFL interstate representative on four occasions, Merrett would presumably have been a strong contender for one of the wing positions in the Tigers' official 'Team of the Century', but the selectors, faced with an unenviable task in choosing between such an abundance of noteworthy players, plumped for Dick Clay and Francis Bourke.

B: xxxxxxx F.Swift xxxxxxx
HB: D.Rowe D Astbury xxxxxxx
C: S.Maxfield M Rioli Snr L.Merrett
HF: xxxxxxx P.Guinane xxxxxxx
F: xxxxxxx R.McLean J.Titus
FOL: M.Green T.Free R.Dean
IC: xx xx xx xx


You are next _RT_ (get excited RATD )

 

[RedmanWasHere]

Pick 101 - Leo Merrett

Another good winger - Leo (every good team has to have a Leo) Merrett. Won 2 B&F knocking off Jack Dyer no less, and runner up to him as well. The boy can play! Premiership player to boot!

Wingman Leo Merrett made his league debut with Richmond as a 20-year-old in 1940, and it was soon obvious that the Tigers had procured a footballer of rare quality. Boasting exhilarating pace and fine all round skills, he was a star performer throughout the war years and beyond, and had played a total of 170 VFL games and kicked 53 goals by the time he retired in 1949.

In 1943 Merrett was a key contributor to the Tigers' five-point Grand Final victory over Essendon, having been arguably his side's best player in the previous season's loss against the same opposition. He also played in the losing Grand Final of 1944 against Fitzroy. Winner of Richmond's best and fairest award in 1942 and 1944, and a VFL interstate representative on four occasions, Merrett would presumably have been a strong contender for one of the wing positions in the Tigers' official 'Team of the Century', but the selectors, faced with an unenviable task in choosing between such an abundance of noteworthy players, plumped for Dick Clay and Francis Bourke.

B: xxxxxxx F.Swift xxxxxxx
HB: D.Rowe D Astbury xxxxxxx
C: S.Maxfield M Rioli Snr L.Merrett
HF: xxxxxxx P.Guinane xxxxxxx
F: xxxxxxx R.McLean J.Titus
FOL: M.Green T.Free R.Dean
IC: xx xx xx xx


You are next _RT_ (get excited RATD )

Related to:

Jackson and Zac Merrett.
Roger Merrett.
Thorold Merrett.
Glenn Hawker.
Jason McCartney.

Plus, his great-grandson is Bailey Smith.

 

[richoatthedisco]

_RT_ is offline and asked me to take his pick.

Chris Naish.

peterbuch74 up next

 

[Tiger_Of_Old]

_RT_ is offline and asked me to take his pick.

Chris Naish.

peterbuch74 up next

Think he meant Patrick.

 

[Phar Ace]

Think he meant Patrick.

Must have, surely!

 

[peterbuch74]

Michael Gale

Michael has played most of his senior football as a wingman and half-back-flanker. He came to Richmond at he end of 1993, after spending the previous seven seasons with Fitzroy. He has performed very well across half back, where his tough, fearless running style combined with his intelligent use of handball has been one of the many bonuses in the Tigers’ recent revival. Despite missing several games in 1994, with hamstring injuries Michael was a valuable contributor. In 1995, he was displaying great form until a collarbone injury suffered against Essendon caused him to miss several games. He returned to the seniors for the first final against North Melbourne. Michael is the brother of Brendon GALE and the grandson of Jack GALE. Like his brother, he is a fine mark and totally courageous the way he throws himself into packs. In 1996, he had an injury interrupted pre-season and it took several games before he found some form. He was selected to play for the Allies against Victoria. Away from football, he is a tradesman and avid surfer.

richard parker


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[tora tora tora]

Just on sons being better than their fathers, there's a David Bourke Memorial horse Race today

 

[richard parker]

Pick 104 - Sydney Stack

44

Sydney Stack

Age

23

Ht

179cm

Wt

75kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

15.5

4star

K

6.8

3star

HB

8.7

5star

M

4.1

4star

T

3.0

5star

MG

202.0

3star

D

9.8

2star

K

3.4

1star

HB

6.4

4star

M

1.4

2star

T

2.8

4star

MG

133.0

2star

D

16.2

4star

K

7.2

3star

HB

9.0

5star

M

5.6

5star

T

3.0

5star

MG

227.4

4star

I think the leadership group can get the best out of him.

Sydney Stack - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Bit of perspective is required when assessing this player. Just have a read of his wikipedia page and you will realise he is coming from a long way back. You think it would be easy to look after yourself and come back in good physical condition when the role modelling and family environment you've come from involved substance abuse, family violence, insecure housing, mental illness and jail time? Would you expect a mature, professional mindset growing up in that environment? There will be more blunders and faux pas for sure but I hope the club just keep sticking with him at least until his mid-20s. The club is smart these days and understands all this unlike certain media pundits.

We all know he can seriously play. He is as highly skilled as anyone I've ever seen play the game and that's not hyperbole. He is an absolute natural footballer. Highly skilled, composed, elite decision maker, tough, beautiful mark, creative and the list goes on. He could potentially play any position on the ground except ruck or key position.

 

[richoatthedisco]

Barunga Bullet up

 

[Phar Ace]

Barunga Bullet up

Well done RATD - keep the bastards honest!

 

[richoatthedisco]

Well done RATD - keep the bastards honest!

Can we have a civilisation???

 

[Phar Ace]

Can we have a civilisation???

 

[Rioli2Rioli]

Surely John Northey can get a run here

 

[peterbuch74]

Surely John Northey can get a run here

Northey is in my team already


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[Barunga Bullet]

Pick 105- Jack O'Rourke
Games- 44
Goals- 134
Leading goal kicker 1951,1952


An exciting, high-leaping full-forward, O’Rourke went on to kick 134 goals in his 44 games, winning the Club’s Leading Goalkicker award in 1951 (58 goals) and 1952 (43 goals). His highest individual goal tally with the Tigers was seven, which he booted against St Kilda in 1950.


Barunga Bullets Team
B: Malthouse xx xx
HB: bowden, Jess, K. Morris
C: Clay Stewart xx
HF: Daffy Richardson xx
F: holland Lynch O'Rourke
FOL: xx foley xx
IC: xx xx xx xx

Tiger_Of_Old is up

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

Well done...JOR...❤

 

[Tiger_Of_Old]

Pick 106-Brian " The Whale" Roberts.


Known during the Victorian phase of his career as 'The Whale' Brian Roberts had physical attributes to match, and is thought to have been, at roughly 120 kg (at least for part of his career), among the heaviest men ever to play league football. He did so in three states, beginning in his home state of South Australia with South Adelaide, where he played 57 SANFL games between 1965 and 1967, as well as representing the croweaters at the 1966 Hobart carnival.

His next port of call was East Fremantle where, over the course of the next three seasons, he played precisely the same number of league games as he had with the Panthers. He also played for his adopted state at the 1969 Adelaide carnival.

The final phase of Roberts' league career was in the VFL with Richmond (78 games from 1971 to 1975) and South Melbourne (15 games in 1975). He was a member of Richmond's 1973 and 1974 premiership teams, but enjoyed possibly his finest concerted spell in football with South Melbourne where, despite having a disrupted season (he was cleared to South mid-year after playing the first five games with the Tigers), he finished only three votes shy of winner Gary Dempsey in the Brownlow Medal.

Extremely tall at 199 cm as well as being of extraordinarily hefty build, Brian Roberts combined enormous ability as a tap ruckman with great marking skills around the ground. Sadly, an argument with South Melbourne coach Ian Stewart during the 1976 pre-season period led to his premature retirement from the game.

B:xxxx,Balta,Strachan
HB:xxxx,Perry,xxxx
C:xxxx,Knights,xxxx
HF:Brown,xxxxx,xxxxx
F:Bartlett,Roberts,Bolton
Foll:Lee,Broderick,Oppy

richoatthedisco your up

 

[richoatthedisco]

Pick 107 - Paul Sproule



A ruck-rover and centreman (remember when these were distinct positions?), Sproule joined Richmond from Essington in 1972 and made an immediate impact. He was Richmond's best player in the 1972 grand final defeat and also in the bests in the back-to-back triumphs of 1973/74. A smart, skillful and tough footballer who used the ball well and was a fine exponent of the drop kick, he had an eye for goal, with 93 snags in 86 games for the Tigers, including a best of 6, and a haul of 4 in the 1972 qualifying final.

Yet another Tassie Tiger, he played in eight premierships in 23 years of senior footy (including a hattrick as coach of Sandy Bay in Tassie), and was named a Legend of Tasmanian footy in 2007, then elevated to Icon in 2016.



Wacky Tiger

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

Good choice...

 

[RedmanWasHere]

Pick 105- Jack O'Rourke
Games- 44
Goals- 134
Leading goal kicker 1951,1952
View attachment 1292165

An exciting, high-leaping full-forward, O’Rourke went on to kick 134 goals in his 44 games, winning the Club’s Leading Goalkicker award in 1951 (58 goals) and 1952 (43 goals). His highest individual goal tally with the Tigers was seven, which he booted against St Kilda in 1950.


Barunga Bullets Team
B: Malthouse xx xx
HB: bowden, Jess, K. Morris
C: Clay Stewart xx
HF: Daffy Richardson xx
F: holland Lynch O'Rourke
FOL: xx foley xx
IC: xx xx xx xx

Tiger_Of_Old is up

Brother of Basil. (Rich.)
Great-uncle of Jonathan. (GWS and Haw.)
Son of Jack. (Real name Ignatius John.) (STK and Fitz.)
Nephew of Frank. (Carl and Fitz.)
Nephew of Clem (Coll and STK) and Jim Morden. (STK.)
First cousin of George Smeaton. (Rich.)

 

[Tiger_Of_Old]

Brother of Basil. (Rich.)
Great-uncle of Jonathan. (GWS and Haw.)
Son of Jack. (Real name Ignatius John.) (STK and Fitz.)
Nephew of Frank. (Carl and Fitz.)
Nephew of Clem (Coll and STK) and Jim Morden. (STK.)
First cousin of George Smeaton. (Rich.)

RedmanWasHere
Brother of Bruce McAvaney
Or is he really Bruce?

 

[RedmanWasHere]

RedmanWasHere
Brother of Bruce McAvaney
Or is he really Bruce?

I don't get this.

 

[Phar Ace]

I don't get this.

You don't have to........just say "that's SPPPPEEEEEEEECCCCCCIAL" instead

 

[Phar Ace]

Pick 106-Brian " The Whale" Roberts.


Known during the Victorian phase of his career as 'The Whale' Brian Roberts had physical attributes to match, and is thought to have been, at roughly 120 kg (at least for part of his career), among the heaviest men ever to play league football. He did so in three states, beginning in his home state of South Australia with South Adelaide, where he played 57 SANFL games between 1965 and 1967, as well as representing the croweaters at the 1966 Hobart carnival.

His next port of call was East Fremantle where, over the course of the next three seasons, he played precisely the same number of league games as he had with the Panthers. He also played for his adopted state at the 1969 Adelaide carnival.

The final phase of Roberts' league career was in the VFL with Richmond (78 games from 1971 to 1975) and South Melbourne (15 games in 1975). He was a member of Richmond's 1973 and 1974 premiership teams, but enjoyed possibly his finest concerted spell in football with South Melbourne where, despite having a disrupted season (he was cleared to South mid-year after playing the first five games with the Tigers), he finished only three votes shy of winner Gary Dempsey in the Brownlow Medal.

Extremely tall at 199 cm as well as being of extraordinarily hefty build, Brian Roberts combined enormous ability as a tap ruckman with great marking skills around the ground. Sadly, an argument with South Melbourne coach Ian Stewart during the 1976 pre-season period led to his premature retirement from the game.

B:xxxx,Balta,Strachan
HB:xxxx,Perry,xxxx
C:xxxx,Knights,xxxx
HF:Brown,xxxxx,xxxxx
F:Bartlett,Roberts,Bolton
Foll:Lee,Broderick,

richoatthedisco your up

Disappointing pick for you - at least his first name starts with "B"