Past Michael Richardson (1987-1990)

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Wikipedia

Michael John "Mike" Richardson (born 16 March 1959) is a former Australian rules football player who played for the Collingwood Football Club, Essendon Football Club and Brisbane Lions Football Club in the AFL and Swan Districts Football Club and West Perth Football Club in the WAFL throughout the late 1970s and early 1990s. Richardson began his career at Swan Districts in 1978 at an age of 19, he was regarded as a highly skilled fast placed roving forward or mid fielder. Richardson played as a rover in the 1982 Grand Final and was among the teams best players. He also topped the goal kicking list at Swan Districts that season with 75 goals.

He was recruited to Collingwood Football Club in 1983 and played a total of 60 games, kicking 117 goals, before leaving midway through the 1986 season to play for the Essendon football club. He remained at Essendon for the remainder of the 1986 season playing 15 games and kicking 14 goals. Richardson then joined the inaugural Brisbane Bears Team in the 1987 season he played some of his best football at the club and held down many positions. He left at the end of the 1990 season after playing 81 games and kicking 43 goals to return to Swan Districts. He played another two seasons at Swans before leaving to play with West Perth for the 1994 season to bring up his 300th game. Richardson played a total of 141 games and kicked 220 goals for Swans throughout his career. During his career he played over 300 games and kicked 439 goals. He is selected in the Swan Districts Team of the Century on a half-forward flank.

Statistics:

afl tables
footywire

 

[Grimreepah]

fullpointsfooty

Mike Richardson was a vibrant, athletic and abundantly skilled footballer whose memorable senior career stretched for almost two decades. He made his league debut with Swan Districts as a nineteen year old in 1978, and soon established a regular niche in the side as a smooth running and highly damaging rover forward. He played in Swans' losing grand final team of 1980, and the winning side two years later, and was listed high among his side's best players on both occasions. Top goal kicker at Swans in 1982 with 75 goals he crossed to the VFL with Collingwood the following year and rapidly became a firm favourite among the Victoria Park faithful.

He played a total of 60 VFL games in three and a half years with the Magpies, booting 117 goals, which included a club list-topping tally of 49 in his debut season. Midway through the 1986 season Richardson crossed to Essendon where, for the only time in his career, he struggled to make his mark, and after 15 games and 14 goals he moved on to Brisbane in 1987. His 81 game, 43 goal stint with the Bears saw him produce some of the best and most consistent football of his career. He also demonstrated his versatility by playing games at both ends of the ground as well as across centre and on the ball.

 

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Essendon bio

Michael Richardson was a clever half-forward who came to Essendon from Collingwood where he played 60 games from 1983 to 1985. Prior to that he was with Swan Districts in Western Australia and had represented Western Australia five times. He was also in the Swan Districts 1982 premiership team.

Richardson was renowned for his lightning dashes, skilled handball and goal sense but he was unable to show his great natural ability in his only season with Essendon in 1986. Richardson was cleared to the Brisbane Bears in 1987 and played 22 games in that year. His twin brother, Steve, also played for Essendon.

 

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Twins ....

Michael Richardson (Collingwood 1983-86, 60 games; Essendon 1986, 15 games; Brisbane 1987-90, 81 games)
Stephen Richardson (Essendon 1983, 1 game)

 

[Grimreepah]

Brisbane Bears' first game

B:      Peter Banfield     Mark Roberts             Dale Dickson
HB:     Cameron O'Brien    Steve Reynoldson (dvc)   Matthew Campbell
C:      David O'Keeffe     Geoff Raines             Phillip Walsh
HF:     Brenton Phillips   Mick McCarthy            John Fidge
F:      Neil Hein          Jim Edmond               [U]Mike Richardson[/U]
Rucks:  Mark Mickan (c)    Mark Williams (vc)       Bernie Harris.
I/C:    Brad Hardie        Chris Waterson
Emerg:  Rick Norman
Coach:  Peter Knights

Link

In front of 14,096 fans, with only family and friends supporting the new boys, former Bomber Brenton Phillips kicked five goals, 1985 Brownlow medallist Brad Hardie added two, skipper Mark Mickan had 20 hit-outs, while recycled stars including former Collingwood captain Mark Williams, Geoff Raines and Mike Richardson had plenty of the ball through the midfield to shock John Kennedy's Kangaroos.

Michael Richardson, Mark Williams, Peter Knights and Brad Hardie

 

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Michael Richardson Profile
Footy Record 1987, Round 21
page 10

Favourite position: Centre
Football honours: All-Australian 1983, Australian team 1986
Occupation: House renovator
Car: Holden Drover
Biggest influence on career: John Todd (coach in WA)
Routine before a match: I do a big warm up with plenty of stretching
Biggest disappointment: Being sacked by Essendon
Nickname: Cho

 

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Mistakes in Footy

Beasley After The Siren - Footscray's Simon Beasley had a shot for goal from the boundary line after the siren to win in Round 7, 1988. The Bears' built a mini-pyramid on the mark, with Mike Richardson sitting on the shoulders of Matthew Campbell on the mark in a move which prompted the AFL to change the rules. Also, as Beasley prepared to take his kick, hundreds of spectators invaded the ground and did their utmost to put him off. Umpire Bryan Sheehan later admitted he'd threatened to award a 15m penalty against the home side, which would have put Beasley in the square, but eventually Beasley took his kick and missed. The Bears won by 1 point. Among the kids on the ground was Michael Voss.

The Head of the Bears and the Human Pyramid

CARRARA in the 80s was not exactly the home of high excellence - on and off the field.

We'll give a dumb and dumber award for an incident in Round 7, 1988. First three votes goes to Mike Richardson ... and we'll award another three to the security staff at the ground.

Bulldog Simon Beasley had a shot from the boundary line to win the game against the Lions, but the Bears built a mini-pyramid on the mark, with Mike Richardson sitting on the shoulders of Matthew Campbell on the mark. Ridiculous scenes.

Beasley narrowly missed as fans darted in and out and surrounding him. If the human pyramid didn't get him, the fans did.

 

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Richo leads field
Footy Record 1989
Round 1, page 16

The atmosphere at Collingwood was far from pleasant in the April of 1986 when the Magpies slashed their players' payments by 20 percent. Two of the players who refused the pay cuts were Geoff Raines and Michael Richardson, who were soon cleared to Essendon and are now teammates in the Brisbane Bears lineup.

Few could have anticipated that Richardson was about to peel off a string of consecutive games that today puts him at the head of the VFL list. He's played 59 consecutive matches since his first game with Essendon against Fitzroy in round 9 of the 1986 season. He played 15 straight with the Dons and has been in all 44 games with the Bears.

The blond-haired Richardson, 30, came to Victoria in 1983. Over the summer Richardson, who lives on the Gold Coast near the Carrara ground has had to contend with an Achilles heel injury.

 

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From out of the West...
Footy Record 1989
Round 5, page 45

We wonder what type of Queensland hospitality a contingent of former Western Australians will dish out to the West Coast Eagles in this round at Carrara.

From left are: David Bain, Mark Zanotti, Michael Richardson, Alex Ishchenko, Rod Lester-Smith and Brad Hardie.

 

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Warwick Capper

"I'm a bit of a trendsetter, aren't I," said a typically immodest Capper when we caught up with him yesterday. "Everyone had the irrits with me at the time and I was on the verge of being dropped from the team because I wasn't getting many goals. They were blaming me but it wasn't my fault, it was my teammates' fault because they, namely Michael Richardson and Brad Hardie, were all goal-hungry and wouldn't pass the ball to me. Fair dinkum, I was the highest paid decoy in football history."

 

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Ex-footy star on assault charge
ROURKE WALSH
The West Australian
May 5, 2011, 6:04 am

Former AFL and Swan Districts footballer Michael Richardson has been charged with assaulting a police officer near Karratha.Mr Richardson faced the Karratha Magistrate's Court on Tuesday.
He was not required to plead and was granted bail by Magistrate Paul Roth.

Mr Richardson, 52, also faced two charges of driving under suspension, one of trespass and one of breaching a protective bail condition.
Police will allege that he entered a house he had been evicted from in Point Samson on Saturday night and refused to leave when asked.

Prosecutor Sgt Robert Taylor told the court Mr Richardson became agitated when told he had to leave, saying he would "smash" someone.
When police tried to remove him, a scuffle broke out and Mr Richardson is alleged to have freed his right arm and struck an officer in the face.

Warrant issued for former footballer
ROURKE WALSH
Pilbara News
June 1, 2011, 12:00 am

AN ARREST warrant has been issued for former Collingwood and Swan Districts footballer Michael Richardson after he failed to appear in the Karratha Magistrate’s Court last week. Magistrate Paul Roth bailed Mr Richardson on the last occasion under the condition that he returned to Perth until his next court appearance on May 24. When he did not appear or have his lawyer contact the court a bench warrant was issued for his arrest. Mr Richardson was also due to face two new charges of driving under suspension and dangerous driving.

 

[LIONOFZION]

Jeez that last article was a bit of a shock Grim. Richardson was one of my favourite footballers as a kid. He went missing a few times on the field when things got rough too

Beasley After The Siren - Footscray's Simon Beasley had a shot for goal from the boundary line after the siren to win in Round 7, 1988. The Bears' built a mini-pyramid on the mark, with Mike Richardson sitting on the shoulders of Matthew Campbell on the mark in a move which prompted the AFL to change the rules...Among the kids on the ground was Michael Voss.

I remember being at this game. I wonder if Vossy was the kid charging onto the field in the huge sombrero?

There's some old names in that article. Interesting to compare what they're doing these days (pick the ex-Collingwood player) -

Simon Beasley - Successful Stockbroker.
Matthew Campbell - Footy Commentator with Fox / Ten.
Michael Voss - Lions Coach.
Mike Richardson - Wanted by the police.

 

[The Flying Belgian]

Foxtel Cup: West Coast rookie shines as Claremont belts Southport

By Tom Craigie
11:43pm AEST Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Tigers' debutant Jack Richardson, the son of Mike Richardson who played over 300 games combined for Collingwood, Essendon, Brisbane Bears and WAFL teams Swan Districts and West Perth, finished with three goals, including the first of the match.

Claremont 5.3 8.4 10.5 12.8 (80)
Southport 0.1 1.2 3.2 4.2 (26)

Goals
Claremont: McGovern 3, Richardson 3, Court 2, Knott, Winmar, Davies, Swift.Southport: Pope, Kiel, Mallan, Mills.
Best
Claremont: McGovern, Daniher, Davies, Richardson
Southport: Pope, Thynne, Kiel, Whish-Wilson.

Before anyone asks, Mike Richardson only played 80-odd games for the Brisbane Bears.