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Richmond will leave several significant player guernsey numbers vacant in 2010, as it revives a “lapsed” Tigerland tradition.
The Tigers will not use No. 4, No. 7, No. 11 or No. 12, while No. 1 also remains vacant, with the immediate former recipient, Chris Newman, continuing to wear the “Captain’s No. 17”.
Richmond’s No. 1 pick in next week’s AFL National Draft will receive a high number, as will all the other Tiger draftees.
New senior coach Damien Hardwick wants newcomers to earn their stripes with the Tigers before being considered worthy of wearing any of the numbers steeped in tradition at the Club.
That’s how it used to be at Punt Road, with Tiger stars such as Royce Hart (No. 42 to No. 4), Bryan Wood (No. 37 to No. 16), Merv Keane (No. 40 to No. 18), Dale Weightman (No. 43 to No. 3), Mark Lee (No. 41 to No. 1), Geoff Raines (No. 40 to No. 4), Mick Malthouse (No. 28 to No. 7), Tony Free (No. 49 to No. 30) and Wayne Campbell (No. 46 to No. 9) all starting their league careers in higher numbers, before showing enough to win lower-number status.
The Tigers want to assess how their upcoming crop of draftees perform in 2010, as well as those who have been in the system for a year or two, before “reactivating” what are regarded as A-grade numbers at the Club - No. 4, No. 7, No. 11 and No. 12.
• No. 4 is the only number to have been worn in every one of the 10 Richmond league premiership sides, made particularly famous by Royce Hart (four premierships), Maurie Sheahan (two premierships) and Geoff Raines (one premiership).
• No. 7 has been worn by the likes of John “Ray” Martin, a champion rover in the Tigers’ 1932 and 1934 premiership teams and a dual Best and Fairest winner (1934-35), as well as by star 1973-74 premiership wingman Wayne Walsh, and 1980 premiership back pocket Mick Malthouse.
• No. 11 was worn with distinction in 265 games from 1996-09 by Joel Bowden, and before him players such as the Club’s last premiership captain, Bruce Monteath, and 1969 premiership ruck-rover (and father of Joel) Michael Bowden.
• No. 12, of course, strikes a huge chord with Yellow and Black barrackers because of the mighty Matthew Richardson, who wore it throughout his magnificent 282-game, 800-goal career at Tigerland. But long, long before ‘Richo’ arrived on the scene, a skinny bloke by the name of Jack Titus made the No. 12 his own, playing 294 games and booting a ‘lazy’ 970 goals in it, in a career spanning 18 seasons (1926-43).
With so many significant guernsey numbers vacant at Punt Road for the 2010 season, with next week’s draftees to be assigned higher numbers, several current-list players were required to change numbers.
As a result, Daniel Connors has moved from No. 39 to No. 19, Andrew Collins from No. 42 to No. 24, Angus Graham from No. 44 to No. 25, Robin Nahas from No. 38 to No. 26, Jake King from No. 46 to No. 28 and Andrew Browne from No. 43 to No. 34.
Those players with more than 50 games and four years’ experience were permitted to keep their number, which is what Nathan Foley (No. 41), Kelvin Moore (No. 40) and Matthew White (No. 35) did.
We will have a full list of RFC player guernsey numbers for 2010 following next week’s National Draft.
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