David Morgan AO is one of Australia’s most successful and influential businessmen.

Morgan was CEO of leading Australian bank Westpac for a decade and these days is executive chairman of private investment company J.C. Flowers and Co. in charge of Europe and Asia Pacific, as well as chairman of J.C. Flowers Australia Pty. Ltd.

He was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in the 2009 Australia Day honours due to his service as a leader in the development of policies for the financial sector.

However, if it wasn’t for a twist of fate 50 years ago, we may today be acclaiming David Morgan as a Tigerland hero.

Back in the late 1960s, Morgan was a young spearhead sensation for the LaTrobe University’s football team.

A 1969 newspaper article written by respected sports journalist Jim Main gave a descriptive account of the Morgan’s goalkicking exploits at the time.

“So, Doug Wade kicked 127 goals, and Peter Hudson 120 this season,” wrote Main.

“Big deal”, say the boys from the LaTrobe University football team. “Our full-forward got 210 goals”.

“David Morgan, 20, booted 10 for LaTrobe in their Panton Hill League grand final against Mernda on Saturday to give him 171 goals in that competition.

“But he also kicked 18 with LaTrobe in the Australian universities’ carnival in Adelaide, seven in an inter-league match, and 14 in intra-varsity matches in Melbourne.

“He doesn’t count “about 30 goals” in practice matches.

“David’s Adelaide form won him an All-Australian Universities’ guernsey as full-forward . . .

“David has now kicked 350 goals in three seasons in the Panton Hill League, but he says the 210 goals this season really took him by surprise.

“I’m too short for a full-forward,” he said. “I’m only 5ft 10in – if that.”

“Although he is only 20, David hasn't given League football much thought,” Main wrote.

“My height would be a disadvantage – and I don't know if I'm all that good,” was his modest assessment at the time.

Well, as it turned out, sheer weight of goals was enough to convince Richmond that David Morgan was worth a closer look.

The young gun forward moved to Canberra in 1971 (primarily for study reasons) and continued his goal rampage on the football field.

He topped the competition's goalkicking that year and further underlined his ability with a match-winning 12-goal display for a combined ACT side in an interstate clash with NSW.

By the end of the '71 season, the Tiger talent scouts were hot on his trail.

“Graeme Richmond and Alan Schwab were becoming pretty insistent that I come down and at least try out at the Club,” Morgan told me in an interview several years ago.

“Eastlake (Morgan's ACT club) thought doing a pre-season at Richmond would be pretty good preparation for the following season, so they allowed me to go and train with the Tigers.”

Morgan did the entire 1972 pre-season at Punt Road and turned in some eye-catching performances for the senior side during the practice matches.

“I think we played North Adelaide at Punt Road and Port Adelaide in Adelaide and then finished up the week before the season proper playing against Carlton at Princes Park,” he said.

"Look, I kicked a few goals and went okay, but I had “Stewie” (triple Brownlow Medallist Ian Stewart) in the centre looking after me a bit.”

The Richmond selectors clearly liked what they saw from the young goal machine because when the senior side was announced for the Round 1 match of the 1972 against Collingwood at the MCG, there was David Morgan’s name (alongside ruckman Craig McKellar), as one of the Tigers’ two reserves on the bench.

To be named 20^th man in a line-up containing players of the calibre of Royce Hart, Ian Stewart, Kevin Sheedy, Kevin Bartlett, Dick Clay, Francis Bourke, Roger Dean and Barry Richardson, was no mean feat indeed.

Morgan eagerly awaited his league debut in the blockbuster clash with Magpies on Easter Monday, April 3, 1972.

He was given the No. 22 Yellow and Black guernsey and was all set to wear it with enormous pride until fate, unfortunately, intervened.

“Eastlake just said that they weren't going to clear me no matter what – and that was it. Back in those days, there was nothing you could do about that,” Morgan said.

As a result, Morgan was a late withdrawal from the Richmond side for the Round 1 match – and it was as close as he ever got to realising his league football dream.

“GR” and “Schwabby” tried for a few more weeks to get me a clearance from Eastlake, but they wouldn't budge,” Morgan said.

“In the end, I went back to Canberra and played out the season with Eastlake. The year after I went to London to further my career and I didn't return to Australia until I was 32. My life had taken quite a different path by then.”

Although David Morgan was deprived of his place in Richmond Football Club history, he looks back at his time at Tigerland with considerable fondness.

“Tommy Hafey, the players, and officials, were very good to me and it was exciting to be part of such a great club even for such a small period of time,” he said.

“To this day, I am a keen Richmond supporter . . . there's no doubt about that. Even though I can't get along to see them play, I certainly take an interest in how they're going.”