Esteemed veteran football journalist Mike Sheahan has explained what prompted him to take on the titanic task of compiling a list of Tigerland’s top 50 players over the past 50 years for richmondfc.com.au.
After years of provoking intense discussion and debate with his bi-annual list of the AFL’s (current) top 50 players in the ‘Herald Sun’ (as the paper’s chief football writer), Sheahan thought he could quietly fade into the sunset to enjoy retirement, free from fierce fan criticism.
But, to quote Al Pacino, in the role of Michael Corlone in the acclaimed movie ‘Godfather 2’, “Just when I thought I was out . . . they pull me back in”.
Predict Mike's top five Tigers of the last 50 years for your chance to win, thanks to Jeep!
And, so, Sheahan has been pulled back in, to rank the top 50 Tigers he’s seen throughout the past half-century.
“The thing that appealed to me most about Richmond was there’s been that great period of the 60s and 70s, then the lean times afterwards, and sort of middle ground now,” Sheahan said on this week’s episode of the Club’s official podcast ‘Talking Tigers’.
“I thought well, there are some all-time greats of the game in that list, and there are some blokes who played in poor teams that should be acknowledged, too.
“So I said, I’ll do it, I’ll take it on, I’ll do another one.
Sheahan outlined the criteria he used when putting his top-50 Tiger list together.
“I decided there was a minimum of five years playing for the Tigers, and I think that’s fair,” he said.
“One of the casualties of that is Paul Sproule, who, in my first take, was in the teens.
“I was a massive Sproule fan, like all the Richmond people were. And then I realised he only played four seasons. So, he had to go out.
“People will say how could Sproule not be there, but I think you do need a cut-off period. So Sproule missed out on that basis . . .
“The other consideration was, I place a huge emphasis on longevity.
“I think people who do things at a high level, for a long period of time, should always take precedence . . .”
Sheahan expressed the high regard he held for the Tigers when they ruled the league football jungle during the greatest era in the Club’s history, from 1967-1980, winning five premierships.
“I admired how good Richmond was in the 60s and 70s . . . there’s no question about that. I thought they were arrogant, but all great sides are, so I didn’t hold that against them . . ,” he said.
“This is not a criticism to say they were aloof, bordering on arrogant, but they were that good.
“This was the team that just had brilliant players all over the ground, they were well coached, and I loved the way they played their footy.
“It was the no-nonsense style . . . get it, go forward, kick it to the best players, and the rest will take care of itself.
“They were a great team to watch. Playing at the MCG was perfectly suited to them . . .
“There were so many players in that team, and that era, who obviously take prominent spots in the top 50.”
