Craig McKellar is Richmond’s next Homecoming Hero for the 2023 season.

The Tigers are set to pay tribute to the member of their 1973 premiership team in the lead-up to Saturday afternoon’s Round 19 clash with Hawthorn at the MCG.

McKellar will walk to the Punt Road end of the ground to receive the plaudits of the Tiger Army.

He’ll kick a ceremonial goal, then sign the football and present it to a Richmond fan in the crowd.

Craig McKellar, a high-leaping, mobile ruckman, was recruited by Richmond from SANFL club Woodville, where he had played senior football since the age of 17. He’d also represented South Australia in the 1969 state carnival series held in Adelaide.

Following a protracted clearance wrangle with Woodville, McKellar finally made his debut with the Tigers in Round 14 of the 1971 season against St Kilda at Moorabbin.

Richmond secured a thrilling three-point win that day after trailing by 30 points at three-quarter time and McKellar played his part in the ruck with 16 hit-outs.

He was a solid contributor in the Tigers’ line-up for the rest of the ’71 season but took his game to an impressively high level the following year.

McKellar established himself as the competition’s best knock ruckman in 1972.

With his ability to spring into the air and punch the ball a considerable distance forward, from either a centre bounce or boundary throw-in, he was a major factor in Richmond making it through to the Grand Final that year and going into the premiership-decider against Carlton as a red-hot favourite.

Unfortunately, the Tigers suffered a shock loss to the Blues, but notwithstanding that, McKellar had enjoyed a first-rate season individually, polling a club-high 10 Brownlow Medal votes and finishing third in the Jack Dyer Medal.

The following season, when Richmond gained sweet revenge over Carlton with its triumph in the 1973 Grand Final, McKellar again was a valuable contributor for the Tigers, playing all 26 games, including the premiership-decider, and sharing ruck duties with Brian Roberts and Michael Green.

McKellar then endured a frustrating 1974 season, restricted to only 12 senior games, and not part of the Richmond team that made it back-to-back flags with victory over North Melbourne in the Grand Final.

But he bounced back strongly in 1975 with 22 senior appearances, a club-high 11 Brownlow Medal votes and a fifth-place finish in the Jack Dyer Medal.

After surprisingly announcing his retirement from league football at the end of the 1975 season, McKellar subsequently made a comeback with Melbourne, where he spent three years.

All-up at Richmond, he played 96 games and kicked 25 goals.

The most disposals he had in a game with the Tigers was 26, the most marks he took in a match was 12 (twice), and the most hit-outs was 35.

Richmond is proud to have welcomed back Motorola as partner of our 2023 Homecoming Heroes. Motorola was recently announced as the official smartphone partner of the Richmond Football Club.

Craig McKellar profile

Born: December 8, 1949

Height: 196cm

Playing weight: 93kg

Recruited to Richmond from: Woodville (SANFL)

Guernsey number at Richmond: No. 9

Debut at Richmond: Round 14, 1971 v St Kilda, Moorabbin

Games at Richmond (1971-1975): 96

Goals at Richmond: 25

Playing honours at Richmond: Premiership player 1973

Richmond's Homecoming Heroes since 2014...