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Full name
Russell Greene
Known as
Russell Greene
Born
30 May 1957 (age 67)
Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 16y 311d
Last game: 31y 117d
Height and weight
Height: 185 cm
Weight: 78 kg
Senior clubs
St. Kilda; Hawthorn; Australia
Jumper numbers
St. Kilda: 29, 6
Hawthorn: 29
Recruited from
St. Kilda (1980)
Family links
Mark Greene (Brother)Steven Greene (Son)
Club | League | Career span | Games | Goals | Avg | Win % | AKI | AHB | AMK | BV |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
St. Kilda | V/AFL | 1974-1980 | 120 | 52 | 0.43 | 30% | 12.80 | 4.20 | 3.04 | 14 |
Hawthorn | V/AFL | 1980-1988 | 184 | 82 | 0.45 | 67% | 11.49 | 7.92 | 3.29 | 25 |
Australia | IR | 1984 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
V/AFL | 1974-1988 | 304 | 134 | 0.44 | 53% | 12.00 | 6.46 | 3.19 | 39 | |
IR | 1984 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Total | 1974-1988 | 305 | 134 | 0.44 | — | — | — | — | — |
AFL: 8,615th player to appear, 85th most games played, 770th most goals kickedSt. Kilda: 1,178th player to appear, 102nd most games played, 130th most goals kickedHawthorn: 670th player to appear, 46th most games played, 75th most goals kicked
Recruited from Frankston Peninsula, Russell Greene made his VFL debut for St Kilda as a 16-year-old in 1974. He played 120 league games for the Saints, and kicked 52 goals, impressing as a pacy, hard running player with plenty of intelligence and resourcefulness. He performed even better with Hawthorn, where he moved in 1980, winning a club best and fairest in 1984, and playing in three premiership teams.
Greene made five state appearances for Victoria, including one as captain, and achieved All Australian selection in 1983, 1984 and 1985. He won the prestigious VFL Players Association Most Valuable Player award in 1984, and in the same year won the Peter Crimmins Trophy as Hawthorn's best and fairest player. Greene retired at the end of the 1988 season after 184 VFL games and 82 goals for the Hawks. Upon his retirement he was awarded VFL (now AFL) life membership. For the next three seasons he coached the Hawks' Under 19s side.
In 2015, Greene was inducted into the Hawthorn Football Hall of Fame, a fitting acknowledgement of his contributions to the club.
Author - John Devaney, with additional information by Andrew Gigacz