Australian Football

The death of Vic Thorp

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Victor Thorp, who passed on this week, was a man honored by sportsmen of his day and afterwards. To the men who played Australian football with him he was scrupulously fair and honest and among the greatest of the great. To those who came afterwards he stood out in football history as the greatest goalkeeper we have produced.

Thorp was Richmond to the core. He attended the Yarra Park school and played all his football either with Beverley (later Richmond seconds), or Richmond. He came to the senior eighteen when fortunes of the senior club eighteen were mostly at the receiving end of football. He played on and joined a big band of good fellows who saw the Tigers not only premiers but perhaps the greatest football force in the State. They have never slipped from that exalted rank.

Found real place

Thorp began as a somewhat indifferent forward and never really found himself in football till he was shifted to fullback. With the Richmond goal to guard he was invincible—the greatest fullback among many champions. Today the name of Jack Regan (Collingwood) is the only one bracketed with that of Victor Thorp when fullbacks are discussed. Thorp played 16 years with the Tigers, and then added another five as committeeman-selector—21 years in all. This year he was in fairly regular attendance at Richmond matches.

Many times I talked with Thorp, and always found him tolerant of the failures of opponents and full of praise for their success. His many friends will miss his good-natured fellowship.

(Photo courtesy of the Richmond Football Club)