Australian Football

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Key Facts

Full name
Matthew Francis

Known as
Matthew Francis

Born
29 August 1970 (age 53)

Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 19y 333d
Last game: 27y 351d

Height and weight
Height: 196 cm
Weight: 86 kg

Senior clubs
Richmond; Collingwood

Jumper numbers
Richmond: 46, 13
Collingwood: 9

Recruited from
Richmond (1996)

Matthew Francis

Advanced stats
ClubLeagueCareer spanGamesGoalsAvgWin %AKIAHBAMKBV
RichmondAFL1990-1992, 199419130.6821%8.953.162.890
CollingwoodAFL1996-199836100.2847%4.613.311.920
AFL1990-1992, 1994, 1996-199855230.4238%6.113.252.250
Total1990-1992, 1994, 1996-199855230.4238%6.113.252.250

AFL: 10,146th player to appear, 4,073rd most games played, 3,461st most goals kickedRichmond: 929th player to appear, 541st most games played, 364th most goals kickedCollingwood: 968th player to appear, 421st most games played, 443rd most goals kicked

Slimly built (196cm, 86kg) utility Matthew Francis hailed from Ballan and looked to be set for a fine career after being drafted by Richmond. However, for the vast majority of that career with both the Tigers and Collingwood he was beset by injury problems. At Richmond he managed just 19 senior appearances between 1990 and 1994 whilst simultaneously playing 80 games for the reserves. He fared slightly better with the Magpies, where he played 36 senior games in three seasons, so that ultimately he has to be regarded as just another footballer prevented by forces outside his control from making the most of his talent.

Author - John Devaney

Sources

Full Points Publications

Footnotes

* Behinds calculated from the 1965 season on.
+ Score at the end of extra time.