Australian Football

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Key Facts

Full name
Michael John Richardson

Known as
Mike Richardson

Born
16 March 1959 (age 65)

Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 24y 10d
Last game: 31y 169d

Height and weight
Height: 182 cm
Weight: 82 kg

Senior clubs
Swan Districts; Collingwood; Essendon; Australia; Brisbane; West Perth

Jumper numbers
Collingwood: 17
Essendon: 17
Brisbane: 8

Recruited from
Collingwood (1986); Essendon (1987)

Family links
Steve Richardson (Brother (Twin))

Mike Richardson

ClubLeagueCareer spanGamesGoalsAvgWin %AKIAHBAMKBV
Swan DistrictsWASFL1978-1982, 1991-19931442261.57
CollingwoodV/AFL1983-1986601171.9553%13.907.826.0713
AustraliaIR19862
EssendonV/AFL198615140.9340%10.476.403.270
BrisbaneV/AFL1987-199081430.5328%13.427.124.6414
West PerthWASFL1994760.86
WASFL1978-1982, 1991-19941512321.54
V/AFL1983-19901561741.1239%13.327.325.0627
IR19862
Total1978-19943094061.31

AFL: 9,405th player to appear, 1,205th most games played, 511th most goals kickedCollingwood: 836th player to appear, 310th most games played, 70th most goals kickedEssendon: 920th player to appear, 616th most games played, 386th most goals kickedBrisbane: 16th player to appear, 73rd most games played, 69th most goals kicked

Mike Richardson was a vibrant, athletic and abundantly skilled footballer whose memorable senior career stretched for almost two decades. He made his league debut with Swan Districts as a 19-year-old in 1978, and soon established a regular niche in the side as a smooth running and highly damaging rover-forward. He played in Swans' losing Grand final team of 1980, and the winning side two years later, and was listed high among his side's best players on both occasions.

Top goalkicker at Swans in 1982 with 75 goals, he crossed to the VFL the following year where he enjoyed fine stints with Collingwood and Brisbane with a less successful time at Essendon sandwiched in between. In 1991 he returned home to Swan Districts, and by the end of the 1993 season had taken his tally of games with the club to 144 (kicking 220 goals), and his overall total of league games to precisely 300.

A difference of opinion with coach John Todd then precipitated Richardson's departure from Bassendean, and he ended up rounding off his WAFL career with seven games for West Perth in 1994. Richardson also played state league or state of origin football for Western Australia on 10 occasions, and was selected as an All Australian in 1983. In the year 2000 he was chosen on a half forward flank in Swan Districts' official 'Team of the Twentieth Century'.

Author - John Devaney

Sources

Full Points Footy's WA Football Companion

Footnotes

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