Australian Football

Collingwood snared Wayne Richardson from South Fremantle in 1965 before he had made his senior league debut and, not surprisingly, the West Australian side was extremely reluctant to clear him. Richardson was forced to stand out of football for the entire 1965 season before his clearance was ratified, but as far as the Magpies were concerned, the wait was worth it, as he would develop into one of the finest players in the club's history. 

A genuinely tough customer, and extremely skilful, he spent most of his 277-game, 323-goal VFL career between 1966 and 1978 as either a rover or ruck-rover, where his adeptness at reading the play enabled him to pick up countless possessions. A Copeland Trophy winner in 1971 and 1974, Richardson skippered the Magpies from midway through the 1971 season until 1975. He represented the VFL on numerous occasions, and was universally acknowledged as one of the 'greats' of his era, a status emphasised by his inclusion in Collingwood's official 'Team of the Twentieth Century'.

Author - John Devaney