Allan Richardson

Recruited from East Burwood, Richardson carved out a decade-long career at Collingwood as a disciplined and workmanlike defender. While capable of playing various roles, he was most effective in the back pocket or on a half-back flank, where his close checking and ability to read the play made him a fixture in the Magpies' lineup during the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was not a flashy operator known for accumulating massive possession numbers, but his defensive accountability and reliability endeared him to the Victoria Park faithful.

Richardson's playing tenure is frequently remembered for a moment of wretched luck during Collingwood's historic 1990 premiership campaign. After playing in the drawn Qualifying Final against West Coast, he suffered a broken collarbone that ruled him out of the replay and the remainder of the finals series, forcing him to watch from the sidelines as his teammates broke the club's 32-year flag drought. He recovered to play another six seasons for the Magpies, eventually retiring in 1996 as a respected Life Member before transitioning into a prominent career in coaching.