Billy Rudd

Arriving at Richmond as a decorated war hero who had survived a chest wound at Gallipoli, Billy Rudd was a rugged recruit from South Yarra who played his football with the same resilience he showed on the battlefield. An athletic ruckman capable of dominating the air, he spent two seasons at Punt Road before transferring to the VFA, where he became a genuine icon for Port Melbourne. His career is best remembered for his unshakeable integrity during the 1922 VFA Grand Final; approached by a rival official with a massive £100 bribe to play poorly, Rudd refused the payout and instead took a match-saving mark in the dying seconds to seal the premiership. He eventually retired as a highly decorated premiership player and life member of the Borough, having proved his character both in the trenches and on the field.