William "Max" Oppy was an Australian rules football

Australian rules football

Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

 player who played in the Victorian Football League

Australian Football League

The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

 (VFL) between 1942 and 1954 for the Richmond Football Club

Richmond Football Club

The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...

. He was senior coach of Richmond in 1956.

Oppy, who was recruited from Kew, started his career as a rover at Richmond and played in their 1943 premiership side. The following season he was pushed into defence by Jack Dyer

Jack Dyer

John Raymond Dyer Sr. OAM , always known as Jack Dyer, was one of the colossal figures of Australian rules football during two distinct careers, firstly as a player and coach of the Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League between 1931 and 1952, and later in the broadcast media for...

 and soon established a place in the side as a specialist back pocket

Back pocket

In Australian rules football, the back pocket refers to a position on the field deep in defence.Back pocket players, situated in the backline, need to have good spoiling skills and usually, quality back-pockets are noted for their hardness....

, participating in a losing Grand Final at the year's end. He represented the VFL at interstate matches four times

After retiring from football in 1954, Oppy returned to Richmond two years later and replaced Alby Pannam as senior coach. They managed just six wins, finishing in tenth position, which meant Oppy wasn't kept on in 1957.

He was the cousin of Dick Reynolds

Dick Reynolds

Richard Sylvannus 'Dick' Reynolds was an Australian rules footballer and coach who represented Essendon and Victoria with great distinction....

 and Tom Reynolds

Tom Reynolds (footballer)

Tom Reynolds , the brother of three times Brownlow Medal winner Dick Reynolds and cousin of Richmond champion player and coach Max Oppy, was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the VFL....

. He was also a cousin of murdered lawyer Keith William Allan.