Robert Powell is a former 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...

er who played with 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,...

 and St Kilda in the Australian 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...

 (AFL).

After spending a year on Collingwood's

Collingwood Football Club

The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...

 list, where he played in the reserves, Powell was traded to Richmond in a swap for Matthew Francis

Matthew Francis (footballer)

Matthew Francis is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Richmond and Collingwood in the Australian Football League ....

.

Powell, a forward, had to wait until round 15 of the 1996 AFL season

1996 AFL season

Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1996.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-Lighting Premiership:...

 to make it into the Richmond seniors. On debut, against Melbourne

Melbourne Football Club

The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....

, he was unable to kick a goal but instead registered five behinds. He still finished the year with 15 goals, five of which came in a win over Geelong

Geelong Football Club

The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...

.

The former North Heidelberg

North Heidelberg Football Club

North Heidelberg Football Club is an Australian rules football club in Heidelberg West, Victoria, currently competing in Division 1 of the Northern Football League.-Notable players:*Ross 'Twiggy' Dunne*Jason Heatley*Jake King*Shane Harvey*Jamie Shaw...

 player started the 1997 season in Richmond's best 21 but again had his biggest impact in the second half of the year. He received a nomination for the 1997 AFL Rising Star

1997 AFL Rising Star

The AFL Rising Star award is given annually to a standout young player in the Australian Football League. The award is also known as the Norwich Rising Star due to sponsorship reasons...

 award in round 20, having managed 25 disposals and two goals against North Melbourne

North Melbourne Football Club

The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...

.

He played 18 of a possible 22 games in 1998 and made a further 13 appearances in 1999. Troubled by a hip injury, he put together only four games in 2000 and was delisted at the end of the year. He nominated for the 2000 AFL Draft

2000 AFL Draft

The 2000 AFL Draft was the annual draft of talented Australian rules football players by teams that participate in the Australian Football League. It consisted of a pre-season draft, a national draft, a trade period and a rookie elevation....

and was picked up by St Kilda, with the 75th selection. Calf injuries plagued his time at St Kilda and he played just 10 AFL games.