Vic Thorp
Encyclopedia
Victor Charles Thorp was an Australian rules footballer for the Richmond Football Club
in the Victorian Football League between 1910 and 1925.
Nicknamed "Flippa", Thorp was the first true champion player to emerge at Richmond
after their admission to the VFL in 1908. A natural defender who showed great judgement, superior ball skills and fierce concentration, Thorp was considered the best player in the game at his position, full back. His battles with Collingwood
forward Dick Lee
were a highlight of the era. Thorp was one of many great players who grew up in the shadow of the Tigers'
Punt Road Oval
and served the club loyally for many years, thus influencing the development of the parochial culture of the Richmond
club.
and played his early football there. After leaving school in 1907, he joined Beverley, a club in the Metropolitan Football Association. At this time, the VFL didn't conduct a reserves competition, so district clubs (such as Beverley) acted as a de facto reserves teams. Also non-existent was any form of zoning, so Thorp was free to accept an invitation to trial with St Kilda
. The Saints
made one of the great errors in rejecting Thorp, who went to Richmond
in 1910. In its early seasons in the VFL, Richmond
frantically turned over dozens of players looking for a combination that could compete with the best in the competition. It would prove a long, drawn out process. While most failed and disappeared quickly, the Tigers
knew immediately they had a find in the nineteen year old with the swarthy complexion.
In his debut season, Thorp walked straight into the team and played all eighteen games. As a full back, he impressed with his fine judgement when going for the ball. He instinctively knew when to play from behind and when to position himself in front, when to mark and when to spoil and read the play so well he never seemed to be caught out of position. Although only of average height (178 cm), Thorp was very solidly built at 83 kg and his kicking skills stood out. Charged with the duty of kicking in after the opposition had scored a behind, Thorp regularly thrilled the crowd with glorious long drop kicks to clear the Tigers'
defensive area.
he was a veteran of five seasons, during which he had missed just four matches. Although considered one of the best defenders in the game, Thorp had not yet been chosen for Victoria
when state matches went into recess because of the war
. Perhaps Thorp's failure to win representative honours was influenced by the mediocre performances of his team. Despite producing a number of brilliant individuals, the best of whom was Thorp, the club couldn't create a synergy between its off-field and on-field personnel, and constantly turned over its leadership positions and endured several take-overs at committee level.
Unlike many of his teammates, Thorp decided against enlistment for the war. In 1916, the VFL competition was reduced to just four clubs, but still played a finals series. Richmond
decided to compete and were guaranteed a place in the finals for the first time, and went on to an unlucky semi final loss to Carlton
by three points. For some unexplained reason, Thorp played in this match under the alias of R Sharp. For many years, the VFL statistics showed R Sharp as one of the few footballers to make his debut in a final, until it was discovered that Thorp was Sharp.
In another truncated season, Thorp won Richmond's
best player award
for the first time in 1917, but the Tigers
finished the season last of the six teams. The following year was little better for the team, but at least the war finally ended on 11 November and football could look forward to a return to normal.
premiership coach Norm Clark
and many of the Tigers'
best players returning from military service in Europe, 1919 proved to be the turning point for Richmond
. Thorp was in career-best form, gaining life membership of the club and representing Victoria
for the first time when interstate fixtures were resumed. The team made the Grand Final
, to the surprise of many, only to lose to Collingwood
. In the following year, Richmond
stirred the rivalry with the Magpies
by appointing ex-Collingwood
skipper Dan Minogue
as playing coach. After winning the minor premiership
, Richmond
went on to defeat Collingwood
for the flag. With Dick Lee
missing for the Magpies
, Thorp was able to easily blanket his replacement, Harry Curtis, and contribute significantly to the result.
Richmond
followed up with a second flag in 1921. At the business end of the season, Thorp dominated the semi final thrashing of Geelong
and was instrumental in two upset victories over Carlton
by winning his duels with Blues'
captain Gordon Green. The team slipped backwards in 1922-23, due to retirements and transfers, but a highlight came on 22 June 1922, when in a match at Fitzroy
, Vic Thorp became the first Tiger
to play 200 VFL games. Richmond
returned to finals action in 1924, when Thorp won the Richmond
best and fairest
for the second time. The Tigers
won their last final, against Essendon
, but didn't win the premiership as the Grand Final
was abolished and a round robin tournament played in its stead. This controversial system was never used again to decide the premiership, which was little consolation to the disenfranchised Richmond
players.
in only six years. Heading into the 1925 season aged 34, Thorp played every week and then decided to retire, still on top of his game. In sixteen seasons, he had missed just ten matches, with his worst injury a broken wrist that cost him three games in 1914. Overall, it was a tribute to his sportsmanship and integrity as a player. During his career he had played a major part in the Tigers'
rise from mediocrity to the dizzy heights of winning successive premierships that cemented their place as one of the powerhouses of the competition. Thorp appeared in every big game and final the Tigers
played, and was always a steady influence when the chips were down. Unfortunately for the Tigers
, they couldn't find an adequate replacement for him until the early 1930s, by which time they had lost a succession of Grand Finals
when the weakness at full back was often exposed.
Thorp was elected to the Richmond
committee in 1927, after a brief sojourn at the VFA club Prahran
, where he ironically played as a forward and led the club's goalkicking. Thorp remained a stalwart of Richmond
all his life, running a tea merchant business in the suburb and serving as committeeman until 1935. He also wrote regular articles for Melbourne's Sporting Globe. When Thorp died in 1941, aged only 50, he was still Richmond's
games played record holder.
, the only Richmond
player of the pre-World War I
era to receive the honour. There is a case for Thorp to have won the full back position in the AFL's
team of the century, chosen at the same time. But it would have to have been a decision based on second-hand sources, as he finished playing before any of the judges were born, and no film exists of him in action. It is not surprising that he lost out to Carlton's
Steve Silvagni
. Similarly, Jack Regan
, the star Collingwood
full back of the 1930s, was also overlooked.
It has been speculated in modern times that Thorp was aboriginal
. Thorp had a noticeably dark complexion, but there is no evidence extant that he identified as aboriginal
. Colin Tatz, academia's authority on aboriginal
sportspeople, has listed Thorp as "possibly" an aborigine
. If he was, then many modern AFL
records would need revision, such as the first indigenous
player to achieve 200 games. If one day Thorp is found to be of aboriginal
heritage, then he would be recorded as the most successful indigenous
player during the first 100 years of the game.
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,...
in the Victorian Football League between 1910 and 1925.
Nicknamed "Flippa", Thorp was the first true champion player to emerge at Richmond
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,...
after their admission to the VFL in 1908. A natural defender who showed great judgement, superior ball skills and fierce concentration, Thorp was considered the best player in the game at his position, full back. His battles with Collingwood
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
forward Dick Lee
Dick Lee (footballer)
Walter Henry "Dick" Lee was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League ....
were a highlight of the era. Thorp was one of many great players who grew up in the shadow of the Tigers'
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,...
Punt Road Oval
Punt Road Oval
Punt Road Oval is a sporting ground located in Yarra Park, East Melbourne, Victoria situated only a few hundred metres to the east of the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground....
and served the club loyally for many years, thus influencing the development of the parochial culture of the Richmond
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,...
club.
Formative years
As a child, Thorp attended the Yarra Park School (now defunct), just a few hundred metres to the north of Punt Road OvalPunt Road Oval
Punt Road Oval is a sporting ground located in Yarra Park, East Melbourne, Victoria situated only a few hundred metres to the east of the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground....
and played his early football there. After leaving school in 1907, he joined Beverley, a club in the Metropolitan Football Association. At this time, the VFL didn't conduct a reserves competition, so district clubs (such as Beverley) acted as a de facto reserves teams. Also non-existent was any form of zoning, so Thorp was free to accept an invitation to trial with St Kilda
St. Kilda Football Club
The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed The Saints, is an Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The club plays in the Australian Football League, the sport's premier league....
. The Saints
St. Kilda Football Club
The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed The Saints, is an Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The club plays in the Australian Football League, the sport's premier league....
made one of the great errors in rejecting Thorp, who went to Richmond
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,...
in 1910. In its early seasons in the VFL, Richmond
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,...
frantically turned over dozens of players looking for a combination that could compete with the best in the competition. It would prove a long, drawn out process. While most failed and disappeared quickly, the Tigers
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,...
knew immediately they had a find in the nineteen year old with the swarthy complexion.
In his debut season, Thorp walked straight into the team and played all eighteen games. As a full back, he impressed with his fine judgement when going for the ball. He instinctively knew when to play from behind and when to position himself in front, when to mark and when to spoil and read the play so well he never seemed to be caught out of position. Although only of average height (178 cm), Thorp was very solidly built at 83 kg and his kicking skills stood out. Charged with the duty of kicking in after the opposition had scored a behind, Thorp regularly thrilled the crowd with glorious long drop kicks to clear the Tigers'
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,...
defensive area.
The War era
When numbers were first used on players' guernseys in 1912, Thorp received the number 5. By the outbreak of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he was a veteran of five seasons, during which he had missed just four matches. Although considered one of the best defenders in the game, Thorp had not yet been chosen for Victoria
Interstate matches in Australian rules football
Australian rules football matches between teams representing Australian colonies/states and territories have been held since 1879. For most of the 20th century, the absence of a national club competition and international matches meant that football games between state representative teams were...
when state matches went into recess because of the war
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Perhaps Thorp's failure to win representative honours was influenced by the mediocre performances of his team. Despite producing a number of brilliant individuals, the best of whom was Thorp, the club couldn't create a synergy between its off-field and on-field personnel, and constantly turned over its leadership positions and endured several take-overs at committee level.
Unlike many of his teammates, Thorp decided against enlistment for the war. In 1916, the VFL competition was reduced to just four clubs, but still played a finals series. Richmond
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,...
decided to compete and were guaranteed a place in the finals for the first time, and went on to an unlucky semi final loss to Carlton
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
by three points. For some unexplained reason, Thorp played in this match under the alias of R Sharp. For many years, the VFL statistics showed R Sharp as one of the few footballers to make his debut in a final, until it was discovered that Thorp was Sharp.
In another truncated season, Thorp won Richmond's
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,...
best player award
Jack Dyer Medal
The Jack Dyer Medal is an Australian rules football award given each season to the player or players adjudged Best and Fairest for the Richmond Football Club....
for the first time in 1917, but the Tigers
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,...
finished the season last of the six teams. The following year was little better for the team, but at least the war finally ended on 11 November and football could look forward to a return to normal.
Success at last
With the appointment of ex-CarltonCarlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
premiership coach Norm Clark
Norm Clark
Norman "Hackenschmidt" Clark was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Victorian Football League between 1905 and 1912....
and many of the Tigers'
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,...
best players returning from military service in Europe, 1919 proved to be the turning point for Richmond
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,...
. Thorp was in career-best form, gaining life membership of the club and representing Victoria
Interstate matches in Australian rules football
Australian rules football matches between teams representing Australian colonies/states and territories have been held since 1879. For most of the 20th century, the absence of a national club competition and international matches meant that football games between state representative teams were...
for the first time when interstate fixtures were resumed. The team made the Grand Final
AFL Grand Final
The AFL Grand Final is an annual Australian rules football match, traditionally held on the final Saturday in September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia to determine the Australian Football League premiership champions for that year...
, to the surprise of many, only to lose to Collingwood
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
. In the following year, Richmond
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,...
stirred the rivalry with the Magpies
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
by appointing ex-Collingwood
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
skipper Dan Minogue
Dan Minogue
Daniel 'Dan' Minogue was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League.Minogue was considered a courageous, or perhaps reckless, centre half-back as epitomised when he sustained a broken collarbone playing for Collingwood Football Club in the first minute of the 1911 Grand Final...
as playing coach. After winning the minor premiership
Minor premiership
A minor premiership is the name of the title given to the team which finishes a sporting competition first in the league standings after the regular season but prior to commencement of the playoffs....
, Richmond
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,...
went on to defeat Collingwood
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
for the flag. With Dick Lee
Dick Lee (footballer)
Walter Henry "Dick" Lee was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League ....
missing for the Magpies
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
, Thorp was able to easily blanket his replacement, Harry Curtis, and contribute significantly to the result.
Richmond
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,...
followed up with a second flag in 1921. At the business end of the season, Thorp dominated the semi final thrashing of 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...
and was instrumental in two upset victories over Carlton
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
by winning his duels with Blues'
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
captain Gordon Green. The team slipped backwards in 1922-23, due to retirements and transfers, but a highlight came on 22 June 1922, when in a match at Fitzroy
Fitzroy Football Club
The Fitzroy Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897...
, Vic Thorp became the first Tiger
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,...
to play 200 VFL games. Richmond
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,...
returned to finals action in 1924, when Thorp won the Richmond
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,...
best and fairest
Jack Dyer Medal
The Jack Dyer Medal is an Australian rules football award given each season to the player or players adjudged Best and Fairest for the Richmond Football Club....
for the second time. The Tigers
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,...
won their last final, against Essendon
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
, but didn't win the premiership as the Grand Final
AFL Grand Final
The AFL Grand Final is an annual Australian rules football match, traditionally held on the final Saturday in September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia to determine the Australian Football League premiership champions for that year...
was abolished and a round robin tournament played in its stead. This controversial system was never used again to decide the premiership, which was little consolation to the disenfranchised Richmond
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,...
players.
Retirement and after
After the belated start to his representative career, Thorp had racked up an amazing fourteen appearances in the Big VInterstate matches in Australian rules football
Australian rules football matches between teams representing Australian colonies/states and territories have been held since 1879. For most of the 20th century, the absence of a national club competition and international matches meant that football games between state representative teams were...
in only six years. Heading into the 1925 season aged 34, Thorp played every week and then decided to retire, still on top of his game. In sixteen seasons, he had missed just ten matches, with his worst injury a broken wrist that cost him three games in 1914. Overall, it was a tribute to his sportsmanship and integrity as a player. During his career he had played a major part in the Tigers'
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,...
rise from mediocrity to the dizzy heights of winning successive premierships that cemented their place as one of the powerhouses of the competition. Thorp appeared in every big game and final the Tigers
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,...
played, and was always a steady influence when the chips were down. Unfortunately for the Tigers
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,...
, they couldn't find an adequate replacement for him until the early 1930s, by which time they had lost a succession of Grand Finals
AFL Grand Final
The AFL Grand Final is an annual Australian rules football match, traditionally held on the final Saturday in September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia to determine the Australian Football League premiership champions for that year...
when the weakness at full back was often exposed.
Thorp was elected to the Richmond
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,...
committee in 1927, after a brief sojourn at the VFA club Prahran
Prahran Football Club
Prahran Football Club, nicknamed The Two Blues, is an Australian rules football club based at Toorak Park in Orrong Road between High Street and Malvern Road, Armadale, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Since 2007, the club has competed in D1 Section of the Victorian Amateur Football Association...
, where he ironically played as a forward and led the club's goalkicking. Thorp remained a stalwart of Richmond
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,...
all his life, running a tea merchant business in the suburb and serving as committeeman until 1935. He also wrote regular articles for Melbourne's Sporting Globe. When Thorp died in 1941, aged only 50, he was still Richmond's
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,...
games played record holder.
AFL Team of the Century and Aboriginality
In 1996, Thorp was elected as an inaugural member of the Australian Football Hall of FameAustralian Football Hall of Fame
The Australian Football Hall of Fame was established in 1996, the Centenary year of the Australian Football League, to help recognise the contributions made to the sport of Australian rules football by players, umpires, media personalities, coaches and administrators. It was initially established...
, the only Richmond
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,...
player of the pre-World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
era to receive the honour. There is a case for Thorp to have won the full back position in the AFL's
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
team of the century, chosen at the same time. But it would have to have been a decision based on second-hand sources, as he finished playing before any of the judges were born, and no film exists of him in action. It is not surprising that he lost out to Carlton's
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
Steve Silvagni
Stephen Silvagni
Stephen Silvagni is a former Australian rules footballer for the Carlton Football Club.During his long VFL/AFL career, from his debut in 1985, until his retirement in 2001, he gained the reputation as one of the greatest ever full-backs to play the game and was named as full-back in the AFL Team...
. Similarly, Jack Regan
Jack Regan
Jack Regan was an Australian rules footballer, who played 196 games with the Collingwood Football Club.Regan was known as The Prince of Fullbacks. He was regarded by many as the greatest fullback of all time but, controversially, was denied a position in the Australian Football League's Team of...
, the star Collingwood
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
full back of the 1930s, was also overlooked.
It has been speculated in modern times that Thorp was aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
. Thorp had a noticeably dark complexion, but there is no evidence extant that he identified as aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
. Colin Tatz, academia's authority on aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
sportspeople, has listed Thorp as "possibly" an aborigine
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
. If he was, then many modern AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
records would need revision, such as the first indigenous
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
player to achieve 200 games. If one day Thorp is found to be of aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
heritage, then he would be recorded as the most successful indigenous
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
player during the first 100 years of the game.