Royce Hart

Infobox afl player | firstname = Royce
lastname = Hart




birthdate = Birth date and age|1948|2|10|df=y
birthplace = Hobart, Tasmania
originalteam = Clarence U19s (Tasmania)
heightweight = 187cm (6' 1½") / 86kg (13 stone 7 lbs)
dead = alive
deathdate =
deathplace =
debutdate = 15 April 1967
debutteam = Richmond
debutopponent = Essendon
debutstadium = MCG
playingteams = Richmond (1965-1977)

187 games, 369 goals
coach = coach
coachingteams = Footscray (1980-82)
statsend = 2006
careerhighlights =

*Richmond Premiership Player 1967, 1969, 1973, 1974
*Richmond Captain 1972-1975
*Richmond Best and Fairest 1969, 1972
*Richmond Leading Goalkicker 1967, 1971
*All Australian: 1969
*Interstate Games 11 (Captain 1973)
*Represented Australia in "The Galahs" Australian Football World Tour 1968
*AFL Team of the Century
*Richmond Team of the Century
*Richmond Hall of Fame - inducted 2002
*Australian Football Hall of Fame Member
*Richmond "Immortal" - conferred 2008

Royce Desmond Hart (born 10 February 1948) is a former Australian rules football player and coach who played for the Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League between 1967 and 1977, and coached Footscray (now Western Bulldogs) between 1980 and 1982.

Hart was a supremely gifted, determined player who was acknowledged by all in his era as the best exponent of the centre half forward position, usually considered the most demanding place to play in Australian football. He was the focal point of one of the great teams of the modern era and earned virtually every accolade the game could bestow after arriving as an unheralded teenager from Tasmania in the mid 1960s. His unique style of marking the ball earned the most attention, but every other facet of his game was top class, even though the second half of his career was blighted by injury.

Early Days

Hart grew up in central Tasmania with an older brother, Lance. He gravitated toward sports, in particular Australian football, which upset his mother, who thought the game too rough. At high school, he represented Tasmania as a rover and won selection as an All-Australian schoolboy. Playing on the ball helped develop his ground skills, but he was able to exert greater presence on the field went he underwent a sudden growth spurt in his mid-teens. Eventually, he grew to 187cm. He was invited to Clarence (Tasmanian Football League) in 1964 to play for the club's under 17s, but was immediately included in the under 19 team and went on to win the competition's best and fairest and goalkicking. These performances caught the attention of Harry Jenkins, the Tasmanian-based recruiting scout for Richmond. Acting on Jenkins' recommendation, club secretary Graeme Richmond flew to the island state to watch Hart in action, but he missed seeing Hart play. Nevertheless, Richmond was prepared to sign Hart sight unseen. Hart's mother warned that he would need suitable clothing to wear to work, which he didn't have. Graeme Richmond countered by offering the youngster a suit and six shirts, then posted papers to the Hart household, which were readily signed. At a time when untried players were asking VFL clubs for large signing on fees, Richmond knew he had a bargain. Aged 17, Hart crossed Bass Strait determined to develop his precocious talent, which was unusual; most Tasmania players played a number of seasons in the local competition before crossing to Victoria as mature age recruits.

Arrival at Richmond

Hart arrived in Melbourne with 20 pounds in his pocket (contrary to some accounts of his life, this money was his own and not provided by Richmond) and initially boarded with Graeme Richmond. He started work in bank and began a comprehensive weight training regime at Frank Sedgeman's gym. Starting the 1966 season with the Richmond thirds (under 19), Hart was the leading goalkicker for the team when late in the season he was promoted to the reserves and played in the Grand Final against Collingwood, on a half forward flank. This match, played as a curtain raiser to the famous St Kilda-Collingwood clash, was as dramatic. Hart took a mark a long way from goal as the siren sounded with his team one point down. The huge crowd watched on as Hart carefully lined up the goals and booted a goal to give his team the premiership. Richmond knew they had a star in the making. During the off-season, Hart continued working on his physique and created an air of anticipation with his performances in the practice matches leading into the 1967 season.

The 1967 Season

In the first half of the twentieth century, Richmond had been a powerhouse club with a large supporter base, but the club fell on hard times in the 1950s. A rejuvenation of the club began with a move to the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1965 and an extensive recruiting program, which included the young Hart. In the season opener against Essendon at the MCG, Hart played at full forward and excited the big crowd with a great game, only marred by inaccurate shooting for goal. Subsequently, he utilised the drop punt when kicking for goal, and became one of the best exponents of the kick at a time when many players still favoured flat punts or drop kicks. In Round 4, he kicked an amazing goal, which bounced along the ground for the last thirty metres before going through, to win a match with Carlton. After a handful of games he was selected to play for Victoria and booted seven goals against Western Australia. With the Tigers on top of the ladder and heading for their first finals appearance since 1947, Hart was shifted to centre half forward, the position where he would make his name.

The Tigers went into the finals without a single player who had played finals before, which seemed the only chink in the team's armour. However, in the semi final against Carlton, Hart led the way with a best afield performance and booted six goals. Two weeks later, Richmond played a Grand Final against Geelong considered as one of the classic matches of Australian football. Hart gathered 13 kicks and six handpasses but it was one of his seven marks that remains eternally etched in the memory. In the dying minutes, Hart rose above his opponent to grab the ball from a kick in by Geelong's Roy West and helped keep the momentum going the Tigers' way. In the end, Richmond hung on to win by nine points to end a 24-year premiership drought. Richmond's emphasis on attacking and kicking high scores became the new trend, and within a few years the game would be much more offense-orientated. To cap an extraordinary first year, Hart won the club goalkicking award, was voted recruit of the year and represented Australia in Ireland in the first contact between Australian and Gaelic football.

Controversy, Another Premiership and "That" Autobiography

A let down followed in 1968. The year started badly when Hart was drafted into the army, which the club was able to defer for a year. Player and club performed in fits and starts for most of the year, before the team came roaring home, missing the finals by a whisker. A similar sceanrio was unfolding the following year, but the players pulled together and Richmond sneaked into the finals in fourth place. They then won all three finals to complete a remarkable turnaround, win the flag comfortably and leave everyone wondering what they might have done had they maintained concentration and made the 1968 finals. Hart had been the star player, winning his first best and fairest award, and he was made All-Australian after the 1969 Adelaide Carnival. This was a remarkable effort as he was based in Adelaide with the Royal Australian Artillery as part of his National Service. During the year, he actually trained with South Australian league club Glenelg and flew to Melbourne for matches. When Glenelg made the SA Grand Final, they asked Hart to play in the match. This move wasn't well received, particularly when it became known that Hart would get $2000 for 100 minutes of football. The opposition Sturt players took matters into their own hands and Hart was knocked out early in the game. He had little impact as Glenelg slipped to a loss.

In 1970, Hart attracted major attention with the publication of "The Royce Hart Story", a ghosted autobiography. Very few biographies of Australian football players had been released thus far, and never one by a current player, especially not one by somebody 22 years of age. Hart received universal criticism for naming a team of best players where he was placed at centre half forward. But the team was not a "greatest team ever", rather a team of the best contemporary players that Hart would like to play with. The book contains some perceptive opinion about the future of Australian football. Hart's ideas on full-time professionalism were well ahead of the time. He wrote about his dedication to making the most of his talents and what it takes to succeed. At times, Hart also reveals the somewhat uncompromising attitude that could often get him offside with people. Notably, he had a number of disagreements with teammate, Kevin Sheedy.

After missing the 1970 finals, Richmond finished third in 1971. Now vice captain, Hart finished second best and fairest, was again leading goalkicker and passed his century of games.

Inspirational Captain

Nominated captain to succeed the ageing Roger Dean, Hart had another brilliant year in 1972, winning the best and fairest, scoring a career-high seven goals against South Melbourne and leading the team into the finals. Hart was dominant in the lead-up finals, but was overwhlemed in the Grand Final when Richmond lost a famously high-scoring match to Carlton. Pitted against the man who became his hardest opponent, Bruce Doull, Hart was powerless to stop the Tigers suffering a loss that shocked his over-confident club.

An early highlight in 1973 came when Hart skippered Victoria against South Australia. Unfortunately, Hart's courageous style now began to catch up with him and he suffered the first of a series of serious problems when he injured. He made it back for the finals, but looked likely to miss the preliminary final against Collingwood. Desperate to have him play, the selectors put him on the bench (in this era a replacement could only be used once) and watched folornly as the Tigers slipped to a six-goal deficit at half time. Coach Tom Hafey gambled by bringing Hart on at this point; Hart's inspirational performance in booting two goals lifted the Tigers to an amazing victory, thus underlining Hart's reputation as one of the truly great leaders in the game. Hart dominated against Carlton in the Grand Final, winning 19 possessions, seven marks and kicking three goals, even though his knee had improved only marginally since the previous week.

But the cloud of injury hung constantly over his head. For 1974, Richmond sought to ease his workload by using rookie David Cloke as a second centre half forward. Hart got through most games, and played brilliantly in the finals against another top opponent in North Melbourne's David Dench. Richmond easily disposed of the upcoming North in the Grand Final and Hart held the premiership cup aloft for a second time.

North turned the tables in the 1975 finals series. Once again, injury problems forced Hart to the bench in the preliminary final and he was brought on with his team behind in the third term. Hart immediately goaled, but this time the effort was in vain and Richmond lost. Hart believed it prudent to hand over the captaincy to Francis Bourke. A number of premiership players left the club and the Tigers faced a rebuilding period.

Injuries compounded Richmond's problems and the team slumped to seventh in 1976, a season when Hart only played half of the games. Pressure was placed on coach Tom Hafey, and he eventually resigned after being reappointed for the next year, to be replaced by Barry Richardson.

With the change of coach for 1977, it was decided that Hart's body would need nursing through a tough season, and he was used on the backline. It was an unedifying spectacle for Richmond fans, all of whom idolised him, to see the greatest forward of the era slugging it out in a back pocket. Another knee injury mid-season left Hart with a choice: more major surgery or retirement. He chose the latter and was appointed a skills coach with Richmond.

Coaching Disappointments and Return to Tasmania

Hart had great success individually tutoring another Tasmanian, Michael Roach, who became Hart's succesor on the forward line. Like Hart, Roach became known for his accurate and penetrating drop punts. After coaching the Richmond reserves in 1979, Hart decided to take the coaching position at the struggling Footscray (now Western Bulldogs), to fulfill an ambition he stated in his autobiography a decade earlier. Richmond earned derision when they asked Footscray for a clearance fee for his services - Hart quickly recalled the price they had paid to get him to Melbourne in the first place. Hart's stint at the club was troubled. He set very high fitness standards and summarily sacked players who couldn't meet those standards, turning over many players in the process. The Bulldogs were a club that had accepted mediocrity for too long and needed to take a step back before they progressed.

Under Hart, the Bulldogs won just seven games in his first two years, but had one notable moment of glory when Kelvin Templeton won the Brownlow medal in 1980. Hart had taken on Templeton, a century-goalkicker who was seen as a little bit brittle, as a personal project, getting him on a weight program and moving him to his old position at centre half forward. It seemed that Hart worked well with those who were similarly talented and motivated as himself, but struggled to relate to those who were not. This is a common refrain in Australian football: simply put, the best players don't always make the best coaches.

The 1982 season began with Hart under immense pressure. There was talk that Footscray may be relocated and the club's finances were under scrutiny in the wake of South Melbourne's move to Sydney. On opening day, the Bulldogs copped a 109-point flogging from Essendon and a 143-point loss to Hawthorn followed in round three. After just one win in the first ten rounds, Hart left the Western Oval. Coincidentally, in the same week, Hart's old mentor Tom Hafey lost his job at Collingwood. The cash-strapped Footscray had disingenuously demoted Hart to thirds coach to avoid a payout clause in the contract had he been sacked. In the mid-1980s, Footscray improved markedly under coach Mick Malthouse, and some observers of the club were prepared to argue that Hart had done the hard spade work necessary to get the team competitive.

Hart returned to Punt Road and coached the reserves again, in 1984. During the Tigers' tumultous years in the mid-1980s, there was some speculation that he would be appointed coach of the club, but this never happened. Hart was one of a number of ex-Richmond players to speak about the club's financial troubles in 1989-90. During the Save Our Skins appeal, he urged members to sign up and stay with the club.

In the 1990s, Hart returned to his native Tasmania, living on a farm and involving himself in commentating for the ABC and junior football. Eldest son Damien played at his old club Clarence, while another son, Simon, spent a couple of years on Richmond's supplementary list at the turn of the century. For a number of years, Hart had little official contact with the Tigers, a situation that drew criticism to Richmond - the club was seen to be indifferent to some of its ex-players. The Tigers moved to rectify this a few years ago, which pleased many followers of the club as Hart was the best loved player among the fans during the club's greatest era.

Hart v Carey

Hart was an inugural inductee to the AFL Hall of Fame in 1996 and it was no surprise when he was voted into the team of the century at centre half forward. At that time, some commentators made the point that had the vote been taken a few years down the track, then North Melbourne skipper Wayne Carey would've got Hart's place. In the 2001 book "Heart Of the Game" a large panel of experienced commentators voted for a team of the television era (ie. 1956 to 2001) and gave the position to Carey, with Hart on the bench. Now that Carey is also retired, the debate arises, who was the best centre half forward?

Undoubtedly, centre half forward is the hardest place on the ground to play. The number of truly great players to play the position can be counted on one hand. In the years between the end of Hart's career and the beginning of Carey's, the only man to come close to the duo was Dermott Brereton of Hawthorn. It is no coincidence that all three played in the team considered the best of their respective eras. It is also worth noting that all three instantly lifted their teams from the middle order of the ladder to regular finalists (and ultimately premiers) and when all three departed, their clubs went back to struggling. Another commonality is the shortened nature of their careers, due to the stress that playing centre half forward places on the body.

References

*Hart R: "The Royce Hart Story", Nelson, Melbourne 1970

*Hansen B: "Tigerland", Richmond Past Players and Officials, Melbourne 1992

*Holmesby R & Main J: "Encyclopaedia of AFL Footballers", BAS Publishing, Melbourne 2004

ee also

Team of the Century 1996

External links

*Richplayer|ref=14847
* [http://richmondfc.com.au/default.asp?pg=halloffame Hall of Fame - Players] on [http://richmondfc.com.au Richmond FC.com.au]
* [http://users.vic.chariot.net.au/~richo01/players/hart.html Richmond Card Collection Royce Hart]
* [http://www.footballlegends.org/royce_hart.htm Tasmanian Football Legends]