In a special summer series, Richmond Media is counting down the top 25 Tiger recruits from rival AFL clubs throughout the past five decades. At No. 6 is Barry Rowlings.
Richmond originally attempted to recruit Barry Rowlings in the early 1970s but missed out on getting him to Punt Road then due to the fact he was playing for Moe which was in Hawthorn’s country zone.
Rowlings was a star at Moe, winning five club, and three competition, best and fairest awards, before joining the Hawks in 1975.
He quickly became a valuable contributor at Hawthorn, playing 72 games with the club, including the 1976 Grand Final win against North Melbourne, until departing the Hawks’ nest at the end of the 1978 season following a serious knee injury.
Hawthorn felt he was finished as a player at the highest level because of his knee problems, but Richmond was confident that, even at age 28, he still had plenty to offer, and moved swiftly to secure his services.
The Tigers finally had their man and, over the course of the next eight seasons, Rowlings more than justified their faith in him.
Rowlings was a top-class performer from the outset at Tigerland, winning the Jack Dyer Medal in his 1979 debut season with the Club, finishing second in 1982 and third in 1984.
He was a standout in his ruck-rover role with his breakaway speed and spearing, left-foot kicks providing plenty of opportunities for teammates further afield.
In 1980, Rowlings was one of the pivotal players in the Tigers’ dominant season that culminated with the thumping Grand Final victory over Collingwood.
Rowlings averaged 23.2 disposals per match during the 1980 season and was a valuable contributor on Grand Final day against the Magpies, finishing with 18 disposals and a goal.
In 1983, following four seasons of consistently top-class football, Rowlings was rewarded for his efforts and consummate professionalism with the Club’s captaincy, a role he was to carry out admirably for the next couple of years.
Rowlings was just five days short of his 36th birthday, when he played his final game of league football, in Round 20 of the 1986 season against Sydney at the MCG.
He had given superb service to his adopted league club through his ball-winning ability, elite fitness levels, team-first ethos, impeccable kicking skills and fanatical desire to succeed.
In 152 games over eight seasons with the Tigers, Rowlings had averaged 21.9 disposals and performed at a consistently high level throughout.
