In the eighth of a Bingle Recruitment Zone special series featuring 20 highlights from Richmond’s trade/draft history during the off-season, we shine the spotlight on Andrew Kellaway.
Andrew Kellaway’s rise to prominence at Richmond is one of the great Tiger tales of the modern football era . . .
The younger brother of the Tigers’ valuable defender, Duncan Kellaway, went from a player unlikely to even make it on to a league club’s list, to an All-Australian, a Jack Dyer Medallist, and one of the first picked in the side each week!
Kellaway had been playing for VFA club Sandringham, when he received an invitation from Richmond to go on to its supplementary list.
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The league’s supplementary list preceded the rookie list, but players could only make the jump to a club’s primary list from there, via the Draft.
It was still a gateway to football’s big time, so Kellaway was more than happy to seize his opportunity with the Tigers.
At that stage, it’s fair to say that Kellaway was considered a long shot to even win a promotion on to Richmond’s main playing list.
Slowly, but surely, however, Kellaway adapted to the tempo of the league’s reserve-grade competition, in his role as a key defender.
He thrived on the challenge of nullifying the effectiveness of the opposition’s most dangerous tall forwards.
In 1997, Kellaway was one of the best players for the Tiger ‘twos’ in their Grand Final win against Hawthorn.
So impressed was Richmond with young Kellaway’s development, it decided to make room for him on the senior playing list.
At the end of the ’97 season, the Tigers traded defender Jamie Tape and ruckman Brad Smith to Collingwood, in exchange for pick 71 in the National Draft.
They subsequently used that pick 71 to upgrade Kellaway from their supplementary list.
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Kellaway made his senior league debut in Round 7, 1998 (against Melbourne at the MCG), but it wasn’t until 2000 that he became an integral part of the Richmond line-up.
That season, Kellaway played every game, in a key defensive role, took the most number of marks at the Club, and capped off his impressive efforts by winning the Jack Dyer Medal, as well as earning All-Australian selection.
Courage, discipline, determination and durability, (combined with a fair dose of football ability) were the hallmarks of Kellaway’s game.
He played 118 games in-a-row from early 1999 to mid-2004 and was a first-rate, consistent contributor for the Tigers.
There was no fuss or fanfare with the way Andrew Kellaway went about his football over nine seasons at Richmond . . . in fact, he shunned publicity.
Kellaway’s total focus, at all times, was doing whatever he could to help the team achieve success, and he approached each on-field contest with a fearless, totally committed approach.
It was that warrior-like attitude, which so endeared Kellaway to the Richmond faithful, and made him such a valuable member of the Tigers’ line-up.
Richmond Recruiting Rewind series so far:
Joel Bowden – In the name of the father
Tale of a titanic Tiger trade
Trio of Croweaters land at Tigerland
Matthew Richardson – Richo pickings for Tigers
Brendon Gale roars across Bass Strait
Wayne Campbell - from Golden Square to Yellow and Black
The Stewart-Barrot swap
