Dual Richmond premiership star Paul Sproule was elevated to Icon status in the Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame at a gala function held in Hobart last Friday night.
Sproule joins Tiger champions Ian Stewart, Royce Hart and Matthew Richardson among 19 Tassie football greats to receive the Icon accolade.
The 71-year-old enjoyed an outstanding football career, both as a player and coach.
He played in two premierships with Tasmanian club Hobart (1963 and 1966) and a further three later on at Sandy Bay (1976, 1977 and 1978 as captain-coach).
In 1980, he coached Hobart to a premiership, after the club had finished with the wooden spoon the previous year.
His playing stint at the game’s highest level in Victoria was extremely impressive and successful as well.
Sproule was a member of Essendon’s 1968 Grand Final line-up, and subsequently played a key role in Richmond’s back-to-back premiership sides of 1973-1974.
He also was the Tigers’ senior coach for one season, in 1985.
“I’ve been quite involved with many premierships over the years as well, and they were all very enjoyable. But probably the best four-year period was when I went to Richmond because the Club was in the Grand Final nearly every year,” Sproule told the ‘Hobart Mercury’.
“An amazing ability to be there at the right time, and have a significant role in winning premierships with the club, that was a fantastic era.”
Paul Sproule had spent four years at Essendon after making the trek across Bass Strait, and he was second rover when the Bombers lost the 1968 Grand Final to Carlton by three points.
At the end of 1971, however, Sproule, somewhat surprisingly, was traded to Richmond.
The Tigers couldn’t believe their luck to secure the services of the highly-skilled midfielder for what was a moderate transfer fee of $2000.
Over the next four seasons, he was to provide Richmond with enormous value for money due to his professionalism, prolific possession-winning ability, top-class disposal, goal sense, superb fitness levels, and all-round football ‘smarts’.
In his first three seasons with the Tigers, Sproule achieved an extremely impressive winning strike-rate of 77 percent, which included the 1973-74 back-to-back premierships.
Sproule was one of Richmond’s best players in both those Grand Final triumphs (over Carlton and North Melbourne respectively).
In the ’74 premiership decider against the Kangaroos, Sproule was shifted into the centre early in the second quarter. His subsequent dominance at the centre bounces helped turn the tide the Tigers’ way.
Those in the inner sanctum at Tigerland during those glory days of the 70s, speak in glowing terms of the outstanding contribution made by Sproule to the side’ success.
Richmond’s Team of the Century member, and three-time premiership hero, Kevin Sheedy, was a huge fan of the way Paul Sproule went about his football . . .
“Paul was an excellent player. He had an extremely intelligent football brain. He read the play extremely well and had that ability to get where the ball was all the time,” Sheedy said.
“We got on really well . . . he was my changing partner, along with Ian Stewart . . . we’d all have stints on the ball.
“He was a calculating player . . . he knew exactly what he was doing and was very, very fit.
“He might have been under-rated outside of Richmond, but I can assure you that among his teammates he was very, very highly regarded.”
Paul Sproule profile
Hobart/Essendon/Richmond/Sandy Bay, midfielder, 1962-1985.
60 games, 60 goals, Essendon, 1967-1971.
86 games, 93 goals, Richmond, 1972-1975.
99 games, Hobart, 1962-1966.
31 games, Sandy Bay, 1976-1978.
Three representative matches for Tasmania, 1976-1977.
Richmond coach, 1985 (22 games: 9 wins, 13 losses).
Hobart coach, 1980-1981 (38 games: 20 wins, 18 losses).
Sandy Bay captain-coach, 1976-1978; coach, 1983-1984 (102 games: 72 wins, 29 losses, one draw).
Richmond VFL premierships, 1973 and 1974.
Hobart TANFL premierships, 1963 and 1966 (player) and 1980 (coach).
Sandy Bay TANFL premierships, 1976, 1977 and 1978.
Life member, Richmond Football Club, 2013.
