It is 110 years since the player regarded as Richmond’s first-ever champion of the VFL competition made his debut with the Club. Tony Greenberg reflects on Vic Thorp’s illustrious career at Tigerland.

Vic Thorp, a dashing full-back, was recruited by Richmond from its junior affiliate team Beverley and, as a 19-year-old, walked straight into the Tigers’ senior side, debuting in the opening round of the 1910 season against South Melbourne at the Lake Oval.

He went on to play all 18 games that year, and then carve out an outstanding career over 16 seasons in one of the toughest, most pressure-packed positions on the field of battle.

In 1916 and 1919, Thorp won the equivalent of the Brownlow Medal at the time – the ‘Champion of the Colony Award’.

Affectionately known as ‘Flippa’, he was renowned for his marking ability and magnificent, long drop kicks. His ability to repeatedly clear the ball from Richmond’s defensive area, with those raking drop kicks, thrilled Tiger supporters.

Although of only average height for a player during that era (178cm), Thorp had a solid build (82.5kg), however he was scrupulously fair and never went outside the rules, notwithstanding his fierce determination to succeed.

Thorp was a brilliant all-round defender. He was close-checking, making his opponents earn every kick, but also wasn’t afraid to back his judgment and attack the ball. His reading of the play was so good, he never seemed to be caught out of position.

He also had plenty of pace, enormous courage and great mental strength. And, when the going was at its toughest in the Tigers’ backline, Thorp always was a great steadying influence.

Thorp played a pivotal role in Richmond’s rise from obscurity to a powerhouse of the competition. The Tigers, with Thorp dominating the key defensive post, won back-to-back premierships in 1920-21 after being runner-up in 1919.

At the end of the 1925 season, Thorp bowed out of league football, with 263 games, two premierships and two Champion of the Colony awards to his credit.

In 16 seasons, Thorp had missed just 10 games, highlighting the durability that was yet another of the first-rate football attributes he possessed. 

A ‘Sporting Globe’ newspaper article several years after Thorp’s retirement provided an interesting insight into how highly he was regarded throughout the football world at the time.

“Vic Thorp stands out in Australian Football as the greatest full-back the game has produced.

“Every football champion recounting his experiences in these columns has paid Thorp the compliment of naming him as the greatest goalkeeper of all time.

“Thorp played with the Tigers for 16 seasons – nine seasons without missing a match.

“He retired when the Australian football world was acclaiming him the Australian champion in his position. Yet when he returned his togs, he had established a record of 263 matches with Richmond.”

In recognition of Thorp’s achievements at Tigerland, for many years following his retirement the Club’s Best and Fairest award was known as the Vic Thorp Memorial Shield.

After hanging up his boots, Thorp served on Richmond’s committee from 1927-1935. 

Thorp had been awarded Richmond life membership in 1919 and, 80 years later, was named full-back in the Tigers’ Team of the Century.

In 1996, Thorp was an inaugural inductee into the Australian Football Hall of Fame, the only Richmond player of the pre-World War 1 era to receive this honor. 

Thorp also was one of the original inductees into Richmond’s Hall of Fame, and in 2015 he was elevated to ‘Immortal’ status, the highest individual accolade at Tigerland.