Watch highlights of Royce Hart, one of the game's finest ever centre half forwards, in action.

The blistering start to the 2010 season by Brisbane’s captain Jonathan Brown and St Kilda’s skipper Nick Riewoldt has reignited debate about the greatest centre half-forward the game has seen.

In the eyes of many of the modern-day football critics, Brown is now strongly challenging Wayne Carey for the title of Australian Football’s best-ever centre half-forward, with Riewoldt not that far behind.

Well, without wishing to denigrate any of that super-talented trio, or Dermott Brereton, or Stephen Kernahan, or Warren Tredrea, there’s no doubt in my mind that the finest centre half-forward in the game’s history was a Tiger - Royce Desmond Hart.

In fact, not only do I regard Hart as the supreme centre half-forward, he’s the best player I’ve ever seen in 45 years of watching league football!

Now, I admit I’m unashamedly biased on this subject, as Royce Hart was my football idol when I was a kid.  But if it’s good enough for the AFL Team of the Century selectors to name Royce at centre half-forward in their all-time greats’ line-up, then I certainly have no qualms in rating him so highly. 

It’s incredible to think that Royce, at 187cm tall, was the same size - or smaller -  than current Richmond players such as Brett Deledio, Daniel Jackson, Andrew Collins, Dustin Martin, Dean Polo and Shane Tuck, yet he consistently outmarked the biggest, strongest players in the competition back in his day.  And, he could mark the ball from any position - over the top of a pack (or hapless opponent), sweeping across the front of a pack, or backing into a pack with astonishing bravery.

But Royce’s game didn’t revolve purely around his aerial brilliance . . . his ground play also was superb.  He would apply fierce pressure to opposition players when he didn’t have the ball, and he snapped many goals through his excellent ability at ground level.

Then, of course, there was his set-shot kicking for goal - text-book, left-foot drop punts, which sailed over the goal umpire’s white hat.

So, for sheer courage, skill, excitement and capacity to perform at optimum level when it mattered most, it’s impossible to go past Royce Hart for what is still widely regarded as the most important on-field position.

Hart’s reputation was enhanced due to the fact he was among Richmond’s best in each of the five Grand Finals he played in (four wins, one loss).  ‘The Tigers Of Old’ book listed Hart’s individual Grand Final stats as:

1967 - 13 kicks, 7 marks, 6 handballs, 3 goals
1969 - 14 kicks, 5 marks, 3 handballs, 1 goal
1972 - 13 kicks, 4 marks, 5 handballs, 2 goals
1973 - 16 kicks, 7 marks, 3 handballs, 3 goals
1974 - 19 kicks, 5 marks, 4 handballs, 3 goals

All bias aside, I honestly can’t recall a big occasion when Royce didn’t find produce that “something special” for Richmond.  He had an uncanny knack of lifting the Tigers with an inspirational act of brilliance, just when it was needed.

The man who coached Royce Hart right throughout his league career - another Tiger ‘Immortal’ in Tommy Hafey - was lavish in his praise of his four-time premiership centre half-forward in the Club’s Centenary book, “Yellow and Black:  100 Years Of Tiger Teasures” . . .

“Royce really was something special, and we were jut so fortunate to have him around the place,” Hafey said.

“He was fantastic right from the start.  He played in front like you would not believe, and he just had so many other things about his game that were sensational, like his recovery, his concentration, his coming up under pressure to take the big mark and kick the vital goal right when it was needed.  And, he was always having an opposition ruckman falling back on him - which was the style then - to make his job harder.  But nothing could stop his brilliance from shining through . . .”

One of the most treasured possessions in my football video library, is a Royce Hart highlights package.  It encapsulates the sheer brilliance of the boy from Clarence in Tasmania, who crossed Bass Strait to become a Tigerland Immortal.

For mine, the highlight of the video is footage of Hart literally hurling himself backwards into an oncoming pack, to take the gutsiest of gutsy, inspirational marks (which he naturally converted into a goal).

If you never saw Royce Hart play, or would like to relive some of his magic moments, watch the highlights package by CLICKING HERE.

ROYCE HART PROFILE

Height:  187cm
Playing weight:  85.5kg
Games played (1967-77):  187
Goals:  369
Premierships:  4  (1967, 1969, 1973, 1974)
Best and Fairests:  2  (1969, 1972)
Club Leading Goalkicker award:  2  (1967, 1971)

Other honors:  Club captain 1972-75; Premiership captain 1973-74; All-Australian representative in 1969; 11-time Victorian State representative; RFC Life member; Tigers’ Team of the Century member; inaugural Richmond Hall of Fame inductee; elevated to Tiger ‘Immortal’ status in 2008; AFL Team of the Century centre half-forward; inaugural Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee.