Richmond president Gary March, long-serving trainer John Kelly and prolific ball-winner Shane Tuck received life membership of the Club at the 2012 Annual General Meeting held last night (December 12).

March’s initial involvement with the Tigers, who he has supported all his life, was as a member of coterie group ‘Jack’s Club’. 

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From there, he joined Richmond’s Board of Directors in 2002, had a stint as vice-president, before taking over as president in late 2005.

The Club has recorded a profit in each of March’s seven years as president and made a number of other significant achievements during his time in charge, including:
•    The $20 million redevelopment of Punt Road Oval, with state-of-the-art facilities for the players.
•    The removal of the cricket pitches from Punt Road Oval.
•    Establishment of the successful Fighting Tiger Fund, which has raised $6 million towards eradicating the Club’s debt and providing crucial resources for the football department.
•    The resurfacing and reconfiguration of Punt Road Oval.
•    Record sponsorship and merchandise revenue.

Kelly, also a life-long Tiger fan, first became involved with the Club as a teenager in the cheer squad.

During the end-of-season Australian Championships for the premier teams of the main football states in the early 1970s, Kelly was asked by the Club to run the water bottles out for the players on game day.

He officially joined Richmond’s football department in 1993 as a trainer - a role he held for the next 18 years.

In 2001, Kelly was appointed the Club’s head trainer and he served in that role until stepping aside at the end of 2010.

For the past two seasons, he has worked as an assistant to the trainers and property steward. Kelly also has worked as a trainer for the Coburg Football Club since its affiliation with Richmond in the early 2000s.

Tuck has been a model of consistency throughout his 162-game career at Tigerland.

In eight full seasons of league football, the popular ‘Tucky’ has finished in the top 10 of the Club’s Jack Dyer Medal on no less than seven occasions, with five of those being top-five placings.  He was fifth in 2010, fourth this year, third in 2005 and 2007, and runner-up in 2008.

With his superb ball-winning ability, toughness, durability, reliability and resilience, Tucky has provided Richmond with enormous value since being selected by the Tigers at pick 73 overall in the 2003 AFL National Draft.

His career disposals average of 23.8 per game is the highest of any current-day Richmond player and, just a few days away from his 31st birthday (on Christmas Eve), he seems to be getting better with age.