Michael Roach (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Michael Terrence Roach is a former Australian rules football
player who represented Richmond
in the Victorian Football League from 1977 to 1989.
Remembered for his long, accurate kicking for goal and strong marking, for a brief period Roach was the best forward in Australian football
. The second of a trio of key forwards recruited by Richmond from Tasmania
(the others being Royce Hart
and Matthew Richardson
), Roach was an enormously popular player whose career did not quite live up to expectation because of injury and constant shuffling of his position by the club. Nevertheless, he achieved many honours in the game and became one of the first players from Tasmania to play 200 VFL games.
in Tasmania
, Roach won state representation and he was selected to play senior football for Longford in 1975, aged only 16. He impressed by winning the club's goalkicking award in his two seasons and was selected to represent both the league and Tasmania
, in two interstate fixtures. Richmond
talent scout Harry Jenkins, who had discovered the by now legendary Royce Hart
, rang the Tigers
with a succinct message: "I got another one for you."
Richmond
rushed the young Roach over to Melbourne for the 1977 season. Expectations of the 18 year old recruit were high. Initially, Roach's rise in the game was much quicker than Royce Hart
's had been. At 193cm, Roach was taller than Hart
and had a much more developed physique. In addition, he was very mobile and agile for his size. With Hart
in his last season, the Tigers
decided to ease Roach in to the game slowly and he played nine senior games on the wing, thus emphasising his athleticism. At season's end, he played well on a forward flank in Richmond
's reserves Grand Final win over Footscray
. But 1978 proved a big let down, and injuries and ordinary form kept him to just three games.
coach Tony Jewell
urged Roach to continue his weight training with the lure of the regular full forward
position. Hart
tutored the right-footed tyro in the art of kicking the long, accurate drop punt. By now mature and filled out to 92kg, Roach took the game by storm in the opening half of the new season. To his brilliant contested marking he added an excellent lead and was a revelation when shooting for goal, rarely missing. Capable of goaling from a long way out, Roach raised standards among key forwards by regularly employing his non-preferred foot when kicking and often handballed to a teammate in a better position even when within scoring range. Previously, these actions were an anathema to most forwards, who were expected to shoot for goal no matter how difficult the opportunity. Roach left an indelible imprint on the game with an amazing high mark in a match against Hawthorn
on 5 May 1979. In the ensuing years, video of the mark has been played countless times on television while a photograph of Roach sitting atop a pack of Hawk
defenders was reproduced as posters, bags, men's ties and even as a carpet pattern.
Even though Roach was dominating and kicking goals, the team was struggling to win. He was picked to play for Victoria
, but an injury in the game cut into his performance and he missed three games mid-season. These missed games proved costly on two counts at season's end – he finished ten goals short of a century and lost the VFL goalkicking honour to Kelvin Templeton
by just one goal. In round 18 against St Kilda
, Roach became the first Richmond
player to kick 10 goals in a match since 1945. Richmond
improved markedly in the second half of the year and looked eagerly to the next year with their brilliant key forward combination of Roach and David Cloke
. Both players were voted All Australian after a post-season state of origin carnival.
In 1980, with Richmond
heading toward the record for the highest aggregate in a season, Roach was the key to the Tigers'
attack. Scoring eleven goals in one game and twice booting ten, he surged toward the first century of goals in a season for the club since Jack Titus
in 1940. The milestone was reached two games before the finals against Melbourne
at the MCG
, typically, with a long drop punt from inside the centre square that followed a strong mark on the lead. He finished the day with nine, but Roach's form tapered after that point. Richmond
went into the finals placed third and won three finals in a row to take their tenth premiership. In the three finals, he managed just five goals, and was overshadowed by veteran Kevin Bartlett, who booted 21 goals. Regardless, Roach was a premiership player and set a still unbeaten club record of 112 goals for the year. Continuing this form the next year, Roach won the inaugural Coleman Medal
for the VFL's highest goalkicker during the regular season. However, his 86 goals failed to lift the Tigers
into the finals in a disappointing follow up to the flag.
faced a dilemma. For several years, they had several outstanding full forward
prospects in their minor teams who couldn't progress with Roach in the way. One was Mark Jackson, who was cleared to Melbourne
in 1981 and became the eccentric comedian/forward of the 1980s, now better remembered for his off-field career. Another was West Australian
Brian Taylor, a less athletic player than Roach who favoured the strong lead and set shot for goal, and liked to ruffle the feathers of opposition players. His fiery temperament and confrontational style was the complete opposite of Roach's phlegmatic personality.
Richmond
solved the problem in 1982 by playing Taylor at full forward
and using Roach around the ground, including the ruck. This worked very well until Taylor, seemingly set to kick a century for the year, was injured mid-season in a meaningless night fixture. Richmond
covered the loss and finished the home-and-away season on top for the first time in eight years. In the semi-final against Carlton
, Roach was switched to centre half-forward at the start of the game, catching the Blues
off-guard and he was a great player in a strong win. Unfortunately, he was one of several Richmond
players who failed to live up to reputation when the Tigers
went down in the Grand Final
to the Blues
a fortnight later. Taylor was not selected for the game.
With the club plunged into turmoil by player discontent and numerous transfers, Roach stayed loyal to Richmond, but Taylor was preferred as the full forward
for 1983–1984 with only moderate success. During this period, Roach received a bad back injury that severely affected his mobility and effectiveness. Finally, it was decided to solve the Roach–Taylor impasse by clearing Taylor to Collingwood
for 1985.
Chronic injury blighted the final three years of Roach's playing career. In 1988, under new coach Kevin Bartlett, Roach played just three games for the year as a defender, and his key forward position was given to youngster Jeff Hogg
. It disappointed the Richmond fans to see one of the club's greatest forwards vainly trying to hold back the tide as the opposition booted huge scores against the undermanned Richmond defence. In 1989, his final season, Roach was given seven games to make his 200-game career milestone, and then retired. He remained at the club though, taking up a position as a skills coach.
, by far his best position. In the five seasons when he was fit and exclusively the full forward (1979–1981 and 1985–1986), he scored 430 goals in 102 matches, almost four per game. This included ten bags of eight or more goals in a game. He was leading goalkicker for the club seven times and today the club awards the "Michael Roach Medal
" to its highest goal scorer for the season.
Throughout the 1990s, Roach worked at Punt Road as a specialist coach, was team manager of the reserves and a highly visible figure in the Save Our Skins campaign of 1989–1990 that saved the club from bankruptcy. Controversially omitted from Richmond's Team of the Century in 1998, he was inducted into the club's Hall of Fame four years later. All the while he continued to maintain strong links with Richmond, living in the suburb and he had a great thrill when his son Thomas was drafted to the Tigers under the father-son rule
, in 2004. Unfortuately for the younger Roach, he was delisted at the end of the 2006 season after only a handful of senior games.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
player who represented Richmond
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
in the Victorian Football League from 1977 to 1989.
Remembered for his long, accurate kicking for goal and strong marking, for a brief period Roach was the best forward in Australian football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
. The second of a trio of key forwards recruited by Richmond from Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
(the others being Royce Hart
Royce Hart
Royce Desmond Hart is a former Australian rules football player and coach who played for the Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League between 1967 and 1977, and coached Footscray between 1980 and 1982.Hart was a supremely gifted, determined player who was acknowledged by all in his...
and Matthew Richardson
Matthew Richardson (Australian rules footballer)
Matthew "Richo" Richardson , is a retired professional Australian rules footballer who played for Richmond in the Australian Football League...
), Roach was an enormously popular player whose career did not quite live up to expectation because of injury and constant shuffling of his position by the club. Nevertheless, he achieved many honours in the game and became one of the first players from Tasmania to play 200 VFL games.
Early career
As a junior player at WestburyWestbury, Tasmania
Westbury is a town in the central north of Tasmania, Australia. It lies 30 km west of Launceston on the Bass Highway, and at the 2006 census had a population of 1,357. It is part of, and the headquarters of, the Meander Valley Council area....
in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, Roach won state representation and he was selected to play senior football for Longford in 1975, aged only 16. He impressed by winning the club's goalkicking award in his two seasons and was selected to represent both the league and Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, in two interstate fixtures. Richmond
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
talent scout Harry Jenkins, who had discovered the by now legendary Royce Hart
Royce Hart
Royce Desmond Hart is a former Australian rules football player and coach who played for the Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League between 1967 and 1977, and coached Footscray between 1980 and 1982.Hart was a supremely gifted, determined player who was acknowledged by all in his...
, rang the Tigers
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
with a succinct message: "I got another one for you."
Richmond
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
rushed the young Roach over to Melbourne for the 1977 season. Expectations of the 18 year old recruit were high. Initially, Roach's rise in the game was much quicker than Royce Hart
Royce Hart
Royce Desmond Hart is a former Australian rules football player and coach who played for the Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League between 1967 and 1977, and coached Footscray between 1980 and 1982.Hart was a supremely gifted, determined player who was acknowledged by all in his...
's had been. At 193cm, Roach was taller than Hart
Royce Hart
Royce Desmond Hart is a former Australian rules football player and coach who played for the Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League between 1967 and 1977, and coached Footscray between 1980 and 1982.Hart was a supremely gifted, determined player who was acknowledged by all in his...
and had a much more developed physique. In addition, he was very mobile and agile for his size. With Hart
Royce Hart
Royce Desmond Hart is a former Australian rules football player and coach who played for the Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League between 1967 and 1977, and coached Footscray between 1980 and 1982.Hart was a supremely gifted, determined player who was acknowledged by all in his...
in his last season, the Tigers
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
decided to ease Roach in to the game slowly and he played nine senior games on the wing, thus emphasising his athleticism. At season's end, he played well on a forward flank in Richmond
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
's reserves Grand Final win over Footscray
Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
. But 1978 proved a big let down, and injuries and ordinary form kept him to just three games.
Star Goalkicker
In the off-season, new TigerRichmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
coach Tony Jewell
Tony Jewell
Tony 'TJ' Jewell is a former Australian rules football player who played in the VFL between 1964 and 1970 for the Richmond Football Club. He was recruited from Oakleigh in the VFA where he had led the club's goalkicking in 1962 and was placed 4th in the VFA's best & fairest award, the J. J. Liston...
urged Roach to continue his weight training with the lure of the regular full forward
Full-forward
Full-forward is a position in Australian rules football and Gaelic football with a key focus on kicking goals.Leading full-forwards of the Australian Football League are usually among those awarded with the Coleman Medal for the most goals in an AFL season....
position. Hart
Royce Hart
Royce Desmond Hart is a former Australian rules football player and coach who played for the Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League between 1967 and 1977, and coached Footscray between 1980 and 1982.Hart was a supremely gifted, determined player who was acknowledged by all in his...
tutored the right-footed tyro in the art of kicking the long, accurate drop punt. By now mature and filled out to 92kg, Roach took the game by storm in the opening half of the new season. To his brilliant contested marking he added an excellent lead and was a revelation when shooting for goal, rarely missing. Capable of goaling from a long way out, Roach raised standards among key forwards by regularly employing his non-preferred foot when kicking and often handballed to a teammate in a better position even when within scoring range. Previously, these actions were an anathema to most forwards, who were expected to shoot for goal no matter how difficult the opportunity. Roach left an indelible imprint on the game with an amazing high mark in a match against Hawthorn
Hawthorn Football Club
The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League . The club, founded in 1902, is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the AFL. The team play in Brown & Gold vertically striped guernseys...
on 5 May 1979. In the ensuing years, video of the mark has been played countless times on television while a photograph of Roach sitting atop a pack of Hawk
Hawthorn Football Club
The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League . The club, founded in 1902, is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the AFL. The team play in Brown & Gold vertically striped guernseys...
defenders was reproduced as posters, bags, men's ties and even as a carpet pattern.
Even though Roach was dominating and kicking goals, the team was struggling to win. He was picked to play for Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, but an injury in the game cut into his performance and he missed three games mid-season. These missed games proved costly on two counts at season's end – he finished ten goals short of a century and lost the VFL goalkicking honour to Kelvin Templeton
Kelvin Templeton
Kelvin Templeton is a former Australian rules footballer. At sixteen years of age Templeton kicked 100 goals for Traralgon in the 1973 Latrobe Valley FL season...
by just one goal. In round 18 against St Kilda
St. Kilda Football Club
The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed The Saints, is an Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The club plays in the Australian Football League, the sport's premier league....
, Roach became the first Richmond
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
player to kick 10 goals in a match since 1945. Richmond
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
improved markedly in the second half of the year and looked eagerly to the next year with their brilliant key forward combination of Roach and David Cloke
David Cloke
David Cloke is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the VFL/AFL.Cloke was a powerful ruckman and occasional forward who enjoyed a marvellous career at two VFL/AFL clubs. He began with Oakleigh where he played alongside his brother Peter, and in 1974 he went to Richmond...
. Both players were voted All Australian after a post-season state of origin carnival.
In 1980, with Richmond
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
heading toward the record for the highest aggregate in a season, Roach was the key to the Tigers'
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
attack. Scoring eleven goals in one game and twice booting ten, he surged toward the first century of goals in a season for the club since Jack Titus
Jack Titus
Jack "Skinny" Titus was an Australian rules football player who played in the Victorian Football League between 1926 and 1943 for the Richmond Football Club. In the golden era of the 1930s, Titus was one of the great forwards who regularly thrilled the crowds with spectacular goalkicking feats...
in 1940. The milestone was reached two games before the finals against Melbourne
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
at the MCG
McG
Joseph McGinty Nichol , better known as McG, is an American director and producer of film and television, as well as a former record producer....
, typically, with a long drop punt from inside the centre square that followed a strong mark on the lead. He finished the day with nine, but Roach's form tapered after that point. Richmond
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
went into the finals placed third and won three finals in a row to take their tenth premiership. In the three finals, he managed just five goals, and was overshadowed by veteran Kevin Bartlett, who booted 21 goals. Regardless, Roach was a premiership player and set a still unbeaten club record of 112 goals for the year. Continuing this form the next year, Roach won the inaugural Coleman Medal
Coleman Medal
The Coleman Medal is awarded yearly to the Australian Football League player who kicks the most goals in regular-season matches in that year...
for the VFL's highest goalkicker during the regular season. However, his 86 goals failed to lift the Tigers
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
into the finals in a disappointing follow up to the flag.
Roach and Taylor
Now, RichmondRichmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
faced a dilemma. For several years, they had several outstanding full forward
Full-forward
Full-forward is a position in Australian rules football and Gaelic football with a key focus on kicking goals.Leading full-forwards of the Australian Football League are usually among those awarded with the Coleman Medal for the most goals in an AFL season....
prospects in their minor teams who couldn't progress with Roach in the way. One was Mark Jackson, who was cleared to Melbourne
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
in 1981 and became the eccentric comedian/forward of the 1980s, now better remembered for his off-field career. Another was West Australian
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
Brian Taylor, a less athletic player than Roach who favoured the strong lead and set shot for goal, and liked to ruffle the feathers of opposition players. His fiery temperament and confrontational style was the complete opposite of Roach's phlegmatic personality.
Richmond
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
solved the problem in 1982 by playing Taylor at full forward
Full-forward
Full-forward is a position in Australian rules football and Gaelic football with a key focus on kicking goals.Leading full-forwards of the Australian Football League are usually among those awarded with the Coleman Medal for the most goals in an AFL season....
and using Roach around the ground, including the ruck. This worked very well until Taylor, seemingly set to kick a century for the year, was injured mid-season in a meaningless night fixture. Richmond
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
covered the loss and finished the home-and-away season on top for the first time in eight years. In the semi-final against Carlton
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
, Roach was switched to centre half-forward at the start of the game, catching the Blues
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
off-guard and he was a great player in a strong win. Unfortunately, he was one of several Richmond
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
players who failed to live up to reputation when the Tigers
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
went down in the Grand Final
1982 VFL Grand Final
The 1982 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Carlton Football Club and Richmond Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 25 September 1982. It was the 86th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...
to the Blues
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
a fortnight later. Taylor was not selected for the game.
With the club plunged into turmoil by player discontent and numerous transfers, Roach stayed loyal to Richmond, but Taylor was preferred as the full forward
Full-forward
Full-forward is a position in Australian rules football and Gaelic football with a key focus on kicking goals.Leading full-forwards of the Australian Football League are usually among those awarded with the Coleman Medal for the most goals in an AFL season....
for 1983–1984 with only moderate success. During this period, Roach received a bad back injury that severely affected his mobility and effectiveness. Finally, it was decided to solve the Roach–Taylor impasse by clearing Taylor to Collingwood
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
for 1985.
Return to Full-Forward — Final Years
Returned to full-forward at last, Roach enjoyed one of his finest seasons in 1985. He equalled his career-best effort by booting 11 goals against Hawthorn on 27 April in probably his best-ever game for the club, and scored eight of the team's eleven goals in the grudge match with Collingwood late in the year. Although the Tigers struggled badly, Roach tied for fourth place (not surprisingly, with Brian Taylor) on the VFL's goalkicking table with 80 goals. Had he not missed five games, he may have topped the century again. Roach followed that with 62 goals in 20 games during 1986, but he lost the head-to-head with Taylor, who scored a century for the only time in his career. Roach received Richmond life membership that year.Chronic injury blighted the final three years of Roach's playing career. In 1988, under new coach Kevin Bartlett, Roach played just three games for the year as a defender, and his key forward position was given to youngster Jeff Hogg
Jeff Hogg
Jeff Hogg is a former Australian rules football player who played in the VFL between 1986 and 1993 for the Richmond Football Club, and between 1994 and 1996 for the Fitzroy Football Club..- References :...
. It disappointed the Richmond fans to see one of the club's greatest forwards vainly trying to hold back the tide as the opposition booted huge scores against the undermanned Richmond defence. In 1989, his final season, Roach was given seven games to make his 200-game career milestone, and then retired. He remained at the club though, taking up a position as a skills coach.
Comparisons
Roach's average of 3.03 goals per game rates with the best, but he never placed in the club's best and fairest award. Although player depth is a must for a strong team, the situation with Taylor and Roach competing for the one position ultimately worked against both players and the club. Fatefully for Roach, he was too often played away from full forwardFull-forward
Full-forward is a position in Australian rules football and Gaelic football with a key focus on kicking goals.Leading full-forwards of the Australian Football League are usually among those awarded with the Coleman Medal for the most goals in an AFL season....
, by far his best position. In the five seasons when he was fit and exclusively the full forward (1979–1981 and 1985–1986), he scored 430 goals in 102 matches, almost four per game. This included ten bags of eight or more goals in a game. He was leading goalkicker for the club seven times and today the club awards the "Michael Roach Medal
Michael Roach Medal
The Michael Roach Medal is an Australian rules football award given each season to the leading goalkicker for the Richmond Football Club.The award is now named in honour of Michael Roach, Richmond's "best post-war full forward"...
" to its highest goal scorer for the season.
Throughout the 1990s, Roach worked at Punt Road as a specialist coach, was team manager of the reserves and a highly visible figure in the Save Our Skins campaign of 1989–1990 that saved the club from bankruptcy. Controversially omitted from Richmond's Team of the Century in 1998, he was inducted into the club's Hall of Fame four years later. All the while he continued to maintain strong links with Richmond, living in the suburb and he had a great thrill when his son Thomas was drafted to the Tigers under the father-son rule
Father-son rule
The father-son rule is a rule that allows clubs to select the sons of players who have made a major past contribution to the team in Australian rules football, most notably the Australian Football League...
, in 2004. Unfortuately for the younger Roach, he was delisted at the end of the 2006 season after only a handful of senior games.