Stars of Tigerland Mervyn Keane
Stars of Tigerland Mervyn Keane (29th July 1953- ) Mervyn Keane played for the Richmond Tigers in the VFL between 1972 and 1984.
Merv played 238 games for the Tigers, winning 149 games of which 15 were finals. He was a member of the Tigers victorious 1973,1974 and 1980 grand final winning sides Despite early listing trouble, he was in Richmond's country zone but trained with Melbourne in the early days. It was in the period when you would walk in to a footy club and ask to train, Merv did that at Melbourne. No one asked any questions until the DR Dee's went to put the paperwork in and that's when the mistake was found. So he was quickly snapped up by the Tigers. Merv played predominantly down in the defense as either a back pocket or half-back flanker, he may not have been the most glamorous player at the Tigers but Merv was integral to the Tiger cause, he was a vital member of the Tigers’ 1973 and 1974 premiership sides, with his solid defensive work. As an added benefit, in addition to his great defensive work Merv could also do the job of being on the ball, his energy, resolve and great courage were what he typically brought to games. Later in his career Merv showed his versatility by playing as a ruck-rover, moved from the defense to fill a on-ball role which came available when Kevin Bartlett was permanently moved in 1980 to the forward line, Merv's drive from this new position was a highly valued part of maybe themost potent attacking team in the Tigers (or League's) history with over 3,000 points scored that season.
As history shows the rampaging
Tig
ers in 1980 won the grand final
by a then record 81 points, Merv picked up 27 possessions
that day, he also put a couple of
nails in Collingwood's coffin kicking
2 great goals In 1981 Merv suffered a season
ending knee injury in round 6, he returned in 1982 , playing all games and was a member of the Tigers
team defeated in the grand final. Merv retired after the finish of the
1984 season and embarked on a coaching career. Mervyn Keane was generally regarded as one of the most underrated players in the VFL during his playing career, and believe it or not, did not poll a Brownlow Medal vote in his first ten seasons. Merv'yn Keane's Career highlights
Hall of Fame Inductee: 2005 Playing Career: 1972 – 1984 Games: 238 Goals: 36 Premierships: 1973, 1974, 1980 RFC Life Member 1981 RFC Team of the Century
