William Maxwell Oppy (14 October 1924 – 25 November 2008) was an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

player who played in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...

(VFL) between 1942 and 1954 for the

Richmond Football Club The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers or colloquially the Tiges, is a professional Australian rules football team competing in the Australian Football League (AFL). Founded in 1885 in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond, Victoria, Ric ...

. He was senior coach of Richmond in 1956.

Career

Oppy, who was recruited from

Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is ...

, via Maryborough originally, and won Kew's best first year player in 1941. Oppy also played with Carnegie Sons of Soldiers FC side in the C. Grade Under 18 competition of the Cauldfield, Oakleigh, Dandenong Football League in 1940. Oppy started his VFL career as a rover at Richmond in 1942 and played in their 1943 VFL premiership side. The following season he was pushed into defence by

Jack Dyer John Raymond Dyer Sr. OAM (15 November 1913 – 23 August 2003), nicknamed Captain Blood, was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) between 1931 and 1949. One of the ga ...

and soon established a place in the side as a specialist

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, participating in Richmond's losing 1944 VFL Grand Final. He represented the VFL at interstate matches four times. Jack Dyer called him the "player who could not be hurt. After retiring from football in 1954, Oppy returned to Richmond two years later and replaced Alby Pannam as senior coach in 1956. They managed just six wins, finishing in tenth position, which meant Oppy wasn't kept on in 1957.

Family

The son of James Thomas Oppy (1893–1935)Deaths: Oppy, ''The Age'', (Monday, 29 April 1935), p.1.
/ref> and Doris Edna Oppy, née Watson (1895–1967), William Maxwell Oppy, known as "Max", was born on 14 October 1924. He was the brother of Jim Oppy and cousin of

Dick Reynolds Richard Sylvannus Reynolds (20 June 1915 – 2 September 2002) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Reynolds is one of four footballers to have won three Brownlow ...

, Tom Reynolds, and murdered lawyer

Keith William Allan Keith may refer to: People and fictional characters * Keith (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters * Keith (surname) * Keith (singer), American singer James Keefer (born 1949) * Keith (gamer), American professional Le ...

Notes

References

* Hogan P: ''The Tigers Of Old'', Richmond FC, Melbourne 1996

External links

*
Max Oppy's profile via Tigerland ArchiveRichmond Football Club – Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oppy, Max 1924 births 2008 deaths Richmond Football Club players Richmond Football Club premiership players Richmond Football Club coaches Kew Football Club players VFL/AFL premiership players Australian rules footballers from Maryborough, Victoria