Paul Sproule
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Paul Sproule (born 16 December 1944) is a former
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 ...
er who played for the
Essendon Football Club The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed the Bombers or colloquially the Dons, is a professional Australian rules football club that plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the game's premier competition. The club was formed by the McCrac ...
and
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 ...
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), as well as for the
Hobart Football Club Hobart Football Club (nicknamed The Tigers) is an Australian rules football club based in Hobart, Tasmania. The club play their home fixtures at the TCA Ground on the Queens Domain, in Hobart and is a member of the Southern Football League. ...
and
Sandy Bay Football Club The Sandy Bay Football Club was an Australian rules football club based in Sandy Bay, Tasmania. The team participated in the Tasmanian Football League from 1945 to 1997. Club history The club was founded in November 1944 as a result of a meet ...
in the
Tasmanian Australian National Football League The Tasmanian State League (TSL), colloquially known as the Tasmanian Football League (TFL), was the highest-level Australian rules football competition in the state of Tasmania. It disbanded following the end of the 2024 season in preparation ...
(TANFL). He also served brief stints as senior coach of Richmond, Hobart and Sandy Bay. An intelligent and skilled midfielder who could also kick the occasional bag of goals, Sproule is a member of what could be described as Tasmania's Golden Generation – a period where AFL Hall of Fame Legends
Darrel Baldock Darrel John Baldock (29 September 1938 – 2 February 2011) was an Australian sportsman and state politician. He played Australian rules football for the St Kilda Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL), East Devonport Football C ...
,
Peter Hudson Peter John Hudson Order of Australia, AM (born 19 February 1946) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League (1897–1989), Victorian Football League (VFL) and for the New ...
, Ian Stewart and
Royce Hart Royce Desmond Hart (born 10 February 1948) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Regarded as one of the greatest centre half-forwards to ever play Australian r ...
cemented their reputations in Victoria. He was a key member of the Richmond team that dominated the VFL during the early 1970s and went back-to-back in
1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...
and
1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...
; he was consistently among the team's best players in finals matches. He also won premierships in the TANFL, captain-coaching Sandy Bay to a hat-trick from 1976 to 1978 and then coaching Hobart to the flag in
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...
after the club had finished wooden spooners the previous season. Kevin Sheedy, who played with Sproule at Richmond, spoke highly of his quality and value within the team:
Paul was an excellent player. He had an extremely intelligent football brain. He read the play extremely well and had that ability to get where the ball was all the time. He might have been under-rated outside of Richmond, but I can assure you that among his teammates he was very, very highly regarded.


Career

Sproule began his senior football career with TANFL club Hobart Tigers in
1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...
alongside Ian Stewart. The pair would be reunited ten years later at Richmond, by which time Stewart had become a VFL superstar, having won the
Brownlow Medal The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as Charlie), is awarded to the best and fairest player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by the f ...
three times. After winning two premierships with Hobart in
1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...
and
1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
, Sproule moved to Victoria to play for , but missed the entire
1967 VFL season The 1967 VFL season was the 71st season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 15 April until 23 September, and comprised an ...
after badly breaking his leg. Sproule made his Richmond debut in Round 4 against keen rivals at Princes Park. In a highly physical and entertaining game, the Tigers pulled away in the third quarter before holding out for a thrilling five-point win. Sproule was not named among Richmond's best, but still made a significant contribution with 19 disposals and three goals. He went on to play 21 games for the season. He was considered Richmond's best player in the shock 1972 VFL Grand Final loss to . In the team line-up for the 1974 VFL Grand Final against , Sproule was named on the half-forward flank but was moved to the centre ten minutes in to the second quarter after the Kangaroos had worked their way to an 11-point lead. The Tigers would kick six unanswered goals in the next 15 minutes, going on to win by 41 points and becoming the first team since in 1959 and 1960 to defend the VFL premiership. Sproule was considered among Richmond's best, along with Kevin Sheedy (who was regarded as best on ground) and Royce Hart.


Recognition

Sproule was one of the inaugural inductees when the
Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame The Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame was established to help recognise outstanding services and overall contribution made to the sport of Australian rules football in Tasmania. Any participant of the sport, including players, umpires, media person ...
was launched in 2005. In 2016, he was elevated to Icon status, joining former Richmond teammates
Royce Hart Royce Desmond Hart (born 10 February 1948) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Regarded as one of the greatest centre half-forwards to ever play Australian r ...
and Ian Stewart. He also became a member of the Tasmanian Sporting Hall of Fame that year, and was awarded Life Membership at Richmond in 2013.


References


External links

* (as player)
Paul Sproule's statistics
at AFL Tables (as coach) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sproule, Paul 1944 births Living people Essendon Football Club players Richmond Football Club players Richmond Football Club premiership players Richmond Football Club coaches Hobart Football Club players Hobart Football Club coaches Sandy Bay Football Club coaches Australian rules footballers from Tasmania Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame inductees Sandy Bay Football Club players VFL/AFL premiership players