Shane Tuck facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Shane Tuck |
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Tuck with Richmond in May 2007
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| Personal information | |||
| Date of birth | 24 December 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Victoria, Australia | ||
| Date of death | 20 July 2020 (aged 38) | ||
| Original team | Dandenong Stingrays (TAC Cup) | ||
| Draft | No. 24, 2000 rookie draft No. 73, 2003 national draft |
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| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Career highlights | |||
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Shane Tuck (born December 24, 1981, died July 20, 2020) was a talented Australian rules footballer. He played 173 games for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Before that, he spent two years with Hawthorn but did not play any AFL games. Shane was a life member at Richmond. He often finished in the top 10 for the club's "best and fairest" award. His father, Michael Tuck, was a famous Hawthorn player.
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Shane Tuck's Early Football Journey
Shane Tuck started playing junior football in Beaconsfield, a suburb of Melbourne. He also played representative football for the Dandenong Stingrays in the TAC Cup. In 1999, when he was old enough for the draft, Shane also played for the Hawthorn reserves team.
Starting with Hawthorn (2000–2001)
Hawthorn did not pick Shane as a "father-son" player in the 1999 draft. However, they offered him a rookie contract. He was chosen with the 24th pick in the 2000 rookie draft. Shane spent two seasons with Hawthorn. He played reserves football for their team, the Box Hill Hawks. He did not get to play in an AFL game. Hawthorn then decided not to keep him after the 2001 AFL season.
Playing in Local Leagues (2002–2003)
In 2002, Shane played local football in the Mornington Peninsula League. The next year, he moved to South Australia. He played for West Adelaide in the SANFL league. Here, AFL teams started to notice his skills.
Playing for Richmond (2004–2013)
The Richmond Football Club drafted Shane Tuck in the 2003 AFL Draft. He was their sixth pick and the 73rd pick overall. Shane spent most of 2004 playing for Richmond's reserves team, Coburg. He made his first AFL appearance in Round 14 of the 2004 AFL season.
Key Seasons at Richmond
In 2005, Shane had a great year. He played in all 22 games for Richmond. He finished third in the club's "best and fairest" award, called the Jack Dyer Medal.
Shane continued to play well. He finished 10th in the best and fairest in 2006. He was third again in 2007. In 2008, he came in second place. Shane missed a game in 2009, which ended his streak of 104 games in a row. He finished seventh in the best and fairest that year.
In 2010, Shane had a career-best 28 disposals (getting the ball) against Geelong. A month later, he set a new club record. He made 14 tackles in one game against Port Adelaide. That year, he placed fifth in the club's best and fairest award.
After the 2011 season, Shane thought about retiring. But the club convinced him to play for at least one more year.
Breaking Records and Retirement
In 2012, Shane set a club record with 23 contested possessions in one game. He did this again six weeks later. That year, he finished fourth in the club's best and fairest count. He also set new records for the most contested possessions (298) and tackles (124) in a single season for Richmond. These records stood for five years. At the end of 2012, he became a life member of the Richmond Football Club.
In May 2013, Shane broke his shoulder blade. This made him miss two months of football. After playing four weeks in the reserves, he returned to the AFL. He then announced he would retire at the end of the season.
Shane played in Richmond's first finals match in 12 years in 2013. Richmond played against Carlton. He was a substitute player but played most of the game. He came on early when another player got injured.
Shane Tuck retired after the 2013 season. He played 173 games over 10 seasons with Richmond.
Shane Tuck's Achievements
- Jack Titus Medal (2nd place, Richmond Best & Fairest): 2008
- 2× Maurie Fleming Medal (3rd place, Richmond Best & Fairest): 2005, 2007
- Fred Swift Medal (4th place, Richmond Best & Fairest): 2012
- Kevin Bartlett Medal (5th place, Richmond Best & Fairest): 2010
- Richmond life membership, awarded 2012
Life After AFL
In 2014, Shane played local football for the Goodwood Saints Football Club in South Australia.
In November 2015, Shane started a new career in professional boxing. He had five professional matches until August 2017. He won three, lost one, and had one draw.
Shane Tuck's Family Life
Shane was the son of Michael Tuck, a famous Hawthorn player. Michael held the record for the most VFL/AFL games played. Shane's older brother, Travis Tuck, also played for Hawthorn. Shane was also related to other famous footballers. His uncle was Gary Ablett Sr., a great player for Geelong. His other uncles were Geoff and Kevin Ablett. Shane was also a cousin to Geelong players Gary Ablett Jr and Nathan Ablett. Shane was married to Katherine and they had two children, a boy and a girl.
Sadly, Shane Tuck passed away on July 20, 2020. In January 2021, doctors confirmed he had suffered from a serious brain condition. To honor his memory, Richmond players wore black armbands in their game on July 24, 2020.
