Rory Hilton
By Chris Greenway

Rory seems to be one of the most popular players with kids. I'm not really sure why. I like him as a player and he's building quite a media profile too.

He was pick no 3 in the draft some years ago and wound up at Brisbane. He never wanted to go there and that attitude combined with an injury meant he did not play a great deal of football in his time there. Richmond gambled on him when Matthews offered us a deal. Surely No 3 in the draft counted for something. He didn't play a lot his first year with us, he had talent, but seemed to have difficulty obeying orders. There was a story that he had brought his attitude with him. When Danny Frawley arrived at Punt Rd he rather candidly advised Rory that his fitness needed to improve. To his credit Hilton worked on it and season 2000 saw a fitter, stronger, more comitted and very enthusiastic Rory Hilton. Maybe a little too enthusiastic, as evidenced by his 3 suspensions for charging.

By 2001 Rory was a regular senior selection, he was versatile, able to play in attack, defence, midfield and even tag or go on the ball, he averaged a goal a game. He did spend a few weeks out with a nasty looking shoulder injury. In 2002 he started off badly and was in fact dropped for the 3rd game. That was when fate intervened. Gaspar pulled out late and Hilton was reinstated. Determined to make it count Rory pulled out all stops and was well on the way to being the best on the ground in the first quarter, he put himself between gargantuan Melbourne forward David Neitz and the ball. Something had to give and it wound up being Hilton's shoulder, the same one he injured against Carlton in 2001. That was his season.

This year he's back, his form has been okay, a little patchy and he hasn't quite found touch, but I'm prepared to give him some slack because of what happened. The pleasing thing is that he is prepared to put himself in without a thought to what may happen to his shoulder. Gutsy and committed that's the Hilton we want at Tigerland.