Luke McGuane
Richmond FC
Born: 12 February 1987
Height: 191cm
Weight: 86kg
Junior Club:
Senior Club: Broadbeach
Schools: Merrimac HS, Palm Beach HS
Region:
Queensland: U12 (1998), U14 (2000), U16 (2002), U18 (2004)
Draft Details: Selection #36 (3rd round) 2004 National Draft
AFL Debut: Richmond v Sydney, Telstra Dome, Rd 7, 2006 (13 May)
Jumper Number: 38
AT A GLANCE: A born and bred Gold Coaster, he is the cousin of former Collingwood champion Mick McGuane and son of prominent Gold Coast football identity Gavan ‘Fox’ McGuane, a former Southport captain, B&F winner and coach who was also a Queensland representative. He started his football at Southport aged 11, played at Mt.Gravatt, Coorparoo and Caboolture and was a Queensland representative at U12, U15, U16 and U18 level before being drafted from Broadbeach in 2004, where he’d made his senior debut earlier in the same year.
His AFL career got off to a bumpy start when he suffered a severe upper arm fracture playing with VFL club Coburg early in ’05 that required a steel plate, ruled him out for the rest of the season and prompted him to turn his first-year focus to finishing his schooling. But, being groomed as an athletic tall defender and impressing at Punt Road with his work ethic and ability to learn, he made his AFL debut in round 7 2006. It was a day to remember. He was a late inclusion in an injury-ravaged Tigers line-up and at the first bounce found himself opposed to Swans champion Michael O’Loughlin. The 19-year-old wasn’t disgraced as O’Loughlin kicked just three goals in a Sydney tally of 28, but Richmond lost by 118 points in front of 37,000.
He also played at senior level in round 22 in 2006, and, after a full pre-season, was a round 1 selection in 2007. He played the first seven games of the year and the last seven games in a good consolidation year, finishing with a career-best 20 possessions and seven marks in round 22 against St.Kilda in round 22 to earn a spot on the interchange bench in the inaugural Queensland Team of the Year. Has been largely a permanent fixture since then, claiming the key centre half back spot in the Team of the Year in 2008-09. He took over as the Tigers’ No.1 tall defender in ’09, playing every game, sneaking forward to kick his first AFL goal, and winning the Tigers’ Francis Bourke Award for \the player who best embodies the qualities that the great Richmond defender throughout his career – determination, courage, toughness and a team-first approach.
