Max Oppy has passed away

[one-eyed]

SEN said that Max Oppy passed away last night  .

[Fishfinger]

I met Max at the Sorrento pub many years ago. Very nice man.
Sympathies to the Oppy family.

[cub]

Met Max down the same way many a year ago, had no idea who he was ?
Used to holiday next to the x pres of north who knew I was mad richmond and introduced me to him one day, also used to hang around with Tom Hafey 'the neighbour'. Not a bad bunch of blokes, picked a good spot hey 

[Hes My Hero]

I never met him.
Would have liked to.
Why all of a sudden do i feel drained ?

R.I.P. Max
(or as Roy would call him),

Your Lordship .

[one-eyed]

Tigers mourn loss of Max Oppy
richmondfc.com.au
Wed 26 November, 2008

Richmond Football Club is mourning the passing of one of its all-time greats, Max Oppy.

The Club’s 1943 premiership hero, former coach and Hall of Fame inductee, died yesterday (November 25), aged 84, following a long illness.

Throughout a 185-game career at Richmond from 1942-54, Max Oppy earned a fearsome reputation due to his tough, hard-hitting, uncompromising style of play which, coupled with his utter devotion to the Yellow and Black cause, made him a formidable opponent indeed.

He was recruited to Richmond from Kew Amateurs and, as a teenager, played a pivotal role in the Tigers’ 1943 premiership triumph.  He had a tagging job as a rover on his cousin – Essendon’s captain-coach and triple Brownlow Medallist Dick Reynolds – and shut him right out of the game.

But it was as a back pocket, minding the opposition’s resting rovers, that Oppy was to establish himself as one of the game’s best, and a Tiger icon.  He was a fierce tackler, who thrived in dishing out bone-jarring bumps and, generally, making life miserable for his hapless opponents.

Oppy was a member of Richmond’s losing 1944 Grand Final side, won the Club’s Most Determined trophy that year, as well as in 1947, finished runner-up in the Best and Fairest award in 1953, and also represented Victoria in State football on four occasions.

He was awarded Life Membership of the Tigers in 1951 and then, after retiring as a player in 1954, returned to Punt Road as senior coach in 1956, before later serving on the Club’s Board.  In 2004, Oppy was inducted into Richmond’s Hall of Fame.

His son, Grant, was a dual under 19s premiership player at Richmond, who had one senior game with the Club, in 1970.

Tigerland sends its deepest sympathy to Max’s family and friends.

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/tabid/6301/Default.aspx?newsid=70216

[mightytiges]

As a 19 year old tagged his cousin Dick Reynolds and restricted his influence in the 1943 GF to be a major reason why Richmond won the flag that year. 

R.I.P.

Sympathies and condolences to the Oppy family.

[one-eyed]

Richmond loses one of the toughest players in Max Oppy
Ron Reed | November 27, 2008

JACK Dyer called him the "player who could not be hurt".

If Dyer, the legendary Captain Blood, was the toughest Richmond footballer of all -- as his reputation suggests -- then Max Oppy, who played with him during and just after World War II, was not far behind.

Oppy, 84, died on Tuesday after a short illness, having come through a quadruple heart bypass just over a year ago.

A tough back pocket and occasional ruck rover, he played 185 games between 1942 and 1954 and was among the best players in the Tigers' 1943 premiership win.

He also played for Victoria four times, coached the Tigers in 1956 and served on the board as a vice-president.

Former Tigers captain and president Neville Crowe said yesterday he grew up idolising Oppy.

"He was a straight-ahead player who hit them hard and then walked back over them," Crowe said.

"Lou Richards used to say that when he was first-rover for Collingwood, he would never come off the ball against Richmond because he knew Oppy would be waiting to pick him up in the forward pocket."

Oppy and teammate Des Rowe, also a former coach and state player, shared a remarkably close friendship for 65 years, which ended when Rowe died last year.

They were largely responsible for founding one of Melbourne's best-known sporting social institutions, the Vingt Cinq Club, which has been populated by many top footballers and other sporting stars for almost 50 years.

As Rowe's health deteriorated, Oppy made sure he always had company wherever he wanted to go and that he enjoyed the outing.

"Well, we were mates and that's what you do," Oppy said. "That says it all, really."

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,24712969-19742,00.html

[bushranger]

This is a cut and past from the AFL site.

RICHMOND lost one of its all-time greats on Tuesday with the death of premiership player and former coach Max Oppy.
Oppy passed away at the age of 84 after a long battle with illness.

The Richmond Hall of Fame inductee earned his stripes as a tough defender, and played a pivotal role in the 1943 grand final win when he tagged his cousin – Essendon's captain-coach and triple Brownlow Medallist Dick Reynolds – out of the game.

Oppy played 143 games between 1942 and 1954 and finished runner-up in the Tigers' best and fairest award in 1953.
He represented Victoria on four occasions.

After retiring as a player, he returned to Punt Road as senior coach in 1956 and later served on the club's board.
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004, Oppy will be remembered at Tigerland for his fierce tackling and utter devotion to the yellow and black cause on and off the field.

Never seen him play but he had to be a good man. Only wished I could have met him.

[Chuck17]

Yeah ditto, I liked the bit where Lou Richards said he wouldn't change off the ball first because he knew Oppy would be waiting to pick up the first resting on-baller.

Wish I read the article better apparently Lou was too scared to change at all

[WilliamPowell]

RIP Max Oppy

Wearer of the follwoing numbers 30, 33, 14

Meet him a couple of times at THC functions - sensational bloke

[one-eyed]

A service for Max Oppy will be held at noon today at Melbourne East's Holy Trinity Anglican Church.

--------------------------
Tigers Tank lucky stars to have Oppy on their side
By Daryl Timms
Herald-Sun, Mon 01 Dec 2008, Page 75

THERE was no questioning the toughness of Richmond's 1943 premiership ruck-rover Max Oppy, who died on Tuesday, aged 84.

Former coach Jack Dyer rated Oppy as the equal-fourth toughest player he'd seen, behind Carl Ditterich, Ricky McLean and Don Fraser.

Dyer said he couldn't separate Oppy and Bob Chitty.

In 2003 at Richmond's inaugural Tommy Hafey Club lunch, it was revealed how Dyer thought Oppy would miss six weeks with a broken thumb, but he said "Bandage it up'' and kept playing.

Oppy, known as the "Human Tank'', said Dyer wanted him to fix up Essendon captain-coach Dick Reynolds in the 1943 Grand Final, which Richmond won by five points.

Trouble was, Reynolds was Oppy's cousin and he was supposed to be having tea at his house that night.

But it made no difference.

"We were pretty revved up that day and Jack gave me a special rev in the rooms before I went out,'' Oppy said.

"My instructions were to look after Dickie Reynolds. He gave me that look to really look after him.

"I said, 'OK, I'll do my best', and Jack told me he was mine for the day. He said no matter where he plays, where he goes, you go to the bounce with him and you go to the forward pocket with him.''

Oppy recalled that the ball was bounced and someone kicked it to the forward line and Reynolds went to mark it.

"I didn't touch the ball, but unfortunately I must have taken after my golf swing and there was a bit of a follow through. He had about six or seven stitches in his eye,'' he said.