| Shane Tuck | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Tuck with Richmond in May 2007 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Date of birth | (1981-12-24)24 December 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Victoria, Australia | ||
| Date of death | 20 July 2020(2020-07-20) (aged 38) | ||
| Original team(s) | Dandenong Stingrays (TAC Cup) | ||
| Draft | No. 24,2000 rookie draft No. 73,2003 national draft | ||
| Height | 190 cm (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Weight | 92 kg (203 lb) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2004–2013 | Richmond | 173 (74) | |
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2013. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources:AFL Tables,AustralianFootball.com | |||
Shane Tuck (24 December 1981 – 20 July 2020) was anAustralian rules footballer who played 173 matches for theRichmond Football Club in theAustralian Football League (AFL) after also spending two years on the AFL list at Hawthorn without making an AFL appearance. Tuck was a life member at Richmond and placed in the top 10 of the club's "best and fairest" award in seven of his ten seasons at Richmond. His father is seven-time Hawthorn premiership playerMichael Tuck.
Tuck played junior football atBeaconsfield in the suburbs of Melbourne, and played representative football with theDandenong Stingrays in theTAC Cup.[1] In his draft-age year in 1999, Tuck also played with theHawthorn reserves side in the AFL reserves competition.[2]
After being overlooked by the club as a potentialfather–son rule selection at the 1999 national draft, Tuck was offered a rookie contract opportunity when selected byHawthorn with the club's second selection and 24th pick overall in the2000 rookie draft. He spent two seasons at Hawthorn without earning an AFL debut, instead playing reserves grade football with the club's VFL affiliate, theBox Hill Hawks. At the end of the2001 AFL season, Tuck was delisted by Hawthorn.[2]
Tuck played local football in the Mornington Peninsula League in 2002, before moving to South Australia to play withWest Adelaide in the SANFL in 2003, where he began attracting the attention of AFL scouts.[1]
Tuck was drafted byRichmond with the club's six pick and the 73rd pick overall in the2003 AFL Draft.[3] After spending much of the year playing reserves football with the club's VFL-affiliateCoburg, Tuck made his AFL debut in Round 14 of the2004 AFL season.[4]
In2005, Tuck had a stellar season and played all 22 gamesRichmond were involved in.[5] He finished third in the club'sbest and fairest award that year.[6]
Tuck placed 10th in the club's best and fairest in2006, third in2007, and second in2008.[6] Tuck missed playing in Round 17, 2009, ending a 104-game streak of consecutive games since playing in Round 1, 2005. He placed seventh in the club's best and fairest in2009.[6]
In Round 6 2010, Tuck collected a career-best 28 disposals in a match againstGeelong.[7] A month later he set a new club record with 14 tackles in a match againstPort Adelaide in Round 10.[4] That year he placed fifth in the club's best and fairest count.[6]
After the2011 season, Tuck informed the club of his decision to retire, but he was talked into recommitting to the club for at leastone further season.[8]
In Round 12 in 2012, he collected a club record 23 contested possessions, a feat which he equalled six weeks later in Round 18.[4] In 2012, Tuck placed fourth in the club's best and fairest count.[9] He set new records that year for the most contested possessions (298) and most tackles (124) in a single season by any Richmond player in the club's history.[4] Both records stood for five years until broken by former teammatesDustin Martin andTrent Cotchin, respectively, in 2017.[10] At the end of the year, he was awarded life membership at Richmond.[7]
Tuck suffered a fractured scapula in May 2013 that saw him miss two months of football.[11] Following four weeks of reserves football, Tuck made a return to AFL football for the later part of the season before announcing he would retire at season's end.[12]
Tuck featured in the club's first finals match in 12 years when Richmond earned an elimination final berth againstCarlton in 2013. He was the substitute player for Richmond during that match but played almost the full match when brought on to replaceReece Conca after the latter suffered a hamstring injury just 10 minutes into the game.[13]
Tuck retired following the2013 season after 173 games over 10 seasons with Richmond.[12]
G | Goals | K | Kicks | D | Disposals | T | Tackles |
B | Behinds | H | Handballs | M | Marks |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | ||||
| 2000 | Hawthorn | 38 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2001 | Hawthorn | 38 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2004 | Richmond | 21 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 16 | 37 | 7 | 2 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 7.0 | 5.3 | 12.3 | 2.3 | 0.7 |
| 2005 | Richmond | 21 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 323 | 195 | 518 | 106 | 71 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 14.7 | 8.9 | 23.5 | 4.8 | 3.2 |
| 2006 | Richmond | 21 | 22 | 11 | 8 | 262 | 199 | 461 | 102 | 72 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 11.9 | 9.0 | 21.0 | 4.6 | 3.3 |
| 2007 | Richmond | 21 | 22 | 12 | 6 | 253 | 237 | 490 | 114 | 61 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 11.5 | 10.8 | 22.3 | 5.2 | 2.8 |
| 2008 | Richmond | 21 | 22 | 10 | 1 | 229 | 318 | 547 | 102 | 84 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 10.4 | 14.5 | 24.9 | 4.6 | 3.8 |
| 2009 | Richmond | 21 | 19 | 8 | 3 | 213 | 310 | 523 | 90 | 62 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 11.2 | 16.3 | 27.5 | 4.7 | 3.3 |
| 2010 | Richmond | 21 | 20 | 5 | 5 | 227 | 283 | 510 | 91 | 103 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 11.4 | 14.2 | 25.5 | 4.6 | 5.2 |
| 2011 | Richmond | 21 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 85 | 110 | 195 | 31 | 36 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 8.5 | 11.0 | 19.5 | 3.1 | 3.6 |
| 2012 | Richmond | 21 | 22 | 11 | 11 | 266 | 310 | 576 | 117 | 124 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 12.1 | 14.1 | 26.2 | 5.3 | 5.6 |
| 2013 | Richmond | 21 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 95 | 94 | 189 | 22 | 24 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 8.6 | 8.5 | 17.2 | 2.0 | 2.2 |
| Career[5] | 173 | 74 | 56 | 1974 | 2072 | 4046 | 782 | 639 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 11.4 | 12.0 | 23.4 | 4.5 | 3.7 | ||
In 2014, Tuck played local football for theGoodwood Saints Football Club in theSouth Australian Amateur Football League (SAAFL).[1]
Tuck debuted in professional boxing in November 2015 at theMelbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, being knocked out in the fourth round from anuppercut to the chin by Lucas Miller;[15][16] he was carried out on a stretcher.[17] He fought in five professional matches over a boxing career that lasted until August 2017, winning three, losing once and drawing on one other occasion.[18]
Shane was the son ofHawthorn footballer and former-VFL/AFL games record holderMichael Tuck and older brother of formerHawthorn footballerTravis Tuck. He was the nephew ofGeelong greatGary Ablett Sr. and formerVFL footballersGeoff andKevin Ablett. He was cousin to Geelong andGold Coast playersGary Ablett Jr andNathan Ablett.[19] Tuck was married to wife Katherine and had two children, a boy and a girl.[1]
Tuck died by suicide on 20 July 2020 at the age of 38.[20][21][22] Richmond wore black armbands to honour his memory in their Round 8 match againstGreater Western Sydney on 24 July 2020.[23]
In January 2021, theAustralian Sports Brain Bank stated that Tuck had had a severe case of the degenerative brain diseasechronic traumatic encephalopathy.[24]
In March 2023, Tuck's family, alongside former AFL playersDarren Jarman andJay Schulz, launched a class-action lawsuit in theSupreme Court of Victoria against the AFL and theRichmond,Port Adelaide,Hawthorn andAdelaide football clubs, with the plaintiffs alleging that the defendants failed to ensure proper concussion management during the plaintiffs' playing careers.[25]
