Brian Taylor

He was only 16 when recruited from Mandurah, Western Australia, to the Richmond Football Club.

The moustached Taylor, known as “BT” and “Bristle”, began his VFL career with Richmond in 1980. He was a full-forward at the same club as the legendary Michael Roach. This limited his playing opportunities, and so he asked to be transferred to Collingwood after the 1984 season, having played 43 games and kicking 156 goals. His height was 191 cm and his weight was 102 kg.

In 1985, Taylor joined Collingwood. He kicked 100 goals in 1986 to win the Coleman Medal. Due to repeated knee injuries, he retired from playing in the AFL at the end of the 1990 season at 28 years of age. He had played 97 games for Collingwood, kicking 371 goals.

Early in Taylor’s career, he has admitted he had a problem with controlling his aggression, which he was involved in some remembered physical, comical moments. But stated later in his career, he improved at controlling his aggression.

In 1991 Taylor became playing coach of Prahran in the VFA. In 1992, after he had kicked 16 and 9 goals in the opening two rounds, his knee gave way and he retired from playing after finishing that season with 64 goals. Continuing as coach, he again took the Two Blues to the finals. He retired as coach shortly before the 1994 season due to media commitments.