It’s no surprise Richmond champion Matthew Richardson has been backed off the map for the 2008 Brownlow Medal over the past couple of weeks, given his outstanding form since being reinvented in a role further afield, and his track record in the game’s most prestigious individual award.

‘Richo’, who’s gone from a 100-1 long-shot to a strong 8-1 chance, is a proven Brownlow vote-getter – and that’s despite previously having spent most of his time in the Tigers’ line-up at full-forward throughout the past 16 seasons.

His best effort was 16 votes and seventh place in the 1999 Brownlow, which was won by Hawthorn’s Shane Crawford.

That season, Richardson took 172 marks, had 322 disposals and capped off his impressive work with 67 goals.

It was three years earlier that Richo had first caught the umpires’ eye, polling 13 votes in the ’96 Brownlow following a season where he had taken 171 marks, had 331 disposals and kicked 91 goals (his career-high return).

Richo’s next best Medal performance was in 2002, when he finished the season in brilliant style. That year he took 91 marks, had 152 disposals, kicked 36 goals and polled 12 votes (nine of them coming in Rounds 18-20).

Then, in 2004, the big No. 12 picked up 10 votes, following a 130-mark, 232-disposal and 65-goal season.

And, in 2006, he again polled double-figure votes (10), after a season in which he grabbed 150 marks, collected 269 disposals and booted 45 goals.

After seven rounds of the 2008 season, Richo has 74 marks, 132 disposals and 24 goals to his credit.

The various AFL football betting agencies going around believe Richo has somewhere between 8-12 Brownlow votes so far, with just one-third of the season gone.

Even if his sensational form of recent weeks tapers off a bit soon, chances are that (as long as he stays fit), he’ll produce a few more vote-catching performances before the home-and-away rounds conclude.

That being the case, he must be rated a huge chance to become Richmond’s first Brownlow Medallist since fellow Tasmanian Ian Stewart in 1971.

That year, ‘Stewie’ polled 21 votes, to win by three from Essendon’s Barry Davis, Hawthorn’s Peter Hudson and St Kilda’s John McIntosh, who finished equal second on 18. It was Stewie’s third Brownlow all-up, following his successes at St Kilda in 1965-66.

Richmond’s only other Brownlow Medallists have been Stan Judkins in 1930, Bill Morris in 1948 and Roy Wright in 1952 and 1954.