RAINES, Geoff

Geoff Raines was a top class centreman with excellent disposal skills who came to Essendon from Collingwood where he played 45 games from 1983 to 1985 but left after refusing to accept a pay cut. Before that, he had played 134 games at Richmond from 1976 to 1982 and before that he played with Swan Hill.

Raines won Richmond's Best and Fairest award three times, in 1978, 1980 and 1981 and played in that club's 1980 premiership team. He played for Victoria while at Richmond and also won All-Australian selection. He controversially received no Brownlow Medal votes in Richmond's 1980 premiership year, although he won Richmond's best and fairest award that season. (In 1982, Essendon champion, Terry Daniher, was also ignored by the umpires although he won the Crichton Medal that year.)

Raines was unable to re-capture his best form at Essendon, even though he was selected in the State side in 1986.

After the one season he was cleared to the Brisbane Bears in 1987, his fourth League club, where he played a further 59 games, giving him a wonderful career of 254 games and 101 goals.

His son, Andrew, played for Richmond, Brisbane and Gold Coast.