Ty Vickery is happy to move on to next phase of his life after being a whipping boy of AFL fans

TY Vickery quickly settled into AFL footy, but after taking on that horrible “much maligned” tag became a the league’s No.1 whipping boy, writes JON RALPH.

Ty Vickery spent much of his only season at Hawthorn playing in the VFL for Box Hill. Picture: Ian Currie

TYRONE Vickery retired from football, adamant he was happy to move away from the fishbowl that is AFL football.

Fair enough too, because few players in football have had to endure his lot.

Vickery lived the life of big league whipping boy for the better part of his nine seasons and 125 games.

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The best of Vickery was enough to lure Richmond fans into believing he might be the difference.

He was tall (200cm), he could mark, he could ruck, he was a beautiful set shot, and when he was up and about he had a presence at centre half-forward.

After being selected at pick No.8 by Richmond in the 2008 national draft, he quickly lived up to the hype.

Tyrone Vickery starred for Vic Metro in his draft year.

Vickery after being selected in the 2008 draft.

In his third year he kicked 36 goals in 22 games and still found a way to play enough ruck to amass 150 hitouts. It looked like he was the next Brad Ottens.

They would prove to be career-high numbers.

From 2013-2016 he still kicked goals (27, 23, 31 and 26) and helped out Jack Riewoldt as a second target. But quickly the rot set in.

And when you become that horrible expression — “much maligned” — you very rarely come back from there.

Too often Vickery went missing in games or had poor body language or just failed to exert any physical presence for a player of his size.

Then came the controversies and bizarre episodes.

Ty Vickery had lots of talent but frustrated fans. Pic: George Salpigtidis

He was suspended for four weeks for hitting Dean Cox at a ruck throw-in and had all of Perth calling for his head.

In 2016 he attempted to mark an imaginary ball in a pre-season game against Fremantle.

This year he went to Hawthorn to become the David Hale replacement but played just six games.

By year’s end he was embroiled in an incident that saw good mate Jake King charged for extortion over a restaurant venture with his tennis star wife Arina Rodionova and others.

It was joked Vickery had been extorting Richmond for his salary all those years. Even in his darkest hour the jokes never ended.

Vickery had another year left on a $500,000-a-year contract but has come to an arrangement with the Hawks.

Tiger Ty in the good times. Pic: Michael Klein

Vickery managed six AFL games in 2017. Picture: AAP

So he will retire as an unfulfilled talent and yet when you consider history, what is clear is how few ruck/forwards actually succeed.

Hale did it brilliantly as a role player in a very successful team.

Ottens was a roaring success at Geelong, able to elevate his performance in big finals and equally adept in the ruck and up forward.

But even Ottens looked cumbersome at times and appeared perennially exhausted when playing poorly.

After Vickery in that 2008 draft came players including Ayce Cordy (pick No.14), Ryan Schoenmakers (16), Jackson Trengove (22), Jayden Post (26), Shaun McKernan (28), Jordan Roughead (31) and Liam Jones (32).

Many of those were pegged for the forward-ruck role and have had little more success than Vickery.