Port Adelaide hand No. 35 to Joe Richards, 12 years on from John McCarthy’s passing

Twelve years on from his passing, Port Adelaide has handed John McCarthy’s No. 35 guernsey to their fresh recruit. Plus see all the other new Power jumper numbers here.

Port Adelaide recruit Joe Richards says he will embrace the history around the guernsey number he has been handed after the Power decided to make him the first player since the late John McCarthy to wear the 35 jumper for the club.

The Power had retired the number shortly after the former forward died on a post-season trip in America in 2012.

Since then the number has not been donned on matchdays, but it is a weekly fixture at the club.

A “hidden hero” from the previous week – often someone whose team acts on or off the field go unnoticed – trains in the No. 35 prison-bar jumper.

Joe Richards will wear the No. 35 jersey. Picture: Matt Sampson/PAFC

After Richards made his move from Collingwood to Port Adelaide in the off-season, the Power approached him about donning the jumper - the number also worn by Power cult hero Chad Cornes.

The McCarthy family also supported the decision for Richards to don the No. 35, and he said it was “a huge privilege” to wear it.

“Obviously, coming from Collingwood, similar to John, and being traded to Port Adelaide, there’s a little connection there,” he said.

“And I jumped at the opportunity as soon as they offered it up.

“There is a bit of history. And obviously Chad Cornes wore it before John. So a little bit of pressure. But I’ll try and make it my own and do as much as I can in it.”

The number of the late John McCarthy had previously been retired for 12 years.

Richards comes to the Power after playing nine games for the Magpies in 2024, following being drafted as a mature-age player in 2022.

The 25-year-old said he thought the opportunity was greater at the Power.

“It was more about the opportunities that I get coming here, and hopefully I can make the position my own. So that was probably the main factor,” he said.

“Obviously I’m a small forward and there’s an array of small forwards at Collingwood who are all great players.

“So whether there was a spot there for me or not, you know, potentially there was, I’m not too sure, but it certainly felt like what Port Adelaide pitched to me, it felt like the right decision. And as I said, one that I’m happy to make.”

In other jumper news announced by the Power on Monday, first-round draftee Joe Berry will wear the number five, which was vacated when Dan Houston was traded to Collingwood.

Jack Whitlock has been given the number 17, while Christian Moraes will wear 31.

Tom Cochrane (#37), Benny Barrett (#40) and Jacob Moss (#42) all received their first AFL jumper numbers as well.

Originally published as Port Adelaide hand No. 35 to Joe Richards, 12 years on from John McCarthy’s passing