[1] Said to be an idol of Richmond great Jack Dyer,[2] Rudolph was a follower, who played originally with Hawthorn in the Victorian Football Association (VFA), but was also used in key positions.
George Rudolph, a regular outlaw to football convention, stood at one end of the ground smoking a cigarette while the game was in progress.
Pivoting on his heels, Georgc kicked the ball through the goals, put the cigarette in his mouth, and then stooped down and picked up the umpire."
Rudolph played both premiership deciders from centre half-forward but Richmond didn't win either.
In 1929, two new teams, Oakleigh and Sandringham, were admitted to the Victorian Football Association (VFA) competition.
Along with Geelong's Eric Fleming, St Kilda's Wal Gunnyon, Essendon's Frank Maher and Chris Gomez, and Richmond's Fred Goding, Rudolph went to the Oakleigh in 1929 without a clearance from the VFL (in doing so, all of them were automatically disqualified from the VFL for three years).
In his last match (against North Hobart on 19 August 1939), he was reported, found guilty of the charge, and suspended for one week.
[27] According to Hogan (1996, p. 200), Rudolph was "a fiery player [who] came under the notice of umpires on several occasions receiving a total of 61 weeks in suspensions in his career".