[2] At this point, in 1945, friends persuaded Wright to try out with local team North Kew in the strong Eastern Districts Football League.

Wright had a dream start in the game, winning the league's best and fairest award, an achievement so eye-catching that talent scouts from the VFL were soon looking the youngster over.

Richmond won his signature and he arrived at Punt Road for the 1946 VFL season, quite a rise for a man who hadn't played the game twelve months before.

[3] In the post-war era, all VFL clubs were valiantly scouring the country, looking for big men capable of dominating the rucks and giving their team first use of the ball at ball-ups and boundary throw-ins.

[4] The Tigers could see Wright's rare ability but, due to his truncated early career, felt he still needed to learn the subtleties of the game.

[5] In 1952, Wright dominated the season, winning nineteen votes in the Brownlow medal to tie for first place with Essendon's Bill Hutchison.

[7] Now hailed as the best big man in the game, Wright stood out among a plethora of star ruckmen who he battled every week, men such as Neil Mann, Dennis Cordner and Jack Howell.

[5] His last big year was 1957 when he won a fourth club best and fairest and came close to winning a third Brownlow medal, finishing second to Brian Gleeson by four votes.

During the 1980s following his separation from his wife June, Roy permanently moved to his holiday "shack" in Paynesville (Victoria) which he had loved and often visited over many years.

[5] The Richmond Team of the Century, announced in 1998, named Wright as the first ruckman, ahead of his mentor and first coach, Jack Dyer - arguably his greatest accolade.