[2] Originally from Coleraine, Russell was only a teenager when he kicked over 100 goals in a season for Hamilton in the Western Border Football League.
[4][5] He crossed to Victorian Football Association club Preston during 1984 and was a member of their premiership team that year.
In 1986, he signed with Beaufort in the Ballarat FL, but a disagreement with the coach and board led him to request a clearance to South Warrnambool, where he would kick 792 goals, averaging over six a game.
[2] He played in three premiership teams and was the Hampden Football League leading goalkicker every season from 1986 to 1991, and then for a seventh time in 1994.
Russell, who retired aged 43, is believed to have kicked in excess of 2000 goals over the course of his career and played in 15 grand finals, from which he finished on the premiership-winning team nine times.