Former Tigers player Ty Zantuck says the AFL club's management of a chronic back injury left him in constant severe pain, but he couldn't afford to sue Richmond or its doctors until recently.
Zantuck wants damages for the management of his back problem as well as on-field concussions suffered up to 2004, after playing four seasons with Richmond.
He has revealed the experience left him with "horrible feelings" about his time at the club and he still gets goosebumps when he goes near its facilities.
After 68 games with Richmond and nine games with Essendon in 2005, Zantuck moved between several lower-grade clubs and struggled to make a living, Victoria's Supreme Court was told on Friday.
He would receive a $5000 sign-on payment but after a few games clubs would realise he was useless, he said.
"I was trying to get anything I could to just get some food," he said.
At the same time he was so heavily medicated he couldn't drive.
In December 2006, he trained with Carlton, but this too was short-lived.
"I battled through for two weeks and I just said 'that's enough'," he said.
The former Tigers hard man, who gave evidence by video after contracting COVID-19, had coughing fits during his evidence.
Zantuck wants more time to build his damages case against Richmond, former club doctor Chris Bradshaw and current doctor Greg Hickey, telling the court he didn't have enough money to do it before now.
But lawyers for the Richmond Football Club said a trial would face real problems due to the 17 or 18-year delay.
Zantuck had failed to bring the case earlier despite knowing there were limitations on how long he could wait, Philip Solomon QC told the court.
If the claim was allowed to proceed it would mean anybody could wait until they had the money before lodging cases, he said.
On Thursday, the court heard Richmond didn't have a system for properly managing head injuries, leaving him with suspected brain degeneration from repeated concussions.
In court documents Zantuck said he was diagnosed with a back injury stemming from the club's weight-training and running program in December 2001 or January 2002.
Zantuck claims he was injected with local anaesthetic on training and game days to get through matches in early 2002, as well as 15 to 20 epidural injections in the 2003 and 2004 seasons.
The hearing is continuing.
