Pritchard played in three VFL/AFL Premierships with Hawthorn in 1988, 1989 and 1991. Recruited from Sandy Bay in Tasmania, he represented both his home and adopted states at state of origin level, skippering the former on three occasions and he was named in the 1989 VFL Team of the Year. After sustaining a broken leg in 1995 he made a creditable comeback but was never quite the same player. He retired after the 1997 season having played 211 VFL/AFL games.
Victoria 19.12 (126) defeated Western Australia 10.12 (72), at the WACA Ground, 16 May 1989, crowd: 20,993
Victoria 22.17 (149) defeated South Australia 9.9 (63), at the MCG, 1 July 1989, crowd: 91,960