Hafey’s girls say do it for Tommy
IF Tommy Hafey were alive to see it, he surely would have issued one of his famous motivational speeches before this weekend’s premiership showdown.
Be first to the ball, he might have demanded. Go hard at it. Get your body over it — and never stop trying until the game is over and won.
Three years since Richmond lost its legendary coach and the AFL one of its most inspiring leaders, wife Maureen Hafey, daughter Joanne and granddaughter Samantha said yesterday they were certain he’d be looking down with a smile on his face.
“I believe it. He’ll be watching,’’ Mrs Hafey said. “Do it for Tommy.’’
Joanne said her father would have offered the kind of tips that stood the test of time.
“Dad would have told them to stick to the basics,’’ she said.
“You have to keep your eye on the ball. Dad was a big fan of kicking long and kicking to a position so that you’re in attack. They were the principals of his game . . . that you make those opportunities and you just don’t stop.
“You just have to put your heart on the line for the Tigers.’’
Hafey famously led the club as coach for a decade from 1966, snatching the silverware four times.
He also coached Geelong in the 1980s.
But the footy stalwart reinvented himself in later years, becoming widely known for his motivational talks and fitness regime.
Mrs Hafey said her late husband would have been rapt with the club’s underdog status going into tomorrow’s clash.
“He would have loved to be here and would have been glad to see them being so successful,” she said. “He would just tell them to get out there and be the best they can be.’’