COODABEEN CATS TEAM COMPLETE
MY team is heavy with big men, but I am loading up with another one on the bench in the shape of Damian Bourke, who is a personal favourite.
Bourke was 18 when he was fast-tracked into the senior team in 1983 by coach Tom Hafey, who liked the big redhead’s attack on the footy.
Thirty-eight hitouts in just his sixth game was a good early indication of his ruck potential.
John Devine was an even bigger fan when he took over as coach in 1986 and Bourke was appointed captain at 22 a year later.
When Malcolm Blight was handed the coaching reins in 1989 and pressed the “go” button on Geelong’s attacking brand of football, Bourke was a key driver in the engine room directing Mark Bairstow, Paul Couch and Garry Hocking.
When he wasn’t palming the ball to them in close, Bourke used to really open up the game by smashing it straight to the edge of the centre square.
Injuries interfered from time to time, the worst moment coming at the first bounce of the 1989 Grand Final when he seriously rolled his ankle. While all the attention was on fallen Hawk Dermott Brereton, the Cats skipper was already heading for the Geelong bench.
Bourke missed the 1990 season but set himself to make amends in 1991 by starting preseason training before his teammates returned from their break, a fact he mentioned to me in passing one day.
I declared I would start running the day he resumed training, to which Bourke responded that there was no point in just running; I should set myself a goal. OK, I said, I’ll run a marathon.
During that summer Bourke and I enjoyed regular phone calls updating each other on our progress. By early June I was ready to tackle (and complete) the Melbourne Marathon and Bourke, who had come back fitter and stronger, was taking all before him on the footy field.
He produced far and away the best of his nine seasons at Geelong, polling 16 votes in the Brownlow Medal before the injury curse struck again in 1992 whereupon he moved to Brisbane.
Rounding out the interchange bench is Jeff “Butch” Cassidy, another personal favourite.
Recruited from Cobram at 17, Cassidy was enrolled at my old school Belmont High when he arrived in Geelong in 1974.
I was in my first year out of school but our paths crossed through a couple of mates and he joined us for regular kickto-kick sessions.
We knew he possessed all the skills when he managed to kick one of those hard plastic footies with perfection on a windy day. We’d nominate a target and he’d hit it: fences, gates, light poles, letterboxes, you name it.
Bob Davis liked him, too, as he fitted the mould of the skilful players who played the game the way it should be played.
I fondly recall watching training one night with Bob and a couple of Melbourne footy reporters who made a rare trip to Kardinia Park.
Circle work was in full swing when Cassidy swept past and delivered a trademark, spearing 50-metre pass to a teammate further afield. One of the journos casually observed that Cassidy was “a nice kick”.
Bob was indignant that the visitor was not aware of Cassidy’s abundant talent. “I beg your pardon,” Bob spluttered, “Butch Cassidy? He can make the ball talk!” That’s good enough to put him on the bench. Final note: If I was going to follow the Geelong Team of the Century model and name four emergencies, they would be Ray Card, Murray Witcombe, Tim Darcy and Peter Johnston. All handy players and good blokes. And, as I often find myself playing golf either in front of or just behind Darcy and Johnston, I’m giving them a mention to avoid them hitting up on me or holding me up!