Praise for top leader

Wade leads Davey tributes

SCOTT Wade has credited a prominent sports administrator for helping him develop a thick skin in his tenure as AFL Tasmania chief executive.

Doug Davey, a former Clarence, AFL Tasmania, Devil sand Cricket Tasmania administrator, died this week from heart complications on the Gold Coast at 71.

The first president of Tasmania’s VFL side, Davey was a “player’s and coach’s” man, according to Wade, with the pair first crossing paths at Clarence in the early 1990s.

He credited the transformation of the Roos into a football powerhouse in part to Davey.

“Doug took over and made a pretty controversial change in moving Leigh McCon non as coach, who had full support of the players ,” Wade said.

“He was instrumental in Stevie Wright coaching Clarence and I guess that started Clarence on that great run from ’93 all the way through to 2010.

“He became an inaugural director of AFL Tasmania when that was first formed and then moved off the board and took over the Devils.

“Doug was never a popular opinion leader, Doug was about if it’ s hard, do it anyway.”

In 2016, after two previous unsuccessful attempts, Davey was elected to the Cricket Tasmania board.

“Doug was a giant among Tasmanian sporting administrators,” CT chairman Andrew Gag gin said.

“He was a member of the board from 2016 until 2019 and was arguably one of the best we’ve had.

“In the three years he was with us he proved himself to be practical, intelligent, affable and always thought of the big picture.”

Davey is survived by wife Mare e and children Nick and Sarah.