THE BIG NAMES BEFORE BUDDHA
last month was hailed as the GFL club’s biggest announcement in 30 years. It got the Addy sports desk thinking: who have been the biggest names to coach in one of the country’s best local football competitions? Our man TOBY PRIME has compiled some of the notable names that came to mind.
NICK DAFFY (ST ALBANS)
The former Richmond and Sydney forward joined St Albans on a three-year deal ahead of the 2015 season.
He took the Supersaints to 10 wins in his first season – their most number of victories in a year since 2003, when they last played in the finals.
KEN HINKLEY (BELL PARK)
Hinkley’s speech (available on YouTube) in the 2003 grand final replay remains the stuff of legend at Bell Park.
“Camperdown Ken” has since gone on to coach Port Adelaide for the past nine seasons.
DAVID WOJCINSKI (NEWTOWN & CHILWELL)
The triple-premiership Cat took the coaching reins at Newtown & Chilwell for 2014 and 2015.
His tenure included a grand final appearance in his final game.
Wojcinski joined the Eagles at the end of 2012 following his AFL retirement but a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament during his first season brought an end to his playing days at all levels.
RUSSELL ROBERTSON (ST JOSEPH’S)
The former Melbourne aerialist, known for his catalogue of high marks in 228 games with Melbourne, was one of the biggest recent GFL signings when he put pen to paper as playing coach of St Joseph’s for the 2011 season.
He entertained with 180 goals in two years and took Joeys to consecutive top-three finishes, but departed for Maribyrnong Park in the EDFL at the end of 2012.
Ahead of his 200th game as coach of the Power last month, Hinkley told the Addy that Bell Park held a special place in his heart. “As a footy club, they played a significant role in me getting an opportunity back at Geelong and that started my AFL coaching journey,” Hinkley said.
PETER RICCARDI (NORTH SHORE)
Riccardi, a Carji Greeves Medal winner, surprised many when he took on one of the toughest gigs in the state – the coaching job at North Shore.
The 288-game Cats champion had four years at the Seagulls before departing at the end of 2013.
The premature end to this year’s GDFL season also brought down the curtain on his six-year tenure at Bannockburn.
KEVIN HIGGINS (NEWTOWN & CHILWELL)
Higgins was remembered as one of the most influential figures in Newtown & Chilwell history following his death in 2019.
The reliable AFL defender was headhunted to join the Eagles in late 1980 after playing 153 games for Geelong and Fitzroy.
Higgins turned the Eagles into a powerhouse, coaching the club to its only three GFL
MARK BAIRSTOW (ST JOSEPH’S)
The triple All-Australian and former Cats captain took on the captain-coach role at St Joseph’s for the 1995 season after he was moved on by Gary Ayres.
“Toby” landed at Drew Reserve through a family connection with then-football manager Mark Hyde.
He was suspended early in the year for hitting Leopold great Simon Grundell and played 13 games in the red, yellow and black. premierships - 1982, ’85 and ’86 - amid a glorious period that delivered five grand final appearances and a legacy that is still richly celebrated today.
TONY BROWN (LEOPOLD) MATTHEW SCARLETT (SOUTH BARWON)
“Scarlo” retired from the highest level after 284 games and joined South Barwon as a player for the 2013 season, playing in the Swans’ premiership.
He took on co-coaching duties at McDonald Reserve for the 2014 and ’15 seasons before returning to Geelong as an assistant under Chris Scott.
PAUL LYNCH (LARA)
Lynch dazzled with Colac Tigers in their first year in the GFL but his signature at Lara as playing coach was the catalyst for its 2002 premiership.
He won the VCFL medal as the best-on-ground in the 2002 win against St Joseph’s with a six-goal haul and has forged an outstanding reputation as a local coach, also taking Colac to the 2014 flag.
Leopold made one of the biggest appointments in its GFL history when it named Brown as its new coach for the 2006 season.
Brown played in St Kilda’s 1997 grand final defeat in a 108-game career at the highest level and won a Magarey Medal in 2001.
He claimed the Mathieson Medal in his first year in the GFL and would win another league medal with Old Haileybury in the VAFA in 2008.