Tom Hafey

[ORDoubleBlues]

Interesting to hear former Richmond player and West Adelaide coach Kevin Morris talking to KG and Cornes last night about legendary former Tiger coach Tom Hafey.
Hafey was one of the first coaches in the VFL to have 3 and 4 training sessions a week and had a non complicated game plan.
Seems as though where Hafey fell down was the fact that he wasn't a drinker and wasn't an ass kisser, hence it wasn't the players he fell out with (Peter Moore may be an exception), it was the administration.
Won 4 flags with Richmond, resigned only hours before he was due to be sacked and then immediately took charge of Collingwood in '77 where he proceeded to get them into a grand final the year after they took out the spoon. Don't think he has ever forgiven Phil Carman.
Took charge of Geelong and gave chances to Gary Ablett (had the talent but had f***ed up badly at Hawthorn) and Greg Williams, who had been banished back to the bush by Carlton (would prove to be a very expensive mistake by them in the future) after having tried out for them the year before but was considered to be "too slow".
Then got the job at Sydney in '86 and took Williams, David Bolton, and Bernard Toohey amongst others with him and had some success with the first foray of a club into private ownership.
Liked it when Cornes pointed out to Morris that "the game passed Tommy by" and Morris replied by saying words to the effect of 'No, generally teams that win premierships, win them on a game plan based on getting the ball long to a key forward (Hart in his case) quickly and not mucking around with the ball under pressure, which was Hafey to a tee.

[Footy Chick]

The man is a freak, he came out to take the boys for a training run with the club that I was training with in Horsham.

His training reigeme is military. This is a man that does 500 sits ups EVERY day....

[Rik E Boy]

The man is a freak, he came out to take the boys for a training run with the club that I was training with in Horsham.

His training reigeme is military. This is a man that does 500 sits ups EVERY day....

So the extra years of life that he is going to get that I aint due to my drinking and non existent exercise regime are going to be spent by Tommy doing sit ups and drinking cups of tea......meh.

regards,

REB

[Interceptor]

The man is a freak, he came out to take the boys for a training run with the club that I was training with in Horsham.

His training reigeme is military. This is a man that does 500 sits ups EVERY day....

A recent issue of Inside Sport had an article on Hafey.
The man is in awesome condition and is probably the fittest 74 y/o on the planet!
Would definitely put a lot of guys more than 40 years younger to shame.

From memory, he's out doing a 10 km run, swim, the mentioned sit ups, plus press ups for his daily constitutional.
Phenomenal.

[Magpiespower]

Liked it when Cornes pointed out to Morris that "the game passed Tommy by" and Morris replied by saying words to the effect of 'No, generally teams that win premierships, win them on a game plan based on getting the ball long to a key forward (Hart in his case) quickly and not mucking around with the ball under pressure, which was Hafey to a tee.

Exactly.

It's a simple game really but I guess coaches have to justify their pay packet somehow.

Just wish somebody would play Chocko some tapes of the 2004 season when we played a more direct brand of footy.

We've got Tredders up there FFS!

Anyway, T-Shirt Tommy has been given the short end of the stick IMO.

His record is outstanding - only McHale and Norm Smith have won more premierships.

Bloody hell, if it wasn't for the Colliwobbles, he'd have six or seven flags as coach next to his name.

Then again, one could argue those Collingwood teams overachieved.

[ORDoubleBlues]

On one occasion when Hafey was told that he spent too much time with the players and had to spend more time massaging the egos of the board, he said....

"If I've got to suck up to keep the job, I don't want the Fu***ng job!!"