Bendigo Advertiser | THIS weekend's AFL Victoria under-16 country titles and TAC Cup under-18s triple-header at the QEO are a fitting finale to Ray Byrne's time as the Bendigo Pioneers regional manager.
As he overlooked Bendigo's famous oval on Thursday afternoon, Byrne reflected on the many highs as a player and later manager.
An on-field career spanning more than 200 games in what was then known as the VFL included four grand finals.
Byrne's play for Golden Square in the early 1970s caught the attention of Carlton Football Club.
He made his VFL debut with the Blues in 1973 and would later play for Collingwood and Geelong.
There were plenty of highs in the big league, but Golden Square's senior premiership victory in '72 is at the top of the list.
The-then 19-year-old was on a half-back flank in the grand final played on Queen Elizabeth Oval.
"A lot of Golden Square legends were in that team," Byrne said of a line-up that included Peter Moroni, Tony Southcombe and Mike Hammond.
"Bill Bonney was a fantastic coach and set the bar in terms of training, behaviour and character."
