JOURNALISTS and senior coaches often form prickly relationships, but it doesn't mean that there's no dialogue between the two parties.
Here in the Bendigo league there's been some remarkable figures.
Clearly success is measured by the number of premierships a senior coach garners for his club, yet I have found some mentors without a single flag to their names who have created lasting impressions with me.
Here are a few for footy fans to consider.
Derrick Filo (Kyneton, Kangaroo Flat, Eaglehawk): when he was a playing captain at Castlemaine I never thought of Dekka as a coach. Admittedly he had captained the Magpies to their 1992 premiership, but it wasn't until he had returned to central Victoria from Balranald to coach Kyneton that Filo's leadership really blossomed. He took the Tigers to the 1995 and 1997 flags - and a narrow six-point loss to Kangaroo Flat in 1996 - and then revitalized the Roos as the Noughties dawned.
Unable to counter powerful Gisborne sides in his early years at Eaglehawk, Filo galvanized the Two Blues to their dramatic two-point grand final win over the Graveyard Dogs in 2007 (12.12 to 12.10), following up with a one-goal win over the Square a year later. He has gathered together another powerful list for the 2010 season and evergreen Filo, one of the greatest players this region has seen, is set for another big year.
The big, unanswered query still remains though --- will he pull on the boots sometime in 2010 for yet another crack at senior footy?
Brian Walsh (Sandhurst, Golden Square): another returning central Victorian with experience at VFL/AFL level (Carton and Essendon: 115 total games, 211 goals), 1969 Michelsen Medallist Walsh racked up outstanding success as a senior coach. In 1985 Walsh coached Sandhurst to the BFL grand final, only to see the Dragons succumb to the rampaging Northern United by five goals. Walsh had the last laugh, though. His Golden Square side of 1988 ended the Swallows' run of four flags with a 14-point play-off win. Then Walsh backed up the Bulldogs with a three-goal victory over the Peter Bradbury-coached South Bendigo in 1989. But perhaps his greatest moment was yet to come.
In 2001 Walsh's Square side emerged victorious from the elimination final and then won their next three matches --- including the 14-point grand final victory over Sandhurst --- to become the only BFL side of the modern era to win a premiership from the first weekend of the playoffs: the sudden death elimination final.
Tony Southcombe (Golden Square, Northern United): a dual winner of the Michelsen Medal in 1972 and 1975 Bluey played in the Square premiership teams of those seasons, as well. But it was as a playing coach he stamped an enduring mark on BFL history. After going down to Sandhurst by three points in the 1978 grand final [19.10 (124) to Square's 18.13 (121)], Southcombe's ‘79 side was never going to lose. I watched hardened Dragons' supporters walk out of the QEO at three-quarter time in September, 1979 as Bluey's Bulldogs crushed Sandhurst: 21.14 to 8.15.
His crowning achievements were still to come as he took fledgling major league club Northern United to three, successive flags in 1984-85-86 (Brendan Mason coached the Swallows in 1987). Along with recruiting whizzes Terry Mangan and John Mulqueen Southcombe assembled a crack United side: Ron Best, Garry Mountjoy, Gavin Exell, Ron Couchman, Rod Lea, Murray Osborne, Leon Holt and Dave "The Painter" Wharton were in his top bracket of players. In more recent seasons, Bluey has taken Elmore to the Heathcote District Football League premiership.
Denis Higgins (Eaglehawk, South Bendigo): there's been some thrilling grand final battles in the BFL but none perhaps as nerve-jangling as the 1980 play-off. Higgins was the playing coach as the Two Blues triumphed by two points over Golden Square: 17.20 (122) to 19.6 (120). Higgins wasn't too impressed by the media's anointing of the Dogs' centreman Darryl Salmon as best afield in the pulsating grand final. At the after-match presentations, Higgins made it quite clear he thought Eaglehawk ruckman Gary Addlem should have snared the award.
Nevertheless Higgins and his players had the last laugh --- they had the premiership cup in their keeping.
Like a lot of other leading players in the BFL, Higgins was also a consummate inter-league performer. He kicked the winning goal for the Blue and Golds in a Division 1 Country Championships semi-final. Bendigo downed Wimmera by less than a kick on the back of Higgins' major.
Billy Barham (Kyneton): now although Bill didn't lead the Tigers to a flag he's in that category I mentioned in the introduction: a memorable coach. Perhaps just as much to the outsider as the club's insiders.
He might not have been the first to do so, but Billy certainly instilled the "us and them" frame of mind in Kyneton's senior list. A mental image I'll never erase is Billy huddled with his players at three-quarter time in the freezing cold, with sleet coming in sideways, frantically waving his arms to explain which side of the Kyneton Showgrounds to bring the ball down.
Bill's sons, Marcus and Jordan, are senior premiership players with Gisborne. In addition playing coach Marcus took the Graveyard Dogs to the 2005 and 2006 BFL flags, while Jordan Barham won the BFL Ron Best senior goalkicking medal with 75 goals in 2008.
Bill's knowledge about the transformation in the way the game has changed down the decades must have been invaluable to Marcus as he led the Gardiner Reserve Dogs to two senior flags.
Still to come: Leon Grose (South Bendigo), John Ledwidge (Eaglehawk), Robert Ross (Kangaroo Flat), Malcolm Stevens (Castlemaine).
Richard's tips for Round 4: Kyneton, Castlemaine, Eaglehawk, Golden Square, South Bendigo. Season total: 14.
By Richard Jones
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