Almanac Book Review: ‘Brillance and Brutality’ – Dan Eddy

 

 

 

Brilliance and Brutality:  Book Review

 

Brilliance and Brutality, by Dan Eddy, is a thorough and in depth look at Carlton and Richmond and the years of 1969, 1972 and 1973, when the Tigers and Blues played off in three grand finals. Because of this, both clubs built up a rivalry. It wasn’t just a rivalry; it was a hot-blooded aggression and true hatred of each other. While the suburbs of Carlton and Richmond are geographically close together, the clubs’ approaches couldn’t be more different. The Tigers had the image of a battler, the working-class routes of the club were an ingrained part of their character. Meanwhile Carlton had more of an elite, middle-class image.  This is the story, as told by Dan Eddy, of the 1960s/70s premierships of Carlton and Richmond.

 

In the chapters covering Carlton, the book is basically a prequel to Dan Eddy’s other book, Larrikins and Legends, which I’ve also reviewed. Some names are the same, such as Alex Jesaulenko and Bruce Doull. In this book, it discussed these players in different roles, when they were younger. So that was an interesting insight. Also, I will add, the book covered Ron Barassi’s famous words during the 1970 Grand Final, to handball and play-on at all costs. It goes to some lengths discussing and also debunking the actual origins of this style play. Which is a part of VFL/AFL history I hadn’t read before. Meanwhile, at Punt Road, they played by a different philosophy.

 

Richmond’s style of play, instigated by their coach Tom Hafey, was based around few handballs or short passes. Their main instruction being to kick long and down the centre to score quickly. Tom Hafey’s instructions could have got lost or over-shadowed by another Tigers’ trait. That of on-field violence and aggression. So, the Tigers during this era were underpinned by this philosophy also. Which meant they did anything to get an advantage. Whether it was within the rules, or not.

 

While Carlton was by no-means innocent in this, as no clubs were at the time, Graham Richmond and his cronies such as Alan Schwab, took physicality to a higher level. Dan Eddy’s discussion of this reminded me of a part of Kevin Sheedy’s autobiography, where he explained how he (Sheedy) was responsible for the introduction of the 50-metre penalty. In the early 1980s, Sheedy instructed Essendon players to hold onto or rough-up opposition when there were brief pauses, like if a player took a mark or there was a bounce. Sheedy explains this allowed Essendon players time to man-up on opponents further down the field. Thus, shortly thereafter, the 50-metre penalty was introduced. So, I could see how this was molded by, Sheedy’s days playing for Richmond.

 

Dan Eddy has a great ability to pull the reader into the scene, with his precise descriptions. It felt like I truly got to know the personalities within each of the clubs. The motivations of each of the players were different, but I could see how each of them, suited their club’s philosophies. Eddy also writes a precise and thorough history of the clubs, which puts everything into context. And lastly, Eddy brings great descriptions to each time these two clubs met, and often with fiery exchanges.

 

Reading the book, it could at times be difficult to follow. This was due to my lack of familiarity with the 1960s/70s era of VFL football. But it was also due to something I have now noticed about Dan Eddy’s writing style. Eddy would be talking about a particular thing, such as Carlton’s preparation for the 1973 grand final. And there’d suddenly be a lengthy quote, from a girlfriend or assistant coach, filling a page and a half. I’d be flicking back two or three pages, trying to find just who was talking, and I’d lose track of what it was actually talking about. The quote would sometimes be from a person, not having a particularly central role in the chapter, so the quotes could feel insignificant.

 

Brilliance and Brutality by Dan Eddy, tells the story of the Grand Finals played between Carlton and Richmond. These two clubs played off in three grand finals, between 1969 and 1973. The book discusses the different approaches taken by Carlton and Richmond, and their styles of play. The book discuses the game’s ever evolving tactics and their origins. As well as the people who created them, such as Ron Barassi and Tom Hafey.  In all, it was an interesting and compelling read.

 

 

You can read more from RagingBull (Callum Quirk) Here.

 

 

 

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