Almanac Tributes: The Muse remembers Fred Cook
Fred Cook playing for Port Melbourne in 1981. Photo: The Age
Well it’s a bit cooler today but The Abbotts longnecks are still the nectar of the gods and after partaking of a couple and rolling a Capstan ready-rubbed I commenced to muse on the life of Fred Cook who passed away yesterday aged 74 .
Now it will be well documented how good a player Freddie was and how his life disintegrated post football but I have a very warm memory of Fred .
Circa 1974 and Fred is the SP bookmaker at the Powell Hotel in Footscray and I was a mere callow youth perhaps earning 50 bucks a week. A bloke I worked with, Denis Canty, owned some very good pacers all trained by Jack Moore at Maryborough. He declares a first starter, a two year old called Dunsinane to those in the inner sanctum but suggests we do the right thing and bet with an SP bookie as he wants the tote price.
I make my way down to the Powell and have $20 [40% of my wage] on Dunsinane with Freddie . Now Freddie wasn’t really cut out to be a bookmaker as he takes the bet he says ‘Are you sure? Gordon Rothacker has a first-starter in called Archibald and it will win.‘
Full of bravado I ignore his advice.
No races on TV in those days, so I listen to the race on the pub radio and of course Archibald wins and Dunsinane runs second. I digress, but both went on to win a lot of races. As I am skulking out of the Powell wondering how I’m going to pay the rent I feel I big hand on my shoulder. It’s Freddie and he whispers, ‘I tried to tell you it couldn’t win, here’s your 20 bucks. You can’t afford to lose that. If you tell anyone I did this you are in trouble. I don’t want people to think I’ve gone soft.’
Now a couple of footy stories.
Story 1. Len Cumming, a mate of mine originally from Mildura, played with Fred at Footscray [Western Bulldogs] and after a dispute over pay they departed to Yarraville in the VFA together for more money . Cummo tells a story about sitting on the bench with Freddie on a freezing day at the Whitten Oval. Now in those pre-interchange days the 19th and 20th man were used sparingly because if they got onto he ground they were entitled full match payment. If not they received a half match payment. Halfway through the third quarter a Bulldog player has to be replaced [probably couldn’t be propped up in the forward pocket with two compound leg fractures]. The call goes out for Freddie to go on as a replacement but he has gone missing from the bench. Panic sets in. Cummo is called upon and is about to enter the field when Fred runs down the terrace jumps over the fence, throws off his dressing gown, scoffs the remnants of a hot dog, throws a Pollywaffle to Cummo and says: ‘You eat the Pollywaffle Cummo, I’ll take the match payment.’
Story 2. Now, when Freddie played in the halcyon days of the VFA, he was the major drawcard and the Channel 10 coverage on Sunday featured Port Melbourne more often than not. A half-time and after-match interview with Freddie were compulsory viewing and never failed to disappoint. I am watching Port on TV and David Thorpe [always a candidate for an academy award] goes down just before half time with a leg injury and is carted off on a stretcher. Siren sounds for half time Freddie is walking off and Phil Gibbs puts the microphone in front of him and inter alia [look it up] asks Fred about Thorpey. Fred responds: ’He’s definitely done a cruciate ligament; it’s probably the end of his career.’ Out they come for the third quarter, Thorpey runs out and plays a pivotal part in a Port win . Freddie waits for the microphone at the end of the game and inter alia when asked about the miraculous recovery of David Thorpe and his wrong diagnosis at half time looks straight at the camera and says something like ‘if you want medical opinions take your cameras to the Prince Alfred and interview a doctor at half time.’
Farewell Freddie. Some people would judge you as a flawed character, I judge you as a big man with a kind heart, albeit after football your selection of the company you kept was not nearly as good as your ability to take a mark and kick a goal .
Regards
Hayden Kelly
Note from Hayden: If you come across the book Fabulous Fred: The Strife and Times of Fred Cook (by friend of The Footy Almanac Paul Amy), I would recommend it as a good read. Read more about the book HERE
Apologies to all those on this who have no idea of who or what I’m talking about .
Read more memoir from The Muse (Drizzle) HERE
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Great post! Your encounter with Cook as a bookie makes me think he was a decent man. Thanks for sharing.
Cracking stories, cracking piece. Thank you. Either way, Fred was a huge part of the history of footy. Thanks again!
I have great memories of Fred Cook.
I recall reading about him in a sporting magazine in the early 70’s. This magazine wasn’t the Sporting Globe, Football Life, or Inside Football, I can’t recall its name. Anyhow it spoke about his heart attack, returning to footy. Around the same time I’d watch the VFA on TV, with my parents commenting on how Fred Cook had experienced a heart attack, then come back to play football. I soon became a Port Melbourne supporter, with Fred Cook the name most strongly associated with the club.
It was a great era. Six flags in eight years, 74, 76, 77, 80, 81, then 82. Fred Cook played in all of them. With these premierships there were plenty of highlights, including two 100+ victories, two tight victories, with of course the violence of 1976. Fred Cook got king hit that afternoon, but played out the game kicking goals. Port Melbourne won the fights, and the match.
The Port Melbourne side of this time were strong, with many top class players. Vic ‘Stretch’ Aanennsen, David ‘Sammy’ Holt, Graeme ‘Arms’ Anderson, Stephen Allender, George Allen were some of these stars. But overarching them all was Fred Cook, the chap who kicked the goals.
There were some top VFA full forwards in this time. Jim ‘Frosty’ Miller, Kim Smith, Rex Hunt, Mark Fotheringham were among them. But none matched the longevity, prowess or overall ability of Fred Cook.
Fred Cook played in a time when the VFA was an important part of our sporting life. That time is long gone. The VFA is a memory, with the pale imitation of the VFL attracting minimal interest. It’s doubtful if those days could ever return, even less likely we’ll see a great like Fred Cook.
Vale Fred Cook.
Glen!
Glen
Liked your post ,different and simpler times and i am not sure the present is better .
Your comments got me googling records . The 4 highest goalkickers in the VFA in order are
Fred Cook 1336 average 4 .4 per game
Rino Pretto 1070 average 4.8 per game
Bob Bonnett [Port ] 933 average 4.1 per game
Mark Fotheringham 928 average 5.3 per game
Fothers needed less opportunities than the others and I reckon because he was arguably the best kick for goal I have seen including AFL . A windswept Willy is hardly a goalkicker’s paradise but he could nail them d from big distances week in week out .
Not as flamboyant as the others but highly effective