The dream has become a reality……..
Now comes the hard part……to maintain a gruelling training schedule ……..to establish a permanent spot in the team….to make the most of every opportunity………to keep your feet on the ground when the cameras flash…….and, most importantly, to plan for the future……
From: The Life-Cycle of an AFL Player.
Darcy Wilson is four games into what will, hopefully, be a lengthy League career. Already, many kind words have been spoken about his running capacity and his ability to influence the contest at vital stages.
St. Kilda games have become ‘compulsory viewing’ for all connected with the Wangaratta Rovers, who have followed the progress of a tiny kid wearing the Brown and Gold guernsey, to making his way through the Thirds….to a senior debut….to attracting attention with the Bushrangers…..to cracking the big-time…
Here is the first of a two-part blog on the 26 players who have trod Darcy’s path: ‘From the Rovers to the Big-Time’…….
Mac Hill
Darcy Wilson
Kevin Dellar
JOHN McMAHON ‘MAC’ HILL won a Best & Fairest at his home club, Beechworth, before playing in the Rovers O & K premiership of 1948.
Moving on to play O & M football, he was part of Wangaratta’s 1949 O & M flag……Mac moved to the city to attend Teacher’s College and joined Collingwood where he spent more than half the 1950 season in the Reserves.
Competition for spots as a small man (he stood 5’8”) was intense but he was selected on the wing for the final two games and performed creditably……”Pace, tenacity and courage characterised his play”, the Age reported……..He was part of Collingwood’s Lightning Premiership win in 1951 but spent the remainder of the season marking time in the Reserves.
He resumed his career with the Rovers in the early fifties before taking on a five-year coaching role with Glenrowan whom he led to the 1955 BDFL title.
KEVIN DELLAR was 19 when he transferred to Wangaratta in his employment with the Gas & Fuel Corporation in 1956. After showing glimpses of promise as a determined defender, he was rewarded with 8 senior games.
Dellar’s travels with the Gas & Fuel took him to Seymour, North Gambier, and back to his home town of Horsham where he was enticed to play 5 games with Essendon, on match permits in 1959.
Unable to cope with the trips to and from Horsham, he turned his back on the Bombers and proceeded to carve out a legendary playing and coaching career in the Wimmera, with Horsham, Noradjuha and St. Michael’s. He was a former Mayor of Horsham, and a city councillor for 28 years.
Alan Dale
Les Gregory
Graham Leydin
ALAN DALE was a strong, bustling, stay-at-home, 5’11” centreman who came from Doutta Stars to join Essendon in 1947. He won the inaugural VFL Thirds B & F (the Morrish Medal) and broke into the Bombers’ senior side in late-1950.
His meteoric rise saw him play in a VFL premiership in just his sixth senior game. He had made 42 senior appearances with Essendon when the Rovers appointed him captain-coach in 1954.
After two years, in which he proved an absolute on-field star, he was succeeded by Bob Rose,and returned to Essendon where he played the opening three games of 1956.
Three weeks later, Dale was in St. Kilda colours. He played a further 17 VFL games with the Saints before moving on to Belgrave, Oakleigh and Mount Waverley.
LES GREGORY was just 20, and fresh from the delirium of celebrating an O & M premiership when he accepted an invitation to try out with St. Kilda in 1959.
The Saints secretary Ian Drake travelled to Wangaratta to recruit him: “We arranged to meet at Nick Lazarou’s Cafe in Murphy Street,” he once recalled…..”He suggested I sign a Form Four which would bind me to St. Kilda for two years…..When I began to hum and hah he pulled 150 quid out of his pocket and waved it at me…….That was the clincher…..”
Les found it difficult to adjust to the hurly-burly of city life and began pining for home not long after his arrival in the ‘big smoke’.
Handed six VFL match permits by the Rovers, he broke into the Senior side for an important clash against Collingwood at the Junction Oval. His partner on the bench, ruckman Lindsay Fox, was later to become the billionaire owner of the Linfox Corporation.
There could be no greater contrast to the larger-than-life Fox than the shy, quietly-spoken ‘Nipper’ Gregory, who also performed solidly over the next couple of weeks.
With his match permits now expired, he rang the Rovers coach, Bob Rose, for advice: “Are you happy down there ?”, he said…..”Not really” I replied…..”Well, we’d love to have you back.”
So, after three League games (for three wins), Les returned home. He resumed his position on the wing and continued to dodge and weave around opponents for the next 10 years. He finished with 186 games, four premierships and played in three other Grand Finals.
GRAHAM LEYDIN joined Essendon from his home club, Moonee Valley, in 1959. The slightly-built rover was a member of the Bombers’ 1959 Grand Final side and had played 34 VFL games when he moved to Wangaratta in his occupation as a school-teacher.
He became an instant success with the Rovers under the coaching of Bob Rose, winning the Hawks’ B & F, and playing in the 1962 Grand Final.
He finished runner-up in the Morris Medal the following year but, after 35 games in Brown and Gold, returned to the city (and to Windy Hill). He added one more senior game to his League total to finish with 35 (and 18 goals).
A lengthy playing and coaching stint ensued as Leydin moved on to Brunswick, Doutta Stars, Strathmore, Essendon U19s, North Melbourne and Moonee Valley.
Barrie Beattie
Michael Hallahan
Norm Bussell
BARRIE BEATTIE arrived at Footscray quite by accident. Raised on a farm at Thoona, he was enticed from Glenrowan-Thoona by the Rovers who found work for him at the local abattoir.
Tall, strongly-built and possessive of a decent set of ‘claws’, he spent most of his first season in the Reserves but kicked 48 goals in a break-out Senior season in 1963.
He began a Meat Inspector’s course in Melbourne the following year and was fortunate enough to make the acquaintance of Bill Mobbs, Footscray’s Chairman of Selectors, who invited him to the Western Oval.
Mid-way through the 1964 season, big Barrie made his inconspicuous debut, spending almost the entire game on the bench.
On Queen’s Birthday the next year, with a crowd of his old Rovers team-mates in attendance, he lined up at full forward against Richmond and performed with aplomb…..But, on his way home that night, he dozed off, ran off the road and had an accident.
He recovered in time to play in the Reserves finals and managed two more Senior games in 1966, the last of them a two-goal output in the ‘Dogs 21-point win over Melbourne.
And that was it. He moved on to VFA club Yarraville, had a season with Tongala, coached Parkside for five years and hung up his boots after a couple of seasons at Aberfeldie.
The Beattie connection with Footscray also saw him play several seasons of District cricket with the Dogs. He later took on the ‘poison-chalice’ of the Football Club Presidency in 1988, at a turbulent time in the club’s history.
MICHAEL HALLAHAN is a member of a family with a deep Rovers affiliation. He was seemingly destined for a lengthy career with the Hawks but played just a handful of Reserves games after winning the WJFL Best & Fairest in 1965.
He moved to the city the following year and joined his dad Jimmy’s old club, Fitzroy…… After serving a lengthy apprenticeship (during which he was a VFL U21 rep), he was promoted for three Senior games in 1967.
Mick’s employment took him to Ballarat where he was to prove an out-and-out champion. He played 212 games with East Ballarat, won two Club B & F’s and was runner-up on six occasions.
He represented (and coached) Ballarat Country Championship sides and was later admitted to the BFL Hall of Fame. After coaching stints with Cressy, Newlyn and Buninyong, he hung up the boots but always maintained that his greatest regret was not playing senior football with Wang. Rovers.
NORM BUSSELL was going on 17 when he headed in from King Valley to try his luck with the Rovers. The tall, skinny, ‘rough as guts’ youngster impressed coach Bob Rose who nursed him through the 1962 season.
When Rose took on the Collingwood coaching job, Bussell was one of his targets. Norm signed a Form Four, binding him to the Pies for two seasons, but he was unable to be freed from his auto-electrician’s apprenticeship, and consequently starred in the Rovers’ 1964 and ‘65 premierships.
Hawthorn pounced when the Magpies’ hold on him lapsed and he blossomed to become a permanent member of a developing side.
The Bussell playing-style suited their mentor John Kennedy and, over the next seven seasons, he was to make 113 appearances with Hawthorn – mainly at centre half-back. He relished the brutal 1971 Grand Final in which both sides went hammer and tongs at each other from the first bounce, with the Hawks prevailing over St. Kilda by 7 points.
On his return to the Rovers, Bussell resumed his role as the team’s hard-man and played a crucial part in the 1974 and ‘75 flags. After 146 games, two B & Fs and four flags he headed to Whorouly whom he coached to premierships in 1977 and ‘78. He also had one year at the helm of Myrtleford in 1985.
Bussell is a member of the O & M, O & K and Wang Rovers Halls of Fame.
Philip Doherty
Michael Nolan
John Byrne
PHILIP DOHERTY was nicknamed ‘The Flying Doctor’ in deference to the aerial acrobatics which he regularly produced. Standing 6’3” and a slender 13 stone, he came up through Centrals in the local Junior League and served a rather extensive apprenticeship in the Reserves before becoming an established senior player with the Hawks.
By 1971 ‘Doc’ was a ‘must-watch’ player. He exploded in the last half of the Grand Final that year, taking some spectacular grabs and kicking four goals which helped the Hawks to a 19-point triumph.
After 43 senior games with the Rovers he was one of a number of players from North Melbourne’s O & M zone to be invited to training at Arden Street.
Under the coaching of Brian Dixon, the Roos were struggling……‘Doc’ showed plenty of promise in seven games in 1972, which included two ‘bags’ of four goals. But the arrival of Ron Barassi spelt the end for him. He managed only another four Senior appearances before being shipped off to WAFL club Perth as part of the Barry Cable transfer deal.
The spacious grounds and dry weather suited the angular Doherty who kicked 5.6 in Perth’s 1973 Grand Final defeat at the hands of East Fremantle.
He spent another two seasons at the goal-front then gave it away to concentrate on selling cars…… 49 years later he still resides in the West.
MICHAEL NOLAN was a genial, unaffected, laid-back character who just happened to become one of the huge personalities of League football.
Huge was the operative word for Mick whom they dubbed ‘The Galloping Gasometer’ because of his 135kg torso.
He was one of Tarrawingee’s greatest products…..When he joined the Rovers in 1968 he was fresh from winning the Bulldogs’ Best & Fairest . …..Considering that he hadn’t been rated good enough to be a senior player two years earlier, that was no mean feat.
His rise to prominence with the Rovers was not unexpected…….He adapted so well, showed such deftness in palming the ball, and was so competitive that he was rarely beaten in big man duels…..despite being under-rated by opposition clubs.
He took out the Best & Fairest and played in premierships in each of his last two years and suitably impressed North Melbourne’s recruiters in the ‘72 Grand Final.
So, after 101 O & M games, he was ready to pit himself against the best big men in the game…..He walked into the North side and their small men feasted on his dominance. Barry Cable rated him the best tap ruckman he’d seen……Mick played a starring role in that famous, ground-breaking 1975 Premiership win.
The Big Fellah had played 107 games and kicked 40 goals with the Roos when he was coaxed up north by League officials who were keen to propagate the code in the Sunshine State……. He coached QAFL club Mayne to a flag and retired, aged 36, after 101 games; achieving the rare feat of passing the century with three different clubs.
JOHN BYRNE showed enough potential in his brief Junior League career with Imperials to indicate that he was a player of the future.
To the delight of his dad Bill, a keen Rovers fan, the 16-year-old walked straight into a top-class Hawk side which was on its way to the 1972 premiership…….John was playing his 21st senior game in that Grand Final and his exceptional talent couldn’t help but impress the watching North Melbourne officials.
Despite their eagerness to get him down to Arden Street immediately, he decided to complete his Year 12. The Rovers were tickled pink; they had the use of his services for another season….. When he headed down in 1974 after 43 games in Brown and Gold, he was touted as a future League star.
He took out North’s Reserves B & F that season and soon established himself as a Senior regular. …..Within three years he was regarded as one of the finest ruck-rovers in the game.
He and his team-mates shared in the joy of a premiership triumph when the Roos ran away from Collingwood in the 1977 Grand Final replay.
And his reputation as a top-notcher was enhanced soon after when he travelled to Perth to represent Victoria in a 1978 State-of-Origin clash alongside some legends of the game.
Fate was to intervene soon after…….Byrne collided with Collingwood’s Andrew Ireland, suffering a badly broken leg……..Afterwards, the leg caused continual problems……The surgeon’s advice, that he should give footy away if he wanted to walk later on in life, saw him hang up his boots, aged 26…..He had played 98 games……..
For decades John Byrne continued to serve the game he loved, coaching the O & M, acting as North Melbourne’s zone representative, and working for AFL Victoria and the Murray Bushrangers.
This story appeared first on KB Hill’s website On Reflection and is used here with permission.
All photos sourced from KB Hill’s resources unless otherwise acknowledged.
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