John Northey's Legacy

[astrodee 0]

John Northey may have coached us to the then record losing margin GF defeat, but he forged a TEAM of steel and his legacy to this club should be honoured. CC, Lyon, Stynes, Lovell, Hopgood, Ingo, Flower, Hutchison, Lovett, Viney, Greg Healy - these are just some of the team that he gave an 'us vs them' attitude that will lead this club into it's bright and successful future.

[Yze_Magic 3]

Northey was awesome.

Put together an amazing team. Tough, fearless, skilled.

if not for the new President, we would have played in back to back GF's in 87 and 88.

We were hitting with the big boys back then - Hawthorn, Geelong and Carlton were all awesome teams in the late 80's, and we were up there.

Makes me wonder how the hell Richmond is considered one of the big 4.

[Gorgoroth 13,091]

Yeah we was the best coach in my lifetime, Even with ND who did very well you just never knew what team would run out onto the ground, with northey it was always going to be a hard tough team who would give there all.

[warren dean 193]

Yeah we was the best coach in my lifetime, Even with ND who did very well you just never knew what team would run out onto the ground, with northey it was always going to be a hard tough team who would give there all.

I agree, the best coach we've had since NS. He inherited some excellent juniors from the Slug Jordan school- Greg Healy, Yeats, Grinter, Connolly, Newport etc, but he moulded together a team that was very difficult to beat. Five consecutive finals series after 24 years out of September was a mighty effort, especially given the era - Hawthorn, Carlton, Geelong, Essendon and the Eagles were all outstanding teams throughout this period. Even Collingwood won a flag. Actually, I used to argue often with my Collingwood supporting friends as to who was the better coach out of Northey and Matthews. We played finals every year from 87-91 and always won at least one final. The Pies played finals from 88-90, didn't win a final in 88 or 89 (we put them out both years), but got the breaks in 90 and won the most open season I have ever seen (incidentally, the same year we ended Hawthorn's GF streak). In fact other than that 1990 final series, Matthews never won another final as coach of the Pies! I'd say Matthews would take the points now though!!

His record overall is pretty impressive. One year with the Swans and then he came to us - finals 5 out of 7 years, 3 years at the Tigers and into a Prelim in his last year (first finals appearance since 82 for them), and then another prelim with the Bears in 96 and then a sliding finals appearance with new Lions before getting the flick in 98. Arguably the best coach in VFL/AFL history not to win a flag!