On 8/13/2016 at 2:48 PM, junk said:

Norm Smith could have been much more successful than what he was because the club knocked back the gret Poly Farmer(Geelong) and Darryl Baldock (St.Kilda). Hopefully Simon and co. get it right and continue with success.

Not sure where you got this from ?? Farmer was sought after by almost every Club in the VFL. Did you confuse him with Doug Wade ? whom we did knock back.

Ditto for Baldock another champion sought after by most VFL clubs at the time.

There is a story Melbourne signed him when he was young but there is no actual evidence about this.

 

 

On 8/4/2016 at 12:09 PM, Mazer Rackham said:

Hey ... Neeld tried that same approach.

Only he had such high regard for his players, he did it to all of them.

Dunno why it didn't work. Maybe it diluted the excellence too much.

No I think his approach was different, he told all the players that they where no good, weak and needed a kick up the bum

Recruiting zones were changed which doomed the dees. Whoever was coach didn't matter.

Recruiting zones heavily assisted the dorks and the lollieblues whose premiership sides in the 70s and 80s were full of zoned (ie untouchable) players. Zoning disadvantaged the dees whose zone delivered few champions (Flower, Lyon and not much more) in 20 years until drafting commenced.

Good coaching and preparation could still make a difference but not enough for a flag. The u19s under the highly regarded juniors' coach Slug Jordan in the early 80s populated our finals teams in the 80s and 90s. But even they were not champions but just a well coached and trained group who came through together and were inspired by Northey to play above themselves.

2021 is the first year since the early 60s where we have a several mature champions at the same time (Max, Clarry, Tracc, May and Lever) and a well coached and implemented game plan based on roles.

C'arn the dees.

3 hours ago, bush demon said:

Recruiting zones were changed which doomed the dees. Whoever was coach didn't matter.

I think a bigger problem was the inexorable move to full-time professionalism which the MCC was slow to accept during the 70s and early 80s. (I'd even suggest the MCC actively fought against it, although whether I can find evidence to support that supposition is questionable. I do vaguely remember a media story about the last true amateur in the then VFL playing for Melbourne. Was it John Clennett?)

In support of your argument would probably be all the Dees who retired early or went to other clubs. Bromell, Barassi, Roet, Mithen, Bob Johnson, Hassa Mann off the top of my head.

27 minutes ago, bush demon said:

In support of your argument would probably be all the Dees who retired early or went to other clubs. Bromell, Barassi, Roet, Mithen, Bob Johnson, Hassa Mann off the top of my head.

Agree - the number of decent players that left from late 60's to the late 70's didn't help - Kenneally, Jacobs, Groom, Dillon, Parke, Kerley, Thorne, Keenan, Callery, Fitzsimmons, Hardeman, Alves, Wells, Elshaug.

On 8/5/2016 at 5:40 AM, bush demon said:

Everything that goes around, comes around. In the 60's, and then with North in the 70's our premiership model was appropriated by the rising clubs. Ron Barassi, surely one of the last 'non-thinking coaches' was able to terrorise talented footballers into becoming premiership bullies, just like the Dees  under Smith did years earlier. As far as 6 degrees of separation and a tenuous S.A link are concerned, I think it all started with the post '64 premiership 'championship of australia', when melbourne defeated South Adelaide in Adelaide to win this unofficial title for the third time. South Adelaide revealed themselves to be a highly competitive unit, and showed that south australian footy was definitely on a par with victorian footy, it's just that we stole all the interstate footballers to make our code look good. we tried to bring in darren? jarman in the 90's from s.a  as one of our draft picks but he wouldn't come, proudly remaining home to help adelaide win their first flags. now all these years later simon goodwin steps into the hardest job in football - returning our club to their mythical, legendary status. 

Wow, just wow. Pretty much invented the modern game in 1970, completely out coached Haffey in 1977 grand final replay, birthed the modern day Sydney Swans. I could list another dozen examples . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 

15 hours ago, Queanbeyan Demon said:

Wow, just wow. Pretty much invented the modern game in 1970, completely out coached Haffey in 1977 grand final replay, birthed the modern day Sydney Swans. I could list another dozen examples . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 

Fully agree QB -  to call  Barassi and by implication Norm Smith "non thinking" coaches is patently absurd.

Sure it was a different era where discipline was king & coaches were much tougher on players in particular Kennedy, Jeans & Hafey  but both Smith & Barassi were acknowledged as great motivators, creative and innovative and brilliant tactical coaches.

Reading The Red Fox currently, cannot put it down!