Which Club do You Associate Ron Barassi with??

[bulldogtragic]

The reason I ask as it seems an age related question...?

I think of Barassi as Sydney.

[chef]

Melbourne for me.

[1eyedog]

Def Melbourne

[always right]

North Melbourne's first premiership.

[Maddog37]

Demons for me.

[jazzadogs]

I was born in 1990 and would definitely say Melbourne.

[soupman]

I'm a 1988 child and Melbourne it is.

[Twodogs]

Melbourne for sure.

He lived in Footscray for a while as a kid.

[SonofScray]

Sydney for mine. Mostly because he was all over it as I was growing up with the game.

Ron Barassi is one of my secret, unpopular footy opinions. I just don't have much time for his opinions on footy, or life, however often he gets the opportunity to share them The guy irritates me. Not as much as Sheedy, but they're almost in the same basket.

[boydogs]

1983, Melbourne

[Bulldog Joe]

Clearly Melbourne.

Captain of their last premiership and led them through a hugely successful period, which fell over completely when he departed to coach Carlton.

His time at North got them 2 flags, but he always seemed a mercenary there.

Sydney was just a splat on his windscreen of life. Helped kick start them for Rocket to get them to a GF.

[Mofra]

Melbourne primarily but he is one of those true identities who is associated with football first, an individual club second.

[Before I Die]

Carlton for me.

Initally I found this surprising, but he was there during my teenage years when I first started going to the footy. Surfing, university and parenthood were distractions for me during his time at Norf and Sydney.

[Remi Moses]

Melbourne
The 5 year plan springs to mind .

[Remi Moses]

The working of Barassi can be best illustrated in the book
"The Coach" from Norf in 1977.

[Bulldog4life]

Melbourne for me. When I was a kid he was a gun for Melbourne. I remember Teddy who was called Mr.Football used to call Barassi Mrs.Football.;)

[Twodogs]

1983, Melbourne

Carl Ditterich was captain coach of Melbourne before that. I can't believe I can remember the era of CCs. It's like the place kick. Ancient times

[Webby]

1983, Melbourne

Yep. Brian Wilson's Brownlow, buying Moore from Collingwood and KT from us, screaming "Show me possessions and I'll shut up" at Gerard Healy at the SCG and Shane Zantuck wanting to kill him....

Then the minor issue of him winning six flags with Melbourne as a player (twice as captain), the flags at Carlton and North just don't stack up. I remember seeing footage of an interview with him in 1965 when the interviewer asked him about his shock defection to Carlton (for big money and the capt-coach role) "but where's your heart lie, Ron?) and Barassi just tapping his chest and replying with a grin "it's right here, Jim" (or Bob or whatever the journo's name was). RDB's late father had played for the Dees (in the same #31 guernsey, being killed during WW2) and Norm Smith had been like a father to him. So leaving Melbourne was as big of a shock as EJ leaving Footscray would've been.

It got me reflecting on EJ. (EJ always jokingly called Barassi 'Mrs Football, btw..) and the amount of offers he must've knocked back to leave the Dogs. I believe Richmond might've made a big play for him. As it is, EJ only snagged the one flag, but this is a question that will never be asked about our Ted.

[Twodogs]

Yep. Brian Wilson's Brownlow, buying Moore from Collingwood and KT from us, screaming "Show me possessions and I'll shut up" at Gerard Healy at the SCG and Shane Zantuck wanting to kill him....

Then the minor issue of him winning six flags with Melbourne as a player (twice as captain), the flags at Carlton and North just don't stack up. I remember seeing footage of an interview with him in 1965 when the interviewer asked him about his shock defection to Carlton (for big money and the capt-coach role) "but where's your heart lie, Ron?) and Barassi just tapping his chest and replying with a grin "it's right here, Jim" (or Bob or whatever the journo's name was). RDB's late father had played for the Dees (in the same #31 guernsey, being killed during WW2) and Norm Smith had been like a father to him. So leaving Melbourne was as big of a shock as EJ leaving Footscray would've been.

It got me reflecting on EJ. (EJ always jokingly called Barassi 'Mrs Football, btw..) and the amount of offers he must've knocked back to leave the Dogs. I believe Richmond might've made a big play for him. As it is, EJ only snagged the one flag, but this is a question that will never be asked about our Ted.


Ted wasn't happy when the club retired him after breaking the games record. He did a preseason with North in '71 but decided not to go on with it.

Barrassi's father was the first Australian death of WWII IIRC.

[bulldogtragic]

Ted wasn't happy when the club retired him after breaking the games record. He did a preseason with North in '71 but decided not to go on with it.

Barrassi's father was the first Australian death of WWII IIRC.

I thought the story goes North told EJ he'd have to come in via the reserves and EJ told him he never played reserves and never would. And that was that. So the legend goes.

[Twodogs]

I thought the story goes North told EJ he'd have to come in via the reserves and EJ told him he never played reserves and never would. And that was that. So the legend goes.

You're right I'd forgotten that bit. That's why He decided.

Was It Brian Dixon who told Him? Could you imagine it?

[bulldogtragic]

You're right I'd forgotten that bit. That's why he decided.l

Was It Brian Dixon who told Him? Could you imagine it?

Might be. But, whoever it was had some serious cahoonas! Imagine telling Mr Football to play Norf ressies!

[Webby]

Ted wasn't happy when the club retired him after breaking the games record. He did a preseason with North in '71 but decided not to go on with it.

Barrassi's father was the first Australian death of WWII IIRC.

Yes, that's very true. He did do a pre season. Not sure if it was 71 or 72, though. Apparently he only trained once or twice and it was either as a swipe at the club for sacking him as coach at the end of '71 or for making him finish up as a player at the end of '70 (or both!) Either way, he coached the Dogs in '71. I believe it only lasted one or two training sessions, but he was apparently determined to play. Alas, age had indeed caught up with him.. I think it was a time trial that twigged his Danny Glover moment (ie. "I'm too old for this sh1t!"

Some might consider it blasphemous for me to say this, but I occasionally wonder what would've happened to us if EJ had taken up a mega-money deal to move to a Collingwood, Carlton or Richmond. He was clearly the highest paid individual (and rightly so!) at Footscray however he would've brought a gigantic transfer payment. Had that money been used for an excellent coach and an even spread of good young players, we might've improved on what were pretty lean years between the mid 60's and mid 70's. Ted, meanwhile, might've been seen on some more b&w film jumping on Royce Hart's and Jezza's heads in finals - thus removing any doubt that he was, indeed, the greatest. Meanwhile, we might've played some finals ourselves...

It's just a thought I very occasionally ponder. The last time was after we traded Lake for the Hrovat pick. Lake's a Norm Smith medalist and the sky's the limit for Hrovat... Or when we used the Templeton money to make a run towards the '85 prelim..

sorry for drifting off topic. I also don't know whether to duck for cover at this point or not!!

[Remi Moses]

Lot more loyalty in the game back them Webby.
Not that players didn't change clubs.
It's funny in my primary school years Barassi was Norf, but unfortunately for him I remember that much hyped 1980 period when Barassi was appointed.
To cap it off he took KT of us when he was probably cooked, and he kindly gifted us Les Bamblett.

[LostDoggy]

This thread is a laugh. I was thinking the same thing a few days ago when Fox showed a replay of the 2012 GF and Ron is sitting there with his Swans scarf. Saturday he's got his Dees scarf on.

Ron's a club sl*t.