Players or coaches, past or present, you'd like to have a beer and a chat with (any team)

[Dry Rot]

I was reading this good thread by bornadog:

https://www.woof.net.au/forum/showthread.php?19774-Luke-beveridge-opens-up-his-debut-life-and-coaching-philosophies&p=676308#post676308

and thought "Gee, I'd actually like to have a beer with Bevo". Sounds like a genuinely interesting and nice bloke.

Got me thinking what players or coaches, past or present, I'd like to have a beer and a chat with.

It's not about how good they are/were - I mean, would you really want to have a beer with Dangerfield or Jeremy Cameron?

Richo sounds like a good bloke. Helps if they can be self effacing. Like to have a beer with him.

What about you?

[Twodogs]

I was lucky enough to have a few meals with Rocket Eade and you would not find a nicer, more respectful bloke. My old man was pretty hard to please-he once pointed out a then unknown Daniel Andrews to me at an ALP function and said "see that bloke sitting there? He going to be the next premier of Victoria and he's the biggest bully you will ever meet" Yes dad thought Mr 75% popularity was a bully!

Dad may only have been a painter who worked for Footscray council but he knew ALP heroes like Bob Hawke, Paul Keating and John Cain on a first name basis and never had a good word to say about any of them. For instance he called Hawke a turd to his face once and said "I don't know who you think you are" Hawke said "I don't think anything Norris. I'm the *!*!*!*!ing prime minister" and the old man replied "You've never uttered a truer word Bob, you haven't had an original thought in your *!*!*!*!ing life" and they both broke out laughing. The only politician he had any time for was Joan Kirner.

But he adored Rodney Eade and wouldn't hear a bad word about him. And he wasn't far wrong. Rocket is one of a kind.

[Dry Rot]

I was lucky enough to have a few meals with Rocket Eade and you would not find a nicer, more respectful bloke. My old man was pretty hard to please-he once pointed out a then unknown Daniel Andrews to me at an ALP function and said "see that bloke sitting there? He going to be the next premier of Victoria and he's the biggest bully you will ever meet" Yes dad thought Mr 75% popularity was a bully!

Dad may only have been a painter who worked for Footscray council but he knew ALP heroes like Bob Hawke, Paul Keating and John Cain on a first name basis and never had a good word to say about any of them. For instance he called Hawke a turd to his face once and said "I don't know who you think you are" Hawke said "I don't think anything Norris. I'm the *!*!*!*!ing prime minister" and the old man replied "You've never uttered a truer word Bob, you haven't had an original thought in your *!*!*!*!ing life" and they both broke out laughing. The only politician he had any time for was Joan Kirner.

But he adored Rodney Eade and wouldn't hear a bad word about him. And he wasn't far wrong. Rocket is one of a kind.

He He! Your old man sounds like a good bloke. I'd much rather have a beer with him than with Dangerfield.

Back to Eade. I don't have a view either way, but why does Eade get/got such bad press?

[Twodogs]

He He! Your old man sounds like a good bloke. I'd much rather have a beer with him than with Dangerfield.

Back to Eade. I don't have a view either way, but why does Eade get/got such bad press?

Basically Rocket didn't have enough mongrel as coach. He was a bit too nice a guy. We were looking for a senior coach, not a best friend.


And Dangerfield is a good comparison to Leon as a player. No as much of an annoying turd pretentious turd though.

[bornadog]

Basically Rocket didn't have enough mongrel as coach. He was a bit too nice a guy. We were looking for a senior coach, not a best friend. .

You mean Leon.

[Dry Rot]

Basically Rocket didn't have enough mongrel as coach. He was a bit too nice a guy. We were looking for a senior coach, not a best friend.


And Dangerfield is a good comparison to Leon as a player. No as much of an annoying turd pretentious turd though.

Not trying to be difficult, but that is the opposite of so much of what I read.

Basically, most of that claims Eade was a nasty ****.

Not saying he actually was, but I'm trying to reconcile your POV vs the MSM.

[Twodogs]

You mean Leon.
No I mean Rocket. Leon has mongrel in spades.


Not trying to be difficult, but that is the opposite of so much of what I read.

Basically, most of that claims Eade was a nasty ****.

Not saying he actually was, but I'm trying to reconcile your POV vs the MSM.

Rocket might have yelled a lot- I was talking to Cam Faulkner one day about an error he'd made cost that cost us us a game nce and he said "oh man. Now I know why his nickname is Rocket! He just yelled and yelled and yelled at me after the game" but there is a huge difference between that and making hard decisions on your favorites. Yes every coach has his favorites but it's a brutal game, and it's not just brutal on the field. IMO He let a few careers linger a little too long. Most successful coaches have been a hard bastard at one stage or another. The playing group don't have to love the coach but they have to respect him and fear that tap on their back.

Aker for instance shouldn't have payed on in 2010. His presence ended up poisoning and dividing the playing group with his antics.

[bornadog]

Not trying to be difficult, but that is the opposite of so much of what I read.

Basically, most of that claims Eade was a nasty ****.

Not saying he actually was, but I'm trying to reconcile your POV vs the MSM.

Eade was a great bloke, I was also part of the catchup dinners with Rocket during his time at the Dogs along with TD and a few other woofers. We had some good conversations about the players, game plans, etc.

As a coach, I don't believe he was nasty but rather the old fashion type of coach, where he screamed at players when they got something wrong, or used yelling as a motivation. Some players like Lake could only get motivated with a bake, but as you know the younger generation (and rightly so) don't like being told what to do, and these days are all about the touchy feelly stuff.

Most coaches now concentrate on what you could do better rather than the negative.

[Dry Rot]

Eade was a great bloke, I was also part of the catchup dinners with Rocket during his time at the Dogs along with TD and a few other woofers. We had some good conversations about the players, game plans, etc.

As a coach, I don't believe he was nasty but rather the old fashion type of coach, where he screamed at players when they got something wrong, or used yelling as a motivation. Some players like Lake could only get motivated with a bake, but as you know the younger generation (and rightly so) don't like being told what to do, and these days are all about the touchy feelly stuff.

Most coaches now concentrate on what you could do better rather than the negative.

Ok thanks.

A different tangent now. Eade got damn close to a flag with the Swans in 1996 and kept them competitive for some years, then took over a basket case Dogs side, almost made the finals in 2005, finals in 2006, sad injury ridden season in 2007 and then took the Dogs deep into the finals for three consecutive years against some pretty hot teams but no cigar.

How do you rate him overall as a coach?

[Twodogs]

Eade was a great bloke, I was also part of the catchup dinners with Rocket during his time at the Dogs along with TD and a few other woofers. We had some good conversations about the players, game plans, etc.

As a coach, I don't believe he was nasty but rather the old fashion type of coach, where he screamed at players when they got something wrong, or used yelling as a motivation. Some players like Lake could only get motivated with a bake, but as you know the younger generation (and rightly so) don't like being told what to do, and these days are all about the touchy feelly stuff.

Most coaches now concentrate on what you could do better rather than the negative.


Not long after he was appointed coach I read an interview with Bevo and he said something like "I reckon a coach has three sprays in him and then it's over. You just have to find different ways of getting your message across without abusing the playing group"

[Dry Rot]

Eade got damn close to a flag with the Swans in 1996

As an aside. One of those "I remember watching when..." moments.

Sydney, or my part of Sydney came to a halt that fateful PF night vs the filthy Bombers in 1996. I was a hard core rugby league man back then. But even I can remember where I was at a mate's house, watching that game, and Plugger kicking that golden point....

Which begs the question - how good were the Bombers in 1996? Were North unbeatable, or would the Bombers have given them a run for their money?

[Mofra]

I have to say Terry Wheeler. He seems like bloke who could have a few beers, spin a few yarns and have a lot of interesting stories to tell.
I knew Richo's personal banker, always said he was a lovely guy.

Ben Hudson just has to get a mention on this thread. Tom Campbell has always been fantastic when I've seen him out and about.

[Twodogs]

Why have I not said Doug Hawkins yet? It should have been an involuntary reaction.

One of the greatest blokes I have met. He found out that it was my uncle's 70th birthday and turned up out of the blue because someone who knew them both (we still don't know who) asked him if he could. He didn't know my uncle from a bar of soap but drove from Bacchus Marsh to Sunbury, and stayed for a couple of hours until he had spoken to all of us just because somebody asked him!

[GVGjr]

I have to say Terry Wheeler. He seems like bloke who could have a few beers, spin a few yarns and have a lot of interesting stories to tell.
I knew Richo's personal banker, always said he was a lovely guy.

Ben Hudson just has to get a mention on this thread. Tom Campbell has always been fantastic when I've seen him out and about.

Have you heard the story about Wheeler apparently getting reported for swearing at the umpire?
The umpire told the tribunal what he thought Wheeler had said to him said and when they questioned Wheeler he apparently denied what the umpire had recalled saying I simply said to him that "You CANT umpire"
The case was dismissed

I'm not 100% sure on this one but I have heard it from time to time over the years

[The Pie Man]

Ok thanks.

A different tangent now. Eade got damn close to a flag with the Swans in 1996 and kept them competitive for some years, then took over a basket case Dogs side, almost made the finals in 2005, finals in 2006, sad injury ridden season in 2007 and then took the Dogs deep into the finals for three consecutive years against some pretty hot teams but no cigar.

How do you rate him overall as a coach?

I got the sense Rocket was great at transforming a group - the story (heard at a Origin Energy preso he did when that arrangement was a thing - pretty sure he's told it again since) about how he asked the players to sit to one side if they didn't think they were senior players yet and found only a handful actually believed they were established a good example. You could tell by late 2005 they started to believe.

Also got the sense he could really sting players - not just a bake, but cut a bit deep - see Ryan Fitzgerald's story about his time in Sydney. Didn't sound great.

Rocket seemed quite at ease with people socially though, very engaging personality.

[jeemak]

I wonder what Eade would have been able to do with our 97-99 teams.

[Remi Moses]

Players can have white line fever
Rocket had coaches box fever
Thought he came at the right time and did an exceptional job
Rohde nearly destroyed the joint

[Twodogs]

Players can have white line fever
Rocket had coaches box fever
Thought he came at the right time and did an exceptional job
Rohde nearly destroyed the joint

I got invited to sit in a sponsor box one night. The game was a bit boring, the other people in the box were getting on my tits but I could pretty much over Rocket's shoulder into his coaching box. First the phone bounced off the desk and hit the window, then the chair went flying across the box when he jumped to his feet to point something out and then he kicked the wall behind him and the coaching box literally shook.
The assistants' should have been on danger money. ��
And I only lasted in the sponsors box until half time. It was then that I decided to go and stand with my mates!

[Jeanette54]

Back in the day you could, depending on how slack the Police attending the ground were, sometimes sneak out to listen to the three quarter time huddle. At North I got to hear Alan Killigrew. What a one man theatrical show that was. But there was a stark difference in the way it was received. Some players looked like they were about to run out and demolish the grandstand for him, others (frankly) looked bored. I think he might have been pretty entertaining with a couple under his belt.

Norf have certainly had their fair share of characters as coaches over the years.

[Twodogs]

The Killa would have been in equal parts inspiring then interesting then entertaining then funnyish and lastly plain boring I reckon. These days he would have lost the playing group by the time the preseason was over.


I reckon it was him who got king hit by a player who was a serving copper in the players' race. It ended up causing big problems for the player (Geoff Rosenow ?) in his policing career. He got no more promotions and served his days out as a senior constable.

[Bulldog4life]

The Killa would have been in equal parts inspiring then interesting then entertaining then funnyish and lastly plain boring I reckon. These days he would have lost the playing group by the time the preseason was over.


I reckon it was him who got king hit by a player who was a serving copper in the players' race. It ended up causing big problems for the player (Geoff Rosenow ?) in his policing career. He got no more promotions and served his days out as a senior constable.

Yep I remember that stoush. A violent one too. In the race at Geelong.