Tom Hafey on Foxtel last night.

[MarkT]

I loved Tommy as kid. It's almost impossible not to love the bloke. Look at any of the Richmong guys that played under him and they still hold him up as an idol. I was devastated when he got the chop. The truth is he cost us a flag in '77 by flogging the players on the track after the draw because he though they were not fit enough.

Bob Rose was a club legend but an uninspired coach. Mathews climbed Everest and got us our flag for which we should be forever greatful. He also oversaw the rundown of our playing list to the extent that Shaw had an impossible battle. Shaw, of course is not without culpability for our woes or recent years.

Point is, those are probably my fav. coaches too and that is partly why we are where we are. Their flaws have cost us in different ways. Nobodys perfect but if I had one wish it would be that Collingwood was a better learner from it's own mistakes.

Perhaps now with Eddie on board we finally have both the visionary we deserve and the doer we have long needed.

Anyway I've had enough for a while and I'm going to have lie down!

Cheers

[Harrysz]

Tommy Hafey was a great coach. Great! Look at the material he had to work with.Look at the side that he got through to the 1980
Grand Final. Yes, it got flogged, but even to get it into the finals was a monumental effort. Tommy didn't lose us the 1977
Premiership. Phil Carman did!

[London Dave]

Pretty much as I see it Magpie Greg...we werent perhaps fit enough in the 60's/early 70's, and we did have a few unfortunate injuries at crucial stages too.

Bob Rose was/is a real passionate collingwood person.

And Hafey's sides always had a go...Going to the games then I always knew we'd never give up and never ever felt like we had no chance of winning.....ah...the good old days!

[MarkT]

Let me clarrify.

Phil Carmen lost us the 1977 GF because he was a d.head.
Tommy lost us the 1977 GF Replay because he had fixed ideas and never yielded. His fixed ideas were often inspiring but in this instance were somewhat ignorant. It is not possible to effectively increase fitness in between matches even if that was the problem in the first place. By contrast North had a light week and came out sharp. that was the difference between Barrasi and Hafey (and Rose).

Hafey's strength was the way he could get men to give their all for him. All his sides exhibited this character. His other strength was also his weakeness which is often the case. His singleminded determination and faith in his beliefs inspired players and ensured there was never any doubt as to what to do and how to do it. It also made him inflexible.

One of the most admirable in football IMO.



[This message has been edited by MarkT (edited 05 April 2002).]