Interview with Ron Barassi
Conducted by Bill O'Connor at
Violet Town on 19/4/09
Bill Ron how do you reflect on your leaving of
the Melbourne Football Club at the end of 1964?
Ron I don't regret leaving Melbourne but I do have
regrets. I wanted to be a one Club person as most people do. I also wanted to
coach and it was clear that to coach I would need to leave Melbourne.
Bill Was there any inkling in 1964 that Norm Smith's time at Melbourne was coming to an end?
Ron Not that I knew of.
Bill With what happened in 1965, maybe the job would have landed in your lap.
Ron (long pause) Maybe it would have because when Norm smith was coaching the Victorian side I did fill in, but I might have left with Norm.
Bill So was all going well when you were there?
Ron Well, apparently not. It didn't get
through to the playing group at the time but I later found out that in an after
match radio interview that Norm called an umpire a cheat. That is a definite no
no. The umpire decided to sue Norm.
Norm went to the Melbourne Board
for help. The Board decided that Norm was an experienced coach and experienced
business person and that he should not have said that. They refused to help
Norm financially.
That decision was correct except
in the case of Norm Smith we are talking about someone who has helped Melbourne
win nine premierships (playing and coaching). For someone who has played a huge
part in nine premierships you turn triple somersaults to assist him. So
Melbourne did the wrong thing in my opinion.
I believe this made Norm a
discontented man and it bubbled out in a few ways.
Bill What was Norm's background before he coached at Melbourne?
Ron He spent 3 years as coach at Fitzroy, his last year being 1951. He took on the Melbourne coaching job in 1952
Bill Why was Norm Smith such a great coach?
Ron He was intelligent, loved his footy, had played well at the highest level and was very honest and ethical.
Bill Did Len Smith get accolades that he deserved?
Ron He's received a lot of recognition. (Bill - From you Ron). I've given him the gong as the man who began modern football. Not too many others have said that but I do know that former Fitzroy and Richmond players would agree with that.
( Ron earlier commented that Norm Smith was a better coach of really
good players and Len Smith was better with players not quite at that level.)
Bill Were you the first recipient of the father - son rule?
Ron I was the second but Melbourne was the first with that idea. Melbourne's administration was probably the best at the time.
Bill Was Norm Smith a father figure to you helping you with issues outside football? Eg guidance about girls
Ron To a degree but he had his own family and his own business to run.
Bill From this area John Henderson and Ian Shelton played VFL in your time. Can you give me your recollections of both of them?
Ron John Henderson was a gifted, fast and quick thinker. He was a dashing type.
Ian Shelton wasn't dashing but he had plenty of flair. He was very rugged in his attitude to physical contact.
Bill What are your best memories at Melbourne?
Ron Winning premierships. That's what you play for. If you want to play for (individual) wraps you might as well play an individual sport. In a team sport the dream is to win premierships.
Bill Any other aspects apart from winning?
Ron I like the feel of the footy, the smell of football rooms and I like the sport.
Bill Who are some guys that you consider to have been really good players but not
quite recognized as the best of the best?
Ron Leigh Matthews is my No 1. I put him ahead of Skilton and Whitten, mainly because he had more opportunity.
Matthews played on the big stage (Final) and played well on the big stage. We don't quite know how Skilton and Whitten would have performed in Finals. That is in no way their fault, their teams just weren't good enough.
You need some luck.
(In Ron's address to the public Ron eloquently demonstrated the role of
luck by pointing out that both he and Stan Alves played 12 years of football at
Melbourne. Ron left in 1964, Stan arrived in 1965. Ron played in 6 premierships
and many finals. Stan played in none. The only difference was that Stan was 12
years younger.)
As less known players that I consider to be outstanding there is David Dench and Geoff Southby. I wouldn't put them in the top bracket of champions but not far off. Other players in that top bracket are John Nicholls slightly ahead of Polly Farmer.
Bill What about players such as Neale Daniher or maybe John Greening who had their careers cut short?
Ron Longevity has to come into the equation. If he has longevity and is still shining then he's one very good player. Those two players did not play nearly long enough.
Bill Who are some players that you coached who turned out much better that you thought
they would?
Ron Alan Jarrott is the one who comes to mind. He played for North Melbourne and then Melbourne. He really applied himself to skill acquisition. He started off as an ordinary kick and ball handler. Ray Jordon was very big on skills and Alan Jarrott was one of his successes. If Jarrott was speedier he might have been one of the greats.
Bill Is there any player that you are still kicking yourself that you let go?
Ron None come to mind. There would be plenty but I don't dwell on regrets.
Bill Players do swap clubs and go really well...
Ron Yes and there would be half a dozen players like that but none come to mind.
Bill You have said that the game is not as good to watch as it used to be. From the time you played was it inevitable that the game would evolve to what is today? Could it have gone different ways?
Ron I don't think we could have done much except change the rules. That's how to change the look of the game. Coaches and players have input but in the end it's the administration who run the rules.
Bill So have the administration steered the game the way it is?
Ron I don't know that they have enough football knowledge to know what they have done to the game. They keep saying that the gates are bigger than ever but they have done that by playing games on several days of the week. That's spinning in my book.
Bill Could we have done things differently to retain the enjoyment of the spectator and the unpredictability of the past?
Ron Yes. We should have our best players on the ground. Currently the game is very messy, so you slow the game down. You do that by reducing the number of players to 16 on the field (as the VFA did). You should move to reduce the role of interchange so that players will slow down through tiredness and therefore pace themselves more through the game.
I think the kicking distance for marks that has gone from 10 meters to 15 meters should be changed to 30 meters. Anything less should be play on. These pathetic little
kicks that go back and forth are just so boring and every one agrees.
Bill Do you think that one day it will become the enjoyable spectacle that it once was?
Ron I hope so. If it doesn't we are flirting with our best customers - fans, barrackers, supporters and failure should be put on the heads of administrators.
Bill What is important in life now Ron?
Ron Health. Seeing out some personal
projects. Making sure that as a family we all get through this global financial
crisis.
Bill Have you ever been starstruck?
Ron No but I have lots of idols.
Bill When on "The Happy Show" in the early 1960s did you have a crush on Princess Panda?
Ron No, though she was a top sort.
Thank you Ron Barassi
