FEW PEOPLE have had a greater impact on Australian football thanThomas Stanley Raymond Hafey, who died on Monday, aged 82, after abattle with cancer. And although he played at the highest level, therenowned fitness fanatic will be remembered as one of the greatestcoaches the game has seen.
Between 1966 and1988, Hafey coached Richmond, Collingwood, Geelong and the Sydney Swansin 521 games. He won four premierships with the Tigers, led his clubs to10 Grand Finals altogether, and recorded a winning percentage of 65.
ACollingwood supporter in his youth, Hafey grew up in East Malvern inMelbourne's inner-east, which was then in Richmond's metropolitanrecruiting zone.
After he won two senior bestand fairest awards with the East Malvern Football Club in 1951 and '52,the Tigers, aware that both Fitzroy and the Magpies were keen on him,invited Hafey to training.
Although hisrelationship with Richmond would wax and wane at times, he developed aclose bond with the club from that moment on.
Aman who never drank alcohol nor smoked, Hafey ended up playing 67 gamesfor the Tigers over five seasons, most of them in the back pocket. Butafter spending a large part of the 1958 season on the bench, he came tothe conclusion his time was up at the highest level.
Hespent the 1959 season running around with a Richmond-based team inMelbourne's amateur competition, then accepted the position asplaying-coach of Goulburn Valley League club Shepparton.
Hafeyled the Maroons for six seasons in all, and took great pride in pushinghis players to their physical limits. Under his guidance, Sheppartonmade four Grand Finals and won a hat-trick of flags in his last threeyears there.
Hafey kept in contact withRichmond during that time, scouting potential players for the club. Andwhen Tigers coach Len Smith suffered health problems during the 1965season and had to relinquish his position, Hafey's impressive bushcoaching record saw him lured back to the Punt Road Oval. At the age of34, he was appointed Richmond's senior coach.
Not in their wildest dreams could the Tigers' powerbrokers have imagined how successful Hafey's coaching tenure would be.
Byensuring his players were fit, and by using a simple game-plan that canbest be described as long kicks to mercurial centre half-forward RoyceHart, Hafey led Richmond to a premiership in just his second season backat the club.
With an array of other brilliantplayers at his disposal, including Kevin Bartlett, Ian Stewart, FrancisBourke and Dick Clay, Hafey led the Tigers to another flag in 1969, thenback-to-back premierships in 1973 and '74. Ever the teetotaller, hecelebrated his successes by drinking cups of tea.
Buthis relationship with Richmond's committee, namely the godfather of theclub, Graeme Richmond, broke down after the 1976 season. Hafey quit theTigers and headed to one of the club's arch-enemies, Collingwood.
Bythen known as 'T-shirt Tommy’, due to his penchant for wearing T-shirtsregardless of the weather, he led the Magpies to five Grand Finals –the same number he took Richmond to. Yet he was heartbroken on eachoccasion.
In 1977, he almost performed amiracle, leading a Collingwood side that had finished on the bottom ofthe ladder the previous year all the way to the last Saturday inSeptember. But after leading North Melbourne by 27 points atthree-quarter time, the Magpies were overrun in the final term and thegame ended in a draw. The Kangaroos then easily won the replay.
Therest of Hafey’s time at Collingwood played out in a similar way. He wascontinually able to get his teams to the pointy end of the season, butthey faltered again and again when it mattered most.
Hafey'sMagpies lost the 1979 and '81 Grand Finals to Carlton, and, mostgalling of all for the former Tiger, were thrashed in the 1980 deciderby Richmond.
Collingwood slumped in 1982 andHafey was sacked, yet he picked himself up off the canvas again, soonwinning the position as Geelong's senior coach. His time at the Catterywas unsuccessful, but he never lost faith in his methods.
Inlate 1985, he found himself back in business when he took over as bossof the reinvigorated, and now privately owned, Sydney Swans.
Withthe VFL's highest-paid squad of players to pick from, a group thatincluded star midfielders Gerard Healy and Greg Williams and high-flyingforward Warwick Capper, Hafey took the Swans to the finals in 1986 and'87, yet his men floundered in September in both years.
Hafeyleft the Swans after the 1988 season. Although he was often mentionedas a candidate for other coaching jobs during the following decade,especially whenever Richmond found itself in turmoil, which was often,Hafey never coached again.
However, the end ofhis coaching career didn't slow him down. He became a gifted publicspeaker, inspiring thousands of school children around the nation withhis messages about being active and dreaming big.
Evenas Hafey entered his 80s, keeping fit remained an obsession. He roseevery morning at 5.20am and went for a run, a swim in Port Phillip Bay,and did an inordinate number of push-ups and sit-ups. Prior to hisillness, he could have been mistaken for being 20 years younger than hewas.
Something that warmed Hafey's heart washis reconciliation with Richmond during his later years. He was welcomedback into the Tiger fold, with the Tommy Hafey Club, which financiallysupports Richmond and its past players, founded in his honour.
Therecipient of an MBE in 1981, Hafey was part of the inaugural intakeinto the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1996. He was named coach ofRichmond's Team of the Century in 1998 and was named an 'Immortal' bythe club in 2003.
His death will be felt throughout football, but it will resonate most at the Tigers, who have truly lost one of their own.
Hafey is survived by his wife Maureen and his daughters Rhonda, Karen and Jo.
