While many players are great, how many of them can claim that they dominated the game both on the field and in the coach’s box? Only a few names come to mind that experienced success in both, with one being Ron Barassi, the legendary player who took Melbourne to the six flags in the 1950s and 1960s.
Barassi was a key figure in the Melbourne side that dominated the decades. With Barassi in the team, Melbourne made the Grand Final every year from 1954 to 1960. Barassi played a key role in the Demons winning the Premiership in 1955, the club’s seventh premiership and their first since 1948.
His Demons would then go back-to-back-to-back, winning the flag again in 1956 and 1957. At that time, the three-peat had only been completed three times before, with Carlton winning three consecutive premierships from 1906 to 1908, Collingwood famously winning four consecutive flags from 1927 to 1930, and Melbourne having achieved it from 1939 to 1941.
Melbourne would then win back-to-back premierships in 1959 and 1960, the latter premiership came with Barassi elevated to club captain. After a sustained period of success, Melbourne would fail to reach the Grand Final from 1961 until their next premiership victory in 1964.
In the middle of the 1960s, Barassi left Melbourne to sign with Carlton, one of the biggest and audacious signings in the league at the time, to work as a player-coach for the club. In 1968, Barassi led Carlton to their first premiership in over 20 years. In 1969, Barassi played one game for the season before tearing his hamstring and retiring as a player, but retained his role as the coach.
Even without his own on-field presence, Barassi still coached Carlton to the 1969 Grand Final, where they went down to Richmond by 25 points after leading at three-quarter time. Barassi then led Carlton to their third straight Grand Final in 1970, with Carlton facing a Collingwood side that had finished on top of the ladder two years in a row, and had defeated Carlton in the Semi-Finals.
Despite Carlton going down by 44 points at half time, Barassi orchestrated the greatest comeback in Grand Final history. He implored his side to put speed on the ball, playing a high-risk game where the players would use handballs and play-on at all costs. The result was effective, as his players reversed the result and won the Grand Final by 10 points in front of a record crowd.
Carlton’s second-half performance, largely seen as being responsible for the birth of the modern style of football, which is more fast-paced and relies more on short handballs, is largely credited to Barassi’s tactical nous.
Barassi then left Carlton after the 1971 VFL season, with various reasons listed for his departure. According to some sources, it was Carlton that chose not to renew Barassi’s contract after the club missed the final series. Other sources claim that Barassi was looking for a career change and wanted to focus on his business ventures outside of football.
Regardless of the reason for his departure, Barassi found himself returning to football in 1972 with Victorian Football Association club Port Melbourne as a player, despite not playing a game since the 1969 VFL season. However, Barassi only managed to play four games for the club before suffering another hamstring injury, which sent him back into retirement.
Barassi would then return to the VFL as the coach for North Melbourne. In his second season as coach, Barassi would take North to the Grand Final, where they lost to Richmond, before going one better the following year. While the 1975 Grand Final was North’s first Premiership as a club, it was Barassi’s third coaching Premiership win, and ninth win overall.
With Barassi as coach, North Melbourne would make Grand Final appearances in 1976, where they lost to Hawthorn, and 1977, where they famously drew with Collingwood before winning the replayed game a week later by 27 points. The 1977 Grand Final victory would be Barassi’s final premiership as a coach, taking his final tally to ten Premiership cups, equalling the mark set by Barassi’s former coach at Melbourne, Norm Smith.
On a personal note, Barassi was a part of the AFL’s attempt at creating peace in the Middle East in 2008 as one of the coaches of an AFL team consisting of Israelis and Palestinians (you can read more about this foolhardy adventure here). During this project, I had a chance to meet Barassi and tell him about the fact that my father was at the 1970 Grand Final and left at half time. After asking Barassi if he had a message to send back home, without hesitation, the legend quipped that despite being 44 points down at half time, my father “should have had more faith in him”.
Performances of Note
Melbourne versus Essendon, 1959 Grand Final
Despite being a career midfielder, Ron Barassi frequently managed to get forward and kick bags of goals. One such occasion was the 1959 Grand Final, where Barassi kicked four goals, the equal top scorer for the game alongside Melbourne’s Full Forward, Alan Rowarth, as Melbourne ran out 37-point winners over the Bombers to secure Barassi’s fourth premiership medallion.
Melbourne versus Essendon, 1957 Grand Final
The 1959 Grand Final wasn’t the first time Barassi kicked a large bag of goals in a Grand Final. Two years earlier, Barassi kicked five goals off his own boot, again playing out of the middle. Barassi was instrumental as Melbourne defeated Essendon. Four of Barassi’s goals came in the first half, effectively ending the game by halftime.
Carlton versus Collingwood, 1970 Grand Final.
Coming into the 1970 Grand Final, Barassi and Carlton were coming in as the underdogs. Collingwood had not only finished the home and away season on top, but the Magpies comfortably defeated Carlton in the Semi Final a fortnight earlier, and by half time Barassi’s side was famously down by 44 points. Despite the overwhelming odds, and many Carlton fans already leaving the game, Barassi’s Blues mounted a comeback outsourcing the Pies by 54 points to run out 10 point winners.
Where does the great Ronald Dale Barassi rate on your all-time list?
