Finals series | week 4
Finals series | week 4
Finals series | week 4
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Tasmanian Coaching Coups<br />
Tasmanian football clubs have pulled off some<br />
stunning recruitment coups over the course of a<br />
century of football.<br />
Frank ‘Checker’ Hughes<br />
The diminutive Checker Hughes was a classy<br />
player for Richmond in the period 1914 to 1923,<br />
including the Tigers first premierships in 1921-<br />
22. He started his senior coaching career at<br />
Ulverstone and with the NWFU from 1924-26. His<br />
success with the Robins saw him quickly snapped<br />
back up by Richmond. His initial years as a<br />
VFL coach saw him come up against a rampant<br />
Collingwood combination for grand final losses<br />
in 1928, 29 and 30. Another loss to Geelong<br />
followed in 1931 before the breakthrough came<br />
in 1932 with a premiership over Carlton. In 1933<br />
Checker Hughes moved to Melbourne and scored<br />
4 premierships in 1939, 40, 41 and 1948.<br />
Cazaly, Collier and Warne-Smith<br />
Arguably the three best players to ever come to<br />
Tasmania to coach football were Australian Hall of<br />
Fame members Roy Cazaly, Albert Collier and Ivor<br />
Warne – Smith. Cazaly has been duly recognised<br />
in Victoria and Tasmania for his contribution to<br />
football. The Team of the Century coach took<br />
first City (1928, 1930), North Hobart (1932)<br />
and then New Town (1935, 1948, 1949 and<br />
1951) to regional premierships. Collier won the<br />
Brownlow in 1929 and played in a 4th successive<br />
premiership with Collingwood in 1930. In 1931<br />
Cananore secured his services and he promptly<br />
won the league best and fairest award and took<br />
the Canaries to the TFL and State Premiership.<br />
Ivor Warne – Smith had a massive impact on<br />
North-west Coast football for 4 years leading both<br />
Latrobe and the NWFU to some of their finest<br />
moments. Upon his return to Melbourne Warne<br />
– Smith became the first dual Brownlow Medal<br />
winner in 1926 and 1928.<br />
Geelong’s 1963 Premiership Team<br />
Tasmania became a favoured destination for<br />
Geelong’s 1963 premiership team who were<br />
seeking to take up coaching careers. No<br />
less than 5 of their champions and an expat<br />
Tasmanian who was at Geelong in 1963<br />
embarked on successful coaching careers in the<br />
Apple Isle. John Devine: led North Hobart to the<br />
1967, 69 and 74 TFL premierships. Paul Vinar:<br />
took over Longford for 5 seasons. Captain Fred<br />
Wooller: set the township of Penguin alight but<br />
couldn’t deliver the ultimate prize from 1965<br />
to 1968. John Watts: took over the reins at<br />
Hobart from 1966 to 1968. Brownlow Medallist<br />
centreman Alistair Lord: sort a clearance to<br />
Burnie in 1965 but was knocked back by the Cats<br />
and eventually was dissuaded from the move.<br />
Also, ex-pat Tasmanian Brian Lowe, who missed<br />
the Geelong premiership through injury, returned<br />
to Tasmania in 1964 to continue a stunning run<br />
of premiership success with first Cooee and then<br />
East Launceston through until 1971.<br />
23