Best VFA coaches
Five of the better VFA coaches
Terry Wheeler
Fantastic communicater who performed a near miracle in 1985 with Williamstown. With one round to go the seagulls where one game out of the four plus 11 precent. The gulls had to play Geelong West away which was alwys a hrad game. It also had to rely on Coburg beating 4th team Port Melbourne at the Coburg City Oval. Coburg thrashed Port by 17 goals and Willy won at Geelong West by about 6 goals. Willy snuck into the four by 2 percent. The Gulls then knocked off Preston who had won the previous 2 flags in the first semi followed by a win over Coburg in the Prelim. It then lost by a mere 6 points to Sandy in the Grand Final.
The seagulls went one better in 1986 beating Coburg in the Grand Final. Wheeler ended up coaching the Bulldogs.
Mark Williams
Performed well with an undermanned Preston who was stand alone. They were competitive in most matches. He has won back to back flags for Sandringham. Another great communicater.
Gary Brice
Won three straight flags for the Borough and was a great leader. Hard man but got the best out of Port when it mattered.
Max Papley
Played it hard and was a great leader with a will to win and did great to lift Willimastown from a flag in 2nd Division in 1969 to runners up in 1970 in 1st Division.
Donald McDonald
Coached Werribee to its one and only flag in his first season in 1993. Also coached Box Hill to a flag (one and only flag, not including second division). Great record and great motivator. Should be coaching an AFL team as he deserves to.
Wally Carter at Willy 1954 - 1957 three flags in four years and in his last season 1957 the Seagulls went through the season undefeated until the second semi and lost the prelim final as well.
At Sandy one of our better coaches in my opinion was Bob Keddie...strangely though he seemed to incur the wrath of a certain section of the Sandy crowd....
I thought Tommy Alvin did ok...we got to a Grand Final only to be beaten by a very good Springvale side...
We've had our share of very average coaches as well...I'll name a couple...Darrell McKenzie and Phil Stevens....for example...When Phil Stevens was coach we were at Geelong West getting our regulation thrashing....imagine our suprise when we see Phil Stevens sipping on a cup of tea talking to some old Geelong friends while the game was in progress...good grief..
Same ground....another walloping...the week before the finals start....Sandy are 4th...Geelong West and Port Melbourne are fighting for 2nd spot and the double chance....Darrell McKenzie tells the team to treat the game as a practice match...end result...we get thrashed..Port Melbourne drop to 3rd on percentage...we face Port the following week in the 1st semi and they go and kick 11 goals in the 1st quarter against the wind....good grief
No wonder we didn't win a flag for 23 years
I reckon you are being a bit harsh on D McKenzie he did get the Zebs into the 1977 GF.To me the worst coaches at Sandy would have to be Peter Hogan, Kevin Murray and Neil Busse - yes the same N Busse who is now chairman of FV.
Busse hasn't been Chairman of FV for a few years now.
Sorrie!
He was also the Chairman of the AFL Tribunal for some years but a pathetic coach that got the arse at Sandy and never ever mentions that he played two seasons at the Beach Road Oval coming via Richmond and South Melbourne.
:D
Sorry for this one as he was a top fella and never really had the cattle but we avoided 2 relegation games when he was coach and that was the great Kevin Murray 1975/1976. Kevin was very popular with players ,supporters and the SFC Committee but just could not produce the same inspiration as when was with the then Fitzroy but still say he was a top fella.
wink:
Go zebs