Coaching great Denis Pagan, Wayne Carey’s son fire up Kangaroos
North Melbourne’s greatest ever coach had a priceless whack for the Roos’ current crop of players on their Centenary celebration.
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North Melbourne legend Denis Pagan had a priceless clip for the current squad on a special night for the Kangaroos at Marvel Stadium.
The club celebrated its Centenary on Thursday night, competing for much of the game before eventually getting outclassed 20.14 (134) to 13.7 (85) by the Western Bulldogs.
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Founded in 1869 as the North Melbourne Football Club, it joined the former Victorian Football League competition exactly 100 years ago, in 1925.
Adopting the name Kangaroos in 1950, the club has typically had a working class, backs-to-the-wall spirit throughout its history.
Watch Denis Pagan fire up the Roos in the player above
Since Pagan led the Roos to premierships in 1996 and 1999, however, the club has fallen on hard times.
Pagan, 77, who was given the honour of being named coach of the club’s Team of the Century, provided a classic pre-match speech in an effort to inspire the “Shinboners” on such a special night.
And in trademark style, he didn’t pull any punches.
After taking the current list through a short history of the club, Pagan couldn’t resist bringing up North’s dreadful 85-point belting against the Hawks last weekend.
“The 90s came along and we had a great team then, very similar to the 70s,” Pagan said as his volume increased.
“No one intimidated us. We had a mantra, ‘war without weapons’. Everyone who ran out put his body on the line.
“I want to see you blokes do that tonight. I had a look at Hawthorn last week and I can tell you what, a lot of you blokes have got a bit to answer for.
“Tonight, you make sure that you’re hard at the ball, you’re hard at the man with the ball, you tackle and chase, you put pressure on your opponent.
“No day dreaming, just go for it and give it your best shot.”
It had the desired effect, especially in the first half, on a night that was still tinged with controversy for North Melbourne.
Pagan and troubled club great Wayne Carey brought the 1996 Premiership Cup onto the field as part of the celebrations before the game got underway.
Former skipper Carey is widely considered North’s greatest ever player, captaining the club to those two flags in the 1990s.
But he is also synonymous with one of the biggest scandals in club history, when his affair with the wife of teammate Anthony Stevens came to light in 2002, leading to Carey’s sacking and plummeting the club into a long period at the foot of the ladder.
Carey was largely shunned by the Roos for many years, but has slowly been incorporated back into club functions in recent times.
His son Carter shared a cute moment with current North Melbourne star Harry Sheezel a day before the game when the six-year-old was presented with a signed jumper from his favourite player.
Carter was also alongside his dad and Pagan when the 96 Cup was brought out onto the ground.
The Roos of old were renowned for lifting and beating the odds and some of that seemed to rub off on the 2025 side early on Thursday night.
Big key forward Nick Larkey kicked three goals in the opening term as North took a surprise six-point lead into the first change.
Despite a knee concern, Larkey slotted another two goals in the second quarter as the teams traded goals before the heavily favoured Dogs took a 13-point lead into halftime.
It was an encouraging performance from a team making slow strides under coach Alastair Clarkson before the Bulldogs powered to victory in the second half.
But many fans were loving the appearance of Carey and his son as part of such a special night for the perennial battlers.
North Melbourne’s official Instagram account posted a photo of the Careys with Sheezel with the caption: “Carter Carey meets his favourite Roo️. Make sure you’re in your seat by 6.45pm AEST tonight for our Centenary celebrations, with the Duck and Denis Pagan to deliver the 1996 premiership cup!”
One North fan replied: “Oh finally the greatest ever kanga is gracing my screen. Hail the KING.”
Another wrote: “Former Captain to future captain. Awesome photo. Long live the (king).”
A third stated: “Best photo I’ve seen come out of the club in years.”
A number of Kangaroos fans were making the same joke about the son of a club great.
“Can carter play this week?” and “can he play centre half forward?” were among some of the comments from the optimistic fan base.
Carey’s countless scandals since the end of his playing days, including allegations of domestic violence and problems with drugs and alcohol, have left many footy fans struggling to accept his return into the sport’s mainstream.
It’s clear a number of North fans are prepared to move on, however, particularly on such an important night in the club’s long, proud history.
Originally published as Coaching great Denis Pagan, Wayne Carey’s son fire up Kangaroos
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