Old cat has a tiger by tail
The senior coaching position at AFL Cairns club North Cairns has been like a revolving door over the last few years. The Tigers think they have landed a long-term mentor in former Geelong forward Ronnie Burns. Burns speaks to Jordan Gerrans about his career and his plans for the Tigers in 2020 and beyond.
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The senior coaching position at AFL Cairns club North Cairns has been like a revolving door over the last few years. The Tigers think they have landed a long-term mentor in former Geelong forward Ronnie Burns. Burns speaks to Jordan Gerrans about his career and his plans for the Tigers in 2020 and beyond.
LAYING GROUNDWORK
Ronnie, how do you feel about the challenge you are about to take on at North Cairns as their senior coach?
I have done some research on North Cairns. I follow the local footy, Northern Territory footy league and Cairns, and speak to people in the areas. I know how North Cairns have been going and I know Port Douglas is one of the most powerful clubs around. Port Douglas are similar to St Mary’s where I have come from in Darwin. I know what I am coming into in this job at North Cairns. I sat down and had many, many phone conversations with Peter German about where the club is at. But, that is what I am up here, I am up for the challenge. German is the same and that is why he took the job. If we can get the club out of a bit of mud, it would be great. A couple of years ago they won a few games and were not far behind the top few clubs. I am up for the challenge as a coaching staff. I have met with our assistant coaches and we will map it all out, in terms of recruits and hopefully having a good year.
WE’LL WORK TOGETHER
What was your connection and relationship with North Cairns’ football manager Peter German, who also played in the AFL, before you took the job?
He knows friends that I know and when you are in the AFL system and around everyone, you know each other. He has a good spread in coaching, he has been around and he is well respected down south. And that is why AFL Cairns got him up here. He know’s his stuff. That was nice for me, having someone up here that I knew that would give me support. I have met with the committee at North Cairns, they are passionate people and are looking forward to it all. Hopefully Peter and I can do what Aaron Davey has done at Cairns City Lions or something along those lines. We want the club to be competitive. We are not going to turn the club around straight away, it will probably take a couple of years. North Cairns has a great history and we do not want to see them fold.
FOOTY SHOW BIG LOSS
How do you feel about The Marngrook Footy Show, which you were a regular on, being axed after 12 years on television recently?
That has been big news down in Melbourne. What everyone built with that show, it is a show that has been huge. They have done this because of low viewers, which I disagree with. There are a lot of people that watch the show. When they do those ratings, they rarely count the regional areas, which is where Marngrook would be watched the most. It is still in the pipeline and hopefully another channel can pick it up because the show is great. It is a unique show with indigenous people talking footy.
JOB AROSE AT JUST THE RIGHT TIME
The plan was to move to Cairns regardless of the coaching job at North Cairns?
It was. But when I spoke to Peter and the committee, they asked me if I was passionate about coaching. I have coached in the suburban leagues in Melbourne. But, my coaching was not the focus as I had media commitments with The Marngrook Footy Show. That went for 12 years and I was doing radio calls of footy as well and my life was going that way, instead of coaching. Coaching has always been a passion and I have loved it but my work and that got in the way. I love developing young kids, young men and women. I hear the ladies team is very good at North Cairns. I like to pass my knowledge on as well, about how to get to the AFL level. The ladies always listen. I am excited to get back into coaching. If I did not have the media stuff, I think I would have been coaching a lot more. We have Peter German here as well as obviously it will be a big year here next year. Hopefully we can recruit a bit of talent from around north Queensland and be competitive again next year. If we can keep supporters to stay and watch four quarters of football, if we can do that, they will walk away and say the club had a crack.
UP AMONG THE STARS
When you got to Geelong they had a star-studded side, what was it like as a kid from Darwin to rock and play with a few champions of the game straight away?
It was very lucky to play senior footy straight away and I was playing with guys like Gary Ablett Snr, Billy Brownless, Garry Hocking and many others. They were great players. I got drafted and they were coming off a grand final loss to Carlton, as a middle aged recruit, I thought I was no chance of breaking into the senior side, especially in the forward line. I thought I would play one or two games that season but I played every game, won the club’s rookie of the year, played State of Origin. It all went pretty quick for me. I came second behind Gazza as a leading goal-kicker as well for the Cats. It was great looking at the team sheet and seeing your name next to a guy like Gary. Just to play beside him and train with the man, I was really in awe of him. He was like a Michael Jordan of our game. When I got drafted, I said to my mum that I was going to see Gary Ablett Snr, he was that big at the time. It was a dream come true. You dream of those things as a kid and it happened.
What was Garry like to be around, play and train with?
He was very quiet. He was that big because of his profile. When we had club functions, he would just not turn up at times because all the people would mob him. I think one day we had a family day for the club and I had 20 kids around me looking for an autograph and chat, Garry Hocking had around the same amount until Gazza walked in. I had two left next to me as the rest were chasing Gazza around the function.
SUNS MIX INTERESTING
The Gold Coast Suns recently announced a new partnership with both the Northern Territory Government and AFL Northern Territory that will see the club continue to help grow the game throughout its new academy zone. How do you see that benefiting your old home town?
I saw my old teammate and sparring partner Jason Torney, who is the Suns Academy Manager, the other day. The relation and partnership will be great for both. I just saw the other day the Suns picked up Malcolm Rosas from the NT. I have seen him play and he is related to my family as well. It makes sense to put together the Suns and the NT, with the training facilities both have and the weather is similar. It will be a good hunting ground for the Suns and it will end up being a win-win for both. I will keep a close eye on the Gold Coast because it will be good if they pick up a few Territory kids.
Over the last few years, AFL Cairns have expressed an interest in putting a team in the Darwin-based NTFL. As someone with a long association with Territory footy, how would Darwin clubs see a Cairns club coming into their league?
It is an interesting space with NT Thunder no longer in the NEAFL. A Cairns team in the NTFL would make some sense but it all comes down to dollars. There could be something there. It would make both competitions stronger. I feel the NTFL needs to focus on making their league as strong as possible and some of the former AFL players this year have made the league stronger again.
FOOTY IN THE FAMILY
Originally from St Mary’s Football Club in the NTFL, you went via West Perth in the WAFL to Geelong in the AFL. How did that path come about?
I was drafted as a 22-year-old in 1996 as my first year. I was fortunate to not have to play in the VFL, I went straight into Geelong’s senior side. I was at West Perth before that in the WAFL and my mum is a Vigona and most of the Vigona’s from the Territory head to South Fremantle in the WAFL. I went to West Perth as my Dad was from Sydney and I did not have that connection to South Fremantle at the time. I later found out Benny Vigona was my uncle. I wore number eight because of my uncle Benny. My dad had a rugby background so I come from both codes. There is lots of connections there, Willie Rioli who is at West Coast Eagles, we are first cousins as our mothers are sisters. When I was at Geelong, Willie was just a little baby, three or four years old as his dad was playing in Ballarat league. They would come watch me at Geelong all the time.
How does the family feel about what has happened with Willie and his impending ban from ASADA?
I have been on the phone to him a lot. It was a silly mistake which was made. He will learn from it and he will just have to go all through the process now that it has happened. He understands it now and I do not think he will do that again. It has emotionally drained him and he feels he has let everyone down. He will come back stronger and better from the experience.
NEW NORTH CAIRNS COACH RONNIE BURNS
AFL career: Burns played at both Geelong and Adelaide Football Clubs playing in 154 games and kicking 262 goals. He kicked 239 goals in 134 games for Geelong. The now 46-year-old, originally from Darwin, played seven seasons for the Cats before being recruited to Adelaide in 2003. The five-time Geelong leading goalkicker played 20 games for the Crows, booting 23 goals, and retired in the 2004 season.
Coaching career: Senior coach in Berwick FC in the South East FL. The club used to play in the Mornington Peninsula Nepean Football League but left at the end of 2014. NTFL Assistant Coach with the Tiwi Bombers.
Media career: Marngrook Football Show Panellist.
The task ahead: North Cairns failed to win a game in season 2019, finishing with a percentage of just 9.10 through 16 games. The senior Tigers’ struggles made national headlines earlier this year when they were pumped by 402 points by Port Douglas.
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Originally published as Old cat has a tiger by tail
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