Hall of Fame: Malcolm Blight becomes the 27th Legend in Australian football
THERE’S a running joke about Malcolm Blight, which even he finds amusing, but it’s mystifying why it took so long for him to be afforded footy’s highest honour, writes MARK ROBINSON.
AFL News
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
MALCOLM Blight was a free spirit.
It is ridiculously impossible to sum up his 50 years in football and free spirit just might be the perfect description.
It’s Blight’s self-assessment as a player and probably many would think the same of him as coach.
ANTHONY STEVENS: A CAREER FULL OF HEART
BARRY HALL: SAINTS BAD BOY TO SWANS FLAG CAPTAIN
RON TODD: WOODS FORWARD FINALLY GETS HIS KUDOS
SIMON GOODWIN: FATE SWUNG AGAINST CRICKET
BRETT ALLEN: ‘BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE’
JOHN HALBERT: FOOTY A LABOUR OF LOVE
“Like any player, when you’re on a roll, things just fell for you, the three-vote days happened,’’ he said.
“It was probably some days when things weren’t going my way, I tried to make it happen a bit too often. Might have gone for an impossible mark or impossible kick or impossible whatever. I was probably more of a free spirit than most.’’
The free-spirited boy from Woodville on Tuesday night became a Legend of the AFL.
Everyone who has had the pleasure would tell you that musing with Blight about football is a rich, funny and sometimes self-absorbed conversation. But that’s Blighty.
He bookmarks most conversations with gee whiz, um, ahh, hmm. He calls that think music.
“You’re just asked questions of 50 seasons in football, so your mind wanders a little bit for a while,’’ he said.
“Let me say this, as a kid, it gave me everything I ever wanted.’’
Blight grew up four streets from Woodville Oval in Adelaide. It was where he found his heroes, he said.
With boyhood mates, he’d sneak into the rooms at halftime to listen to the coach.
He tells of the noise of stops being pounded into the concrete floors, the swearing, the smell of liniment and the smoke-filled rooms. His first hero, however, was a Port Adelaide player.
“I barracked for Port as a real youngster because Mr and Mrs Johns lived behind us in Woodville South and Mr and Mrs Johns’ son was Rex Johns who was a great Port Adelaide full-forward. He died a few years ago, but Rex was a legend, so I knew someone who knew someone.’’
Not surprisingly, Blight is a romantic.
“I love the history, I don’t know why. You start when you can read, I suppose. We had the Budget in South Australia at the footy and The Record in Melbourne and I probably read the spots off them.
“I think I’ve read most books ever written on footy. I loved the history of the game; I respect the history; I respect those gone before me. I guess I’m just a footy nut.’’
There was no prouder moment than hearing his name on the radio when selected for his first game and reading his name in the paper the next day. It remains his most joyous moment in football.
“When I do get asked that question about the best moment, the tingles still remain,’’ he said.
“You’ve got to believe this, getting picked for Woodville in my very first league game. You listened to your name on the radio on Thursday nights and to see your name in the paper was just unbelievable. I was 18.’’
He was so exhausted after the game, he went straight home to bed.
“I didn’t go out that night, but I went out every other night ever since.’’
And, in more than 50 years as a player, coach and media giant, there were many nights of celebration and several others of commiseration.
Frankly, it’s mystifying why it took so long for Blight to be afforded the game’s highest honour.
Blight played 341 games for Woodville and North Melbourne.
He kicked 803 goals. He played 14 state games for Victoria and South Australia, and captained both. He coached North (playing coach), Geelong, Woodville, Adelaide and St Kilda.
As a player, he was a freak. He took speccies and kicked goals from the boundary line and from 70m.
He dripped with skill: Left foot, right foot, bananas, torps and baulks and then sat on people’s heads.
He played in every position except ruck — he said his favourite position was midfield — and as coach, he was sacked twice, lost three Grand Finals at Geelong and won two at Adelaide.
Blight’s career had everything, great, good and bad.
“All the obscure things I’ve ticked the box, good and bad, mainly good, but there’s been some average, some rottens and some bads. It’s all of that,’’ he said.
Two of the rottens were his sackings. At North when he was player-coach in 1981 after 16 games and at St Kilda in 2001 after 15 games.
He signed at the Saints on a reported $1 million a year. That adventure still irks him.
“I’ve come to terms with that,’’ he said.
“But the irony of that is because of my 15-year previous coaching record, a group of people came and asked me if I would coach. Yet after 15 games they knew more than me and didn’t need me any more.’’
At North, he was replaced late in the season by Barry Cable.
“It didn’t work and you could make every excuse under the sun as to why, but after 16 rounds it didn’t work and I didn’t get through July again. So, if I got through July I could coach apparently.’’
There was humour in that last comment, although the humiliation on the night of his sacking remains.
“After the press conference was done, ‘Cabes’ made me do two warm-up laps by myself.
“The team was already out on the ground. I said to him, ‘Cabes, can I go?’ And he said, ‘No, Blighty, I’m the coach, out you go and do your two laps’. Every TV camera and person, radio, reporter was there following me every step.’’
He paused and then added: “That’s life. I did the laps because I wanted to keep going. I got over it because I say I’ve made decisions on people, people have made them on me, but I will guarantee you something now, if you spend 50 years in some sport or business, it’s going to happen. It is a fact of life.’’
There’s a running joke about Blight, which even he finds amusing.
It goes like this: Blight’s a legend, just ask him.
“You know what, the further you get away from playing, sometimes people need reminding.’’
He laughed again.
Beneath the banter was a serious footballer with a serious, albeit quirky, mindset.
“The best thing about footy is playing well in a winning team. Full stop,’’ he said.
And another.
“I had a line, I’d rather get better than be the best. There’s no ceiling on getting better. Where do you go if you're the best?’’
And another: “I see coaches say that organising and getting all the pieces to come together is probably more challenging, but I must say playing for me was short half-head in front. I felt playing you had the energy and you could sit in the locker room with your teammates afterwards and really enjoy the moment.’’
And you’ve got to like this.
“I was position-less for the majority of my career, but I played a fair bit forward when I won the Brownlow — I kicked 77 goals by the way.’”
Football and family has been his life and to this day he remains in football with the Gold Coast Suns.
Indeed, he has been wonderful to football and it’s not lost on him what football has delivered him.
“Sport reflects the whole community and no matter what sport, but with footy, being our indigenous game, I reckon footy has got everything you ever need in a game and then some,’’ he said.
“The things which make our game great and different was the aerial ability, pace and skill of course and but also giving players space ... 150 tackles, I’m not sure our game was meant to have that.
“The current game denies space. I feel for the players. Space gave everybody an opportunity to express themselves.’’
Hmm, Blight the free spirit.
He played with, was coached by and was coach of some of the biggest names in football.
There was Ron Barassi, his coach at North Melbourne.
“He was almost the original legend,’’ he said.
“Was he tough and demanding? Yes. Did I respect him? Yes.’’
There was Neil Kerley, a larger-than-life figure in SA football when Blight started his career. “Kerls thoroughly deserves that title. He was Mr Football all right.’’
There was his career at Geelong.
“That was the most spectacular time. It was a wonderful six years bar for one kick (1989 Grand Final).’’ The one which got away?
“Six points and a draw and we go again next week, who knows? We played in three Grand Finals and a preliminary final, but couldn’t quite grab one.’’
And his two premierships at the Crows.
“They were amazing circumstances,’’ he said.
Bringing the kids in to replace the veterans was seen as spilling the most purest of Crows blood, but it worked.
“The one thing I know about premierships is you need a lot of good players.’’
He had some, but the also had a bunch of kids such as McLeod, Hart, Edwards, Johnson, Ricciuto and Goodwin.
“I think it was seven players under the age of 22, a third of the team.’’
So many accolades, so much admiration, but Blight never forgot where he came from.
Asked if he belonged to football or if belonged to a particular club, he said: “If you had a heap of kids and you loved them all ... they are different for different reasons.
“Romantically, I coached both teams I played for, Woodville and North Melbourne. To coach both teams you played for his boyhood novel stuff.’’
Again, the best moment?
“I think the first game at Woodville. That’s what started me. I must say my first game at North Melbourne against Footscray at Arden St was quite good and I got votes which was quite lovely.”
LEGEND — MALCOLM BLIGHT
Born: 1950
Woodville (SANFL): 163 games, 1968-73, 1983-85, 359 goals
North Melbourne: 178 games, 1974-82, 444 goals
Brownlow Medal: 1978
Magarey Medal (SANFL): 1972
VFL Team of the Year: 1982
Woodville B&F: 1972, 1985
Coleman Medal: 1982 (103 goals)
North Melbourne leading goalkicker: 1978-79, 1981-82
VFL premiership: 1975, 1977
Woodville captain-coach: 1983-85
Victorian captain: 7
South Australian captain: 7
All-Australian: 1972, 11985
COACHING
AFL premiership coach: 1997, 1998
HONOURS
Australian Football Hall of Fame: Inaugural inductee
SANFL Team of the Century (forward pocket)
South Australian Football Hall of Fame
Originally published as Hall of Fame: Malcolm Blight becomes the 27th Legend in Australian football
Giants confident AFLW, AFL rift will mend after party furore
GWS believes the relationships between the club’s AFL and AFLW groups can be restored after they were fractured by the Wacky Wednesday drama which has rocked the Giants.
Oliver opens up on failed trade, Petracca, Demons
Clayton Oliver has spoken publicly for the first time about his failed trade to Geelong and what he expects when he returns to Melbourne for pre-season.