Glenn’s 10: Bizarre moments from new AFL legend Malcolm Blight’s career

THE AFL’S newest legend has produced some of the sport’s greatest — and most bizarre moments. Resident rankologist GLENN MCFARLANE counts them down.

THE AFL’S newest legend has produced some of the sport’s greatest — and most bizarre moments.

Resident rankologist GLENN MCFARLANE counts them down.

1. ‘DO YOU WANT A SECOND KICK’

Blight was the hero after kicking a booming 65m after-the-siren goal to win a game against Carlton at Princes Park in 1976. A year later he had the chance to do it again. In atrocious conditions at Arden St, he kicked a behind on the run to level the scores against Hawthorn just before the final siren sounded. The umpire offered Blight a chance to take another kick as he had been pushed in the back, and he took it up without a second’s thought. A goal would win the game. A behind would tie the scores again. But on his second attempt, in driving rain and with a host of Hawthorn players putting him off, Blight skewed his kick off the side of his boot so badly it went out of bounds. What had been a draw was now suddenly a one-point loss.

2. WHOOPS, WRONG SQUARE

As sublime as he could sometimes be on the field, he wasn’t immune from blunders. His biggest came against Richmond at the MCG in 1981. He gratefully accepted a handball in the square and seemed certain to stroll in for the easiest of goals. Nonchalantly he slotted the ball through and turned back for some ‘love’ from his North Melbourne teammates. But Stephen McCann could only offer a perplexed look. Blight had actually lost his sense of direction and mistook the points for the goals to the bemusement of the crowd. He had no idea of what he had done, nor that his moment would make blooper reels for decades to come.

3. SMOKING THE PEACE PIPE

Coaches have always used alternative methods to fire players up. But it’s a fair bet Malcolm Blight is the only one to smoke an imaginary ‘peace pipe’ with his players. When he was coaching Geelong in 1990, the group met at a house near Kardinia Park before a game. They were asked to put towels on their heads. But what started out strange turned out to outright weird when he told his players they were ‘Indians’ and the opposition were ‘Cowboys’. They passed around a stick which doubled as a ‘peace pipe’. “Big Chief Malcolm’ told the incredulous group: “If you go out on your own, the cowboys will get you ... If we stick together we might win the battle.”

Geelong coach Malcolm Blight with players Gary Cameron, Austin McCrabb, Mark Bairstow and Billy Brownless.

4. BANISHING McCRABB

Austin McCrabb was a modest defender who played 45 games with Geelong and Hawthorn across six seasons in the late 1980s and early ‘90s. But he is always recalled for one moment. McCrabb disobeyed one of Blight’s team rules when he passed to Gary Ablett Sr. on the other side of the ground. It earned him the wrath of his coach and banishment from the quarter-time huddle at Waverley in 1990. Blight made McCrabb stand away from the group, as his isolated defender was made an example of in the most public of manners.

5. THE GUARD OF HONOUR

Teams have formed guards of honour after matches to honour milestones from opposition players. But Blight took it to a new level when he made his Geelong team do the unthinkable before a game in 1994. He had the Cats line up and clap out Adelaide at Football Park as a ploy to put the Crows off their game. It didn’t work, but it certainly created some attention, and more than a few strange looks from the crowd that day.

6. LIGHTS OUT

More than once Blight’s after-game assessment sessions with his Geelong players involved switching the lights out in the players’ rooms — and screaming out at the top of his voice to emphasise the mood. It was different and his players would never forget these talks.

David Pittman arrives at Adelaide Airport after copping it from coach Malcolm Blight in 1997.

7. ‘PATHETIC PITTMAN’

Blight wanted to make a statement when he joined the Crows in 1997. In doing so, he needed a scapegoat. That turned out to be David Pittman. Just two games into his role at Adelaide, in his after-match press conference following a bad loss to Richmond, Blight described his ruckman in the most unflattering of terms. He described Pittman, who had five hit-outs and no possessions, as “the most pathetic ruckman I have ever seen in my entire life in footy ... he has to live with that”. Pittman has lived with the line for 20 years, but his compensation ended up being a strong career and two premiership medallions.

8. WALKING OUT BEFORE IT WAS OVER

Blighty was so disappointed with his team’s effort one day that he left the coaches’ box 20 minutes into the last quarter of a Crows game. He proceeded to walk around the boundary line towards the rooms. He insisted he had wanted to get into the rooms to prepare what he had to say to his players. But as he trudged around the boundary, with his back to the play at times, he would have known he was also making a statement to his playing group.

No footys, Thommo. Andrew Thompson says Malcolm Blight would not allow the Saints to train with footys during preseason in 2001.

9. A PRESEASON WITHOUT FOOTYS

Blight seemed content to bask in retirement with his two Crows flags (1997-98) to his name. That was until St Kilda flashed a napkin at him which had “six noughts” on it, guaranteeing he would become a million-dollar coach in 2001. It was an offer he couldn’t refuse. Even then he wouldn’t conform and continued some of his wacky ways. Saints player Andrew Thompson revealed recently on SEN that Blight banned footballs during the preseason, to the bemusement of his players. Thompson said: “We did an entire preseason without touching footys ... he used to fly down on Wednesday, watch us run laps and then fly back to Queensland.”

10. AFTER-GAME ON-GROUND ANTICS

Blight’s 250th and last game as an AFL coach produced one of his most bizarre moments. Following a 97-point loss to Adelaide in Round 15, 2001, he forced his players back out onto the Docklands surface long after the game had concluded. Those still at the ground, including the media and some late-departing fans, couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Thompson recalled: “He got us all to sit in the centre circle, so there were 22 guys all trying to sit on top of each other because he said no one was allowed to be outside the circle. The cameras were still rolling from the TV. To his credit, he basically got down and said, ‘I’m in this with you, we’re all in it together, we’ve got to find a way out of it’.” The Saints board didn’t agree, terminating Blight’s contract the following week.

Malcolm Blight was known for his eccentric ways as both a player and coach.