Norm Smith was sensationally sacked by Melbourne 50 years ago on Thursday

IT was the biggest story in footy, left Melbourne in tatters and many say it cursed the Demons for half a century. Here’s what really happened when Norm Smith was sacked, 50 years ago today.

1965? Melbourne coach Norm Smith watches the game with Melbourne committeemen 'Checker' Hughes (left) and Harry Long. Frank Hughes. Picture: Photo File

IN 1965 Ray Groom found himself in the middle of the biggest football story ever — Melbourne’s sacking of its great coach Norm Smith. Fifty years on, Groom remembers the madness that still haunts the club.

Norm Smith was sacked 50 years ago today. It was one of Australian football’s most dramatic moments.

Norm Smith’s standing in the football world and his brilliant record as a coach made his sudden sacking a huge story.

Norm was the reigning premiership coach. He had coached Melbourne to 10 successive finals appearances including six premierships.

He was later named the football’s coach of the century.

In the year he was sacked Melbourne had won their first eight games. At the date of the sacking we had won nine out of 12 games and were probably heading for another finals appearance.

Half a century later it is still hard to believe that Norm was so suddenly sacked by the Melbourne committee.

I was then a 20-year-old Melbourne player in my third year in the senior team.

Former Melbourne player Ray Groom reveals details surrounding the sacking of legendary coach Norm Smith.

Like all of our players I had a great regard for Norm as a person and as a coach. He was a father figure to us.

My regard for Norm was obvious in a handwritten note I wrote just before the sacking:

“…there is not much doubt that Norm Smith is one of the greatest coaches the game has known. The way he can instil keenness and determination into his players is magnificent. His methods are often ruthless and harsh but he has a job to do and he does this effectively. In the four, ten years in a row, isn’t a bad effort.”

I had a very good relationship with Norm. At the start of 1965 after Ron Barassi had left to go to Carlton, Norm handed me Ron’s number 31.

Norm Smith was certainly tough. He was like an army general. If he gave an order you had to follow it. If you did not you were out. He was not concerned about the individual, it was all about the team. He was a strict disciplinarian and was opposed to things like long hair and moustaches.

The shocking news of Norm’s sacking came to me late on a Friday night when I received a phone call at home from Hassa Mann. This was the night before we were due to play North Melbourne.

Hassa said something like: “Groomy, I’ve got some bad news, Norm got sacked by the committee. We all have to attend a players meeting at the ground tomorrow morning at 10.30. It’s not going to be easy. Don’t say anything to anyone until the meeting.”

It took a while to sink in, I was totally shocked. I remember sitting down and trying to think what it meant and what was going to happen. It was all quite unbelievable.

Ron Barassi leaps over Ray Groom and Paul Doran in 1963.

First thing the next morning I received an urgent telegram from the club secretary Jim Cardwell. It confirmed the time of the player’s meeting in the player’s room at the MCG the next morning.

The meeting actually took place in the property steward’s room, a small room off the main Melbourne dressing room under the Olympic Stand.

This was where Norm liked to address the players before the match. It was very strange being given a talk about Norm’s sacking in the special place where he used to give us his fiery pre-match talks.

The president Dr Don Duffy and Cardwell tried to explain the sacking to us and that we

would be coached that day by Checker Hughes. It was emphasised that we were not to talk to the media.

All the players seemed to be in a daze.

To add to the huge pressure we had to play an important match at 2.30pm.

It was against North Melbourne at Coburg Oval, the Kangaroos’ temporary ground and somewhere we had never played.

Checker Hughes, a wonderful man of great integrity who had voted against the sacking of Norm, addressed the players before the game.

Checker seemed so old to me. At 72, I believe he was the oldest person to ever coach a VFL/AFL team. He had his hat on and used a walking stick.

Understandably the feeling in the room before the game was flat and lifeless. It was a terrible day in every sense.

It was raining heavily and the ground was a total quagmire. The crowd was only 8000 which was the smallest crowd we had played in front of.

The Melbourne supporters stayed away in droves. We were beaten by lowly North Melbourne by 21 points. I played one of the worst games I had ever played. The game was a total disaster.

Later there were rumours that the players had decided to throw the game. That rumour was completely false. You could never get an Australian rules team to throw a game — it is not in our DNA.

Why was Norm sacked? It was a complete mystery to me at the time but over the years since I have had a chance to read a lot about it and think a lot about it.

Most believe the main cause of tension between Norm and the committee was the committee’s refusal to give financial support to Norm after umpire Don Blew sued him for defamation. Norm had criticised Blew’s umpiring when speaking on 3AW.

The committee’s decision not to support him upset Norm very deeply. I do not blame him.

Norm was a straight shooter. He told you what he thought to your face and could be quite blunt.

I am not surprised that he had some verbal stoushes with members of the committee.

I am sure some of them would have been concerned about the authority Norm had around the club. They probably would have thought the committee should be in charge, not Norm.

But Norm Smith’s authority was a reason for our success.

With the advantage of 50 years’ hindsight I am convinced that there were other reasons for Norm becoming uptight and prickly in his relationship with members of the committee.

The year 1965 had become difficult for Norm. On top of the worry about the defamation case, his brother Len had just suffered a serious heart attack and was forced to retire as Richmond’s coach.

Also Barassi, the most inspiring player Melbourne had during the 50s and 60s, transferred to Carlton. This left a big void.

Norm and Ron had a very special relationship as Ron had boarded with Norm and his wife Marj for many years. In a sense, Ron’s absence weakened Norm’s position.

Also, although still winning most of our matches, the team was not performing quite as well as we had in previous seasons which suggested that the great period of success enjoyed in the 50s and 60s may be coming to an end.

Although Norm was a strong character he seemed to become unusually stressed with all of these additional concerns. This added tension would not have helped in his relationship with others in authority at the Club.

One thing is very clear. The committee greatly underestimated the extraordinary long-term damage Norm’s sacking would cause to our great club.

It is amazing to think that Melbourne has not won a premiership since 1964.

Although it happened 50 years ago there must be some lessons in the Norm Smith debacle for football clubs of today.

RAY Groom played 92 games for Melbourne from 1963-68 and was later premier of Tasmania.

NORM Smith coached Melbourne to six premierships in the ‘50s and ‘60s. He was reinstated as coach of Melbourne after his sacking in 1965 and led the Demons until 1967, but the golden era was over.

Originally published as Norm Smith was sensationally sacked by Melbourne 50 years ago on Thursday