Damian Drum was a late-bloomer when he was plucked out of bush footy by Geelong at the age of 20 and spent eight frustrating seasons battling to 63 games.

And yet, it was only another injury sustained in the 1989 Preliminary Final that denied him the notorious role on Dermott Brereton eventually performed by Mark Yates in the opening moments of the famous 89 Grand Final.

Drum would eventually become famous as the last one to know he’d been sacked as Fremantle coach, but that journey got its start in Sydney as an assistant at the Swans, as the right-hand of the man who couldn’t lie, Ron Barassi.