Ron Barassi: Country stars featured prominently in Ron Barassi’s premiership teams

The late Ron Barassi will be farewelled at a State Funeral on Friday. We’ve selected a team of country footy stars who played in flags he coached.

David Johnston

3 min read

November 9, 2023 - 5:00AM

The Weekly Times

The late Ron Barassi coached Carlton and North Melbourne to two VFL premierships each -and all four contained no shortage of stars from country clubs.

“The giant of the game” was born in Castlemaine and lived at nearby Guildford before moving to Melbourne where he had one of the greatest VFL-AFL careers, firstly as a player with the Demons and then as coach of Carlton, North Melbourne, Melbourne and Sydney.

Post playing and coaching, Barassi also had a long association with the Victorian Country Football League in an ambassadorial role that saw him make countless trips to every corner of the state.

To pay tribute to Barassi on the eve of his state funeral on Friday, The Weekly Times has selected a team of players he coached in premiership teams with Carlton in 1968 and 1970 and North Melbourne in 1975 and 1977.

Ted Hopkins, David McKay, Peter Jones, Ron Barassi, Robert Walls, John Goold, John Nicholls, Syd Jackson, Sergio Silvagni, Bert Thornley, Adrian Gallagher and Barry Gill at a 1970 Carlton premiership reunion. Supplied by Carlton FC.

Recruited from Newlyn in the Central Highlands, David McKay made his Carlton debut in 1969 before playing in the first of four premierships with the Blues the following year.

The famous victory is widely regarded as Barassi’s coaching high point when Carlton came from 44 points down at halftime to beat arch rival Collingwood in front of more than 120,000 people at the MCG.

McKay was Carlton’s best player in the 1970 grand final and credits Barassi having a huge impact on his career.

“I was so lucky to have him as my first coach,” McKay said.

“Everyone had buy-in for what he wanted to do.

“It was pretty much the way you dressed, the way you came to the ground, the way you behaved in public.

“On the ground he introduced team rules I had never experienced before.

“He is a giant of the game.

“I came down in ‘69 and they had won the premiership in ‘68 and it was just an exciting place to be.

“If there were entertainers in Melbourne or entertainers from television, they would be at training on Thursday nights.

“He had that charisma that people wanted to be in his company.”

Ron Barassi coached North Melbourne into grand finals in five successive years from 1974.

Barassi then transformed North Melbourne from perennial battler to playing off in every grand final from 1974 to 1978 for two flags in 1975 and 1977.

Peter Chisnall had already played for North Melbourne before the Kangaroos were handed the richly talented Ovens and Murray league as its exclusive country recruiting zone.

Chisnall was a member of Corowa’s 1968 premiership side and had his first stint with North Melbourne when the club was battling.

North Melbourne coach Ron Barassi is chaired off the ground following the 1977 grand final win over Collingwood.

He returned to Arden St. in 1974 and starred in the Kangaroos breakthrough flag under Barassi a year later alongside other O & M recruits Mick Nolan, Ross Henshaw, Gary Cowton and Sam Kekovich.

“He was massive part of the success we had,” Chisnall said.

“His presence in the place was unbelievable, combined with the efforts of the likes of Allen Aylett, Barry Cheatley, Albert Mantello and Ron Joseph, who were sick of North Melbourne being the bums of the league.

“It didn’t matter what league you came from, you had to live up to the expectations people had of you and (Barassi) drove that.

“I loved it when he was really animated and up and about because he was just trying to get the best out of us all.

“It didn’t matter whether you were Malcolm Blight or Peter Chisnall.”

Ron Barassi at the VCFL Premiers Dinner in 2010 with guests from Lexton Football-Netball Club, Olivia Lockhart, Renee Viney, Kerrieann Lockhart, Kimberley Roberts, Sarah Fisher and Lauren Anderson.