Our greatest clubman
There have been many great clubmen, but none played, coached and attended more games than Tony Sheehan. He is to La Trobe what Jack Dyer is to Richmond.
He was there at the beginning and he is here now.
A club record 321 (more I think , ask J.D.?) games as a player, xxx of them as a captain/coach, a further xxx as coach, including premierships in 1969 and 1976.
On a cold, wet winter day in Melbourne, who will be perched on the boundary urging his beloved black and red warriors?
Everyone involved with the club knows Tony Sheehan.
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As Coach Emeritus, Tony epitomises the work ethic and passion that he expects from all players.
The Honourable Tony Sheehan was a Labor member in the Victorian Legislative Assembly for the seat of Ivanhoe (1982-85) and Northcote (1988-98). He served as Minister for Public Works, Housing and Construction (1990-91), Minister for Finance (1991-92) and Treasurer in 1992, until the Joan Kirner government was defeated. He resigned from parliament in 1998.
With wife Ann, who he met at La Trobe and married in 1978, and raised three daughters, there were a few years when he took his eyes off the club.
‘There were only a couple of years, early in my political career, when I didn’t go to La Trobe games,’ says Tony. ‘I was sitting in a glass box at the MCG talking shit when I could have been standing out in the cold at La Trobe.’
When he did return, he was dismayed to find the club on the verge of collapse.
In his inimitable style, he took the reins and steered us back to a steady course, with emphasis on work ethic, mentoring and peer support.
His great friend and political ally, Russell Badham, himself the youngest mayor of Northcote and a Trober loyalist, says of Tony:
‘Carrots simply loves La Trobe Footy Club,’ said Russell.
‘Football in general and his “red and black warriors” in particular are almost as important to him as family. The life lessons learned from footy and the friendships forged are more important to him than his significant achievements in public life , business and academia ; no small tribute to the man and club he has made his own.’
The appropriately named Rex Hardman, B&F in VAFA F Grade is another close friend of Tony. He said, ‘xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx’
Two of our greatest footballers, Simon Hast and Peter Tunbridge, who came second and third respectively in the VAFA E Grade B&F in xxxx, stealing votes from each other, were young guns who bloomed under Tony’s tutorship. They are still great mates.
Simon says,’xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Peter recalls Tony standing between him and some thugs from Thornbury, making it clear that if they wanted a piece of Tunner, they had to go through Tony first. Tony always cared for his players and continues to do so.
‘Tony was a father figure, a guider of moral values and a teacher of life skills. A man who cared about the development of young men, not just their attitude on the football field,’ says Peter.
‘We would sit down at the selection table to find Tony's name written in ink as ruck rover, yet he's holding a pencil as the rest of the side is selected.’
Tony was a student of coaching. He met and was mentored by Norm Smith, who coached Melbourne to six premierships in the 1950s. Tony took copious notes in his discussions with Norm and has always been generous in passing this accumulated knowledge to others.
Tony met Peter O’Donohue at a parent-teacher night while he worked at Marcellin College and had a great deal to do with him in Amateur and Intervarsity Football. Eventually he induced him to coach La Trobe
Tony was the inaugural [?] winner of the Bob Segrave Award, the second[?] person to be made a life member [after Bob Segrave]and has been on every committee and panel of importance to the club , including the serving and Deputy Chancellor of La Trobe University
And he has had a hand in guiding , and in some cases sacking coaches and committees for all but five years of the club’s history and continues to provide great mentoring and sponsorship support to this day.
In direct and indirect ways, Tony Sheehan is responsible for most of what La Trobe footy club has achieved. When we have a Hall of Fame, or Hall of Legends, or Mighty Trobers, he will be the first annointed.
The Silver Fox
Peter O’Donohue coached La Trobe for five memorable years from 1986 – 1990, with premierships in 1988 – 89.
His football pedigree is unsurpassed at the club and his coaching was unforgettable.
‘If you get hit - don't hit him back. Hit his team mate. If he asks, “What was that for?” tell him to ask his stupid mate.’
Of course, there was always the rider never to hit them in front of an umpire.
On one famous occasion he asked players to hit one of their own team mates.
It was before a semi-final against Old Carey in 1988. Players were warming up and Peter was moving among them having quiet words to individuals. Marty Edmunds, who was playing in the reserves at the time, attributes this story to Mario Bakogianis.
‘Big Jeremy Cousins is a mild-mannered man mountain and was an excellent ruckman and clubman at La Trobe for years. But if he felt he was wronged, he became a 6'4" and 110kg mass of fury and intimidation, which was a rare and welcome commodity for any Trober team, as long as his fury was toward the opposition. Not so rare or welcome if you are one of the Trober mosquito squad on a footy trip.
Bako thought Pete was going to explain some important tactical instructions and was completely surprised when he whispered to a couple of players, "If you see Jeremy at the bottom of the pack, give him a crow-peck, but make sure he doesn't know it was you". He eavesdropped on Pete speaking with a couple of other players and he definitely said the same thing. He told Cuz about a decade or so later and he refused to believe it’.
If Peter was a true gentleman disguised as a hard task master, he could also be a hard task master disguised as a true gentleman.
His experience, rhetoric and exhortations, including passages from Banjo Paterson, inspired young men to great heights. It gave them confidence beyond their years.
‘There were plenty of times that Pete scared the crap out of me. Glad I never had to play against him,’ says Andrew Huffer. ‘But he sure made us feel 10-foot tall and bullet-proof, which helped a heap, especially in the first game he coached us in 1986 against the delightful Doveton, which we won - a great highlight of my time at La Trobe. He also introduced compulsory Thursday night post-training feed, drinks and reading of the teams, which really built a stronger bond throughout the club.’
‘It was flattering that he always made the time to stay in touch with his players, no matter how long ago we’d played nor how “inglorious” our careers may have been. His values helped shape many of us at a time when we were making the transition from boys to men to leaders within our team and club. I believe this is why so many Trobers have gone on and done some great things outside of footy. Indeed he was a great man who kept us all honest and accountable, remembering that there’s always a price to pay for success.’
Players from that era vividly recall the spirit in Peter’s pre- and post-match speeches and his penchant for poetry. He was fond of Banjo Paterson and would exhort his charges with lines from The Man from Snowy River:
'He was hard and tough and wiry - just the sort that won't say die - There was courage in his quick impatient tread; And he bore the badge of gameness in his bright and fiery eye, And the proud and lofty carriage of his head.'
Eugene Ferraro remembers a passionate speech after the 1988 grand final, imploring the team to stay together as a unit. The result was back-to-back flags. He also recalls Peter’s speech at the 20th anniversary of the 1988 premiership at the Peacock Hotel, Northcote.
‘Firstly, he thanked the club for the support offered to him since the passing of his beloved wife and then, right on cue, he went in pre-game mode and delivered yet another stirring speech. Every man there that night was ready to don the guernsey and take the field then and there, such was the power of this great man. I’m pretty sure Banjo Patterson got another run that night.’
Peter O’Donohue was introduced to the club by Tony Sheehan. They met at a parent-teacher night when Tony was teaching Peter’s son, Sean, at Marcellin College in the 1970s. Sean was later a premiership player at La Trobe in 1979 under Tony’s coaching.
A result of that meeting was Peter coming to La Trobe for occasional guest coach cameos at training, followed by fascinating Q&A sessions over a few beers, including the advice he imparted when coaching about hitting anyone from an opposing team when one of your players had been hit.
Tony and Peter developed a relationship that was pivotal in the club’s success in the late 1980s.
When Peter was asked to apply for the coaching job, a member of the selection committee asked why he was applying?
'You don't understand,' said Peter, 'You're not interviewing me, I'm interviewing you.'
Peter’s footy pedigree runs the length of the ground.
He played for Hawthorn Football Club from 1942-43 and 1946-52, in a VFL career interrupted by two years in the Navy during WW2. He was captain from 1950-52. It was a tough era for the club, with Peter being part of only 19 wins in his 109 games with the Hawks. He kicked 24 goals and notched up 15 Brownlow votes in that time. As a centreman and defender, he was renowned as an ‘extremely versatile’ player.
In 1953-54 he was captain-coach of West Perth. Despite being unable to play the first nine games of the 1953 season, because he hadn’t met ‘residential’ requirements, West Perth had their best year ever, winning 18 home-and-away games, but losing the grand final to South Fremantle. Peter played 31 games and kicked 21 goals.
In 1955, he returned to Victoria, where a job with the CSIRO led him to accept an appointment to coach Deniliquin. In 1957, he captained-coached the Rams to their first premiership in the Murray Football League, leading from a half back flank.
‘One handball is good; two is risky; the third is suicide’, was a message that went from club to club.
He returned to the Hawks as non-playing coach in 1966. After only a year at the helm, in which Hawthorn finished ninth, Peter went on to become a highly successful coach in the VAFA.
More recently, Peter was an active and long-standing member of the Club’s Hall of Fame selection committee (2002-2012).
A few months before Peter died, Tony Sheehan drove Rex Hardman and me from Melbourne to Bairnsdale to catch up with him.
Ken Porter had rung Tony to say it may be a good time to see the old coach as his health was declining. When Ken says something, it’s usually worth listening. He and his long-time partner, Jenny Weller had been visiting Peter weekly in a nursing home and taking him out for day trips. They sensed the end was nearing. We took a six-hour road trip for a two-hour lunch.
Pete was unsteady, even with a walking frame, his voice was soft, but his handshake still had the force of a blacksmith.
He was happy to throw down a couple of beers and a glass of red over lunch, as we quizzed him on his football career and sought some pearls of wisdom.
I have a voice recording of the occasion, but it’s hard to pick up Peter’s whispers amid the clatter of a busy bistro.
Of this much I am sure – when asked what made a successful team he replied, ‘Respect’.
A coach must respect their players and the players must respect their coach. By extension, the players must also respect each other, and the opposition.
Respect, as we know, is earned by deeds. Words are hollow without actions to support them.
Peter O’Donohue died peacefully on 4 November 2012, aged 89.
His funeral at St Mary’s, Bairnsdale, on 21 November, saw hundreds travel from afar to pay their respects to a great man, including 40 Trobers.
John Dumaresq fielded many responses from players Peter coached. ‘Everyone of those I spoke to had a story about the day Peter put his hand on their shoulder looked them in the eye and gave them some very direct advice that changed the way they looked at themselves and their place in the world around them.’
ODE TO PETER O’DONAHUE
His eyes were piercing, his smile was wide,
When he gripped your hand, you were on side.
He came to La Trobe with a pedigree,
That any era would be lucky to see.
Captain of Hawthorn, coach of them too,
He had advice, when it came to a blue,
Ignore the protagonist, hit his mate,
When boofhead asks why, tell him it’s fate.
Being part of a team is more than you,
What you can do to us, we can do too.
In his trilby hat and cream trench coat
He stalked the boundary and told you in rote,
Trust each other, attack the ball hard,
Talk, shepherd, run the extra yard,
protect the bloody ball,
Kick it long, and only one handball.
It’s hard to win it, so don’t let it fall
Into the hands of a pompous old boy,
Or suburban lout, who takes such joy,
In calling you all names under the sun,
Welcome to our ground, hope you can run.
Fortress La Trobe, let’s build on that notion,
Have a game plan that’s always in motion,
Simple, intuitive, adaptable,
Built on mateship, fitness, accountable.
When you’re stuffed and feel you are spent,
Think how much time there is to repent,
For what you didn’t do, in that chance you had,
Because you can’t replace that chance you had.
Listen to Pete, he’s here in these sheds,
In his cream trench coat, you can hear what he said.
From Banjo Paterson, he liked to recite,
Take these words with you, into the fight:
‘He was lean and tough a wiry, just the sort that won’t say die,
There was courage in his quick, impatient tread.
And he bore the badge of gameness in his bright and fiery eye,
And the high and lofty carriage of his head.’
Remember those words and never forget,
His secret to success was mutual respect,
A trait that’s earned, they don’t hand it out,
So, buy one for Pete, when it’s your shout.
Craig Nelson 2013
We’re a bloody good team and we’ll sing it again
The club song is notorious and glorious in its defiance of political correctness.
The VAFA banned it from being sung anywhere outside the sheds on game days. It won a radio station competition for best football club song, but was deemed too bawdy to broadcast.
It has been accused of being homophobic and sexist, even by some club members, but tradition dies hard and trends and interpretations change.
The only amendment to the original words was to replace ‘labourers’ with ‘poofters’. Ken White claims credit for this, back in the days when the socialist collective was more concerned with the status of the proletariat than gay rights.
Ed. NB . There has been another significant amendment where Poofters was replaced with Wankers
Bob Segrave suggested the melody – an old French drinking song Vive La Compagnie - and Andrew Gee came up with the words on a bus returning from a game at Whittlesea in 1967.
It was sung with gusto – it’s always sung with gusto – anywhere, until the VAFA responded to complaints in 1983.
The Reserves won a spectacular flag against a highly fancied Springvale South, at a ground where the next match was between some grammar boys. Their genteel supporters took offense to a hearty, on-ground rendition of the club song by jubilant players and supporters.
Then, the song included an addendum, possibly a legacy of the La Trobe Boys’ Choir, which referred to fellatio and included relevant actions.
President Peter Gannon was summoned to a special VAFA tribunal to answer charges of lewd and offensive behaviour.
Armed with copies of the words to the song, minus the offensive last verse, he duly appeared.
‘I actually sang the first verse to them,’ said Peter. ‘So they could appreciate its operatic origins.’
‘The old-boy farts on the tribunal tut-tutted and made comments like, “Oh, I see what they mean”, “Yes, very offensive” and “Off to the streets to look for a shag – downright indecent”.
‘The cash register in my head was seeing our meagre bank balance disappearing into the bottomless pit of the Ammos fine bucket with every comment made.
‘I explained that it was usually only sung in the rooms after a win and that the boys were carried away by their victory. No intention to offend, just pent up emotion. I think a couple of them actually thought the song was pretty clever, perhaps harkening back to the humour of their distant undergraduate days.
‘After deliberating, the tribunal let us off with a stern warning about public indecency and the legalities of offensive language and, best of all, no fine. A true Ammos’ miracle.’
So, being confined to singing it in the sheds on game day, it is beholden to sing it with enough gusto to be heard far and wide.
The logo
The club logo is based a real person, the one and only Graham Ernest ‘Gus’ Guppy.
It was created by one of Bob Segrave’s staff, artist Rosemary Sale, as part of marketing for La Trobe hosting intervarsity in 1973.
An irrepressible, effervescent character, Gus was in many ways the epitome of a devil-may-care, authority-defying ethos prevalent at the time.
‘He was hard to miss, anywhere,’ said his cohort, Jim McMillan. ‘Around campus, in fact everywhere except the footy field, he wore a plaid lumberjack cap to tamp down his curly brown haystack of hair. He drove the family Kingswood everywhere manically, much as he embraced life in general.
‘On the field, he was prone to offer the ball to his opponents, giggling as he streaked past them. Off the field, he had an unquenchable appetite for taking the piss out of everything, himself included. A childlike elf locked in a grown man’s body.’
Team mates turning up for pre-season training in 1975 [?]were devastated to learn that Gus had taken his life over summer. He left us far too early, but is forever young.
‘The logo is truly an amalgam of the spirit of the club at that time,’ said Jim. ‘For decades he may have become somewhat dated but is very much back in the hipster present.’ Gus would be amused at that.