{"id":298791,"date":"2023-11-09T19:08:53","date_gmt":"2023-11-09T19:08:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?p=298791"},"modified":"2023-11-09T19:08:53","modified_gmt":"2023-11-09T19:08:53","slug":"ron-barassi-plotted-my-demise-but-he-was-my-hero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/rugby-league\/ron-barassi-plotted-my-demise-but-he-was-my-hero\/","title":{"rendered":"Ron Barassi plotted my demise, but he was my hero"},"content":{"rendered":"

Save articles for later<\/h3>\n

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.<\/p>\n

Geelong in the 1950s and \u201960s was much smaller than it is today and, without being unfair, it was bland and colourless. Much of the world was recovering from the Second World War. Born in 1946, I was one of the original \u201cBaby Boomers\u201d.<\/p>\n

For many of those years the Cats had good football teams and won three VFL flags. Melbourne had great sides.<\/p>\n

As a kid sitting on my father\u2019s shoulders or standing on a fruit box at Kardinia Park, I cheered for captain Fred Flanagan and his Geelong teams. They were my local heroes. I would recite the players\u2019 numbers off the top of my head. But they were mere mortals in my football psyche when measured against the No.31 for Melbourne. Ron Barassi. <\/p>\n

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AFL Legend Ron Barassi in 2010.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Mal Fairclough<\/cite><\/p>\n

Most memories of him were black and white. Through newspaper images and later television, he was everywhere. On the ground or on the air, it was Barassi. <\/p>\n

In 1965, the bombshell of Barassi moving from Melbourne to Carlton as their playing coach rang through the football world. In the same year, I\u2019d grown up and become a Cat myself. My second game for Geelong was at Princes Park, the home of the Blues \u2013 and Barassi\u2019s new home.<\/p>\n

It was his first home game and 34,946 people swarmed the ground. Robert Menzies was probably there in his Bentley. <\/p>\n

I was full-forward for Geelong, matched up on Carlton full-back, Graeme Anderson. Alongside me for much of the game was Barassi. He went to defence following a clash with my captain, Polly Farmer.<\/p>\n

State memorial service for Ron Barassi AM<\/h3>\n