Richmond and Melbourne will honour the memory of the late Tom Hafey in Saturday’s AFL match at the MCG.
The Tigers were finalising plans for a lasting tribute to their four-time premiership coach Hafey on Tuesday, but chief executive Brendon Gale made it clear the round-nine match would be one of reverence.
“We’re certainly asking all those people who came into contact with Tommy and would like to pay their respects and pay tribute to come along,” Gale said, as the outpouring of tributes continued for the 82-year-old who died of cancer on Monday.
“It’ll be a wonderful occasion.
“It’s a fitting venue, scene of many great memories and premiership triumphs.”
Demons coach Paul Roos planned on addressing his charges about the significance and importance of “putting on a good show for Tommy”.
“If you weren’t going to come and watch Melbourne and Richmond, maybe just out of respect to Tom come along,” Roos said.
Kevin Bartlett, a close friend of Hafey’s and likewise Richmond royalty, was moved as he spoke of the icon’s larger-than-life persona.
Gale, Roos, Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley, AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou and Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy were not as close as Bartlett but all offered a similar message on Tuesday.
Yes, Hafey forged some sort of reputation by coaching 522 VFL games and maintaining a daily fitness regime into his 80s that featured a 8km run and 250 push-ups.
But there was so much more to his aura than just football and fitness folklore.
“It’s not an easy show to do today. I and many others lost a great friend and mentor with the passing of Tom Hafey,” Bartlett said on his regular morning SEN radio spot.
“He loved his players, as they loved him.”
Gale, who played 244 games for Richmond before beating a path to the CEO’s office, was impressed most with Hafey’s caring demeanour.
“He was genuinely interested in people from all walks of life,” Gale said.
That didn’t only apply to those under him at AFL clubs Richmond, Collingwood, Geelong and Sydney either.
“His passion and his approach to life was amazing and the players loved him and he loved the players,” said Bellamy, who asked the coach of Richmond’s team of the century to address his NRL charges on a handful of occasions.
“I can look back and say I’m so glad I’ve come to Melbourne because I’ve met Tommy Hafey.
“I’ve never met a more genuine good-hearted human being in my life.”
His reach wasn’t even limited to sport, having turned the lives of many around while addressing school students and prisoners.
“He got a letter from a young man who said he had been contemplating suicide until being inspired by Tommy’s words,” Kevin Sheedy wrote in a statement on his website, too upset to address the press.
“There was so much good in Tommy Hafey,” the four-time premiership coach added, praising the influence of the man who became a father figure following the death of his own dad.
Demetriou lauded Hafey’s work at grassroots level, which helped the game prosper before his protege Sheedy became a visionary in Sydney’s west.
“It’d be impossible to grow the game to where it is today without Tom Hafey,” Demetriou said.
