Tony Way reflects on his time in football

BRENT GODDE: Tell us a bit about your football career. I believe you spent three years on Collingwood's list?

TONY WAY: When I reflect back on my football career the best way to describe it would be unspectacular, especially considering the opportunities I got. I started out in Collingwood's under-19s in 1987 and then played reserves in 1988-89. Leigh Matthews was coaching at the time.

BG: How close do you feel you were to playing at the elite level?

TW: There was a couple of times that I came close and the coaching staff told me I wasn't far off cracking a game.

BG: Why do you feel you couldn't crack it for a game?

TW: I arrived at Collingwood from Assumption College as a schoolboy ruckman, weighing 88kg. So I arrive at Collingwood and I'm the seventh tallest on the list. It was immediately obvious from the start I wasn't going to be playing in the ruck and I would have to learn to play other positions fairly quickly. I tried playing fullback, centre half-back and full-forward. When it was all boiled down, I don't think I had the desire to play AFL football, I always played football for fun. I wasn't the sort of player who lived and breathed football 24/7. Back then football was still semi-professional. I think Darren Millane was the only player that didn't have a full-time job. Training was a 4.30pm, three times a week.

BG: Who was some of the big names at Collingwood that you rubbed shoulders with at the time?

TW: There was some big names around at that time because obviously Collingwood won the flag in 1990 and the nucleus of that side was playing then. Darren Millane, Peter Daicos, Brian Taylor, Tony Shaw, Michael Christian and Craig Kelly were some of the biggest names of that era.

BG: Any stories/funnies you would like to share about your time at Collingwood?

TW: A lot of them aren't fit for publishing but that one thing that sticks in my mind is Darren Millane and how big a practical joker he was. All the stories you read about Millane are true. He was just bigger than life and always the life of the party. I remember one day we were in the the change rooms before training and he went down to the local butcher shop and got a cows head and put it in Jamie Turner's locker. So we all knew it was in there and were waiting for Jamie to open his locker. His reaction when he opened his locker was priceless. But that was just one of the hundreds of pranks Millane was involved in.

BG: How did your time at Collingwood end?

TW: I was expecting to get punted from the list at the end of 1989 but I didn't. So I hung around and did a bit of the pre-season in 1990. Then Leigh called me in for a chat and said "I don't think you are any further advanced then you were 12-months ago." I said, 'neither do I Leigh', and that was about it. I had had enough by then and knew myself if I hadn't made it in three years, I was never going to.

TW: How did you arrive at Albury Sportsground?

BG: It all came about through Danny Fox who I grew up with at Berrigan and was obviously a work colleague and mate of yours as well before he passed away. Again it was an unspectacular playing stint that lasted three years. Doug Norton-Smith coached the first year, followed by Barry Edmunds the following two.

BG: Tell us about your time in the O&M?

TW: I remember one day when we were playing Wangaratta and Brett Keir was their full-back and Brian Kelly was our full-back and we have lined-up and the pair of them were playing against each other. I thought 'geez Keir is playing full-forward, that's a big move by Wangaratta trying to unsettle us.' Anyway I was in the ruck and I look across and their ruckman is standing next to me. I thought 'what's this joker doing, he can't stand next to me at the first centre bounce?' Anyway Jeff Duck was our captain and comes running from centre half-back yelling 'sorry boys, I've pointed the wrong way.' So the umpire has bounced the ball and we are all trying to get into our right positions.

BG: How many games did you play at Albury?

TW: Just under 50 I think. I was there from 1990-92 and wrecked my shoulder towards the end of 1992 and missed the last part of the season. Then I got a work transfer and was based in Shepparton for a few years. I remember in 1992 we won our first seven or eight matches and Barry Edmunds thought it was Christmas and he was going to be a premiership coach but it wasn't to be.

BG: I believe your old man, Fred, enjoyed an outstanding playing career?

TW: Yeah, he played 82 games for South Melbourne back in the Bob Skilton days and Norm Smith was coaching. He also played for Victoria in 1969.

BG: Any funny stories from you old man?

TW: It's easy to forget how professional football has become. Dad owned a trucking business and back in his day used to drive down to Melbourne in his truck on a Friday night, unload the truck and stay at Norm Smith's house. He would get up in the morning, load the truck, play for South Melbourne and then drive home. He often tells the story how the club called him aside one year and said if you want to play VFL you are going to have to move to Melbourne and train, otherwise you won't be fit enough. He said "why don't you come home to Berrigan and spend a couple of days with me and then we will talk again." So three officials jump in the car and come up to Berrigan and got half-way through the second day helping him load trucks and chucking bales of wool on the back of trucks. After that they jumped back in the car and headed back to Melbourne and thought a days work with the old man was a lot harder then any training session.

BG: What do you consider your biggest highlight as a player?

TW: I was runner-up in Albury's best and fairest in 1991 behind Peter Wilson.

BG: Who do you consider the bet player you played alongside?

TW: The boy from Ungarie, Peter Wilson, was the best I played alongside. He didn't look like a footballer, but geez he could play.

BG: You were appointed coach of Thurgoona in 1998-99. How was the club travelling at the time?

TW: Thurgoona struggled from the time it came into the competition and 1998-99 was no different. I remember I started as non-playing coach and then ended up pulling on the boots in 1999 because Dean Glanville and Andrew Thornton thought it might be a good idea.

BG: How do you reflect on those days?

TW: It was my first coaching gig, so it was a huge learning curve. There were people at the club then, that were there when I came back as president. Blokes like Nathan Cooper, Grant Kimball and Richard Quinn were there and it was nine years later. I remember back then it was frustrating in that I wanted to change things and you just can't do that from a coaching position. If you want to change a club significantly, you have to have a bigger chair than coach. That was an eye-opener for me - big time. It was the first time I considered heading down the football administration path. You don't think of stuff like that when you are a player. I used to get frustrated when players wouldn't jump in and help out and then I think back to my own playing days and I was the same and you are focused on playing. You don't think of the amount of people you need to run a club.

BG: You became president of Thurgoona in 2006 and held the position for eight years. You must be proud of what the club achieved in that time?

TW: I am and it's fair to say the club was struggling for success when we arrived. There was a group of mates of mine and our kids were playing sport together everywhere. The plan was hatched over a barbecue one Sunday over a few too many beers. We decided we would try and get on the committee at Thurgoona. There was Lachie Butler, David Rogers and myself. Our kids were at other clubs because they didn't think Thurgoona was much of a place to be seen. So that was our motivation to get on the committee and try to turn things around. I made it clear that we wouldn't just be able to get on the committee and wave our wand and everything would fall into place. We were in it for the long haul and knew it would be at least three to five years before things started to change. To their credit they stuck it out as well.

BG: What were some of the key things you implemented that sparked the turnaround?

TW: We had a big planning session and did the analysis of where we were and where we wanted to be. The five-year business plan we put together was made-up of the four pillars that we thought were crucial to a clubs success - junior development, facility improvement, community involvement and financial management. We put a lot of time and resources into those four areas. You can see now how much the facilities have improved. Originally there wasn't even any undercover viewing area of the ground for spectators. They had a little hill there, so we built a shelter shed in the first year while we did plans to build the big social rooms that are there now. We had a bit of luck with netball courts and snared a grant off Kevin Rudd years ahead of what we had planned. That changed things and brought the netballers back to the club room side instead of being stuck on the other side, way over the back. We did a lot with the community because the clubs reputation wasn't great when we arrived. We did a lot of stuff like your Red Shield appeal, charity days and family orientated days. The lights got done and are of a high standard.

BG: One of the biggest talking points in your tenure as president was against Mitta United in 2013 where players from both sides were involved in some ugly behind the play incidents. What's your memories of that day?

TW: There is no doubt it was an unsafe environment for players from both sides that day. I couldn't believe what was happening out on the ground for most of the match. The were spot fires breaking out all the time which resulted in a full all-in-brawl - it was on for young and old. It was the second worst brawl I have seen in my time in football. The worst was the Bloodbath grand final in 1990 where I was obviously a spectator. It didn't quite reach those heights but it wasn't far off it.

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BG: Is it true you were expecting fireworks on the day and decided to video the match to use as evidence at the tribunal if there were any unsavoury incidents?

TW: Not at all and I don't know where that came from. Jason Sheather was our coach that year and was a big fan of analysing video footage of matches as a coaching tool. So every game was videoed that season. I could never do it on home games because I was busy in my role as president but didn't mind taking my turn at away games. So it was just coincidence I was videoing that day.

BG: Is it true you climbed a tree to video the match so you would go undetected by the Mitta crowd?

TW: Ha ha, somebody is having some fun with you there - does it look like I could climb a tree?

BG: OK, I did struggle to believe it at the time. But did someone from Mitta spot you videoing and did a confrontation occur?

TW: Not really, I got called a few interesting names that days from opposition spectators but that was about it.

BG: I also heard the umpires called the captains aside at three-quarter time and threatened to call the match off?

TW: That part of the story is true and I only found out about that later of course. The umpires later admitted they were quite scared someone was going to get seriously injured at the time.

BG: It's fair to say Mitta United is Thurgoona's biggest rival. Is there a specific incident to your knowledge that sparked the rivalry?

TW: We were an emerging side and Mitta was used to belting us by 200-points for such a long time. But once we started to get close to them and occasionally beat them they didn't like the new kid on the block and wanted to put us back in our box so to speak.

BG: Several players from both sides got reported and you decided to get Iain Findlay to defend your players?

TW: Yeah, Albury used Findlay on numerous occasions and with Jason a former Albury player coaching Thurgoona we sort of got onto him through that. It was always going to be a long and arduous night for any player advocate so we thought we might as well get the best in the business. Being a player advocate in country football is a specialised area and something you don't do enough of around here to get good at it.

BG: Was that a costly exercise?

TW: No, I thought it might cost a fortune as well but he was pretty reasonable. He just loves his football and is not motivated to be a player advocate for financial gain.

BG: Do you think your actions that day help stamp out further unsavoury incidents in the league?

TW: It certainly didn't hurt. Things only got out of control that day because the umpires did nothing at the time. On the video you can see them watching blokes from both sides getting belted and there wasn't a single report at the time. I was disappointed the umpires didn't take control of the situation and send a few blokes off and report a few and that could of stamped out further incidents that day. We decided as a club to make a formal complaint to the league about the lack of action by the umpires and the league requested footage. That's when players started getting reported, after the league viewed the video. We knew once the league saw the video that some of our players would be reported. But our sole motivation was to alert the league to the lack of action by the umpires that day. I think footy has changed these days because often games are videoed in the bush. Just life in general, walking down the street there is a fair chance you are going to be captured by CCTV cameras.

BG: During your involvement with Thurgoona did you feel resentment from opposition clubs and if so what do you feel was the reason behind it?

TW: Not particularly, but the haters are always going to hate when you are successful. Once you are successful, everyone hates who is on top it's not personal.

BG: A lot of people believe Thurgoona rort the salary cap. How would you respond to those accusations?

TW: Some of the stories that I've heard about what Thurgoona pay its players are unbelievable. When I was president it was a very tight ship. There was only myself and the treasurer who knew who got paid what. I did all the contracts and did them with directly with the player and the coach wasn't involved. It was only the player and myself who knew who was on what. I told every player if it gets out what you are on I will know it's you and we will have an uncomfortable conversation. So nobody knew who was on what and I hear all these figures that Thurgoona were spending $200,000. There was a quote from a player once who said 'if they think we are spending that much, they obviously don't know Tony Way very well.' We simply didn't have the money to splash on players and a lot of the money we had went on facility improvement and every dollar we earnt went into that and not the players pockets. We must have been one hell of an organisation if we were making enough money to pay exorbitant player payments as well as fund all the renovations and improvements around the club.

BG: Who do you regard as the best player at Thurgoona in the past decade.

TW: I can't really win here but I'll say Lucas Mellier.

BG: It's fair to say Murray Magpies have struggled for success since joining the Hume league. What would you do in that position?

TW: I think Murray Magpies is a blank canvas and you could do exactly the same as what happened at Thurgoona. It has got good facilities, is based in town and a lot of players don't want to travel somewhere that is 30 to 45 minutes away just to train. I don't know what's going on there. One of my mates, Brett Argus, is coaching there this year. We have had a chat about the situation and I've given him a few ideas. There is great potential there if they can pull it all together. But as I said to Brett, it's very hard to implement change from the coaches chair, you need a bigger seat.

BG: Any thoughts on the player crisis in the Upper Murray league at the moment?

TW: I said it five years ago, I expected to see an Upper Murray side in the Tallangatta league. Without knowing the ins and outs of the league, I would allow Bullioh into the league if it thinks it can be competitive and the other sides could merge to form another side. See how Bullioh performs in the short-term and if it is struggling it could also merge with the other Upper Murray sides to form one side. But the one thing about mergers is you can't force them, the clubs themselves have to instigate it. It is hard, your most logical merger partner is your next closest town who also happens to be your 100 year rival.

BG: Can you see Thurgoona crossing to the O&M in the future?

TW: I don't think so. When I was president my belief was equal time and resources to every grade. You see some clubs focus solely on senior football. I always said to the committee when we were talking about a certain grade, pretend your kid you plays in that grade. You want the best, so that's why we always allocated equal time and resources to every grade. So there is 12 grades in the Tallangatta league. So to go back to six in the O&M, well that's half you club gone realistically. Half the sides, half the families, half the supporters so I don't think it fits into Thurgoona's long-term strategy.

BG: What do you think is the biggest issue in country football at the moment?

TW: I think the biggest issue is the same as the AFL, they have made the game impossible to umpire. They have made it so complicated with all the rule changes, that is is hard to umpire. Umpiring was never that hard but the AFL has changed the rules and there is too many gray areas that are open to interpretation. The rules should be just black and white. Obviously the playing numbers are a concern, locally there is too many clubs and not enough players.

BG: Do you get to much footy these days?

TW: I go to footy most weekends, just not to Thurgoona as much. My daughter plays netball at Rutherglen, my nephew plays at Holbrook, my mates son plays at CDHBU, I like to get back to Berrigan and I go to a lot of AFL. Sometimes I make a weekend of it and go to three AFL matches in a weekend.

BG: Can you see yourself getting back involved in football in the future?

TW: Maybe, when I finished at Thurgoona I was burnt out and needed some time away from football. But as you can tell I still have plenty of ideas but it is about passion and you have to have the passion for the position you are in. I don't know about club land, maybe something at league level.