Ross Hillary reflects on his outstanding career including a flag at Albury

BRENT GODDE: You played your junior football for Jerilderie and made your senior debut for the Demons in 1975 as a 16-year-old?

ROSS HILLARY: I remember during the pre-season we went down to play Port Melbourne in a practice match. Greg Strano and myself were in our first year of senior football. We had a few hard nuts in the side and the opposition were told before the bounce if anything untoward happened to Greg and I, there would be a price to pay. We got through unscathed.

BG: You were a talented teenager and attracted the attention of Geelong recruiters in 1978?

RH: I was initially invited to a camp and then to do the pre-season. The club gave me a program to follow over the summer and I didn't arrive at Geelong until late February. I was only 19 and was nowhere near ready to train as hard as they did in those days. Back then clubs used to flog you on the track and if half the team wasn't spewing during training, it was considered a sign you weren't training hard enough.

BG: You spent a season in the reserves. Did you go close to cracking a senior match?

RH: Not really, I suppose it's the old adage if I knew then what I knew now, I would have done a few things differently. But the bottom line was I wasn't good enough at the time.

BG: You return home in 1979 to help your father and brothers with your father the manager of Yanco Station which is 220,000 acres.

RH: As mum used to tell us, there was plenty of room to kick the footy and not to do it near the house.

BG: In 1982 you played inter-league with goal kicking machine Trevor Sutton who holds the Australian record of the most goals in a season of 249 when he was at Deniliquin?

RH: People often ask me who is the best footballer I have seen and Sutton was a freak.

BG: Sutton was a bit of show pony with a big bag of tricks?

RH: He was the first footballer that I ever saw wear white boots. A favourite party trick of Sutton's was when he would take a mark and when walking with his back to the goals, suddenly kick the ball over his head.

BG: You brother Dale had the unenviable task of playing on Sutton one day when Jerilderie played Deniliquin?

RH: It was funny at the time but Sutton kicked nine on him and Dale was named our best player. The scariest part about Sutton was he could handle himself and anybody who tried to rough him up usually ended up copping one as well.

BG: Billy Brownless played juniors at Jerilderie, what are your memories of the dual All-Australian player?

RH: I know Billy really well. I used to manage the swimming pool at Jerilderie for a few years and Billy was the biggest pain in the arse you could meet as a kid growing up. Although very likeable, one day I had to chuck him out after he jumped on the ride-on mower and ran over some little trees. I evicted him from the pool on several occasions for being a menace.

BG: You were part of Jerilderie's drought breaking flag in 1983?

RH:It was a 36-year drought and Geoff Boyle was coach and Mick Gilmore was assistant coach. Both my brothers Dale and Mark played as well as the four Bryce boys.

BG: No doubt a huge occasion for the town?

RH: The celebrations were huge and lasted a week and a half. I was lucky because I was going to head to Albury in 1983 and got talked out of it. I would have been devastated to miss out on winning a flag with my home club.

BG: The following season in 1984 you join Albury?

RH: It was a forgettable season after the Tigers went from playing in the grand final the previous year to winning the wooden spoon.

BG: Was there a mass exodus over the summer?

RH: Not really, Peter Gorski left after having won the Morris medal in 1982 but other than that the list was fairly similar.

BG: The late, great Jay McNeil dubbed you 'Cheeks' when you arrived at the Albury sportsground?

RH: Jay was of the opinion that my footy shorts were a couple of sizes too small, hence the nickname.

BG: Tom Doolan was coach?

RH: It's fair to say Tom didn't take getting beat very well. I remember dodging flying boots in the changerooms after some matches and Tom had a fair temper on him. But to Tom's credit, he would give the players a spray, get it off his chest and then he would move on and go upstairs and have a beer.

BG: You were involved in a clearance wrangle when you first joined Albury?

RH: When Geoff Boyle left Albury to coach Jerilderie in 1982, Daryl Bakes was one of his recruits. Albury delayed Bakes' clearance and he ended up missing a match or two. So when I signed for Albury, Jerilderie delayed my clearance as a bit of square up.

BG: You were on the sidelines when Albury played Myrtleford at Myrtleford for the season opener?

RH: I went to watch and Greg Nichols was coaching Myrtleford. Albury ran out onto the ground first and were doing their stretches in a circle. Myrtleford run out shortly afterwards and run straight through the Albury players and there's an all-in-brawl with the umpires not even out on the ground.

BG: The fight for the wooden spoon went down to the final round that season?

RH: We played Corowa-Rutherglen where the loser knew they would cop the wooden spoon. Jack Clancy was coach of the Roos.

BG: It proved to be a fiery encounter?

RH: Peter Cross had a scuffle not far from the Corowa-Rutherglen interchange. Anyhow a spectator jumped the fence and belted Cross. I was in the vicinity and punched the spectator.

BG: No doubt a serious incident at the time?

RH: The league launched an investigation and the spectator copped a five year ban from memory. But the spectator involved launched legal action against me which I didn't know about until more than a year later when I was summoned to court.

BG: Were you found guilty?

RH: I was meant to go to court in 1986 and I was playing for Southport that season. Brian Curphey was president of Albury and was organising a flight back for me so I could fight the charges. Two days before the hearing, the case was dropped.

BG: Who won the match?

RH: Corowa-Rutherglen ended up beating us. Once the fight broke out they got on a bit of a roll and kicked the last couple of goals to beat us.

BG: The following year in 1985, Russell Campbell replaced Doolan as coach and Albury produced a stunning turnaround to go from wooden spooners to premiers?

RH: We had a fairly similar side but picked up a bit of talent from the bush including Laurie McInnes.

BG: Campbell got the side super fit over the pre-season?

RH: Other than the pre-season with Geelong, I don't think I had ever trained as hard as I did then under Campbell. There were some brutal training sessions.

BG: A young Jeff Duck was starting to emerge as one of the premier defenders in the competition?

RH: Jeff had a fantastic season and was outstanding in the grand final that year at fullback.

BG: Who were the other stars of the side?

RH: Rod Coelli, Terry and Peter Cross, Jay McNeil and Mark Britton were all class players. Peter Brouwer crossed from Lavington and had a dominant season as well.

BG: You enjoyed an outstanding season to finish runner-up in the best and fairest?

RH: The finals were included in the vote count back then and there was little separating Brouwer and myself heading into the grand final. We both polled votes in the decider and Brouwer pipped me by a vote.

BG: The Did Simpson medal wasn't introduced until 1991 but there was a bit of controversy when Jay McNeil was awarded best-on-ground in the decider?

RH: Jeff Duck was clearly the best player on the ground. Anyhow Shane Fitzsimons and Jay McNeil looked similar on the field and Fitzsimons had a terrific grand final while McNeil was good but not great. I think the umpires that day may have needed to go to Specsavers.

BG: It was a classic grand final against Lavington where you were eight points down at the last break and won a thrilling decider by three points?

RH: We got off to a flyer and were three goals up but then we didn't score in the second quarter and let Lavington back into the match. Even though we were down at the last change, we knew we were still right in the match because we believed we had the superior fitness.

BG: There were a few memorable moments in the decider that you like to remind a few of the Lavington players about?

RH: I think it was the first quarter and the ball was deep in our forward line and Bruce Stewart came storming through the pack for Lavington and kicked the ball off the ground through our goal. To everybody's disbelief, the umpire awarded it a goal to Albury. I play a bit of golf these days and often see Bruce out on the course and love reminding him about the goal he kicked for Albury. I still think Albury should have given him an award that day.

BG: Lavington ace Peter Copley could have sealed the match in the dying minutes?

RH: It's fair to say that anyone that knows Copley, he usually oozes confidence. Anyhow he had a shot from about 35m and was regarded as one of the best finishes in the competition. I remember he was feeling the pressure and run in three or four times to take the shot but stopped and went back to compose himself. Copley eventually missed the shot and the siren went not long after. I love reminding Copley of how he choked when I run into him.

BG: The family went close to a unique trifecta of flags in 1985?

RH: I had success at Albury, Mark won a flag at Holbrook and Dale finished runner-up at Jerilderie.

BG: The following season in 1986 you decide to join Southport?

RH: It was a tough decision to make considering I had only spent two years at Albury. But it was of a similar standard to the O&M and Norm Dare was coaching at the time. Dare went on to be the inaugural coach of the Brisbane Bears.

BG: You were unbackable favourites to win the grand final that season with Brownlow medalist Gary Dempsey among your teammates?

RH: We won the second semi-final against Coorparoo by 96 points.

BG: You lost the grand final though?

RH: I have never forgiven Norm Dare for this but the Friday before the grand final we trained for three hours. The older players were still sore on the Sunday of the decider, he flogged us that hard. We were nine goals down at half-time and lost by three points.

BG: You must have been shaking your head when Dare got appointed coach of Brisbane Bears?

RH: I have no doubt Dare cost us the grand final because of his stupidity.

BG: In 1987 you returned to the sportsground?

RH: Doug Smith was coach after having previously played for North Melbourne. Smith was a gun player but had dodgy knees. I think North Albury beat us in the elimination final that year.

BG: You were part of the successful O&M inter-league side that won what was known as the Winfield Championship back in those days?

RH: We played three matches during the year and won the final in Mildura. John Byrne was coach and we boasted a star-studded side with Hall of Famers Les Parish and Dennis Sandral in the side. We won the final by about eight goals.

BG: The following season in 1988 you launched your coaching career and coach Holbrook for three years?

RH: My brother Mark won a flag at Holbrook in 1985 and I used to go out watch him play a bit and got to know a few of the Holbrook players and supporters which probably led to me coaching there.

BG: You look back fondly at your time with the Brookers?

RH: They were a fantastic club and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there.

BG: You became close mates with Terry Hogan who was the publican at the time and a big supporter of the Brookers before he won lotto?

RH: I'm fuming with myself because Terry and I were great mates and played a fair bit of golf together. Anyhow, he wanted me to take over the pub from him but I left at the end of 1990 and joined Jindera. When he won lotto a few years later, I have no doubt Terry would have given me the pub, he was that generous.

BG: You played in successive grand final losses in 1988-89?

RH: That's probably my biggest regret at Holbrook, that we didn't enjoy the ultimate success.

BG: You got a bit of a laugh out of Bert Holland's article last week?

RH: If ever a bloke deserved the nickname 'Elbows', it was Bert. He was shocking and if you ever tackled him from behind you were almost guaranteed to cop an elbow.

BG: Did you choke in any of the grand final losses?

RH: Mitta were favourites in 1988 but in 1989 we let a golden opportunity slip after finishing on top of the ladder.

BG: You despised Mitta at the time?

RH: Looking back on my career, I hated Mitta because they were so successful and just had an uncanny knack for winning the big matches.

BG: You suffered a few key injuries in the second semi-final against Tallangatta in 1989?

RH: Both George Mackinlay and I did hamstrings.

BG: You both played in the decider a fortnight later?

RH: We went to see a masseur and he said I can get you right for the grand final but you won't be able to do any exercise whatsoever before the decider.

BG: The masseur delivered on his promise?

RH: Both George and I played with our hamstrings black as the ace of spades from all the bruising.

BG: Tallangatta copped a few injuries early in the grand final?

RH: They did but Bert said last week that Mark McSweeney did his hamstring and sat in the forward pocket and kicked four goals.

BG: You dispute that?

RH: I do because I remember talking to McSweeney a couple of months after the grand final and he told me that he rolled his ankle. But he did bob up with four goals which obviously hurt us.

BG: Both George and yourself got through the match?

RH: We did but I remember how much I was blowing half-way through the second quarter because I hadn't been able to train. But Tallangatta was the best side on the day.

BG: How would you describe the rivalry between Culcairn and Holbrook at the time?

RH: You are told about things that have happened in the past, so the rivalry continues. But there was never ever any bitterness on the ground but it was always sweet to beat the Lions.

BG: Robbie Mackinlay pulled a cunning stunt to make sure the Holbrook boys won the raffle when they played Culcairn at Culcairn one year?

RH: Culcairn used to raffle half-a-dozen BBQ chickens after every home match. The winner of the previous draw would then drew the ticket for the next prize. So Robbie won the first chicken and then had one of the other players' tickets in his hand when he drew the next prize. It was no surprise that we won all the chickens that night and copped some filthy looks as were walking out.

BG: Holbrook won the flag in 1991, the same year you joined Jindera?

RH: Peter Copley and Ray Mack went out to Holbrook and they wanted me to remain as a player. But I was always of the opinion that it's hard to remain at a club as a player once you have coached. In hindsight with what happened at Jindera, I wish I had stayed at Holbrook.

BG: Your coaching stint at Jindera ended in tears?

RH: I coached for the season and then only got paid for half my contract.

BG: You threatened to pull the pin and rejoin Albury.

RH: I told the Bulldog officials I was happy to cut my losses but they talked me into coaching again by saying 'Do the right thing by us and we will do the right thing by you.'

BG: So you stayed?

RH: It got to almost half-way through the second season and I hadn't seen a cent, so I confronted the club about it. I wanted a clearance but the club stuffed around me and I missed the June 30 deadline.

BG: I'm guessing you were fuming?

RH: A new committee took over at Jindera mid-season and ruled they weren't going to pay me because I had broken my contract. So I missed out on a decent sum of money and had to sit out the second-half of the season. I don't look back too fondly on my time at the kennel.

BG: In 1993 you joined Yackandandah?

RH: I purchased some property on Beechworth Road and I needed a ute. So I saw a ute advertised for sale in Yackandandah that was owned by one of the committee members. I called about it and he asked if I was the Ross Hillary that played football. I said 'yes' and he said 'I will be home in an hour if you want to come and have a look at the ute.'

BG: You got a surprise when you arrived to have a look at the ute?

RH: By the time I got there, most of the Yackandandah committee were there, waiting to sign me up.

BG: You coach Yackandandah for three years from 1994-96?

RH: Yeah I got a few of the nephews out there to play in Josh, Jarrod and Casey Hillary and Aaron Purcell who won the league medal.

BG: You were robbed of a golden opportunity of winning a flag when your ruckman Simon Dale broke his leg late in the season.

RH: From memory we finished on top of the ladder but when Simon broke his leg I had to throw Purcell into the ruck. It hurt our structures and we were bundled out of the finals in straight sets.

BG: Is it fair to say Purcell could have played at the elite level?

RH: Carlton, Geelong and St Kilda all showed interest in him but Aaron would never have made it because he wasn't prepared to put the work in. But he had all the attributes with strong hands, a thumping kick and a huge leap on him. He was a match-winner in the bush.

BG: You were at Yackandandah when they won their most recent flag in 2000?

RH: Ross 'Chuck' Hedley coached and it was similar to Jerilderie in that they hadn't won a flag for 36 years. I spent eight years at the club so I considered myself a local. I loved the club and the people and it was such a thrill to see the joy on the supporters' faces who had been starved of success for so long.

BG: It was a stunning turnaround in the decider after you went into the main break 38-points down against Barnawartha?

RH: We had the self-belief that we weren't out of the match. We ended up winning by 10-points but had 10 more scoring shots than the Tigers.

BG: You spent the twilight of your career in the Upper Murray league?

RH: I often joke it is where the dinosaurs go to die.

BG: You didn't contemplate retiring after winning the flag in 2000 and going out on the ultimate high?

RH: I actually did retire and I remember I threw my footy boots on top of the change rooms at Sandy Creek because I didn't think I would need them again.

BG: Who coaxed you out of retirement?

RH: I happened to bump into Ray Mack at a pub during the off-season and he was coaching and convinced me into playing with the Demons.

BG: It didn't get off to a promising start?

RH: I went up there to train for the first time shortly after the Man From Snowy River Festival and the ground was in terrible condition and rock hard. I snapped my Achilles tendon during the first session.

BG: Did you retire?

RH: I spent the year on the selection committee at Lavington which was enjoyable after the Panthers won the flag.

BG: Ray talks you into coaching the Demons in 2002?

RH: We ended up beating Federal in the grand final who were red-hot favourites.

BG: Do you have any regrets?

RH: Probably not winning a flag at Holbrook hurts most, especially in 1989 when we got rolled by Tallangatta.

BG: How many matches would have you played?

RH: I don't know exactly but it would be close to 500 considering I started when I was 16 and retired when I was 44.