SA Footy

I was reading the 1981 Football Times Year Book the other day and there was an extensive interview with Rod Olsson in there, his first year as Woodville coach. In there he talks about the things he wanted to introduce at the club; the first club to have a video analysis system of matches, introducing new stats such as kicks missing targets etc, putting together what was termed (at the time) as the most advanced gym in the SANFL, and penalty systems at training for dropped marks etc. He also wanted to ban players from going to discos etc during the week.

From where Woodville was at the time, it all seemed like pretty reasonable ideas. The club then finished with one win in 1982 and he was sacked. At the time, I didn't really understand a lot about problems between coaches and players, but I know a lot of Woodville fans on here often talk about his appointment as being a negative turning point at the club. I remember that the club made a major bid for Russell Ebert to join them as playing coach around this time, and he was going to bring Geof Motley with him, but he decided to stay at Port.

What exactly happened, with all of these innovations, that led to players and supporters revolting so strongly against him (apart from poor results, which possibly led from the attitudes of some players) - bearing in mind that Malcolm Blight promptly sacked 10 players upon his arrival in 1983. Were some of these players deemed troublemakers, or not up to league footy, or both?

Players not up to League footy and a coach who loved the sound of his own voice. What a combination. I believe one pre-match address was a David Parkin speech read from a piece of paper.

CK wrote:He also wanted to ban players from going to discos etc during the week.

28 years down the track, and coaches are still trying to find a way to do this

I've got 2 mates who played under him.

I'll broach the subject with them separately and see what they say

Adelaide Hawk wrote:

CK wrote:He also wanted to ban players from going to discos etc during the week.

28 years down the track, and coaches are still trying to find a way to do this

obviously their called 'nightclubs' these days but apart from a one night only bay disco revival in may is there any nightclubs that are called discoteques anymore ? for the record mal & i remember when they were called ''speakeasy's''


i recall a former sturt coach popping into lennies frequently to see if a couple of the sturt boys were there, i know this becase one of the players who is a mate told me what h.bunton was doing there (clue this sturt player ended up playing for glenelg for a while)

bayman wrote:

Adelaide Hawk wrote:

CK wrote:He also wanted to ban players from going to discos etc during the week.

28 years down the track, and coaches are still trying to find a way to do this

obviously their called 'nightclubs' these days but apart from a one night only bay disco revival in may is there any nightclubs that are called discoteques anymore ? for the record mal & i remember when they were called ''speakeasy's''


i recall a former sturt coach popping into lennies frequently to see if a couple of the sturt boys were there, i know this becase one of the players who is a mate told me what h.bunton was doing there (clue this sturt player ended up playing for glenelg for a while)

J B

I was one that was not required in the MAL Blight era
One player who gotta game with MAL Blight was Byron Hearne
Hearne was a fitness fanatic, I simply couldnt keep up with him
BUT
If only Olsson or MAL Blight knew what me and Byron got up to at the nightclubs in the early eighties

smithy wrote:

Adelaide Hawk wrote:

CK wrote:He also wanted to ban players from going to discos etc during the week.

28 years down the track, and coaches are still trying to find a way to do this

obviously their called 'nightclubs' these days but apart from a one night only bay disco revival in may is there any nightclubs that are called discoteques anymore ? for the record mal & i remember when they were called ''speakeasy's''


i recall a former sturt coach popping into lennies frequently to see if a couple of the sturt boys were there, i know this becase one of the players who is a mate told me what h.bunton was doing there (clue this sturt player ended up playing for glenelg for a while)

J B[/quote]