John Northey
Encyclopedia
John "Swooper" Northey (born 29 June 1943) is a former Australian rules football
player and coach. He played from 1963 to 1970 with the Richmond Football Club
.
A Derrinallum recruit, Northey was a dual premiership player with Richmond, winning flags in 1967 and 1969. He is better known however as a coach.
After retiring as a player, Northey took up assistant coaching positions in the VFL, where he stayed for 14 years until the opportunity to coach at senior level presented itself. He coached 315 VFL/AFL games including stints at Sydney Swans
, Brisbane Lions
, Melbourne Demons, Richmond Tigers and Brisbane Bears
.
Northey was known for his ability to rebuild struggling clubs, managing to produce results at all of these clubs, his first club as senior coach was Sydney Swans for one season in 1985 where he was unsuccessful and sacked at seasons end.
He then went to coach Melbourne from 1986–1992; his most successful year was when he took the Demons to the 1988 VFL Grand Final
, eventually losing to Hawthorn. After the 1992 season he decided to leave the Melbourne Football Club as coach after struggling to finish 11th.
From 1993–1995 he coached his former club, Richmond. His first two seasons at Richmond were unsuccessful but in the 1995 season they finished 4th putting them into the finals. However, after the 1995 season he resigned as Richmond coach.
He was then appointed Brisbane Bears coach for the 1996 season, leading to their best ever season in making a preliminary final. After the 1996 season the Bears were forced to merge with the Fitzroy Lions resulting on the formation of the Brisbane Lions
. He was appointed as the inaugural coach of the Brisbane Lions for the 1997 season, leading the team into the finals. After disappointing results, he was sacked in the middle of the 1998 season; the Lions eventually finishing last. He was Replaced by Roger Merrett for the rest of the 1998 season.
At the end of his AFL coaching career he went on to coach South Fremantle Football Club
in the WAFL
.
He holds the record for the most VFL/AFL games coached without a premiership.
He was awarded the Australian Sports Medal
by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
.
Northey now lives in Ballarat, Victoria and is the coach of the Ballarat Football Club
.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
player and coach. He played from 1963 to 1970 with the Richmond Football Club
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
.
A Derrinallum recruit, Northey was a dual premiership player with Richmond, winning flags in 1967 and 1969. He is better known however as a coach.
After retiring as a player, Northey took up assistant coaching positions in the VFL, where he stayed for 14 years until the opportunity to coach at senior level presented itself. He coached 315 VFL/AFL games including stints at Sydney Swans
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
, Brisbane Lions
Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...
, Melbourne Demons, Richmond Tigers and Brisbane Bears
Brisbane Bears
The Brisbane Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Bears was an Australian rules football club and the first Queensland-based club in the Victorian Football League . The club played its first match in 1987, but struggled on and off the field until it made the finals for the first time in 1995...
.
Northey was known for his ability to rebuild struggling clubs, managing to produce results at all of these clubs, his first club as senior coach was Sydney Swans for one season in 1985 where he was unsuccessful and sacked at seasons end.
He then went to coach Melbourne from 1986–1992; his most successful year was when he took the Demons to the 1988 VFL Grand Final
1988 VFL Grand Final
The 1988 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and the Melbourne Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 24 September 1988. It was the 92nd annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to...
, eventually losing to Hawthorn. After the 1992 season he decided to leave the Melbourne Football Club as coach after struggling to finish 11th.
From 1993–1995 he coached his former club, Richmond. His first two seasons at Richmond were unsuccessful but in the 1995 season they finished 4th putting them into the finals. However, after the 1995 season he resigned as Richmond coach.
He was then appointed Brisbane Bears coach for the 1996 season, leading to their best ever season in making a preliminary final. After the 1996 season the Bears were forced to merge with the Fitzroy Lions resulting on the formation of the Brisbane Lions
Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...
. He was appointed as the inaugural coach of the Brisbane Lions for the 1997 season, leading the team into the finals. After disappointing results, he was sacked in the middle of the 1998 season; the Lions eventually finishing last. He was Replaced by Roger Merrett for the rest of the 1998 season.
At the end of his AFL coaching career he went on to coach South Fremantle Football Club
South Fremantle Football Club
The South Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Bulldogs, is an Australian rules football club, based in Fremantle, Western Australia, playing in the West Australian Football League...
in the WAFL
West Australian Football League
The West Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFL is the second-most popular in the state, behind the nation-wide Australian Football League...
.
He holds the record for the most VFL/AFL games coached without a premiership.
He was awarded the Australian Sports Medal
Australian Sports Medal
The Australian Sports Medal was an award given during 2000 to recognise achievements in Australian sport.Recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, office holders, and people who maintained sporting facilities and services. Over 18,000 Medals were...
by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
.
Northey now lives in Ballarat, Victoria and is the coach of the Ballarat Football Club
Ballarat Football Club
The Ballarat Football Club competes in the Ballarat Football League in the Ballarat region of Victoria, Australia. The club, nicknamed the Swans, has a history dating back to 1860. Ballarat once competed in the Victorian Football Association....
.