John Northey

John Northey
John Northey
Personal information
Full name	John Neville Northey
Nickname(s)	Swooper
Date of birth	29 June 1943 (age 81)
Original team(s)	Derrinallum
Height	175 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	69 kg (152 lb)
Position(s)	Half forward flank
Playing career1
Years	Club
1963–1970	Richmond
Coaching career
Years	Club
1985	Sydney Swans
1986–1992	Melbourne
1993–1995	Richmond
1996	Brisbane Bears
1997–1998	Brisbane Lions
Total
	1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1998.
Career highlights
	VFL/AFL Premiership player: (1967), (1969);
	Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

John Neville 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. Northey was a dual premiership player with Richmond, winning flags in 1967 and 1969. He is better known, however, as a coach.

Playing career

Richmond

A Derrinallum recruit, the lightly framed Northey was a fleetfooted runner and earned the "swooper" nickname by his ability to get the ball and pass it on to a teammate. He played 118 games and kicked 192 goals for Richmond from 1963 until 1970. He also was a member of Richmond's 1967 and 1969 premiership teams.^[1]^[2]

Coaching career

Northey left Richmond and moved to Sydney as player/coach at Western Suburbs in the Sydney Football League. He coached NSW against a VFL Reserves team in 1972 and then Redan to five BFL premierships between 1975 and 1980. He was serving as an assistant coach with St Kilda under Mike Patterson.^[3]

Sydney Swans senior coach (1985)

He was appointed as senior coach with the Sydney Swans for one season in 1985 where he was sacked after a year when he didn't fit into flamboyant owner Geoffrey Edelsten's vision of a higher profile coach. He was replaced by Tom Hafey.^[4]

Melbourne Football Club senior coach (1986–1992)

He then went to be the senior coach of Melbourne from 1986 to 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 and step down as senior coach after struggling to finish 11th and therefore missing out of the finals.^[5]^[6] Northey was then replaced by Neil Balme as Melbourne Football Club senior coach.

Richmond Football Club senior coach (1993–1995)

From 1993 to 1995, he went to be the senior coach at his former club, Richmond. His first two seasons at Richmond were unsuccessful but in the 1995 season they finished 3rd putting them into the finals, but were eliminated by eventual runners-up Geelong in the preliminary final. However, after the 1995 season, he resigned as Richmond Football Club senior coach.^[7] Northey was then replaced by Robert Walls as Richmond Football Club senior coach.^[8]

Brisbane Bears senior coach (1996)

He was then appointed Brisbane Bears senior coach for the 1996 season, when he replaced Robert Walls.^[9] Northey led the Bears to their best ever season in making the preliminary final, before being eliminated by eventual premiers North Melbourne.^[10]

Brisbane Lions senior coach (1997–1998)

After the 1996 season, the Brisbane Bears merged with the Fitzroy Lions resulting on the formation of the Brisbane Lions. He was then appointed as the inaugural senior coach of the Brisbane Lions for the 1997 season.^[11] Northey led the club into the finals in their inaugural season in 1997, where they finished eighth with ten wins, eleven losses and one draw. The Lions under Northey were then eliminated by eventual runners-up St Kilda in the first week of the qualifying finals. However, after disappointing results in the 1998 season, when the Lions under Northey sat last on the ladder, he was sacked after the Lions suffered a 71-point loss to Fremantle in Round 11, 1998.^[12] He was then replaced by assistant coach Roger Merrett as caretaker senior coach for the rest of the 1998 season.^[13]^[14]

Overall total coaching record

He coached 315 VFL/AFL games including stints at Sydney Swans, Brisbane Lions, Melbourne Demons, Richmond Tigers and Brisbane Bears. He sits third on the record for the most VFL/AFL games coached without a premiership behind Rodney Eade and Ken Hinkley.

Post AFL career

At the end of his AFL coaching career, Northey returned to Ballarat, where he was the figurehead to the rebuilding of local BFL side Redan, the club had fallen onto hard times and as a past coach of the club he was asked to help.

He was awarded the Australian Sports Medal by Queen Elizabeth II on 24 October 2000 for his contributions to Australian football.^[15]

He went on to coach South Fremantle Football Club for the 2002 and 2003 seasons in the WAFL.

Northey returned to Ballarat, he coached the Ballarat Swans from 2005 and to a premiership in 2008.^[16] He is the coach of the Learmonth Football Club.^[17]

He also operates his own website at http://www.swoopercoach.com.au that offers his expert advice on coaching, drills and his own blog.

His nephew is the conductor Benjamin Northey.^[18]

References

^ "JOHN NORTHEY". Retrieved 18 December 2022.
^ "John Northey". Retrieved 18 December 2022.
^ "Northey swoops on footy records". 8 July 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
^ "Northey swoops on footy records". 8 July 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
^ "Northey swoops on footy records". 8 July 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
^ "Northey philosophy turned ones into twos, but Bevo doesn't follow it". 13 July 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
^ "Northey swoops on footy records". 8 July 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
^ "ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL CLUBS" (PDF). Retrieved 16 March 2022.
^ "ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL CLUBS" (PDF). Retrieved 16 March 2022.
^ "Northey swoops on footy records". 8 July 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
^ "Coaches throughout history". 18 September 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
^ "ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL CLUBS" (PDF). Retrieved 16 March 2022.
^ "Northey swoops on footy records". 8 July 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
^ "Inside the building of a football dynasty: How the Brisbane Lions landed Leigh Matthews and became an AFL powerhouse". 16 September 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
^ "NORTHEY, John Neville Australian Sports Medal". itsanhonour.gov.au. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
^ "AFL: Northey in Richmond Hall of Fame". 19 August 2011.
^ "CHFL: Learmonth experiencing the John Northey effect". 22 August 2014.
^ "My Secret Melbourne: Ben Northey", The Age, 18 July 2015, Spectrum, p. 14. Retrieved 28 July 2015

External links

[1] "JOHN NORTHEY". Retrieved 18 December 2022.

[2] "John Northey". Retrieved 18 December 2022.

[3] "Northey swoops on footy records". 8 July 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2022.

[4] "Northey swoops on footy records". 8 July 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2022.

[5] "Northey swoops on footy records". 8 July 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2022.

[6] "Northey philosophy turned ones into twos, but Bevo doesn't follow it". 13 July 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2022.

[7] "Northey swoops on footy records". 8 July 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2022.

[8] "ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL CLUBS" (PDF). Retrieved 16 March 2022.

[9] "ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL CLUBS" (PDF). Retrieved 16 March 2022.

[10] "Northey swoops on footy records". 8 July 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2022.

[11] "Coaches throughout history". 18 September 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2022.

[12] "ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL CLUBS" (PDF). Retrieved 16 March 2022.

[13] "Northey swoops on footy records". 8 July 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2022.

[14] "Inside the building of a football dynasty: How the Brisbane Lions landed Leigh Matthews and became an AFL powerhouse". 16 September 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2022.

[Itsanhonour_-_NORTHEY,_John_Neville_-_Australian_Sports_Medal-15] "NORTHEY, John Neville Australian Sports Medal". itsanhonour.gov.au. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 5 August 2012.

[16] "AFL: Northey in Richmond Hall of Fame". 19 August 2011.

[17] "CHFL: Learmonth experiencing the John Northey effect". 22 August 2014.

[18] "My Secret Melbourne: Ben Northey", The Age, 18 July 2015, Spectrum, p. 14. Retrieved 28 July 2015

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v t e Richmond Football Club 1967 VFL premiers
Richmond 16.18 (114) defeated Geelong 15.15 (105), at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
1. Guinane 2. Ronaldson 3. Dean 4. Hart 8. Clay 9. Northey 12. A. Richardson 15. Swift (c) 17. B. Richardson 22. M. Perry 24. Barrot 25. Patterson 27. Burgin 28. Strang 29. Bartlett 30. Bourke 33. J. Perry 37. Green 39. Jewell 40. Brown
Coach: Hafey

v t e Richmond Football Club 1969 VFL premiers
Richmond 12.13 (85) defeated Carlton 8.12 (60), at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
2. Ronaldson 3. Dean (c) 4. Hart 5. Hunt 7. Moore 8. Clay 9. Northey 10. Sheedy 11. Bowden 16. Beard 17. Richardson 24. Barrot 27. Burgin 28. Strang 29. Bartlett 30. Bourke 37. Green 40. Brown 44. Bond 52. Owen
Coach: Hafey

v t e Coaches of the South Melbourne Football Club/Sydney Swans
VFL/AFL	1909: Ricketts 1910–1911: Thomas 1912: Ricketts 1913: H. Kelly 1914–1917: Belcher 1918–1919: Elms/Howson 1920: Hiskins 1921: Wood 1922: Cazaly 1923–1928: Pannam 1929: Caldwell 1929: Fleiter 1930–1931: Scanlan 1932: Leonard 1933–1936: Bisset 1937–1938: Cazaly 1939: Matthews 1940: Baggott 1941–1944: J. Kelly 1945–1948: Adams 1948–1949: Hale 1950–1952: Lane 1953: Nash 1954–1957: Matthews 1958–1959: Clegg 1960–1961: Faul 1962–1964: McMahen 1965–1966: Skilton 1967–1968: Miller 1969–1972: Smith 1973–1975: John 1976–1977: Stewart 1978: Tuddenham 1979–1981: Stewart 1982–1984: Quade 1984: Hammond 1985: Northey 1986–1988: Hafey 1989–1991: Kinnear 1992–1993: Buckenara 1993: Scott 1993–1995: Barassi 1996–2002: Eade 2002–2010: Roos 2011–: Longmire
AFLW	2022 (S7)–: Gowans
Italics denote caretaker coach

v t e Coaches of the Melbourne Football Club
VFL/AFL	1907–1909: Hall 1910: Drohan 1911–1913: Hall 1914: Incigneri 1915: McKenzie 1919: Heinz 1920: Brosnan 1921–1923: Wilson 1924: Rattray 1925–1927: Chadwick 1928–1932: Warne-Smith 1933–1941: Hughes 1942–1944: Beames 1945–1948: Hughes 1949–1951: La Fontaine 1952–1965: Smith 1965: Hughes 1965–1967: Smith 1968–1970: Beckwith 1971–1973: Ridley 1974–1977: Skilton 1978: Jones 1979–1980: Ditterich 1981–1985: Barassi 1986–1992: Northey 1993–1997: Balme 1997: Hutchison 1998–2007: Daniher 2007: Riley 2008–2011: Bailey 2011: Viney 2012–2013: Neeld 2013: Craig 2014–2016: Roos 2017–: Goodwin
AFL Women's	2017–: Stinear
Italics denote caretaker coach

v t e Coaches of the Richmond Football Club
VFL/AFL	1908–1909: Condon 1910: Hall 1911: Incigneri 1912: C. Pannam 1913: Jenkins 1914–1916: Ricketts 1917: Maybury 1918: Nolan 1919: Clark 1920–1925: Minogue 1926: Morris 1927–1932: Hughes 1933: Schmidt 1934–1940: Bentley 1941–1952: Dyer 1953–1955: A. Pannam 1956: Oppy 1957–1960: McDonald 1961–1963: Rowe 1964–1965: Smith 1964: Harris 1965: Titus 1966–1976: Hafey 1976–1978: Richardson 1979–1981: Jewell 1982–1983: Bourke 1984: Patterson 1985: Sproule 1985–1987: Jewell 1988–1991: Bartlett 1992: Jeans 1993–1995: Northey 1996–1997: Walls 1997–1999: Gieschen 2000–2004: Frawley 2005–2009: Wallace 2009: Rawlings 2010–2023: Hardwick 2023: McQualter 2024–: Yze
AFL Women's	2020: Hunter 2021–: Ferguson
Italics denote caretaker coach