QUESTIONS?
Ask Col via email at col.hutchinson@afl.com.au or write to him at AFL House, PO Box 1449, GPO, Melbourne, VIC 3001
ANSWER MAN
with GRAHAM PILKINGTON
u The last of the bye
Chris Scott has coached Geelong for 11 seasons and each year has had more wins than losses. Is that a record for so many seasons? STEPHEN BILLINGHAM, MURRAY BRIDGE, SA
MIDAS TOUCH: Cats coach Chris Scott and former Tigers and Blues mentor Percy Bentley (inset).
GP: Chris Scott is in equal fifth place, level with Richmond legend Jack Dyer, who also achieved the feat in his first 11 seasons as coach. Scott had a 69 per cent success rate to the end of 2021. Percy Bentley had 16 consecutive winning seasons, starting in 1934 as a playing-coach at Richmond before moving to Carlton in 1941 as coach, despite getting the Tigers to the Grand Final the year before. He finished his career with four premierships – three as coach. Jock McHale is in second place on 15, which formed part of a record 31 successful seasons at Collingwood and eight flags as a coach. So many consecutive winning seasons is not an easy feat to achieve. Recent coaches Alastair Clarkson and John Worsfold, who won premierships at Hawthorn and West Coast respectively, both had 10 winning seasons (Worsfold had seven at the Eagles and three at Essendon), but they were not consecutive. While none of the nine coaches on the list below won a flag in the last season of their consecutive run, four of them got their teams to the Grand Final.
MOST CONSECUTIVE WINNING SEASONS TOTAL COACH
SEQUENCE CAREER WINNING SEASONS
PREMS
16
Percy Bentley
1934-49
18 (Rich 7, Carl 11)
3
15
Jock McHale
1925-39
31 (Coll)
8
12
Dick Reynolds
1940-51
20 (Ess)
4
12
Norm Smith
1954-65
16 (Fitz 3, Melb 12, SM 1)
6
11
Jack Dyer
1941-51
11 (Rich)
1
11
Chris Scott
2011-
11 (Geel)
1
10
Mick Malthouse
1990-99
20 (Foots 2, WCE 10, Coll 8)
3
10
Tom Hafey
1966-75
19 (Rich 10, Coll 5, Geel 1, Syd 3)
4
10
Phonse Kyne
1951-60
10 (Coll)
2
32 AFL RECORD
AR14 p32 Answerman.indd 32
ROUND 14, 2021
CAN YOU ASSIST?
rounds saw two matches originally scheduled in Melbourne – Hawthorn v Essendon (MCG) and North Melbourne v Brisbane (Marvel Stadium) – moved to Tasmania, while the Geelong v Western Bulldogs clash at GMHBA Stadium was capped at 7000 fans. Trailing by a point, Geelong ran the ball the length of the ground in the final minute to find forward Gary Rohan, who coolly slotted the match-winner after the siren from 45m out. The Cats’ win was soured by a knee injury to Mitch Duncan. It was a similar story the following day when Port Adelaide star Robbie Gray, in his 250th game, suffered a PCL injury in the Power’s big win over Gold Coast. The Lions held out a gallant North at Blundstone Arena while the pressure mounted on Carlton coach David Teague after the Blues’ disappointing 36-point loss to GWS. The biggest crowd of the round – 14,834 – saw Essendon down Hawthorn by 13 points at UTAS Stadium with Bomber Jake Stringer (29 disposals, four goals) starring.
u The AFL is seeking the dates of death for the following players. Hailing from Leongatha, James Kenneth McDonald, who was born on June 14, 1916, played for Melbourne in 1942. His brother Alan represented Richmond between 1939-43 and later coached the Tigers. Former Oakleigh and Carlton seconds player Albert Joseph Williams played with North Melbourne in 1943. He was born on August 13, 1916. If you can assist, contact Col Hutchinson at col.hutchinson@afl.com.au.
aflrecord.com.au
6/13/22 11:11 AM
