Interview With Terry Wheeler

[The Coon Dog]

Terry Wheeler 1974-83
157 Games 18 Goals




TCD: Terry, firstly thank you so much for your time. I must say it’s an absolute honour to talk to someone I consider to be an absolute legend of our club. On behalf of everyone associated with WOOF, your time is very much appreciated.

TW: I’m happy to help out.

Apologies at the outset if I appear nervous, that’s because I am. I’m no journalist, just a passionate supporter relying on my memory. Let’s start off with where you grew up & played your junior football.

I grew up in Warburton & played my junior football for Warburton. The 2 communities of Warburton & Millgrove merged for the purpose of football, so I played seniors for Warburton-Millgrove.

As a youngster growing up, who did you barrack for?

Back in Primary School, I guess as kids we’re influenced by who won premierships & way back then Essendon had won flags in 1962 & 1965, so I barracked for the Bombers.

How did you then become a Bulldog?

Footscray had Gippsland as its recruiting zone as well as a little area north of the Worri Yallock Creek, which was where I was from, so I was residentially zoned to Footscray.

Geoff Donnelly, who was my coach at Warburton-Millgrove, had written a letter of recommendation to Footscray. I subsequently received a letter inviting me to train with Footscray whist still at school at Upper Yarra High.

I came down in 1973 & played with the Under 19’s. In 1974 I made my debut in about round 5 or 6.

Did you play in the game against Fitzroy in 1975 when Neil Sasche sustained his injury?

No, I had played in the reserves & was sitting in the EJ Whitten Stand. One of my good friends Ivan Rasmussen often went to the Alfred Hospital to visit Neil. I think Neil’s injury impacted more on the senior players at the club at that time?

During your time at the club a number of players left the & found new homes elsewhere, namely Gary Dempsey, Barry Round, Bernie Quinlan, Kelvin Templeton, Laurie Sandilands etc… How did you feel about that at the time?

From my point of view, there certainly wasn’t any angst towards the administrators of the club. They were trying to do their best to keep the club solvent. The only assets we had were the players. It was either that, or sink away into the Maribyrnong mud. You must remember it was a terribly difficult time for a little club from the western suburbs to compete against the bigger & richer clubs. As a relatively young player at the time, I was oblivious to a degree.

You mention the Maribyrnong; it has a strong significance for you football wise doesn’t it?

Very much so. The 3 clubs I played with all have strong geographically defined borders; Warburton, Footscray & Williamstown. If you traveled the Warburton Highway you had to go to Warburton, no other way in or out, to get to Footscray you had to cross the Maribyrnong & Williamstown is unique, you can’t go through it, only to it.

Does any one game you played for Footscray stand out more so than any other?

Yes, In 1977 we kicked 33.15.213 to defeat St.Kilda. At the time it became a new VFL record score. Kelvin Templeton kicked 15 goals, including 8 in the last quarter, some mind you from very dubious marks; however that was the atmosphere that prevailed that particular day.

The following day we posed for a team photo under the scoreboard, with the score clearly visible. In that photo is my brother Gary, who was tragically killed in an industrial accident in 1981. We only played a few games together & that was one of them. A very special memory for me & my family. At Warburton I was in the seniors & he was playing juniors.



We had some truly wonderful players back then. As a kid growing up I was in total awe of some of the players we had. There wasn’t the saturation TV coverage we have nowadays, so to us young kids VFL players were like super heroes. Do you still keep in touch with any of your old team mates?

Yes I do. I played at the club for 11 years & am proudly a life member. Some of the friends I had back then are still friends today; Ted Whitten Jnr, Kelvin Templeton, Ian Lowe, Alby Smedts, Jim Edmond & Bruce Reid to name a few.

Which players that you played with really stood out in your time as a player?

* Kelvin Templeton – He was just the most dominant player at Footscray in my time. He made our rubbish kicks look good.

I was fortunate enough to work with Kelvin for 2 ½ years. We ran a gymnasium out of the Western Oval. His commitment to make himself the best he could was years ahead of its time. He worked hard at improving his skill, in the gym & ate properly.

* Geoff Jennings – A wonderful club captain. Played on despite severe shoulder & hamstring injuries.

Funny, a game against Essendon at Windy Hill brought about a rule change. Geoff wore number 25 & I wore number 35, we were of a similar height & both had blonde hair. The coach at the time, Billy Goggin was aware Essendon were going to tag Geoff, so he ordered us to swap jumpers. My Dad was very excited at home listening to the radio as they said Terry Wheeler had kicked 3 first half goals. After that game you had to wear your registered number.

What about some of the players you played against?

Well, as the back pocket, in those days you minded the resting rover, so I was up against some really damaging players.

In no order: Peter Crimmins & Leigh Matthews form Hawthorn, Peter Bedford, Norm Goss & Stevie Hoffman from South Melbourne, Garry Wilson & Mickey Conlan from Fitzroy, Kevin Bartlett & Dale Weightman from Richmond & the Krakouer brothers & Barry Cable from North Melbourne.
When did you finish up with the club as a player?

I knew the writing was on the wall in 1983 when I was the permanent captain of the reserves. During that season Rod Oborne had been moved on as coach of Williamstown & Merv Hobbs who was down there then tried to get me to cross over prior to June 30, when clearances closed.

I remained with Footscray that year & was appointed to coach Williamstown in 1984.

How did you enjoy that?

I loved it & was fortunate that we had some terrific sides. We won a premiership in 1986, lost the grand finals of 1985 & 1988 & finished 3rd in 1987.

[The Coon Dog]

Now, in the 1985 grand final you played a 14 year old boy, who made his debut in that game. A 14 year old boy!!

That’s correct. Ron James had been with the club’s juniors before I got there & began playing with the under 19’s in 1985. he was just so impressive that I invited him to train with the seniors during the finals & on game day he acted as one of our water boys.

For the grand final I was looking for that spark that might ignite the team & just give us that extra 1% & thought, hello, I’ve got that spark right under my nose.

I knew Ron was ready to play, but needed to convince his parents, Ian and Joan, that he was ready. His Dad didn’t need much convincing, but I had to work a little on his Mum. On that day you’d never meet a prouder set of parents.

We didn’t name Ron in the team, preferring to shield him from the media & brought him in as a last minute inclusion.

The Channel 10 commentators were gob smacked that day, Phil Gibbs, Rex Hunt, Eddie McGuire & Bruce McAvaney.
In 1989 you headed back to the Bulldogs.

Yes, I coached the reserves that year. At the end of the season Mick resigned to head to Perth & coach the West Coast Eagles. I applied for the vacant senior coaching position.

That’s when things went awry?

You could say that. At the Best & Fairest count there were rumours abounding that a merger with Fitzroy was going on. All hell broke loose the following day when Dennis Galemberti went public.

By then, you had left Melbourne hadn’t you?

Yes, I had driven up to Cobar in central NSW with my son Tim to see my Grandparents. Anyhow, my Auntie came out & said there was a Peter Gordon on the phone.

Did you know who Peter was?

No, never heard of him before. Anyhow he says he going to save the Footscray Football Club & he wanted me to coach the team. He then asked if I wanted the job. I said yes immediately. We didn’t discuss terms, salary etc… just a straight yes & I had the job. Peter said there was a rally at the Western Oval the following day & I had to be there, so we drove straight back to Melbourne & got home to Williamstown at 3.30am.

It was a truly amazing day, but I am still in awe of the strength of character & I can’t emphasise that strongly enough of those players who attended that day, then throughout the preseason.

Was it a difficult pre season?

My word, we had nothing to work with. I’d ask for 10 footballs & would be asked if they were absolutely necessary. Every cent was crucial back then. Fund raising was the most important function.

As a way of saying thank you to the people of the western suburbs we trained on sub standard ovals, but it crucial that we got out into those areas like Williamstown, Werribee, Melton. We even trained at Bacchus Marsh one Sunday morning & I had a terrific chat with Chris Grant’s parents David and Carol. They wanted to know what my expectations of Chris were. I said I thought he’d start off in the under 19’s and progress from there.

He didn’t start off in the under 19’s did he?

No, Adrian Campbell was slotted in to be our full forward against St. Kilda in round 1. Unfortunately he hurt his ankle during the week, so we were left with little alternative other than to throw in this skinny kid from Daylesford. He kicked 3 goals on debut & remains the youngest player to have kicked 50 goals in the AFL.

Tell me about another 1990 success story. Tony Liberatore.

Libba had played 2 games in the preceding 2 seasons, both in the wet against Essendon. He was considering moving on. I promised him a better year & said he should expect to play 6-10 games that year. He played all but the last 3 games when he was injured & won the Charles Brownlow Medal for the fairest & best player in the competition! How good a judge was I? Not very!

Now, New Years day 1990 & the word filtered out that Ron James had been tragically killed in a water skiing accident up on the Murray River.

Yes, I was holidaying at Lorne when I got a message to ring Peter Welsh ASAP. Peter was the Chairman of Selectors & I just couldn’t believe it when he told me the news.

You & Ron seemed to have a special sort of relationship.

Yes, I felt that & prior to Christmas Ron was flying at training & really enjoying himself.

Such a tragedy, I guess for you it was akin to losing a son in a sense.

Fortunately I haven’t lost a son, but that would be a reasonably fair analogy. It was just hard to comprehend that one of our group wasn’t coming back to the club after Christmas.

During the rally I had been approached by one of the greatest human beings to have graced the Earth in Ian Corlett who was a Chaplain & he said that if he could ever be of assistance then he’d be there.

I can honestly say that without his help there would have been no 1990 season. He was a tower of strength & did so much to help so many people get through a particularly difficult time.

Also in 1990, Collingwood & Billy Kolyniuk.

Again, we were looking to develop a team that could win a premiership, so we transferred the game to the MCG, big crowd, top team, trying to replicate a finals atmosphere at the venue the grand final would be played on. I wanted players to play to their strengths where I felt it could benefit the team. I always felt Steven could do that. I often said to the players ‘show me what you can do & I’ll look to put it where we as a team can best use it.’

I was in the rooms after that match & you stood on some tables, lifted an esky, said to the supporters in there that you felt the boys had played a bloody good game & deserved a drink that night. You then opened your wallet & threw a handful of notes in the esky. Before too long everyone was doing likewise.

Laughs.

Speaking of building a vision, what prompted the unusual tactic of jumping from a parachute?

In 1992 we had hiked to the top of the tallest mountain in Victoria, Mount Bogong. I thought, what can we do to take this a step further? Jump off the mountain? No, but we can jump from an equivalent height into water into Port Phillip Bay.

It was about taking the players out of their comfort zone & preparing them for something they were unfamiliar with. Remember no one had to jump. Basically the players had 3 choices, there were those such as Justin Charles who wanted to do it, only Justin wanted to go higher, there were those who didn’t want to & those who felt compelled to follow & didn’t want to be seen as wooses.

It was about managing nervousness & taking complete control, being in total control.

Terry, I could listen to you talk all day, but I’d better wind it up as I have work to do & I really think I have taken up so much of your time already. Once again, it was an absolute privilege for me & thank you most sincerely.

You’re most welcome.

[Ozza]

Probably the best interview yet TCD. Really terrific.
I was 7 years old when Wheels started coaching the Bulldogs - so he was the first coach I really remember. Such a bulldogs man through and through.

I loved the imagery of him throwing notes into the esky...good on him.

[ledge]

That was awesome mate, a few questions, does he still love the club and do you think he knows what all bulldog supporters think of the great man, do you know if he still gets to a game and has a good relationship with the admin there now?
Just wondering if you picked up any of these traits in the way he was talking.
To get sacked is probably hard to accept after doing what he had done.
I have a lot of time for Smorgan he is a very smart man the way he asked Peter Gordon back, i hope Terry is asked back too.
Imagine a 20 year reunion of all the people who saved this club, a meal, and they talk to us supporters and players and fill us in on all the happenings that year and how it has evolved since.
A Walk through the western oval now and a look back on then,pictures of THAT day when we all sat in the EJ Whitten stand and gave our hard earned money.
People like Terry, Peter, Irene Chatfield and all those grand people.
It was a sad time but it also created a pheonix out of the ashes.

[Bulldog Revolution]

Encore, encore - There'll just have to be a follow up TCD

[hujsh]

That was really good. Gives me more of a feel for the club history and what had to be done to compete

[muttley3028]

TCD the effort you go to to put these up for us week to week is really appreciated. Great read about a great bloke.

[Twodogs]

This;

You mention the Maribyrnong; it has a strong significance for you football wise doesn’t it?

Very much so. The 3 clubs I played with all have strong geographically defined borders; Warburton, Footscray & Williamstown. If you traveled the Warburton Highway you had to go to Warburton, no other way in or out, to get to Footscray you had to cross the Maribyrnong & Williamstown is unique, you can’t go through it, only to it.

Is what I love about the 'net. Unless you truly undertood the club and the district that spawned it, it wouldnt occur to ask a question like that. I always know I'm home when I cross that filthy, bent, beautiful strip of seawater. It defines us in so many ways.



Great question Baz.

[1eyedog]

Awesome TCD. I want to thank you personally for taking the time and effort to arrange these interviews and write them out for all of us to enjoy. It was great to hear about Wheels, such a gentleman, great player for our club and always very well spoken. Thanks again.

[LostDoggy]

This is the best interveiw yet. I have always thought very higly of Terry Wheeler and love hearing about his time at the club.

[The Doctor]

Fantastic

Post of the Year.

[The Coon Dog]

Fantastic

Post of the Year.

I thought you might like that one.

[Max469]

Best yet Barry - I loved watching Squirrel.

Great to see read about Ron James.

Had a bit of a giggle over the story about swapping jumpers with GJ.

I think you missed your calling as a journalist.

You are doing a wonderful job and thank you for taking your time to share with us these amazing interviews.

[aker39]

And Robert Walls thinks Q & A is lazy journalism.

Really appreciate the time and effort you have put in to everyone of your interviews TCD.

[The Coon Dog]

And Robert Walls thinks Q & A is lazy journalism.

Really appreciate the time and effort you have put in to everyone of your interviews TCD.

A journo I'm not.

As they talk I write furiously then look back later & try to decipher what it is I have written.

Appreciate the positive comments from those who have enjoyed the interviews.

I'm enjoying doing them, takes a while tho. I type them in a word doc & then paste into here, only it doesn't bold the former players comments, so I have to go through it all & do it again.