Interview With Ian Bryant

[The Coon Dog]

Ian Bryant
1960-1969
160 Games - 21 Goals

TCD: Hi Ian & thanks for your time.

IB: No worries, nice to have a chat with you.

Where did you grow up?

Yarravile.

Who did you barrack for as a kid?

Essendon, not too sure why to be honest, I went to Kingsville Primary School & we wore Essendon jumpers. I had number 10 on my jumper.

He was a good player John Coleman, wasn't he?

My word!

Who did you play your junior football with?

Footscray & Yarraville Centrals. I played there until I was 17.

How did you get to Footscray?

I received an invite down to do pre season training in 1960. I played in a few practice matches & didn't star or anything, but I thought I did all right.

It was different in those day, you had to pick up the paper to find out if you had been selected or put on the list. Unfortunately I didn't make it & was a bit disappointed & was going to go back & play with the junior club.

Anyhow the club invited me to play with the thirds. I played 6 games in the thirds, got promoted to the seconds where I played 2 games & then got promoted to the firsts. So in 9 weeks I had gone from not making the list to playing seniors!

Do you remember your first game?

It was against Collingwood at home. We lost a close game, but I remember trying a few tricks I had learned in junior football & being knocked arse over head a few times. I soon learned.

You had only 2 coaches in your Footscray playing days. E.J & Charlie, perhaps the 2 most famous names associated with the club, what were they like as coaches?

E.J. was no tactician, that's for sure. He just set the agenda & told us all 'to follow me'. Charlie was more fire & brimstone & wanted you to knock 'em down.

There wasn't the tactics in those days like there is today. In them days you didn't handball in the backline & you played infront. The only tactics were if there was a wind & which side of the ground to attack & defend.

What can you recall about 1961?

We had to beat Geelong in the last game of the season to play in the finals, which we did.

In the semi final we beat St.Kilda by a few goals & expected then to meet Hawthorn in the Preliminary Final as Melbourne were the Premiership favourites. It didn't work out that way as Hawthorn defeated Melbourne, so we had to play the Demons.

We beat Melbourne in probably the best game I was ever involved in at Footscray. Everyone played well & we had no passengers.

During those finals there were more people at training than at some games I played in!

We started well in the Grand Final & led at half time, but Hawthorn were just too physical. It didn't help that we had 2 played injured in Keith Beamish & Merv Hobbs, so both our reserves were on just after half time. It meant we couldn't make anymore changes.

You were very consistent playing nearly every game every year.

I was fortunate in that I didn't miss a game through injury. I only ever missed when playing for Victoria or if I had the flu.

How did you enjoy playing for the Big V?

Loved it! I played 6 times for Victoria & to be honest it was like playing in a practice match. It was just so easy, all those good players, you knew when you got the ball that you wouldn't have just the one option, but 3 or 4.

Who were some of the better players you played against?

* Bobby Skilton - Skilts played just about the whole game on the ball, he rarely rested, just roved all day. It took me 3 years to work out which foot he kicked with, he was just as good on either, even with stab passes & drop kicks.

* Peter Crimmins - Very tenacious, never stopped running, would have fitted in well today.

* Hassa Mann - A clever player who knew where to go to get the ball. A good mark for his size.

* Ian Stewart - Had it all, good mark & a beautiful kick. Deceptively tough with his pasty skin. He looked like a weakling, but wasn't, I can assure you.

What about some of the players you played with?

* E.J. - The best I ever saw! Could play anywhere, left side, right side, didn't matter, even umpired games!

* John Schultz - A honest toiler who never tired, just kept going & going.

* Graham Ion - 5 foot 11 CHF, tough as nails, just so incredibly brave.

* Johnny Holies - CHB who ran straight & if you got in his road, you got knocked down. Tough!.

You finished up at the end of 1969.

Yes, I had got married the year before & bought a block of land in Hoppers Crossing & was looking to build a house. Playing VFL in those days didn't pay the bills, so I went & coached in the VFA for 5 years; 2 at Geelong West & 3 at Werribee. I realised after that that I was a better footballer than a coach, but I was paid 3 times what I was at Footscray.

Do you still follow the club?

Yes, very much. I'm President of the Past Players Association. We have a room at home games so it's nice to catch up. I managed to watch us up in Brisbane & Canberra this year, even caught up with Geoff Jennings in Queensland while I was at the game.

Have the Past Players got their Annual Lunch coming up shortly?

Yes, on the 4th of July at the Yarraville Club. It's a great afternoon with lunch & drinks provided in the cost. Rodney Eade is one of the guests on the day, along with Rick Kennedy. It's a great day, so if anyone wants to come along, plase ring the Secretary, Owen Madigan on 9729 3969.

Thanks for you time Ian.

You're welcome.

[ledge]

One of those players who quietly went and did the business and played for the big V, the ones we loved but sadly probably fade from the memory due to bigger names.
A champ in his day.

[LostDoggy]

Ian Bryant was a very, very fine player.

We seem to have been lucky over the years with some very good back pocket/hbf types. He was as good as any of them.

[LostDoggy]

Ian Bryant was a very, very fine player.

We seem to have been lucky over the years with some very good back pocket/hbf types. He was as good as any of them.

This

[LostDoggy]

Got to see Ian Bryant on the park for 5 seasons, as I started going to the footy in 1964Must admit, my memories of him are somewhat shadowy, given I was only a little tacker at the time, but I seem to recall a solid, not showy backman whose approach to the game was courageous and workmanlike. Great to read the interview, TCD! Thanks

[bornadog]

Funny, when I picked up my Heritage past players book, the first player I flipped to (by accident) was Ian Bryant, a player I had forgotten about. Earlier today I was going to mention to TCD about interviewing him and here he was already one step ahead of me.

Well done TCD.

[hughy31]

Number 5 played in the back pocket and then into the centre.Tough player who was a great kick and well balanced. The rat was one of the bulldogs best in that era.

[The Dogs Bollocks]

Thanks for that TCD.

Good read.

[Ghost Dog]

It is very humbling to think about how much these guys got paid. To think that a player now earns more than the entire team would have in 1,2 or maybe 3 years of hard footy.

[merantau]

Ian Bryant was a damn good player. He had a fine physique and never shirked an issue. A highlight for me was his beautiful kicking. He was a magnificent stylist with an almighty follow through when drop kicking. Alec 'Racehorse' Gardiner, Bob Spargo and Ian Bryant were a formidable centre line in those days.