{xtypo_dropcap}N{/xtypo_dropcap}o one has contributed  more to West Australian football than John O’Connell. A hundred and fifty six game player with Claremont, he went on to captain Geelong,  was a radio commentator for  over two decades,  General Manager of the WAFL for  five years, and  president of Claremont Football Club for six.

A ruckman -forward, O’Connell has had an association with football spanning sixty years, and he is still active behind the scenes at Claremont Oval.

But his leanings were to South Fremantle in his younger days.  “My uncle was a deadset South fan, and he took me to their games,” he said. “It was in their halcyon days, and blokes like Marsh and Naylor were my idols. Another uncle, Arthur Rawlinson, played a hundred and twenty four games and won two premierships at East Fremantle ” 

Recruited from the all conquering Claremont Metropolitan Juniors side of 1949, who were undefeated premiers, John made his league debut in round one of 1950, coming up against West Perth and later State ruckman, Kevin Clarke. “I was over awed out there alongside Les McClements and “Sonny” Maffina, but must have gone alright, because I kept my place,” he recalls.

A school champion athlete in his youth, who had run second to Commonwealth Games silver medallist, Graham Gipson, O’Connell was for a time co holder of a Junior Australian record for a relay. He set State junior marks in the long jump and triple jump, representing Western Australia. At one stage there was a lot of pressure on the young O’Connell to make track and field his career, with the decathlon a likely consideration.

That athleticism and mobility was rare in a six foot four and thirteen and a half stone big man, and the package made him a valuable commodity on the football field, plus a hard player to match up on.

John had a good run with injuries early in his career, a fact that his mum was happy about, and she was quick to advise the worried mother of fledgling Claremont rover, Murray Ward. Concerned about the tender age of her son playing at the top level, Mrs Ward was assured that he’d be alright.

 Murray broke his leg in the next game. 

An intelligent ruckman with the ability to mark around the ground, and equally as effective as a key forward, O’Connell had a meteoric rise into the State side in 1951, considering the plethora of good  big men around at the time.  On a wet and squally day at Subiaco he kicked two of his side’s eight goals and was one of WA’S best in a thirty eight point loss to Victoria.

Merv McIntosh, Jack Clarke, and O’Connell formed a three prong ruck battery with Steve Marsh and Jimmy Conway roving when Western Australia visited the MCG  the following season, going down by nine points in a stirring clash.  John went on to represent Western Australia on ten occasions.

Married in November of 1954, O’Connell spent his first years of wedded bliss in Victoria. He had been successful in a job application within the public service in Melbourne, and his signature was hotly contested by VFL clubs, Geelong, Hawthorn, and St Kilda.  At the same time, Claremont were trying to organise a clearance for Geelong star John Hyde to become their captain coach, and O’Connell was quickly made aware that the path to the VFL would be much easier if he decided on Geelong. Legendary Cats player and coach Reg Hickey was also an influence on John’s decision to go there, as well as a former coach and Claremont star, George Moloney, who had been the first at Geelong to kick a hundred goals in a season in 1932, the year he also topped the VFL goalkicking list.  

John recalls his first game against Melbourne. “I got a toweling that day from  Denis Cordner. After the game I got chatting to Melbourne captain, Noel McMahon, who said: “We’ve read about you, so we got Denis fired up by needling him all week about the hiding he was in for.” It certainly worked, as Cordner played a blinder.”

Eliminated in the preliminary final of 1955 by Collingwood, Geelong made the four again the following season, but were beaten by Footscray. Playing as a ruckman-forward, O’Connell played eighty one games at Geelong, kicking sixty five goals. His last season there, in 1960, was his best, when he captained the side,  represented the VFL in an interstate game against Tasmania, and finished third in the Cats fairest and best voting.

John continued in athletics while in Victoria, and ran in several professional events, including the Bendigo Four Hundred and Forty Yards, in which he was favourite for the final and fell victim of some questionable tactics. “I had won the heat in the fastest time, and started in the final from the second back mark. Matt Cunningham, the Fitzroy footballer, was on the front, and there had obviously been a meeting. From the start, as Cunningham got the inside passage, a wall was formed in front of me to prevent me getting through. I ended up on the dog track. To rub salt into the wounds I was on the mat for elbowing someone as I tried to get clear.” 

At the top of his game, John received a promotion back to Perth in his employment in 1961.

With aspirations of coaching, he applied for the Claremont coaching job, but was beaten by former Geelong team mate,  Peter Pianto.  He later received an offer from  the Perth Football Club, but after much consideration decided to stay at the Tigers.

“ It wasn’t a good three years for our club,” said John. “Peter was in many ways  ahead of his time. Some of the things he brought to Claremont were revolutionary and unpopular. He was a disciplinarian, and found it hard to get the message across. But much of the credit for Claremont’s premiership in 1964 should be sheeted back to Pianto.”

O’Connell was assistant coach to Pianto from 1961 to 1963. Peter Pianto was later to prove his coaching ability by taking Geelong to a grand final.  

Selected for the 1961 Brisbane Carnival squad, O’Connell had to withdraw because of injury, his absence opening the door for Tigers team mate, John Dethridge.  John  regained his place in the Western Australian side for the game against South Australia in which he teamed with Clarke and Brian Foley in a match WA lost by sixteen points after  wasting a strong breeze in the first quarter, kicking  two goals eleven behinds. In front by twelve points at the last break, the Croweaters utilised the wind best to render the home side scoreless in the final term.

O’Connell still has mixed feelings about his decision to retire at the end of the 1963 season.

“We’d finished last, I was thirty one, I thought it best to get out and let a younger bloke in,” he recalled. “Jimmy Conway, the new coach, tried to talk me into staying, offering me a place in a back pocket or forward if I wanted to have a spell from rucking, but I had committed to a coaching position at Maddington, plus a radio job was lined up, so I felt obligated to stick with my original decision.” 

It’s history now that the Tigers won the 1964 premiership.

Missing out on an outstanding premiership with the Tigers left a sour taste, but  John was quick to add that some of his most memorable years in football came in the ensuing period, both as captain coach of Maddington and his new career in the media.

His three year term at the Bulls was exhilarating, with a fairest and best award in his first season. The tenure included a premiership and a grand final draw,  the replay resulting in a one point loss to arch rivals, Cannington, coached by former East Fremantle forward, Len Anderson.   “I had the chance to win that one,” rued John. “In the closing seconds of the draw I had an opportunity to force the ball through for a behind. Trying to be a smart arse I made a grab for it instead of just pushing it forward.”

Another highlight was the visit of his old club, Geelong, who agreed to play against a combined South Suburban side, bolstered by some WANFL stars including Barry Cable and Phil Tierney, at Gosnells.

With local legend “Polly” Farmer in the visitors line up the ground was packed. Promoted by local MP and football writer Ross Elliott, the banner on the surrounds announced in large letters  “Hello Polly” parodying one of the days popular songs “Hello Dolly.” 

O’Connell captain coached the locals, and set the scene for a lively encounter with an early piece of biffo with a young Sam Newman.  “Sam was a cheeky bugger even then,” John commented.  “It was a great time.”

A short period  at the reins of South Perth was the swan song of John O’Connell’s on field football career, as a burgeoning media career began to take more and more of his time. Originally with Jack Sweet at 6PM, he then joined Tim Flynn and Les Mumme on 6KY, followed by stints at 6NR and the ABC.  His authoritive calls and comments, backed up by a sound knowledge and experience of the game were popular with listeners in a competitive era for football radio. He also has held the presidency of the WA Media Guild.

John returned to coaching ranks in 1969, as assistant  at Claremont for five seasons, under Denis Marshall and Verdun Howell.   

A memorable two decades of media involvement came to an end with O’Connell’s appointment as General Manager of the WAFL in 1987. “Talk about an initiation by fire!” he recalls. “It was the first year of the West Coast Eagles, and the workload was hectic with minimum resources. The League has expanded beyond recognition since then.”

Turning sixty in 1992, and leaving the WAFL job, John was immediately thrust back into the fray when elected President of the Claremont Football Club.  In a rewarding six year term, the Tigers played in three league grand finals, winning two of them,  while  the colts side dominated, winning five flags.

The sporting achievements of the O’Connell family don’t end with John. Wife Pam was a leading athlete, winning a National four hundred and forty yards title in Australian record time in 1954, and ran for Victoria during their time in that State. She also represented Victoria(coached by West Australian legend May Pearce) in interstate hockey. Brother Frank was a National 880 yard champion in 1956, but was denied the opportunity to represent his country in the Melbourne Olympics when he tore a hamstring on the eve of the Olympic Trials.

Sons David and Michael became the first set of brothers to represent the West Coast Eagles, although they never actually played together in the same side. David, a Medallists Medal winner as best WAFL colts player in 1981, played 27 games at West Coast, 107 with Claremont and 21 at Fitzroy, while Michael made 20 appearances for West Coast and 92 with Claremont in an injury ravaged career. Another son, Peter, played league football for Perth.

Chatting with John O’Connell is akin to opening a treasure trove of football and footballers. He played with some champions of the game in two States in a golden era, and to name the stars would need a book. Springing to mind though were names like Dave Ingraham, Ray Perry, Merv McIntosh, Keith Slater and Victorian stars John Nicholls, Dennis Cordner, Ron Barassi, and Ted Whitten as opponents and Les McClements, Denis  Marshall, Bernie Smith and Bobby Davis as team mates.

“Looking back to when I was playing, it would have been beyond the realms of the imagination to forecast the evolution that would take place,” John remarked. “We could never have envisaged the changes. In the post war period we had players who had just got back from the death and destruction of a war, where they had seen mates and foe die around them. Football was purely a recreation.”

“ When WA players transferred to the VFL, most of them made the transition well. I remember travelling to the games by bus. We would stop at Werribee for steak and eggs, walk half a mile back to the bus, then continue on to the game in Melbourne. On the way home we’d be entertained by all on the bus with a song, poem, or whatever else they could think of. Whenever I hear one of those old tunes such as “Blue Moon” or “Ramona” the image of the bloke singing it on the bus springs to mind. There’d be a few king browns, maybe a few too many.”

“We could not have imagined the professionalism of the game today.”   

 John’s life still revolves around football. He is a regular at the Claremont Football Club each week doing voluntary work on the ground and it’s surrounds, is the first port of call if things need doing, and is president of the Past Players Association.  “I’ve had a wonderful life in football,” he said.

The O’Connell name is a well respected one at Claremont, Geelong, and Maddington, as well as the WAFL and the media. An outstanding exponent of the game, as ruckman, forward, and coach, his lifetime of service to all facets of football in Western Australia has been outstanding. The game is the richer for the contributions of John O’Connell.