{xtypo_dropcap}W{/xtypo_dropcap}hen Hassa Mann played in the centre for Victoria at Subiaco Oval in 1968 opposed to West Australian Peter Manning he wouldn’t have dreamed he’d be a team mate of the Swan Districts star in the black and gold less than two seasons later on the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Mann’s performance at Subiaco when the Big V won by nine points not only won him a nipple-pink coloured transistor radio, but the attention of both Fremantle clubs, who sounded him out as a prospective playing coach.

“I had no intention of moving from Melbourne Football Club, let alone across the country,” Hassa said. But when the two clubs pooled together to offer him and wife Glenys a trip to Perth he thought: “why not?” “We flew over with the aim of enjoying ourselves for a week or so; it was an opportunity too good to refuse.” Mann spent a few days as guest of East Fremantle, then South.

“I went back to Melbourne and advised the club that I’d been offered a coaching position in the West, told them I’d prefer to stay, and asked for a two year contract,” he recalled. “The Chairman of Selectors replied that he didn’t reckon I had two years left in me.”

At twenty eight years of age, the three time club fairest and best winner, most recent being 1967, current All Australian, and club captain, was justifiably upset by his rating at the Demons, and decided to accept South Fremantle’s offer.

“It was a tough decision, especially as Big Bob Johnson had recently coached at East,” Hassa said. “Both clubs had finished outside the four in 1968, but East looked to have an older spread of players, whereas I’d been struck by the young guys I’d met at a function at the Phoenix Hotel.”

Twelve months later he was wondering if he’d pulled the right rein.

{xtypo_quote_left}On the Thursday night before the grand final against Perth there were over eight thousand people at Fremantle Oval to watch training.{/xtypo_quote_left}

South won five games in 1969, although Mann himself impressed, winning the A W Walker Medal as fairest and best for the Bulldogs. It was then that Hassa laid the foundation for a flag with some straight talk and tough decisions. “We had a selection committee which had been together for a few seasons and had pigeonholed a few players. I went to President Ron Hart and told him I felt I wasn’t getting my team out onto the park. Putting my head on the chopping block,I said if I couldn’t be sole selector I ‘d not coach.”

Hart acquiesced, and Mann co-opted his seconds coach to assist in selection. Then came the list overhaul. Some of the club’s favourite sons retired at the end of or during the 1969 season, including John Gerovich, Gary Scott, Ivan Glucina, Don Gardiner, Graeme Smith, Kevin Miller, Charlie Osmetti, and Don Grljusich. Among those recruited were John Reilly, Len Clark, Alf Oldenhof, and Ken Smith, exciting youngsters Don Haddow, Graeme Scott and Danny Civich, and the return of Norm Dennis. “I asked not to be included in any fairest and best votes, I felt maybe I’d concentrated too much on my own game the year before, wishing to justify my being here, and got more involved in on-field coaching.” The stationing of Tom Grljusich at centre half back, Gary Greer in defence, John and Graeme Reilly clearing from fullback, and Dennis the workhorse to the high leaping Fred Seinor revolutionised the Bulldogs, as they charged to a last to first premiership in 1970, defeating favourites Perth in the grand final.

“I’d played in three VFL premiership sides, including one in my first season, as an eighteen year old,” Hassa said. “But actually being in charge of the playing group and sharing the experience of blokes who’d come from nowhere was another dimension,” he said. Wingman Frank Legena was one who played his best football under Mann, and is a great admirer of the former Melbourne star’s coaching abilities. “I was coached by Clive Lewington as a junior, and Hassa was of the same mould,” he said. The silky smooth style of Legena came to the fore under Mann’s mentoring. 

On the Thursday night before the grand final against Perth there were over eight thousand people at Fremantle Oval to watch training.

“We went out as a group, did a couple of laps warm up, went end to end for about ten minutes, jogged into the centre, then walked off,” Mann recalled. “An official raced toward me, telling me I couldn’t take them off, the bar was full. On the big day I requested a bus, saying that half of our blokes wouldn’t be able to find Subiaco Oval.”

When Hassa Mann played in his first grand final in 1959, coach Norm Smith addressed him pre match. “Son,” he said, “you may never ever play in another grand final. Don’t blow it.” Mann repeated the advice at Fremantle Oval in 1970. As it turned out, only one of those present, Don Haddow, played in the club’s next flag win a decade later.   

Hassa played twice for Western Australia in 1970, and ironically, Melbourne Football Club offered Mann their coaching position following the South Fremantle premiership win, but he decided to honor his WA contract. 

After an injury-ravaged 1971 season in which South finished out of the four, Mann stood down as coach, retired as a player, but remained in Perth until 1977. State Manager with Mobil Oil, he served as a State Selector and was assistant at Subiaco to Brian Douge for two seasons, while working with George Gljusich on Saturday evenings on the ABC.

Nicknamed “Hassa” by his cousin because the cousin couldn’t pronounce his real name, Harold, Mann hailed from the Murray River town, Merbein, which is 350km’s from Melbourne. He was an outstanding rover as a junior, a season in the strong Ovens and Murray League with Rutherglen as a seventeen year old resulting in him being runner up for the club’s fairest and best award after missing the first five games. Nine VFL clubs were after his signature. An Essendon supporter, it was a shock to the system that the Dons were one of the few that didn’t show any interest, and when Melbourne official Jim Cardwell came to town, initially to look at another player, he refused to sign on the dotted line. When Cardwell returned next morning he won Mr and Mrs Mann over, who in turn  convinced young Harold to put pen to paper. After two games with the reserves he played on a half forward flank in his first game on Geelong star John Devine and booted five goals. Hassa never played reserves again.

He became “unofficial” Lord Mayor of Melbourne in 1964, when kicking a mercurial goal in the dying seconds of the second last home and away game against Hawthorn to secure a berth in the finals, and ultimately a flag and the last Premiership the Demons have won.

Vice captain to Ron Barassi in 1964, he skippered the club after Barassi’s departure to Carlton in 1965, and remained at the helm until his exit west in 1968. Mann was a premiership player in 1959,60, and 64, best first year player in 1959, Victorian State Side member eight times, All Australian 1965, was selected in Melbourne’s Team of the Century, and is a life member. He was also a member of the first Australian Team in 1967 to play Gaelic football in Ireland.

After his return to Victoria Hassa was specialist coach at Melbourne under Carl Ditterich in 1979, coach of Eltham for two seasons, Caulfield for one, and at Templestowe for two. A director at Melbourne Football Club for two years, Mann was CEO of the club from 1992 to 1997. He still has an involvement with the Demons with their Heritage Sub Committee, and is an inductee of the club’s Hall of Fame. He also served as CEO of the Melbourne Titans NBL team. 

These days he enjoys a round of golf on a Friday and looks forward to meeting up with Barassi and other old mates for lunch at the Bentleigh Club, where they often have at least fourteen in the group. Glenys and Hassa have three daughters, Melissa, Sally, and Kylie, with the latter pair being born in East Fremantle, so we can claim them as West Aussies.

A list of stars headed by Ian Stewart, Alistair Lord, Kevin Murray, and John Devine were opponents Hassa found pretty hard to get over, while Barassi and Ted Whitten, Bob Skilton, Billy Goggin and Graeme Farmer were brilliant players he counted at one time or another as Victorian State Team mates. On the WAFL scene, Mel Whinnen and Greg Brehaut were two well worthy of mention.

He yarned about Whitten.

“It was my first State game, and Ted said: “welcome to State footy, Hassa. Now if you play your cards right you could look pretty good today and be a long-term State player.” “Who’s the dealer?” I asked. “Me” was the quick reply. Ted went on: “you kick to me, and run past for a handball . That way, you get two kicks, I get one.” We were doing pretty good at half time, but in the third quarter I started to flag, and when I wasn’t there for a handball he booted a sixty metre punt through the goals. “Where were you?” he yelled, and then went on: “that’s it.” After that every time I was in the vicinity he would prop as if to handball but never dished another one out.”

“On another occasion Norm Smith said if we won the toss to kick against the wind so it would be behind us in the last quarter. Whitten tossed the coin, I grunted. “What did you call?” he yelled. “’What was it?” I replied. “Heads,” said Ted. “I called heads,” I said, and pointed to the required end. “Ted said: “You didn’t call heads did you?” to which I answered: “too late.”

“Next thing Whitten wandered from his designated team placing of centre half back into the centre, on me. As I went for the ball, I felt a squirrel grip on my nether regions. “Whitten you bastard,” I shouted in anguish. “If it was Tuddenham I’d rip the bastards out,” Ted said.   

A legend of the game in two States, Hassa Mann has achieved much in his association with Melbourne and South Fremantle, and is one who has given plenty back to the sport he loves. He was recently honoured by the Melbourne Cricket Club with the Hans Eberling Award, as a recognition of outstanding service to the MCC’s sporting sections. Despite the recognition he receives, he is an extremely humble and down to earth man. “My long involvement and association with the Melbourne Football Club has never been a chore and never will be,” he said.

We wonder if he still has the nipple pink coloured transistor.