This AFL Grand Final Week At the ‘G host Anthony Hudson brings you the second part of the MCG story of the great Leigh Matthews, sharing tales of triumph from his September deeds as a coach.
In part one of Huddo’s chat with Leigh, available here, the pair revisited his journey to becoming one of the greatest players of all time in a career that saw him win four premierships with Hawthorn in the 1970s and 80s. Incredibly, he was able to do the same as a coach.Lifting off from Leigh’s acceptance of an assistant coaching role at Collingwood as part of a succession plan to take over from Bob Rose, Huddo explores Leigh’s historic 1990 Grand Final win at the helm of the Pies followed by the remarkable Brisbane Lions three-peat. The first of the Lions premierships were won in 2001, 20 years ago this week.
Leigh highlights the differences in experiencing Grand Final Week as a player and coach, reflects on the pressure and stress of coaching that comes hand in hand with euphoria and sheds light on the tough decisions a coach must make ahead of the biggest game of the year.
We also get an insight into Leigh’s time in the media, his no-nonsense approach to commentary, and his special relationship with co-commentators Bruce McAvaney and Dennis Cometti in his stint in the Channel 7 commentary box on Friday Night Football.
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