Yes, on All-Australian night...
Congratulations to Collingwood coach Craig McRae on being inducted into the Brisbane Lions Hall of Fame, in part for the things he did to Collingwood in a pair of Grand Finals 20 years ago.
CRAIG McRAE
Craig McRae was drafted at 63kg in 1992… jockey size. Just. He was too small for AFL football, or so he decided. Because after waiting 19 years to get drafted he then chose to wait another two years to see if he could play.
It's not something your average want-to-be footballer would do… but the man they call 'Fly' is no average anything. And could he play! After two seasons post-draft with Glenelg he stepped straight into the Brisbane side in 1995 and there he stayed for 10 years. Through 195 games, 125 wins, 18 finals, four grand finals and three premierships, he was a star.
Ever dangerous around goals, with a deadly left-foot, he kicked 232 goals. Yet goals were secondary. He was the original 'know your role, accept your role, play your role' disciple of coach Leigh Matthews. It was all about tackles and pressure. A brilliant team player in a brilliant team.
Without fuss or fanfare, he retired after the 2004 grand final to begin football life - phase two. A qualified teacher, he was a man on a coaching mission. To Richmond, Brisbane, Collingwood, Richmond, Hawthorn and now the senior coach at Collingwood.
We can't luv him, but we always will. A small man, a giant of the game… and a Brisbane Lions Hall of Famer…
CRAIG McRAE
In other news, the Lions will remove Craig McRae from the Brisbane Lions Hall of Fame at 5pm on September 30, when Collingwood defeat the Lions in the Grand Final.
Although, the most unlikely part of that sentence is Collingwood actually making the Grand Final, let alone winning it.
Funnily enough, there is one notable example of a player coaching a premiership against the team they played for with great distinction...
Malcolm Blight for Adelaide against North Melbourne in 1998.
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