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RIP John Todd

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Rated an exceptional talent and like Coleman had his career cut short by a knee injury.
Many experts believed his talent to be as good as any they had seen as a player.
A hard nose coach who got results winning 6 WAFL flags at 3 different clubs. Coached the Eagles and was but really given the chance he deserved over a period of time.
Legend of the sport.
 
A great man and football legend. Won a Sandover at age 17 and we can only wonder what he would have achieved on-field without his serious knee injury. Still an all-Australian in 1961. Coached well over 700 games, including two years coaching the West Coast Eagles (the first to coach us to a finals appearance) and six WAFL premierships, most of them when the WAFL was still a very strong competition. As a Swan Districts fan, I will always remember him fondly for coaching Swans to four premierships. R.I.P. Toddy.
 
Bugger Swan Districts, he lived the fairytale and returned to his spiritual home of South Fremantle to coach his last premiership. Was it really only six? Seemed like more.
The word legend is used too often but in this case not. He was a legend of the game. Whitten level.
 
Outstanding career. His playing career was cut short due to injury. But he won a Sandover medal 17 years old.

In my opinion, he should be given Legend status in the AFL Hall of Fame, such was his contribution to footy.
 
Lunchtime said:
Outstanding career. His playing career was cut short due to injury. But he won a Sandover medal 17 years old.

In my opinion, he should be given Legend status in the AFL Hall of Fame, such was his contribution to footy.
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Not many with better records. Agree where he should be but as he is not from the VFL he won’t be.
 

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masai tu said:
Toddy was a legend of Aussie Football.

Guided the Black Ducks from lacklustre to a 3 Peat.
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He sure was MT and the early 80s was an awesome time. As a young fella going to basso, supporting the black ducks when they travelled to play the royals, south’s, Cardinals etc was pharken unreal. The icing on the cake was being able to meet and talk to such an icon of the game.
 
greatwhiteshark said:
A whole number of reasons, deep down they wanted a VIC coach who knew VIC conditions. I have no doubt whoever was coach a flag or two awaited but they went with Malthouse and the rest is history.
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Who knows, had they stuck with JT for long enough he could of been an AFL Premiership coach. The team probably needed a bit more time and maturity to realise their full potential.

Mick is an all time great great coach as we know but you just wonder if the Eagles her preserved with JT for a longer..who knows what might if happened.

Ron Alexander, the very first Eagles coach - he didn't last long either....only that one season (1987).
 
Lunchtime said:
Who knows, had they stuck with JT for long enough he could of been an AFL Premiership coach. The team probably needed a bit more time and maturity to realise their full potential.

Mick is an all time great great coach as we know but you just wonder if the Eagles her preserved with JT for a longer..who knows what might if happened.

Ron Alexander, the very first Eagles coach - he didn't last long either....only that one season (1987).
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WC wanted instant success. Dumped Ron Alexander after just one season, dumped Toddy after 2. Todd gave Malthouse a winning team.
 
Diverbelow said:
WC wanted instant success. Dumped Ron Alexander after just one season, dumped Toddy after 2. Todd gave Malthouse a winning team.
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Reminds me a bit of Richmond in years gone by, especially in the 1980s...they'd sack coaches after not getting success.
 

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Growing up in the late 70’s early 80’s, Todd and Mal Brown were the WAFL Super Coaches.

RIP
 
Lunchtime said:
In my opinion, he should be given Legend status in the AFL Hall of Fame, such was his contribution to footy.
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I assumed he already was. Disgrace that he isn't (why do the AFL wait until these legends pass!)


On a lighter note, if any of you go to a sporty with Scotty Cummings as a speaker, get him to recount his John Todd story.
 
I disagree with the accusations of Vic bias preventing John Todd's elevation to legend status in the Hall Of Fame.

Obviously, he was a WA football legend - a special player who was good enough to win a Sandover Medal in his debut season at the age of 17. Also a great coach who won multiple WAFL premierships and made an instant impression in the AFL when he guided the Eagles into the 1988 finals series.


If I was to play Devils's Advocate and offer reasons why he hasn't been made a legend in the Australian Football Hall of Fame, I would make these two suggestions.



1) The ACL injury he sustained in Round 7, 1956 (in just his 2nd season at age of 18) which tragically prevented him from achieving his destiny as one of the all-time greats of the game. He had displayed his supreme talent as a 17 year old centreman by winning the Sandover Medal and South Fremantle's best and fairest.

After the knee injury, he was never the same. He wore a knee brace and soldiered on for 138 games over 10 years. Still good enough to captain the struggling South Fremantle team, win another 2 B&F's and play 13 games of state footy for WA. But his playing career doesn't come close to the official legends of the game. More a case of what might've been.

That he was able to eke out a decent career as a player was hell of an achievement in itself. Prior to the development of reconstructive knee surgery, any serious knee injury usually spelled instant retirement. He must've been a fiercely determined competitor to continue on for another 10 years with a bung knee.



2) The records say Todd coached 6 WAFL premierships, but the 2 flags he won in the 1990's with Swan Districts (1990) and South Fremantle (1997) do not carry the same prestige as the 1974, 1982, 1983 and 1984 premierships he won back when the WAFL was a genuine tier 1 competition which rivalled the VFL for strength and talent.

Once the Eagles joined the VFL in the 1987, the floodgates opened and the WA talent drain was completed over the ensuing couple of seasons. By the 1990's the WAFL had become a 2nd tier feeder comp to the AFL. Only 26,000 people were there to see Swan Districts win the 1990 GF compared to the 51,000 who saw them win the 1982 flag.

So it's a bit of a distortion to add those two flags from the 90's to the previous 4 he won. It was a different comp. You can't equate his coaching achievements to a legend such as Norm Smith who steered Melbourne to 6 premierships from 1955-1964.

There are a number of legendary VFL coaches (besides Alastair Clarkson) who won 4 premierships who haven't been inducted as 'official' legends of the game: Allan Jeans, David Parkin, Tom Hafey, John Worrall and Frank Hughes.

FWIW, there were other WAFL coaches who won 4 or more premierships: Johnny Leonard and Jerry Dolan both won 5 premiership before WW2. Ross Hutchison and Clive Lewington coached their teams to 4 flags in the 1940's and 50's.
 
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Back One Out said:
I disagree with the accusations of Vic bias preventing John Todd's elevation to legend status in the Hall Of Fame.

Obviously, he was a WA football legend - a special player who was good enough to win a Sandover Medal in his debut season at the age of 17. Also a great coach who won multiple WAFL premierships and made an instant impression in the AFL when he guided the Eagles into the 1988 finals series.


If I was to play Devils's Advocate and offer reasons why he hasn't been made a legend in the Australian Football Hall of Fame, I would make these two suggestions.



1) The ACL injury he sustained in Round 7, 1956 (in just his 2nd season at age of 18) which tragically prevented him from achieving his destiny as one of the all-time greats of the game. He had displayed his supreme talent as a 17 year old centreman by winning the Sandover Medal and South Fremantle's best and fairest.

After the knee injury, he was never the same. He wore a knee brace and soldiered on for 138 games over 10 years. Still good enough to captain the struggling South Fremantle team, win another 2 B&F's and play 13 games of state footy for WA. But his playing career doesn't come close to the official legends of the game. More a case of what might've been.

That he was able to eke out a decent career as a player was hell of an achievement in itself. Prior to the development of reconstructive knee surgery, any serious knee injury usually spelled instant retirement. He must've been a fiercely determined competitor to continue on for another 10 years with a bung knee.



2) The records say Todd coached 6 WAFL premierships, but the 2 flags he won in the 1990's with Swan Districts (1990) and South Fremantle (1997) do not carry the same prestige as the 1974, 1982, 1983 and 1984 premierships he won back when the WAFL was a genuine tier 1 competition which rivalled the VFL for strength and talent.

Once the Eagles joined the VFL in the 1987, the floodgates opened and the WA talent drain was completed over the ensuing couple of seasons. By the 1990's the WAFL had become a 2nd tier feeder comp to the AFL. Only 26,000 people were there to see Swan Districts win the 1990 GF compared to the 51,000 who saw them win the 1982 flag.

So it's a bit of a distortion to add those two flags from the 90's to the previous 4 he won. It was a different comp. You can't equate his coaching achievements to a legend such as Norm Smith who steered Melbourne to 6 premierships from 1955-1964.

There are a number of legendary VFL coaches (besides Alastair Clarkson) who won 4 premierships who haven't been inducted as 'official' legends of the game: Allan Jeans, David Parkin, Tom Hafey, John Worrall and Frank Hughes.

FWIW, there were other WAFL coaches who won 4 or more premierships: Johnny Leonard and Jerry Dolan both won 5 premiership before WW2. Ross Hutchison and Clive Lewington coached their teams to 4 flags in the 1940's and 50's.
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You missed is all-Australian selection on one good leg in 1961.
 

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