Footy Dogs

RON BARASSI

Ronald Dale Barassi is one of the greatest Australian Rules football players and coaches of all time. He is best remembered as an explosive player who wore the number 31 guernsey throughout his playing career. Ron played 204 senior games and was a six-time premiership player for Melbourne before switching to Carlton as captain/coach in 1965. He took Carlton to two premierships in 1968 and 1970. He then coached North Melbourne to premierships in 1975 and 1977 before coaching Melbourne from 1981 to 1985 and the Sydney Swans from 1993 to 1995.

TRISHA BROADBRIDGE

Trisha Broadbridge is active in the Reach Foundation, an Australian organisation that promotes youth self-esteem and is the founder of the Reach Broadbridge Fund which she now manages part-time. She was the 2006 recipient of the Young Australian of the Year Award, for her work in Thailand and with Australian youth. In 2007, she was the official ambassador for Melbourne’s Moomba festival.

LYNDA CARROLL

Lynda Carroll is a historian for the Melbourne Football Club. She completed a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree in 1992. Following this, she began research for a Master of Arts in History, focusing on the history of the Melbourne Cricket Ground in order to highlight the importance of sport in the Australian national identity. Lynda’s first book, The Grand Old Flag, was published in 1999 to much critical acclaim.

MARTIN FLANAGAN

Martin Flanagan is a leading sports writer for The Age newspaper in Melbourne.

SAM KEKOVICH

Sam Kekovich was the finest footy player of his generation. He has kicked on strongly and is now the leading thinker in the kingdom, providing advice to everyone who needs it, and that’s all of you.

PETER LALOR

Peter Lalor is a sports writer with The Australian newspaper who holds the record for serving more oranges and warming more benches than any player in the history of Bendigo football.

DIEGO MARADOGGA

Diego Maradogga, International Football (Soccer) Dog Super Star (aided by Zar Brooks).

CRAIG McGILL

Craig is a gifted artist and one of the founding principals of Giant Dog publishing. He photographs exclusively for the Wine Dogs series of books and calendars. www.theartofcraigmcgill.com

MICHAEL MILLETT

Michael Millett is News Editor at the Sydney Morning Herald. Michael has a footy career that spans over thirty years. It started at Avondale Heights followed by a stint at Parkside in Victoria. He was then transferred to Canberra where he played with the Australian National University. After ten years of retirement, he brought out the boots again in, of all places, Tokyo. For three years he was the Tokyo Goannas’ full forward. In his last game, before coming back to Oz, he cracked a rib while taking a speckie over a four-foot-high Japanese defender playing for the rival Samurais. His team won the Grand Final and he called it quits – although he can’t resist the winter kick-to-kick with his son Dylan.