COLEMAN, John

John Coleman was one of the greats of the game, some say the greatest player ever.

Coleman burst into League football with 12 goals on debut (still a record) and became an overnight sensation. Throughout his career fans flocked to see him play. The crowd would change ends each quarter get as close a look at him as they could.

Coleman's game was built around his great high-marking for which he became famous, and his long accurate kicking. For a full-forward these were ideal skills. But he was also a superb reader of the game and was quick and strong when the ball was on the ground.

Coleman was born in Port Fairy but spent his early school years in Moonee Ponds. The Coleman family then moved to Tyabb when he was in his teens and he played football for Hastings. His goalkicking feats attracted the attention of League clubs and he was invited to Essendon for practice games in early 1947 and again in early 1948. One of the many legends about him was that he returned home complaining that other players wouldn't kick to him, but that is not true. He considered playing for Richmond, but finally opted for Essendon.

Having stunned the football world by kicking 12 goals on debut, he became the first League player to kick 100 goals in his first season, in the process breaking Essendon's goalkicking record of 70 goals held by Tom Reynolds in 1939.

He also won Essendon's Best and Fairest Player award that year, was selected in the State side, and also played in a premiership, kicking six goals, the last of which was his 100th for the season. He was also Essendon highest Brownlow Medal vote winner that year. An hour after the victory Coleman he was still trying to leave the Essendon rooms, being besieged by fans.

Coleman was indeed a phenomenon. He was the League's leading goalkicker again in 1950 with 120 goals and his four goals in the Grand Final that year spearheaded the Club's second successive premiership win. He was the League's second top goalkicker in 1951 with 75 goals and again topped the League goalkickers in 1952 with 103 goals and in 1953 with 97 goals. In the last three home and away games in 1952 he booted 9, 13 and 8 goals respectively.

In the last game of 1951, Coleman received rough treatment from his Carlton opponent, Harry Caspar. He retaliated and was reported. (Although it is possible that Caspar was actually retaliating for an earlier incident.) He pleaded his case at the Tribunal but was sensationally suspended for four weeks, eliminating him from finals action. Many believe that his suspension cost Essendon the flag as the team was beaten in the Grand Final by Geelong by only 11 points.

Coleman played in the State side in 1949, 1950, 1951 and 1953. He won an All-Australian blazer in 1953 and was Essendon's Best and Fairest winner 1949 and runner-up in 1951. He was the Club's vice-captain in 1953 and 1954.

In Round 7, 1954, Coleman kicked 14 goals against Fitzroy, the highest tally of his career. The following week against North Melbourne at Windy Hill, Coleman had five goals on the board when he led for a mark but landed awkwardly and injured his knee. After 98 games his career was over.

The Committee felt so highly of his services that he was granted Life membership in 1956 despite not fulfilling the ten year service requirement.

Coleman had kicked 42 goals before his injury, was averaging seven goals a game, and still was Essendon's leading goalkicker for the year. He had kicked 537 goals and headed the League goalkicking list four times. His average was just short of 5.5 goals per game, the second highest in League history and he had been goalless only once in his League career.

Coleman kicked 13 goals twice in 1952, 12 goals in 1949 and 11 goals in 1953. He kicked 10 goals on six occasions, nine goals three times and eight goals on five occasions.

In recognition of his extraordinary career, in 1981 the VFL re-named the Leading Goalkicker Medal the Coleman Medal and awarded it retrospectively to winners from 1955.

The history of his Brownlow Medal votes is interesting and reflects his troubled relationship with umpires - an antipathy he carried into his coaching career. He polled 15 votes in 1949 and 10 in 1950, then his totals dropped right away to 1, 3, 4 and 3, despite his continued dominance on the field. It's hard not to assume that the umpires were influenced by his attitude towards them.

Fortunately for Essendon, his retirement from playing did not mean the end of his association with the Club. Coleman joined the committee in 1959 and then he took over from Dick Reynolds as coach in 1961.

His first year as coach was not without its problems as he was laid low for some weeks with hepatitis at the start of 1961. But he went on to coach Essendon to two premierships in 1962 and 1965 and also coached the State side in 1965.

His win-loss coaching record is second only to Geelong's Chris Scott: 70.28% to 68.80%.

He retired as coach at the end of 1967.

John Coleman died from a heart attack on 5th April 1973 at his Dromana hotel. He was only 44 years old.

He remains the most collectable of all footballers and third most popular sporting figure behind only Don Bradman and Phar Lap.

His legacy has been honoured in many ways. He was inducted as an inaugural Club Hall of Fame Legend in 1996 and an inaugural Australian Football Hall of Fame Legend in 1998. He was depicted as "Leadership" in the "Spirit to Win" mural at Windy Hill. He was selected at full-forward in both the Club and the AFL Team of the Century. Statues of him were erected in Hastings in 2005 and outside the MCG in 2013.

He was named number 2 in the Champions of Essendon, second only to Dick Reynolds.