Following the death of former coach, John Devine, the Geelong Football Club is in deep sorrow.
What Happened to John Devine?
John Devine, a former coach and premiership defender for Geelong, passed away on Sunday at the age of 82.
The legendary “JD” played over 100 games for Geelong before having a successful playing and coaching career at North Hobart. He is a member of the Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame.
Devine captained North Hobart’s Team of the Century and led the Demons to championships in 1967, 1969, and 1974. He also made seven appearances for Tasmania as a player, captain, or coach.
Our prayers are with John’s loved ones, close friends, and the entire Tasmanian football community.
Following Legend John Devine’s recent passing from illness, Geelong and Tasmanian football are mourning the loss of arguably one of the hardest players to put on the boots.
According to the source, John Devine has lost the fight against Parkinson’s and dementia. Friends and families started posting condolence messages on social media as soon as the news broke. For his loved ones, this is very sad news.
Who was John Devine?
In the Victorian Football League (VFL), John Devine made his senior debut for Geelong in 1960. He was raised in Colac, a city in western Victoria. John Devine had a loping running gait and was a fiercely tough defender. For his dedication to Geelong both on and off the field, he was well-liked. He was feared as a player because of his unwavering attitude toward the game and his rivals.
Devine was a member of the Geelong team that won the 1963 premiership and was hailed as one of the Cats’ greatest players in their victory over Hawthorn. From 1962 to 1966, when the Cats played in the finals series, he was a member of Geelong during a particularly prosperous period.
Devine, who was known as a “big game” player, was selected as one of the Cats’ top players in six of the nine finals they played in while he was with Geelong.
John Devine Career
Devine captain coached two additional TFL championships in 1969 and 1974 after victories over NTFA champions Launceston and NWFU champions Latrobe (led and coached by Darrel Baldock). In 1969, he also prevailed in the state championship for Tasmania. (Bob Withers as the coach).
In the state championship game at York Park, North Hobart, led by Devine, defeated Launceston by a margin of 20 goals, breaking the previous record. Local football fans had the chance to watch Devine, a former Geelong hardman, play in a number of memorable games when he moved to Tasmania in 1967.
Two of these games—the 1967 state championship contest and the 1970 Tasmanian representative contest—have received official recognition from the Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame.
North Hobart, Tasmania, and John Devine at his best have played in some memorable matches, including:
- 1967: North Hobart TFL champion defeats Glenorchy after starting in fourth place (first TFL club to do so).
- Famous state championship game against Wynyard in 1967 that was declared a “no match” because of the goal post incident
- 1968: New Norfolk, led by Trevor Leo, defeated North Hobart to win the senior TFL championship, despite being the favorites.
- 1969: North Hobart defeated Launceston by a record margin and won the state championship over Clarence.
Devine was the captain and coach of Tasmania in a historically significant victory over West Australia in 1970.
John Devine- Geelong’s C0oach
In 1986, after Tom Hafey was fired, John Devine rejoined Geelong in a formal capacity as the team’s coach. Devine was not retained as coach after Geelong finished the 1988 season in tenth place. The future captain Mark Bairstow, Garry Hocking, Billy Brownless, Bruce Lindner, Barry Stoneham, and David Cameron were all players that Devine hired while he was in charge of the Geelong ‘Team of the Century’. Under Malcolm Blight, each of these people would contribute to the team’s success in 1989 as they advanced to the VFL championship game.
After he finished his playing and coaching career. In Tasmania, John Devine rose to prominence as a politician and businessman. Both Tasmanian Football and North Hobart Football Club honored him for his contribution to the game.
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