Jack Dyer’s original autobiography was published in 1965.  Nearly 50 years on, “Captain Blood Jack Dyer” makes for fascinating reading.  On Jack’s 100^th birthday today, richmondfc.com.au reprints some of Captain Blood’s comments, covering a range of interesting topics, from arch rivals to coaches to Richmond premierships . . .

Jack on Carlton

“Carlton are a side I always liked to play against.  We had the formula to beat them.  If we looked like losing, the wind would change, we’d score after the bell, or we’d suddenly play inspired football.  They didn’t know how to beat us.  Back in the early thirties, they were always a power and to beat them was a feat, but we cost them three premierships that by rights they should have won . . . There was a logical explanation for our supremacy.  Their strength was in their half-forward flankers, and our strength was in our half-back flankers.  They did everything to break our defence, but never succeeded.  Year after year the same players kept fronting and we could play them by memory.”

Jack on Collingwood

“Whenever I have a nightmare it isn’t in colour.  It’s always black and white, the colours of the meanest, toughest club ever to run on to a football field.  Collingwood.  I’ve laboured the point of my hatred of Collingwood and it isn’t a friendly dislike – as a club they rankle me.  You couldn’t like them, they think they are God’s gift to football, they shun all outsiders and the only time I like to think of Collingwood is when they lose, because it hurts them so much.  I’ve always been a bad loser, but I’m a good sport compared to Collingwood.  If they win they gloat, if they lose they hide themselves away and sulk.  When they lose they never visit your rooms or congratulate you, and they’ll send you round hot beer to have a drink.  I wouldn’t drink anything they offered – you wouldn’t know what they had done to it.  You do meet good blokes from Collingwood.  But they have to be away from the club or finished with football.”

Jack on his original coach at Richmond Frank ‘Checker’ Hughes

“No matter how tough you are in Aussie Rules football you can always find someone tougher.  There was one bloke who had my measure.  If he told me to jump over a cliff I would have.  He could make my skin prickle and I’d jump at the sound of his voice.  Yet he was only 5ft 9in and stones lighter than me.  His name – Checker Hughes.  The greatest coach in VFL history.  His word was law, no matter if you were a raw recruit or an established star.  If you disobeyed an instruction you spent a week on the bench.  He could make champions out of no-hopers.  He was a great psychologist and understood the fears and thoughts of every player.  His biting tongue could stir Richmond to victory.  Checker was the most stirring and cutting orator I have heard.  He could make the hair stand out on your arms . . .”

Jack on Richmond’s 1934 premiership triumph

“The 1934 premiership was the most sought after of all premierships – it was the Centenary Premiership and, as if groomed for the occasion, it was a vintage year.  Every club had class.  We at Tigerland felt confident, but we knew the confident South Melbourne, with Pratt, Matthews, Nash and their incredible collection of stars, would have to be hard to toss.  Carlton, Geelong and the inevitable menace of Collingwood were other powerful forces to be considered.  Never has there been such a dedicated bunch of footballers as that Richmond side.  They would not consider defeat and it was this tremendous fighting spirit that gave us the points in many a titanic match that season . . . There can be no disputing the greatness of the 1934 Richmond side.  We finished on top of the ladder well ahead of South Melbourne.  We had the highest percentage by far, although South’s champion full-forward Pratt kicked an unbelievable tally of 150 goals.  Our top goalkicker was somewhere in the 50-goal region.  South went through the year with a string of goalkicking records, yet we finished with only 16 less points and they had more than 150 extra points kicked against them.  In the Grand Final, it was our turn to establish a goalkicking record.  Our score of 19.14 to 12.17 was a Grand Final record.  We massacred South and started the last quarter with a 10-goal lead and coasted home to win by 39 points.” 

Jack on the Tigers’ 1943 premiership success

“The 1943 Grand Final was the greatest I have played.  The tension had me dry in the mouth until the final bell . . . We held a slender lead in the first half, but in the third quarter Essendon hit back and, playing tremendous football, went to a handy lead.  A big worry was (Dick) Reynolds.  He had to be kept in touch and I only had one player capable of doing the job – Max Oppy.  I told him:  ‘You’ve got to stop Reynolds.  Keep him down to a normal game and we’ll win.  I don’t care how you do it, but do it’.  Oppy said, ‘But he’s my cousin, Jack’.  I asked him if that made any difference.  ‘No, Jack, I’m playing for Richmond, no matter who I’m against’.  I warned him he had to plug Reynolds all day.  If he cut loose for even a couple of minutes it could cost us the flag.  It was a torrid day for ‘King Richard’.  He finished with a cut over his eye, bruises and slowed to a walk.  Oppy was like a shadow and never let Reynolds break clear all day . . . Essendon were still in front in the last quarter and our goals were constantly under attack.  One more goal and we were beaten.  The Dons swept forward and a flying shot for goal was going straight through the centre, when Oppy took one of those incredible desperation marks.  He soared feet above any height he had ever achieved before.  Another drive forward and this time we were gone for certain, when Steele took an even more miraculous mark in the goal square.  We were saved again.  Twice we thrust forward, and twice we goaled, to hit the lead by five points.  I had a trick of sending Dick Harris into defence when we were in front and time was running out.  I sent him to the backline.  He didn’t get past the centre before he turned back and started roaming around the forward line.  I roared at him:  ‘I told you to get to the backline.  Get’!  Harris said, ‘(Bernie) Waldron (the Tigers’ centreman) said not to worry, he won’t let the ball past’.  When a player is that confident, he won’t let it past.  Time dragged on and Waldron was impassable.  The bell clanged and the thunderous roar told me it was  all over and I had my first premiership as coach . . . That 1943 premiership was won with toughness . . .”