Criticisms and Comparisons
Hafey attracted his share of criticism during his time as a coach. Usually cited as tactically unsophisticated with a tendency to over train players, Hafey's training methods were sometimes labelled monotonous. Critics point out that he "lost" the playing group several times during his career as they rebelled against his training requirements. Further, his record of four premierships can be partially explained by the enormous playing talent at Richmond, and that after leaving Punt Road he never had premiership success again.
Certainly, Hafey's blunt demeanour and unwillingness to cosy up to club administrators contributed as much to his three sackings as did any "losing" of the players. In some notable areas, Hafey's approach differed from most successful coaches who remained aloof from their players. He focussed on the team's camaraderie, in many cases becoming intimately involved with the lives of his charges and he sought to mix with them in social situations even though he was a teetotaller and non-smoker. As a result, the players did it for Hafey. In the centenary history of the AFL, Kevin Bartlett remarked that "Richmond could've been called Oodnadatta…because I believe that the players played for Tom Hafey."
So Hafey's teams usually tackled hard, shepherded, persisted, smothered and backed each other up, aspects of the game now called "one-percenters". Supreme fitness was required to play this way for a full hundred minutes, hence Hafey's emphasis on training. In addition, Hafey strongly believed in leaving players in their designated position, even if they were losing to their opponent, which also earned criticism when the team lost. By contrast, today virtually all players are rotated as the coach seeks "match-ups" favourable to the team. But Hafey was prepared to back his players and build their confidence, another contributing factor to the strong team spirit he was able to engender. It was noticeable that all four teams that he coached improved immediately after Hafey's appointment.
| Played | Won | Lost | Drawn | Win% | Finals | Win%(Finals) | Premierships | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Jock McHale (38 seasons) | 714 | 467 | 237 | 10 | 66% | 59 | 47% | 8 |
| 2. Kevin Sheedy (27 seasons) | 635 | 386 | 242 | 7 | 61% | 41 | 4 | |
| 3. Mick Malthouse (27 seasons)* | 634 | 361 | 269 | 4 | 57% | 36 | 3 | |
| 4. Allan Jeans (26 seasons) | 575 | 357 | 216 | 2 | 62% | 41 | 54% | 4 |
| 5. Tom Hafey (23 seasons) | 522 | 336 | 182 | 4 | 65% | 42 | 59% | 4 |
| 6. David Parkin (22 seasons) | 518 | 306 | 210 | 2 | 59% | 38 | 4 | |
| 7. Ron Barassi (23 seasons) | 515 | 275 | 236 | 4 | 54% | 33 | 53% | 4 |
| 8. Norm Smith (23 seasons) | 452 | 253 | 192 | 7 | 57% | 24 | 71% | 6 |
| 9. Leigh Matthews (19 seasons)* | 439 | 257 | 174 | 8 | 59% | 27 | 4 | |
| 10. Dick Reynolds (22 seasons) | 415 | 275 | 134 | 6 | 67% | 37 | 57% | 4 |
* Statistics up to the end of Round 19 of the 2010 AFL season.
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