Jack Worrall - The First Coach

The First Coach

Carlton had been one of the power clubs of the early decades of Australian football, but fell into a state of decline during the 1890s that lasted through to the early years of competition in the VFL (which began in 1897). In 1902, Worrall, secretary of the Carlton Cricket Club, was appointed to the same role with the football club. Hitherto, Australian footballers were prepared in an ad hoc way commensurate with the organisation of the game as a semi-professional sport where official payments were outlawed, but made surreptitiously. Worrall immediately set about leading training sessions, instructing players, formulating tactics and recruiting talent in a manner that created the role of club coach that is recognised today. For a number of years, he was often referred to as the club's "manager" or "secretary", until the term "coach" passed into common usage. Carlton's rapid improvement encouraged other VFL clubs to appoint a coach, and these men used Worrall as their role model.

The Blues climbed the ladder quickly, making the finals in 1903-04-05 without winning the flag. Worrall's old club Fitzroy were the benchmark of the competition at this point, and eliminated Carlton from the finals in the latter two years. Worrall continually turned over players in an effort to find the right combination for success. Eventually, he developed a big, strong team that favoured long kicking and liked to close up the game, forming packs and using their physical strength in the crushes. Fitness was a priority for Worrall: he ensured that his team trained harder than the opposition. Finally, in 1906, Carlton defeated their nemesis Fitzroy in the Grand Final by a record margin with a young team that seemed to have the footballing world at its feet.

This success was followed up by winning the next two premierships, the first hat-trick success by a club in the VFL. The 1908 performance was the highlight of Worrall's coaching career. The Blues lost only one game (by five points on a very muddy ground against Essendon) for the year, a record equalled but never betean subsequently in VFL/AFL history.

Inevitable tensions arose, however, as the players were receiving only a 30 shillings ($3) per week, yet were training to a professional standard. Adding to the players' dissatisfaction was the increased money coming into the game – Carlton's revenue had doubled since the time of Worrall's appointment. Worrall's sometimes brusque approach to dealing with individuals and his puritanical attitude to alcohol and other distractions didn't help the situation. Early in 1909, Carlton's players revolted over money and Worrall's disciplinary demands, and some refused to take the field in the opening round. The matter rumbled on for a number of weeks, with a small group of players insisting on Worrall's resignation, which was duly given mid-season. He continued on as secretary, but resigned that position at the end of the season when the disharmony was still not repaired. A number of players who supported the ex-coach left Princes Park in sympathy.

After a season spent employed by the VFL as the umpires' coach, Worrall was recruited by Essendon. Here, he took a talented but previously under-performing team to a premiership in his first season. The next year, 1912, an injury-ravaged Essendon team somehow managed to upset hot favourites South Melbourne in the Grand Final. Over five completed seasons, Worrall had now coached five premiership teams. But the team declined rapidly thereafter and went into recess in 1916–1917, due to World War I. Performances failed to improve when the Same Old returned to competition, winning only fifteen out of 46 games between 1918 and 1920, prompting Worrall's retirement. The team finished last in 1918, and Worrall became the first man to coach both a premiership and a wooden-spoon team. In 1922, he reappeared briefly as an assistant to Vic Belcher at his old team Fitzroy, which went on to win the premiership from Collingwood.