Kevin Neale
Kevin Neale | |||
---|---|---|---|
Personal information | |||
Full name | Kevin Charles Neale | ||
Nickname(s) | Cowboy | ||
Date of birth | 18 July 1945 | ||
Date of death | 16 September 2023 | (aged 78)||
Original team(s) | South Warrnambool | ||
Height | 188 cm (6 ft 2 in) | ||
Weight | 103 kg (227 lb) | ||
Position(s) | Ruckman, back pocket, full forward | ||
Playing career1 | |||
Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
1965–1977 | St Kilda | 256 (301) | |
Coaching career | |||
Years | Club | Games (W–L–D) | |
1978–1983 | Ainslie | ||
1984–1987 | Central District | ||
1993–1995 |
Tuggeranong | ||
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1977. | |||
Career highlights | |||
| |||
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com |
Kevin Neale (18 July 1945 – 16 September 2023) was an Australian rules footballer who played for St Kilda in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Later in his career, he was a player-coach or captain-coach for a number of teams in the Australian Capital Territory, before eventually becoming a full-time coach.
St Kilda
Kevin Neale was born on 18 July 1945.
Recruited by St Kilda as a nineteen-year-old, 6 ft 2 in, 14 st 3 lb ruckman,
Neale played for Victoria in the interstate match against Tasmania in Hobart, on Saturday, 16 June 1967. He was selected at full-forward,[9] and kicked four goals in the match (he was moved from full-forward in the second half because Victoria's centre half-forward Peter McKenna had not kicked a goal in the first half of the match).[10]
At the end of the 1976 season, it was thought that Neale would retire from playing with St Kilda;[11] however, the team prevailed upon him to play yet another season, and he played in 20 of St Kilda's 22 matches that season, playing his last match as the back-pocket ruckman,[12] in a losing St Kilda side, 17.10 (112), against Richmond 25.21 (171) at the MCG on 27 August 1977 (round 22).[13] In his VFL career at St Kilda, he had played in 256 games, and scored 301 goals.[1]
Australian Capital Territory
Towards the end of his career at St Kilda, numerous offers were made to Neale to leave St Kilda and take up a coaching position. At the start of 1975, he was offered the position of
In 1978, he moved to Canberra, and was appointed the captain-coach of the
Neale was the captain-coach of the combined ACT side that beat the Victorian team by 13 points, 13.17 (95) to 11.16 (82), on 6 July 1980 at Manuka Oval in front of a crowd of 10,600.[17][18] He scored three goals.[19][20][21]
Coached by
For a number of reasons, Ainslie had experienced a dismal 1981 season; but, under the coaching of Neale and, particularly, due to his superb on-field leadership and strength at full-forward, Ainslie won the 1982 premiership. At the end of 1982, he was interviewed by St Kilda, with a view to him replacing Alex Jesaulenko. Neale demanded $50,000 as his salary[23] (St Kilda eventually appointed the ex-Richmond coach Tony Jewell).[24]
In 1983, he began the 1983 season as the captain-coach of the Ainslie Football Club, and was playing as well as he had ever been, despite his advanced age and increased weight.[5] With Neale in the team, Ainslie won the 1983 premiership; the fourth in his six years as captain-coach. In the 1980 season, he kicked 149 goals; in the 1981 season, he kicked 139 goals; and in the 1982 season, he kicked 125 goals.[5]
South Australia
Because he was no longer able to take the field as a player, Neale was reluctantly released by the Ainslie Football Club, since their club and team structure at the time demanded a playing coach (the club eventually appointed ex-Richmond/ex-Collingwood player Rod Oborne as the captain-coach for the 1984 season).[25]
Cleared by Ainslie, Neale moved to coach the
Tuggeranong
Neale coached the Tuggeranong Football Club for three seasons (1993–1995).[5][26] He coached Ainslie again in 1998.[5]
Death
Kevin Neale died from complications of Alzheimer's disease on 16 September 2023, at age 78.[27]
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e "Cowboy Neale: A wonderful bloke loved by one and all". St Kilda Football Club. 17 September 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ "St Kilda Saints 1966 premiership hero Kevin 'Cowboy' Neale dies, aged 78". Australian Football League. 17 September 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ a b McFarlane, Glenn. "Kevin 'Cowboy' Neale death: St Kilda premiership player died aged 78". Herald Sun. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ "St. Kilda Signs Country Star". The Age. 21 July 1964. p. 22. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f "Miller, Neale and Wynd to be honoured as Legends in Canberra's Hall of Fame". AFL Canberra. 5 July 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ "Hall of Fame". St Kilda Football Club 150 Years : St Kilda. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ Kirby, Aaron. "St Kilda premiership star Kevin Neale dies aged 78". The West Australian. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ "Club Honours". St Kilda Football Club. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- ^ "State Teams". The Age. 15 June 1967. p. 22. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ "VFL Survives Late Burst by Tasmania: 17-Point Margin". The Age. 19 June 1967. p. 20. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ McFarline, Peter (6 August 1976). "Its time to hang up his boots and saddle". The Age. p. 24. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ "LeagueTeams ... round 22: Richmond v. St Kilda". The Age. 26 August 1977. p. 26. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ "AFL Tables – Richmond v St Kilda – Sat, 27-Aug-1977 2:10 PM". Match Stats. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ Peisse, Ken (13 August 1975), "Contract on the Cowboy", The Age, p. 12, retrieved 17 September 2023
- ^ Phillips, Stephen (23 May 1978). "'Cowboy' is a big name in the Territory". The Age. p. 36. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ Grattan, Michelle (12 August 1980). "Cowboy Rides Tall in the Territory". The Age. p. 33. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ Rollings, Barry (6 July 1980). "As Good as in 1978". The Canberra Times. p. 26. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ "Interstate Football Details". The Age. 7 July 1980. p. 26. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ Carter, Ron (7 July 1980). "ACT disgrace has Aylett jumping mad". The Age. p. 28. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ Balderstobe, Simon (7 July 1980). "Whole new ACT as stars forget script". The Age. p. 26. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ Rollings, Barry (7 July 1980). "ACTAFL defeats VFL". The Canberra Times. p. 16. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ "The Teams". The Age. 4 July 1980. p. 24. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ Grant, Trevor (10 September 1982). "Cowboy Neale would saddle up as Saints' coach for $50,000". The Age. p. 24. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ Greenberg, Tony (26 October 2022). "Two time Tiger coach Tony Jewell throwback". Richmond Football Club. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ "1980 Archives". Ainslie Football Club. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ "Cowboy Takes Footy Reins" (PDF). Navy News. Vol. 40, no. 1. 27 January 1997. p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 March 2011.
- ^ "St Kilda mourns death of 1966 premiership hero 'Cowboy' Neale". ABC News. 17 September 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.