Reg Hickey

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Reginald Hickey

Personal information
Birth	March 27, 1906(1906-03-27), Cressy
Recruited from	Cressy
Death	December 13, 1973 (aged 67),
Playing career¹
Debut	Round 6, 1926, Geelong vs. Richmond, at Punt Road Oval
Team(s)	Geelong (1926-1940) 245 games, 24 goals
Coaching career¹
Team(s)	Geelong ( 304 games
¹ Statistics to end of 2005 season
Career highlights
Premierships: 1931, 1937 (capt/coach), 1951-52 (coach) Club Best & Fairest 1928, 1937

Reg Hickey (March 27, 1906 - December 13, 1973) was, as a player and coach, arguably one of the most significant and influential figures for the Geelong Football Club in its 147 year history. As a strong, fast and intelligent player with exquisite footskills, Hickey donned the famous Geelong hoops for 245 games in a career spanning fifteen years, including a part in two premierships, two club best-and-fairest awards and nine seasons as club captain. Hickey's involvement with the club after his playing career did not stop there, with Hickey establishing a reputation as a hardnosed but equally fair coach, helping build the team into a powerhouse during the early 1950's.

As a coach, Hickey led the club in 304 matches, including 91 as playing coach, all the while establishing an outstanding 60% winning record. Such is his place in Geelong history that the club currently has its Eastern Stand at its homeground, Skilled Stadium, named after him, as well as naming the prestigious R.J. Hickey Award after him, given annually by the club to an individual selected for his outstanding service to Australian rules football.

Geelong recruited Hickey for the start of the 1926 season, with Hickey himself making a name as a tough defender, renowned for his dashing runs out of the defensive half. Hickey was named captain-coach in 1932, but relinquished the coaching position to Arthur Coghlan the following season, though he continued in his role as captain of the club. Come 1936, however, Hickey again undertook the joint role of captain-coach, this time holding onto both positions until his retirement in 1940. By then he was the games record-holder for the club, and held that record till Bill Goggin took over in 1971.

Hickey's finest moment as captain-coach came in the 1937 Grand Final against Collingwood. Up until the three quarter time break, the contest was relatively even between both sides, neither being able to get ahead by more than a few points. In an effort to break the deadlock, Hickey made wholesale positional changes - a coaching move almost unheard of in those days. Nevertheless, the tactic worked, with Geelong coming out comfortable winners.

Due to travel restrictions in the Second World War, Geelong were unable to field a side for the 1942 and '43 seasons. Players transferred to other clubs, and not all returned when Geelong rejoined the competition. The club was left with the unenviable task of rebuilding, leading to poor finishes down the bottom end of the ladder for the rest of the late 1940s.

Hickey was appointed coach for the third time in 1949, with immediate success. Though the club failed to make the finals, they showed marked improvement.

Hickey had a policy of fast, direct play, relentlessly drilling his players to ensure they made every possession count. 1950 saw Geelong make the finals for the first time in ten years. For the next two and a half years, Geelong was the powerhouse side in the competition, winning two consecutive flags, and establishing a VFL/AFL record of 23 wins in a row during '52 and '53. It wasn't until the end of 1953 that Collingwood, with the grand use of ugly and restrictive football, were able put the clamps on Hickey's side. The Cats lost the Grand Final and failed to seriously challenge for the flag again for the rest of Hickey's reign. He retired from coaching at the end of the 1959 season, after 35 years of service to the Geelong Football Club.

In 2001, Reg Hickey was selected as the captain, coach, and centre half back of Geelong's official 'Team of the Century', a testament to his outstanding leadership skills and football talent. Likewise, his place in football was concreted with his naming on the interchange bench in the Victorian Team of the 20th Century, some 50 years after his own playing retirement, and his status as an Australian Football Hall of Fame member.

[edit] External links

• Reg Hickey's statistics from AFL Tables

[edit] References

• Profile at Full Points Footy
• History of the Geelong Football Club at Full Points Footy
• Coaching statistics