Jim Main's greatest 100: Keith Greig
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AS A YOUNGSTER Keith Greig was dragged from VFL ground to VFL ground in a full South Melbourne outfit. Keith’s father was a great South Melbourne fan, until his son grew up, that is. Now, the family is dyed in the wool North Melbourne. Son Keith is one of the most famous players ever to pull on the royal blue and white, and his loyalty to North is unquestioned.
North, at the start of their rise to power under former captain Dr Allen Aylett as president, started a vigorous recruiting campaign in 1971. One of the players they had their eyes on was a ginger headed speedster from neighboring VFA club Brunswick.
Keith Greig was just a shade under six foot, but all repprts on him claimed he had more than enough ability to play senior VFL football. And that's the way it turned out, Greig making his senior debut in 1971 after crossing from the VFA. Greig wasn’t an instant star, but everyone at North knew it was just a matter of time. In fact, he quickly won himself a regular spot on the wing. He strutted up and down the Arden Street wings like a king, lowering his colors to no one, and year by year his fame grew.
In 1973 Greig gave every other VFL winger a hiding, either on the tight North ground, or away from home. He was part of a rising North team under coach Ron Barassi. The previously struggling Roos had a great year, finishing sixth on the ladder. However, the season did not finish for North at the end of the home and away round. Although North weren’t in the finals, the club’s greatest moment to that date was just around the corner.
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Greig, the brilliant winger, won the Brownlow Medal that year to give North its first major honor. The club's only previous honor was Allen Aylett's win in the 1958 Tassie Medal. But a Brownlow Medal? That was something else again. The North committee went wild with delight. Greig, unfancied, had walked off with football’s greatest individual honor. The shy kid from Brunswick had become a superstar overnight.
However, football fans obviously didn't watch Greig closely enough. The following year Greig again was unfancied in the Brownlow. And again, he surprised the football world by waltzing off with the Brownlow. It was truly a remarkable double. Wingers rarely win the coveted trophy, but two in a row? That was unheard of.
He strutted up and down the Arden Street wings like a king, lowering his colors to no-one. Then suddenly the kid from Brunswick became a superstar overnight, winning football’s greatest honor.
It was also an important year for North as a team. They had finished in the finals and eventually were the runners-up to Richmond in a "needle" grand final. Richmond had expected rover Kevin Bartlett to win the Brownlow and were unhappy when the trophy went to Greig.
That must have rankled Greig, as every time he played against Richmond from then on, he burnt. And when Greig burns, the crowd goes wild with delight. Greig in full flight is like no other present day footballer. He is all poetry in motion, the complete footballer right down to his shiny boots. He moves with total grace, has every ball skill and trick in the book (plus a few more) and is rarely tied down. He swoops on any loose ball, sending it downfield with long, raking kicks.
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If Greig has any flaw in his game, it is that he is not aggressive enough. However, his courage could never be questioned and perhaps his lack of aggression is merely a sign of discretion. After all, there are plenty of headhunters in the League, with Greig the biggest head around.
A few football fans expected Greig to complete the Brownlow treble in 1975, but although he polled well he missed out to champion Footscray ruckman Gary Dempsey. However, it was still a great year for Greig. He played a major part in North’s first VFL premiership. He played a magnificent game on the wing in North’s thrashing of Hawthorn, and his name will long be remembered for that victory alone.
Then, in 1976 it was more honors for Greig. The 1975 North skipper, former Essendon star Barry Davis, announced his retirement after the 1975 grand final. Naturally, the North hierarchy turned to Greig. The totally fair Greig might have lacked the fire of other North skippers, but there was no lack of determination. North again finished in the finals, this time as runners-up to bitter rivals Hawthorn.
Greig again polled well in the Brownlow to suggest that some day he would pick up a third Brownlow medal. But Greig’s immediate ambition is to win his club best and fairest award, an honor that so far has eluded him, strange to say. Greig’s greatest disappointment was being "out" through a knee injury when North won their second VFL flag in 1977.
Footnotes
This is an excerpt from Australian Rules 100 Greatest Players, by Jim Main, published by the K.G. Murray Publishing Company in 1977. Click here to read Jim Main's 2013 article, in which he revisited and revised his 100 greatest players.
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