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As his beloved wife Maureen noted, Tom Hafey was not a religious man in the conventional sense.
His religion was football – of the Australian rules variety.
As such, where else to hold the funeral for Richmond’s greatest-ever coach and one of the sport’s legendary figures than the MCG – the scene of his four VFL triumphs with Richmond in 1967, 1969, 1973 and 1974.
The four premiership cups and pennants formed the backdrop as Hafey’s brother Peter, his three daughters, six grandchildren and great mate Kevin Bartlett recounted their fond memories of a man who died from cancer last Monday at the age of 82.
Since ending his 522-game coaching career at his fourth and final club Sydney in 1988, Hafey has changed many lives with his inspirational talks at countless schools, sporting clubs and prisons.
One of his most famous catchcries of “if it is to be, it is up to me” was repeated warmly several times on Monday.
As was Hafey’s inevitable response to queries about his wellbeing: “Sensational – and getting better”.
His loves included physical fitness, self-improvement and family.
Among his hates were alcohol and tattoos – although he was never judgmental.
As recently as a few months ago, Hafey was rising at 5.20am every morning to tackle a gruelling fitness regime of running, hundreds of push-ups and sit-ups and a long swim in Port Phillip Bay.
Grandson Tom Trotman recalled a man who tore a calf on a tandem scooter ride. One who ripped a muscle from the bone doing bench presses – and promptly added another 10kg to the barbell.
Grand-daughter Kate Hafey Harmsen said he regularly drove her to school dressed only in a pair of shorts.
The response from her school friends was that Hafey was surely the only grandad – let alone one aged in his late 70s – who could pull such a thing off.
Family holidays took place at the Victorian seaside town of Sorrento. It was “the best place in the world” according to Hafey, who often gently chided anyone who talked of upcoming international trips.
Younger brother Peter recalled the Richmond milkbar run by Tom and Maureen Hafey in the 1960s and 1970s which attracted a colourful crowd including footballers, boxers, pro runners and cyclists.
If anyone turned up looking shabby, they were ordered upstairs to brush their teeth.
Bartlett – who played the majority of his club-record 403 games under Hafey – reminisced about Hafey’s first game as a VFL coach in 1966, which ended in a six-point win over arch-rivals Carlton.
A then 18-year-old Bartlett spent much of the day sitting on the bench telling Hafey why he should be out on the ground – only to find himself dropped to the reserves the following week.
But no one was questioning Hafey’s methods after he masterminded the club’s golden era, before famously falling out with Tigers’ powerbroker Graeme Richmond in 1976 and moving to Collingwood.
After the service, more than 150 men who played senior football under Hafey ringed the MCG playing arena along with the current Richmond squad as the hearse did a lap of honour.
Significantly for a man loved wherever he went, the past players included several from Victorian country club Shepparton, who Hafey led to three flags in the 1960s before answering the call to take Richmond out of the wilderness.
There were many household names from Richmond, Collingwood, Geelong and Sydney, including dual Brownlow medallist Greg Williams, who only got a belated shot at VFL/AFL football after writing to Hafey at the Cats begging him for a chance after being overlooked by Carlton.
A crowd numbering several thousand turned up to pay their respects to Hafey, many of them dressed in yellow and black.
After departing the MCG, the hearse did another lap at nearby Punt Rd Oval, Richmond’s spiritual home – where any youngsters present were invited onto the turf for a kick of the footy.
Hafey would most definitely have approved.
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