Rugby league coaching icon Ron Massey has reportedly died after a long battle with cancer.
He passed away aged 86 on Monday.
Massey served as an assistant to coaching legend Jack Gibson during his premiership-winning reigns at Eastern Suburbs and Parramatta in the 1970s and 80s.
He was a founding member of the Men of League Foundation, which was established in 2002 as a charity to provide assistance to referees, officials and administrators in all levels of the game.
In recognition of his contributions to the game, Sydney’s third-tier rugby league competition was renamed the Ron Massey Cup in 2013.
Headline NRL figures have been visiting Massey over the past few weeks, including Ricky Stuart, Mick Cronin and Sharks and former NSW Blues captain Paul Gallen, who credits Massey with inspiring him to lift his game to the level he reached during his heydey.
Speaking to Fox Sports two weeks ago, Gallen was grateful for having developed such a strong relationship with the 86-year-old.
“It was good to see him the other day, probably for the last time I’d say,” Gallen said.
“He’s a great man and I’m really grateful I got to take my little boy to meet him.”
Massey and Jack Gibson were good friends on and off the field and were the first Australian coaches to ever look to the NFL to gain an advantage over opposing NRL sides. The pair made a number of sojourns to America to add the coaching techniques of some of American football’s greatest minds, such as Vince Lombardi and Dick Nolan, to their arsenal.
Massey also featured alongside Wayne Bennett during the Dragons’ grand final victory over the Roosters in 2010. However, he stepped away from the sport because of multiple health issues.
After a number of stints in hospital over the years, Massey lost part of his lower left leg in 2012 due to gangrene.
He is survived by his two sons, Luke and Paul, and wife Patty.
With AAP
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