The Hafey Years

'Put your mouthguard in and enjoy the read' exhorts Tim Lane in the foreword to The Hafey Years , an outstanding addition to the canon of Australian sports writing. For no name encapsulates the Richmond Football Club like the beloved figure of Tommy Hafey and no book has explored the characters, controversies, glories and turmoil of a powerhouse era - until now. Read about Hart, Bartlett, Bourke, Sheedy and Balme, premiership triumphs, on and off-field stoushes, backroom deals, spectacular feats, bitter internal rivalries and recruiting coups. This was the highwater mark of the proud Tigers and it was not so much the winning of those 1967, '69, '73 and '74 premierships, but how they were won; the Tigers became the most ruthless, feared and contentious club of a generation. The legacy lasts to this day, the players involved long since declared immortals. Through it all lay the modest but unique Hafey, a man who inherited a club which had not played finals football for 20 years but within a decade would have his name etched in club lore. Author Elliot Cartledge has captured every critical, pivotal and controversial moment of this extraordinary decade and the tales told within echo down the ages. It is a fitting tribute to a dearly departed icon and lifts the lid on a remarkable era.