The Job of the Runner: A Quirky Part of Australian Football

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It was 1985, and John Bourke, a Collingwood player, kicked an umpire and then pushed him over. Bourke was later suspended for 10 years, a sentence reduced to six. This incident, while shocking, highlights the pivotal role of the AFL runner in Australian football.

One such runner, Mark McKeon, recalled an instance where Bourke jumper-punched an umpire the year before the infamous incident. McKeon, who had been Bourke's teammate at Preston the previous year, still considered Bourke to be a great person.

The job of the runner is one of the quirkiest parts of Australian rules football. Initially, coaches would send trainers on with a message as well as their wet towel. Then, in 1955, runners were sanctioned by the VFL partly to stop coaches from getting around the rules.

For a period, clubs could have two runners each per game – until the league got sick of the sight of them. These days, there are much tighter restrictions on AFL runners. Still, no other game in the world has people scuttling onto the ground like Greek messengers during play.

Partly, this is because most other sports are played on an arena small enough that when a coach yells from the sidelines, players can hear. Runners, on the other hand, are a conduit for the coach – privy to their first, unvarnished and unfiltered thinking.

"I love John and still see him a lot, he is a great person … he could have been a 100-game senior Collingwood player."

Mark McKeon, who helped 'take the boy off', after the 1985 incident.

Noel Duncan, a runner for Collingwood, recalled a memorable game in 1998 where the coach's singing of the Richmond theme song was broadcast to the entire ground. Duncan was initially perplexed by the singing but later realized it was just Tony Shaw and Danny Frawley, the two Collingwood coaches, warming up.

In one instance, Sam Allica, one of the game's first runners, was tasked with relaying a message from Coach Norm Smith. Barassi, who lived with Smith and his family, responded with a curt 'You go back and tell Norm he can get stuffed'. Allica simply replied, 'I only bring the messages out, I don’t take them back."

Another runner, Leigh Walker, was tasked with asking Jeff Farmer to leave the field. Walker relayed the message, only to have Farmer respond with a dismissive 'You can tell Connolly to get f---ed. I’m staying here'. Walker, caught between a rock and a hard place, decided to 'laugh, took a deep breath and said, 'He thinks the world of you Chris, and will be off shortly'".

These anecdotes and the story of John Bourke serve as a testament to the unique role that AFL runners play in the game. They are an integral part of the game's history and a reminder of the intricate dynamics at play between players, coaches, and officials.

Key Facts:

  • John Bourke kicked an umpire in 1985, leading to a 10-year suspension that was later reduced to six.
  • The job of the AFL runner originated from coaches sending trainers on with messages.
  • Runners were sanctioned by the VFL in 1955 to prevent coaches from getting around the rules.
  • Clubs could have two runners each per game until the league got sick of the sight of them.
  • Runners are a conduit for the coach, privy to their unvarnished and unfiltered thinking.
  • The story of John Bourke and the job of the AFL runner highlights the peculiarities of Australian football.