Foley was a ruckman, nicknamed Big Blue due to his red hair, and when he retired after the 1965 season had played 202 games for West Perth. Career highlights include winning the 1959 Sandover Medal, two best and fairests and a Simpson Medal when he was best on ground in West Perth’s 1960 premiership side. From 1960 to 1964 he was club captain and he represented the West Australian interstate team 21 times during his career.[1]
‘Bluey’ Foley was an example of a player who was determined to continually improve his football career.
When he first went down to try out for the ‘Garlic Munchers’ as West Perth were called in those days, no one gave him a chance of even playing in the WAFL!
He was a tall gangly kid who was as slow as a wet week and couldn’t get a kick in a stampede! However he had other ideas and with that grim determination trained harder than anyone in the club and built himself up to have a distinguished career with West Perth and with our state team.
Brian spent time at Carlisle coaching our ruck brigade in the fine art of winning the ball in the centre and around of the boundaries.
He placed a great deal of emphasis on ruckmen protecting their rovers by body blocking and shepherding once they had palmed the ball to position.
In field play he stressed the need for ruckmen to conserve energy by ensuring they ‘manned-up’ with the opposing ruckmen when the ball was in their forward line to ensure they didn’t spend all day chasing their opponents!
Brian also believed that the rucks and rovers were a team within a team and should know each other’s moves as if they were his own.
Note: I attended a Young Tall Players training course held at Wesley College in the pre-season of 2016 run by Dean Cox of the Eagles. Any aspiring ruckman who would like to discuss the components of this course with me would be welcome.
This page is dedicated to Vinci & Son 109 Pickering Brook Road WA 6076 who proudly sponsor the Pickering Brook Football Club Telephone: (08) 9293 8295 https://www.facebook.com
