Old school spray kick starts Old Xavs dynasty

Nick Armistead

No club has experienced sustained success like the six-peat Old Xaverians of the 1990’s, and an old school tongue lashing could well be considered the turning point.

Former Richmond champion Barry Richardson was appointed senior coach of Xavs for the 1995 A Section season, but the man who would eventually lead them to their first senior flag in 14 years made his presence well and truly known a few months earlier at the ’94 Best & Fairest Dinner when he called out some ‘foolish’ behaviour.

Six-time premiership player and club stalwart, David Landrigan, reminisced on that dressing-down when he spoke on the upcoming VAFA ‘Clubs in Focus’ Podcast.

“We were such a boys club and I remember the presentation night we were just being absolute fools,” Landrigan said.

“The President got up and was speaking and everyone was talking and being idiots and then Bones (Richardson) got up and absolutely tore shreds through us all.

“And it was at that point where we were like ‘wow this is now serious’.”

Former Xavs player, president and the club’s major sponsor, Jack Bowen, also spoke of Richardson’s address and how it laid the foundation to his success in the role.

“He got discipline in and then as a coach he gathered great people around him and had great respect from the players,” Bowen said.

Discipline was a key component of Richardson’s coaching methods throughout his time at Xavs and, while he vacated the coaching role after the ’95 flag, the club went on to win the next five under Nick Bourke (2) and Tim O’Shaughnessy (3).

Richardson returned to coach two more premierships in 2005 and 2007 and also led them to the 2006 Grand Final where they were defeated by Old Haileybury.

The Old Xaverians ‘Clubs in Focus’ Podcast will be released tomorrow with interviews and a raft of incredible stories from Bowen, Richardson, Landrigan and current club president Matt Cosgrave.