Ian Ridley

DOB: 15 February, 1934
Died: 13 November, 2008

Debut: Round 10, 1954 against Footscray at Western Oval
Last Game: Preliminary Final 1961 against Footscray at MCG

Games: 130
Goals: 228
Career Statistics

From: Jeparit/Hamilton Imperials

Number: 24 1954-1961

Honours:
Premiership Player - 1955, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960
Grand Final team - 1958
Team of the Century - Emergency
150 Heroes selection
Life Members

Player

The co-winner of the 1953 Munro Medal for B&F in the Western Border Football League was delighted to be signed by Jim Cardwell as he had been a lifetime Demons fans. His fellow winner was Clyde Laidlaw who was also recruited to Melbourne. Fred Fanning had recommended Ridley to the Demons.

Despite poor eyesight he grew to be one of the most feared Demons of his era, and one of the best rovers in the competition. After two games in the middle of 1954, Ridley broke into the side in Round 6, 1955 and kept his side all the way to the premiership triumph where he kicked the sealer.

From there he was a permanent fixture of the side, with his lightning quick handballs helping to form a lethal rover combination with Stuart Spencer. In 1956 he played in another Grand Final victory.

Ridley and the Demons bounced back in 1957. He kicked 33 goals in 21 games, culminating in the Grand Final victory over Essendon. It was the Demons' third straight win, leaving them just one year away from equalling the Collingwodo record of four straight premierships.

Melbourne won through to the Grand Final with a semi-final win over the Magpies but when faced with the same opponents again in the big game the Pies defended their record with an upset victory. Ridley himself had a disappointing day, suffering a broken nose after being poleaxed by Bill Serong.

Ridley won two more premierships, in 1959 and 1960 - a year he was runner-up in the Best and Fairest - but retired after the Demons were bounced out of the 1961 finals series. He had suffered a knee injury late in the home and away season and after playing through the injury during the finals was told by doctors to give the game away.

In total Ridley played in six grand finals for five wins, and was named as an emergency in the club's Team of the Century.

His brother was a VFL field umpire for 17 years.

Coach

Matches	Wins	Draws	Losses	%
66	28	1	37	43.18

First Match as Coach: Round 1, 1971 vs South Melbourne at MCG
Last Match as Coach: Round 22, 1973 vs North Melbourne at Waverley
Returning as an assistant to John Beckwith, Ridley coached reserves premierships in 1969 and 1970 before graduating to the senior side.

In 1971 he won eight of his first nine games as coach, and it seemed that the Demons were on the verge of breaking their then six season finals drought. From there they won three games, drew one and lost nine to finish well back in 7th place.

1972 saw the introduction of the McIntyre Final Five system, but the Demons slipped to 8th after losing their first three games.

Despite the recruitment of star Saint Carl Ditterich in 1973 the side went backwards again, losing ten of their last eleven to finish 10th.

Ridley was dismissed as coach at the end of the year which led to a brief player revolt. Peter Keenan, Greg Wells, Barry Bourke and Ray Biffin temporarily announcing that they'd be leaving the club. Bourke was the only one not to rejoin the club and retired.

Served on the committee until resigning in 1979, and again in the 80's until resigning before the 1985 season.

Served as president from 1991 to 1996 but resigned in the wake of the failed merger with Hawthorn. Close friends said that he never really recovered from the intense merger campaign, especially a heated meeting where he was booed loudly by the crowd. Though he argued for the merger from a position of economic necessity, and the chance to ransack the Hawks superior list, the rank and file members treated him as a traitor. Even though the vote ultimately came out in favour of the union it was clear that many held grudges and Ridley did not return to the club again until his 2001 induction to the side's Hall of Fame.

After his death from emphysema in November 2008 former club secretary Richard Seddon remembered that his contemporary Jim Cardwell had declared Ridley the most courageous player he'd ever seen at the club.

Media
"At last, Melbourne says welcome home" - Herald Sun 30/07/2001
"Demons lose legend Ian Ridley" - The Courier Mail

Links
Wikipedia profile
Full Points Footy profile (playing image courtesy of FPF)

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