Former Fitzroy player and Lions, Glenelg, West Perth coach Graham Campbell passes away

But so loved was Campbell, who passed away on Sunday at aged 85 following a long battle with illness, by his players that they took it upon themselves to make a case to the Glenelg board why he shouldn’t get the boot for the side’s horror start to the season.

It isn’t often that players decide to make a deputation on the coaches behalf when the sack is coming.

But as current Glenelg president Peter Carey, who was made captain of the Tigers by Campbell when he first became senior coach in 1983, says Campbell always had the backing of the playing group despite the losses.

“He was loved by the players, he was a real players coach,” he said.

“The players felt like he shouldn’t take full responsibility for the losses.

“We lost the next one but then went on a winning streak and were actually in contention for the final five at the end of the season.”

In 1984 the Campbell coached team made the preliminary final, losing to eventual premiers Norwood.

While Glenelg won flags in 1985 and 1986 under Graham Cornes, Carey said Campbell had played a part in these successes.

“He left a real mark, he developed and recruited some really great players for the club,” he said.

“He recruited the two Stringer boys (Wayne and Alan) and got Scotty Salisbury playing league footy.”

Campbell’s links to Glenelg continued after his coaching career ended with son-in-law Peter Maynard, the father of current Collingwood star Brayden, a Tigers hall of fame member.

The Pies defender posted on his Instagram that his grandfather was the “most beautiful and gentle man to ever live”.

Prior to his coaching career Campbell was a rover/half-forward with a keen goal sense, kicking 154 career goals for Fitzroy from his 151 games.

His best effort was five goals against Geelong in 1957, the year he claimed Fitzroy’s best and fairest award.

He was part of the Lions’ 1959 Night Premiership side and then was in the team that came within one kick of making the 1960 VFL Grand Final.

Post playing career he was Fitzroy’s senior coach on two occasions, as a caretaker in 1974 and then in 1978 – in which the Lions won the Night Premiership again.

He was also the senior coach at West Perth, guiding them to a WAFL premiership in 1975.

After he finished up as a coach Campbell was a prominent TV pundit and personality covering the SANFL.

Considered to have the “gift of the gab”, many dubbed the south west pocket at Footy Park as the Graham Campbell pocket because he said it was near impossible to kick a goal from there.

“Tony Hall and a few others I think might have proved him wrong a couple of times,” Carey said.