Paul Hopgood

Yeah, it's been interesting.

Like I think Nita would have said as well, mate, he was a hard-ass and he didn't hold back on any of us at the time.

And you talk about empathy, again, that's probably one of the things he did build on along the way and he did evolve along the way probably after his coaching.

But when we first...

He first got hold of all of us guys.

He came in and it was his way or the highway and yeah, he was full on and in a really positive way as well.

I think what people don't realise as much is he was a real educator.

He actually did teach us a lot.

He taught us a lot about footy when he sat us down and got us to play the right way and he had to take a side that finished bottom into a

into a prelim for next year and a grand final within three years is a pretty amazing effort when you look back at it.

But he taught us a lot of lessons about life and that was probably the biggest thing.

And my ability to connect to him was probably to challenge him in all ways, shapes and forms of the opposite of what he's probably thought and believed and worked through.

But his ability to grab hold of people who need a bit of harnessing and take him forward was probably...

something that he prided himself on and was one of his great legacies that he's going to be leaving behind.

I think it was after we finished.

Look, Gary, he sacked most of us.

That's the whole thing.

And I think it was only the golden boy, Nita, he didn't sack.

He's the one that's with it.

So we all stayed close to Nita to try and ride his coattails to keep on Neil's good side.