Alan Joyce (born 21 October 1942) is a former Australian rules footballer who after playing 49 games for Hawthorn became a premiership winning coach for the club. Originally from

Glen Iris Glen Iris may refer to: *Glen Iris, Victoria, Australia *Glen Iris, Western Australia A glen is a valley, typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped concave sides, unlike a ravine, which is deep and bounded by steep slopes. Whit ...

, Joyce played in the ruck for Hawthorn, and ultimately gained life membership in 1996. In 1966 Joyce was appointed captain-coach of Preston, leading them to the 1968 and 1969 premierships in the VFA. He played 92 games and kicked 228 goals. Joining

East Fremantle East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

as coach in 1971 and 1972, Joyce rebuilt a side that had suffered between 1967 and 1970 through its leanest era since formation to a premiership in 1974. He then coached Newtown and the NSW state team in 1974, and then returned to Old Easts in 1977 after the club had had two disappointing seasons. In his first season back, Joyce took East Fremantle to a Grand Final where they were unfortunately thrashed, but the blue and whites struggled in 1978 and despite being full of admiration for his players’ efforts Joyce resigned at the end of that season. He moved to Perth in 1980. His stint at Perth was a severe failure, as the Demons, a WAFL powerhouse from 1947 to 1978, won only ten games out of forty-two in Joyce's two years as coach and finished bottom of the ladder in 1981 for the first time since 1935, in the process setting a record for the highest average points "Against" in WA(N)FL history. In 1988 when incumbent coach

Allan Jeans Allan Lindsay Jeans (21 September 1933 – 13 July 2011) was an Australian rules footballer and coach. He was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame at its inception in 1996. Jeans was known for his oratory and motivation skills as ...

became ill due to a brain tumour, Joyce replaced Jeans for the season. Hawthorn completely dominated the season from May onwards and finished on top of the ladder by four and a half games before disposing of Carlton in the Semi-Final and demolishing

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

by a then-record margin of 96 points in the Grand Final.

would return to coach in 1989, before retiring after Hawthorn's defeat by Melbourne in the 1990 Elimination Final. Alan Joyce returned for the 1991 season to coach Hawthorn to another premiership, this time over the

West Coast Eagles The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 as one of two expansion teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), then known as the Victorian Football L ...

, who during the home and away season had lost only three games, plus an additional loss to Hawthorn in the first week of the finals. In 1992 Hawthorn was eliminated by West Coast in week 1 of the finals. Similarly in 1993, Hawthorn was beaten by the

Adelaide Crows The Adelaide Crows (officially the Adelaide Football Club) are a professional Australian rules football team based in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1990. The Crows has fielded a men's team in the Australian Football League (AFL) since ...

in week 1 of the 1993 finals series. Joyce was soon sacked and replaced by Hawthorn club legend

Peter Knights Peter Knights (born 30 March 1952) is a former Australian rules footballer and coach who represented in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Widely regarded as one of Australian football's finest centre half-backs, despite suffering numerous in ...

. After two rounds of the 1994 season, Footscray sacked then-coach

Terry Wheeler Terry Wheeler (born 13 March 1955) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for and coached Footscray in the Australian Football League. Wheeler played as a defender during his 157-game career for Footscray from 1974 to 1983. The ...

following a heavy loss to Geelong. Joyce replaced Wheeler and coached Footscray into 5th spot at the completion of the home and away round. Footscray would lose the Qualifying Final to Geelong due to an after-the-siren goal by

Billy Brownless Anthony William Brownless (born 28 January 1967) is a former Australian rules footballer and radio and television media personality who represented in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the 1980s and 1990s. Early life Brownless was ...

. Footscray would meet Melbourne during week two, but owing to injuries and an in-form

for whom

Garry Lyon Garry Peter Lyon (born 13 September 1967) is a former professional Australian rules football player and was captain of the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Since his retirement from football, he has been mainly ...

became the first player since Ron Todd to kick ten goals in a final, the Bulldogs were beaten comprehensively. In 1995, Joyce coached Footscray to seventh position at the completion of the home and away season. Footscray once again met the Geelong at night at the

MCG The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hem ...

. This time however, the Bulldogs were convincingly beaten and eliminated from the finals. Footscray tumbled severely in 1996 and after many heavy losses and few wins, Joyce was sacked and replaced by his assistant,

Terry Wallace Terry Wallace (born 13 December 1958) is a former professional Australian rules football player and coach. As a player, his career spanned three VFL/AFL clubs; most notably Hawthorn where he played in three premierships. After one season with ...

. Wallace would retain this position until after round 21 of the 2002 season. Joyce has not since coached an AFL club, although he sent a video of himself to major news stations stating his interest in the available Fremantle coaching role due to

Gerard Neesham Gerard Joseph Neesham (born 11 December 1954) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Sydney Swans in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and for the East Fremantle Football Club, Swan Districts Football Club and Clarem ...

's departure in 1998. After football Joyce spent several years operating a business at Cable Beach near Broome, Western Australia. Recently he has been a volunteer at the

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Joyce, Alan 1942 births Australian rules footballers from Victoria (Australia) East Fremantle Football Club coaches Hawthorn Football Club players Hawthorn Football Club coaches Hawthorn Football Club Premiership coaches Perth Football Club coaches Western Bulldogs coaches Preston Football Club (VFA) players Preston Football Club (VFA) coaches Living people Two-time VFL/AFL Premiership coaches