Hyde was captain-coach of Greensborough’s 1983 and 1984 premiership triumphs at a time when it dominated football in the northern region.
But since claiming their 14th flag in 1984 the Boro have added just three premierships in the 28 seasons that have followed – winning consecutive titles in 1988 and 1989 before winning their only Division 2 premiership in 2006.
Over the past six seasons Greensborough has consolidated its place back in the top flight but has featured in the finals just once. That finals appearance came in 2011 under Jack Cole, Hyde’s predecessor, but the Boro exited in straight sets after a third-placed finish.
Hyde’s decision to return to the club has many tipping the Boro for a return to finals football in 2013, but the man himself stressed his previous success at the club won’t ensure instant glory second time around.
“Footy has changed that dramatically in itself over the 30-year period,” Hyde told NFL.org.au.
“I was there in a golden era where we won four Grand Finals in seven years and made another Grand Final in another year.
“Since that period we went back to second division and got our way back up so we’re in a development mode.”
Since leaving Greensborough Hyde has developed a reputation for being one of the best coaches of junior athletes in the country, following a hugely successful 11-year coaching tenure at Calder Cannons.
He led the club to three premierships and five Grand Finals in the TAC Cup between 1996-2006, coaching players of the ilk of Dane Swan, Paul Chapman, Ryan O’Keefe and Jude Bolton amongst a host of others who have gone on to have successful AFL careers.
The club’s best and fairest award is now named in his honour.
Given the youthfulness of Greensborough’s current playing list, the appointment of Hyde as senior coach could not make for a better fit.
He revealed he had spoken to a number of NFL clubs about coaching positions during the off-season but settled on Greensborough because of its young list and his family ties to the club, where his father and brother are life members.
“We have an average age of somewhere around 21 to 21 and a half so from that point of view lots of things are attractive,” Hyde said.
“We’re trying to recruit selected players but the base of our group, say 60 to 70 per cent would have come up through our juniors.
“We’re not very tall but I’ve got a couple of good young kids who are about 20 years old and around 6’4 or so and I reckon over the next 18-24 months they’ll develop into good players.”
Hyde will be joined at Greensborough by son Matthew after the Bundoora premiership player elected to move clubs to play under his father.
“We often talked that it might have been easier for me to just go to Bundoora,” Hyde snr joked.
“But it’s fantastic. I said to him that he didn’t have to come but he said ‘no I’ve only got a couple of years left’ and he came over.
“My brother (Brian) is doing fitness and rehabilitation so it’s given our family a good association with the footy.”
Hyde expects last year’s top four teams – Northcote Park, Heidelberg, Montmorency and Bundoora – to again lead the way in 2013 but said competition would be red-hot for a place in the lower reaches of the top five.
After finishing seventh on the Division 1 table last year, Hyde said Greensborough would be right in the hunt for a finals berth this year.
The early rounds will provide great indication of just where the club’s hopes sit. The Boro take on Macleod in Round 1, before tough away matches at Montmorency and Heidelberg.
“It’s exciting,” Hyde said.
“We’ve got to pit ourselves against the Macleods of this world to see if we’re going to fight with them and others like Eltham for fifth place.
“Then, okay, let’s see where we sit against one of the powerbrokers like Montmorency so it’s really exciting from that point of view.”
(Photo courtesy of Herald Sun)
