Gerard Neesham was the Fremantle Dockers inaugural coach when they entered the AFL in 1995.

WEST Coast dual premiership player Chris Lewis doesn’t hold any grudges about some of the racial taunting he received in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, but is thankful that times have changed in AFL football. Speaking on tomorrow night’s Open Mike, Lewis said: “There were times when things were said to get your mind off the footy ... I believe it was a tactic to (stop) me playing to the level I was capable of.” Asked if there were any specific players who tried to put him off his game, Lewis said: “Blokes like ‘Shawry’ (Tony Shaw), and Dermott (Brereton), and (Garry) Lyon, and those sort of guys. “I am happy with myself and what happened, whether they are happy with saying those sort of things, that’s up to them. “On the reverse side to that, they probably saw me as threat to winning the game, so I took it as a compliment.” However Lewis believes the taunts did impact on his footy “to a certain extent”. The former Eagle’s career peaked between 1989 and 1991 when he was just entering his 20s, with nine Brownlow votes in 1990 his highest total. Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar. End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar. Lewis admits he was “frustrated” at times on the field, not just by other players but by his own performances. “I could’ve applied myself in a more professional manner than what I was doing,” he said. But as West Coast became the powerhouse side of the early 1990s, winning two premierships, Lewis says the side reliant on him. “The side became such an even unit that we all did our job and didn’t really rely on one individual to play a super game to get over the line.”

Ron McKeown, Shane Ellen, Matthew Primus and Leo Barry have very different stories to tell when they reflect on their Grand Final experiences. Two ended in heartbreak and two in elation.