View source for Malcolm Blight

{{short description|Australian rules footballer, born 1950}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox AFL biography
| name = Malcolm Blight
| image = File:Malcolm Blight statue Adelaide Oval.jpg
| caption = Statue of Malcolm Blight at [[Adelaide Oval]]
| fullname = Malcolm Jack Blight
| nickname = Blighty
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1950|2|16|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Adelaide]], South Australia
| death_date = 
| death_place = 
| originalteam = [[Woodville Football Club|Woodville]] ([[South Australian National Football League|SANFL]])
| height = 182 cm
| weight = 89 kg
| position = 
| statsend = 1986
| coachstatsend = 2001
| years1 = 1968–73, 1983–85
| club1 = [[Woodville Football Club|Woodville]]
| games_goals1 = 152 (342)<ref>These totals refer to premiership matches (home-and-away and finals matches) only.</ref>
| years2 = 1974–1982
| club2 = {{AFL NM}}
| games_goals2 = 178 (444)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://australianfootball.com/players/player/malcolm%2Bblight/10806|work=Australian Football|date=1 January 2017|title=Malcolm Blight (Player Bio)}}</ref>
| games_goalstotal = 330 (786)
| sooteam1 = [[South Australia Australian rules football team|South Australia]]
| soogames_goals1 = 7 (11)
| sooteam2 = [[Victoria Australian rules football team|Victoria]]
| soogames_goals2 = 7 (14)
| coachyears1 = 1981
| coachclub1 = {{AFL NM}}
| coachgames_wins1 = 16 (6–10–0)
| coachyears2 = 1983&ndash;1987
| coachclub2 = [[Woodville Football Club|Woodville]]
| coachgames_wins2 = 114 (41-73-0)
| coachyears3 = 1989–1994
| coachclub3 = {{AFL Gee}}
| coachgames_wins3 = 145 (89–56–0)
| coachyears4 = 1997–1999
| coachclub4 = {{AFL Ade}}
| coachgames_wins4 = 74 (41–33–0)
| coachyears5 = 2001
| coachclub5 = {{AFL StK}}
| coachgames_wins5 = 15 (3–12–0)
| careerhighlights = '''Club'''
*2× [[List of VFL/AFL premiers|VFL Premiership player]]: ([[1975 VFL Grand Final|1975]], [[1977 VFL Grand Final|1977]])
*[[Brownlow Medal]]list: (1978)
*[[Coleman Medal]]list: (1982)
*[[Syd Barker Medal]]list: (1978)
*4× [[List of North Melbourne Football Club leading goalkickers|North Melbourne leading goalkicker]]: (1978, 1979, 1981, 1982)
*VFL Team of the Year: 1982
*[[Magarey Medal]]list: (1972)
*[[Ken Farmer Medal]]: (1985)
*2× [[Woodville Football Club|Woodville]] Best & Fairest: (1972, 1985)
*[[Championship of Australia]] Championship: [[1975 Championship of Australia|1975]]
*[[Woodville Football Club|Woodville]] captain-coach 1983–85

'''Representative'''
*[[Interstate matches in Australian rules football#Australian National Football Carnival|National Football Carnival]] Championship: [[1975 Knockout Carnival|1975]]
* Captain of Victoria
* Captain of South Australia
*2× [[All-Australian team]] 1972, 1985

'''Coaching'''
*2× [[List of VFL/AFL premiership captains and coaches|AFL Premiership coach]]: ([[1997 AFL Grand Final|1997]], [[1998 AFL Grand Final|1998]])
*[[Adelaide Football Club#"Team of the Decade"|Adelaide Team of the Decade]]
* [[McClelland Trophy]] (1992)

'''Honours'''
*[[Australian Football Hall of Fame]] Inductee (1996)
*[[Australian Football Hall of Fame]] Legend (2017)
*[[South Australian National Football League|SANFL]] Team of the Century  <small>([[forward pocket]])</small> 
*[[South Australian Football Hall of Fame]] (2002)
*[[Woodville Football Club]] Life Member
*[[Woodville-West Torrens Eagles|Woodville-West Torrens]]: Life Member
*[[Woodville-West Torrens Eagles|Woodville-West Torrens]]: Life Governor
}}

'''Malcolm Jack Blight''' [[Order of Australia|AM]] (born 16 February 1950) is a former [[Australian rules football]]er who played for and coached the [[North Melbourne Football Club]] in the [[Victorian Football League (1897–1989)|Victorian Football League]] (VFL) and [[Woodville Football Club]] in the [[South Australian National Football League]] (SANFL). He also coached the [[Geelong Football Club]], [[Adelaide Football Club]] and [[St Kilda Football Club]].

Blight is the only player to have kicked 100 goals in a season in both the VFL and the SANFL. He is also one of three players to have won the [[Brownlow Medal]] and the [[Magarey Medal]]. He was an inaugural inductee [[Australian Football Hall of Fame]] in 1996 and was elevated to Legend status in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-20/australian-football-hall-of-fame-ceremony-in-adelaide/8635776|date=19 June 2017|work=ABC News|title=Australian Football Hall of Fame: Malcolm Blight becomes a legend while Simon Goodwin, Barry Hall honoured}}</ref> In addition, he has captained the state representative sides of both [[Victoria Australian rules football team|Victoria]] and [[South Australia Australian rules football team|South Australia]].

In spite of his "failure" as a playing coach of North Melbourne, Blight cemented his reputation as one of the greatest coaches during his stints with {{AFL Gee}} and {{AFL Ade}}, before finishing up in an acrimonious circumstances at {{AFL StK}}.  In 2012, Blight was appointed director of coaching at the [[Gold Coast Suns|Gold Coast Football Club]].

The surname "Blight" is of [[Cornish people|Cornish]] origin.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gould.com.au/Cornish-Family-Names-p/thp009.htm |title=Cornish Family Names |access-date=2010-11-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100820113233/http://www.gould.com.au/Cornish-Family-Names-p/thp009.htm |archive-date=20 August 2010 }}</ref>

==Football career==

===1968–1973: First stint at Woodville===
Blight grew up living close to [[Alberton Oval]] and supported {{SANFL Por}}, with his favourite player at the time being forward [[Rex Johns]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/malcolm-blight-becomes-second-sa-great-to-be-a-legend-in-the-australian-football-hall-of-fame/news-story/0e3464fabab43b07a2b52b5837445738|title=Subscribe {{!}} adelaidenow|website=www.adelaidenow.com.au|access-date=2017-06-22}}</ref> However, when a new local team [[Woodville Football Club|Woodville]] began to play in the SANFL from 1964, and Blight was in their recruiting zone and made his debut for the Woodpeckers in 1969. He had a break-out year in 1972, kicking 45 goals while playing mainly as a ruck-rover.<ref>{{cite web|first=Ben|last=Collins|date=20 June 2017|url=https://www.afl.com.au/news/78198/six-moments-that-made-malcolm-blight-a-legend|title=Six moments that made Malcolm Blight a Legend|publisher=afl.com.au}}</ref> He won Woodville's [[best and fairest]] award as well as the SANFL's highest individual honor, the [[Magarey Medal]], bringing him to the attention of the VFL.

===1974–1982: Success in Victoria with North Melbourne===
Blight was recruited by the [[North Melbourne Football Club]] and, although he was reluctant to join at first, he went on to play 178 games for the club between 1974 and 1982.<ref>[http://kangaroos.com.au/kangaroosfc/Kangas/TheClub/History/HallofFame/tabid/4989/Default.aspx North Melbourne Football Club: Hall of Fame] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070910033501/http://www.kangaroos.com.au/kangaroosfc/Kangas/TheClub/History/HallofFame/tabid/4989/Default.aspx |date=10 September 2007 }}</ref> He was a member of the Kangaroos' premiership sides in [[1975 VFL Grand Final|1975]] and [[1977 VFL season|1977]], and in [[1978 VFL season|1978]] won both the [[Brownlow Medal]] and the [[Syd Barker Medal]] for being the [[best and fairest]] player in the VFL and for North Melbourne respectively.

Blight was consistently one of the most brilliant players in the VFL during the 1970s. Besides taking spectacular [[Mark (Australian football)|marks]], he was also a prolific goal kicker, renowned for his ability to use the [[torpedo punt]]. In [[1982 VFL season|1982]], Blight won the [[Coleman Medal]] as the leading the VFL goal scorer, and led the Kangaroos' goal kicking four times during his career.

====Eighty-metre goal after the siren====
{{Quote box |quoted=true |bgcolor=#FFFFF0 |salign=center
|width=35%
|align=right
|quote=It's not over yet – not over yet! What drama here at Princes Park! Malcolm Blight – it's a big kick, it's a mammoth kick...(ball passes between goal posts) whoa, I have seen it all!
|source=[[Mike Williamson (broadcaster)|Mike Williamson's]] call of Blight's 70- to 80-metre after-the-siren goal against Carlton on [[HSV-7]]<ref>[http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/special-features/in-depth/footys-most-thrilling-finishes/news-story/a80af431605d701762e184d3a855a2bd ''Footy's Most Thrilling Finishes''] ''The Herald-Sun''</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXwTvbgmkEA Malcolm Blight's long-range after-the-siren winner (North Melbourne vs. Carlton, Round 5, 1976)] YouTube</ref>
}}
In a moment that has since passed into Australian rules football folklore, Blight kicked a famous [[After the siren kicks in Australian rules football|goal after the siren]] against [[Carlton Football Club|Carlton]] in Round 10, 1976, (5 June). Carlton led by 14 points going into added time in the final quarter, but Blight kicked two goals, and then [[mark (Australian football)|marked]] the ball an estimated 80 metres from goal, just seconds before the final siren. [[North Melbourne Football Club|North Melbourne]], trailing by one point, needed a behind to draw and a goal to win. Many assumed Blight's effort would be futile and spectators were already exiting the arena. However, Blight kicked one of the longest-ever [[torpedo punt]]s, with the ball going through the goal at the height of the posts, achieving an improbable victory for the Kangaroos: 11.15 (81) to Carlton's 11.10 (76). ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyppV6iYojQ YouTube video])

This moment was the focus of a television commercial in the Toyota Legendary Moments series which featured Blight. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmC-La-BNlE YouTube video])

====Infamous moments====
During the [[1977 VFL season]], which happened to be played during the wettest Melbourne winter in 40 years, {{AFL NM}} hosted {{AFL Haw}} at [[Arden Street Oval|Arden Street]]. The ground conditions were atrocious, and the match for the most part resembled something more akin to mud wrestling.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}} Hawthorn led by one point when Blight was given a free kick and a set shot for goal. He scored a behind, which would have levelled the scores, but was given a second attempt after the umpire penalised Hawthorn for an infringement. Unfortunately for Blight and North Melbourne, the ball slewed off the side of his boot and went out of bounds on the full, giving the Hawks victory. In the drawn Grand Final, he was benched by Barassi after three quarters, but kept his place in the team for the replay and was one of the best players in their win.

Blight won the [[1978 Brownlow Medal]], but suffered a groin injury in the early minutes of the [[1978 VFL Grand Final]] against Hawthorn.

In [[1981 VFL season|1981]], while still serving as playing coach, Blight made one of the most bizarre blunders ever seen in a football match. In North Melbourne's Round 14 clash against {{AFL Ric}} at the [[Melbourne Cricket Ground|MCG]], Blight was on the end of a chain of handpasses deep in the forward zone. He seemed certain to score a goal as he ran into the goal square, only to run past the goal posts and kick the ball through the behinds. As he said after the match when he realised his mistake: "I've never done that before. I'm probably going barmy."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?page=1&sy=nstore&kw=malcolm+blight&pb=all_ffx&dt=selectRange&dr=entire&so=relevance&sf=text&sf=headline&rc=10&rm=200&sp=nrm&clsPage=1&docID=AGE0107205G7J0069N8A|title=Going Balmy – SPORTING LIFE|editor=McClure, Geoff|date=20 July 2001|work=[[The Age]]}}</ref> Richmond won the match by 43 points and, less than a month later, after six consecutive losses, Blight was sacked as playing coach. Freed of the coaching burden, he then kicked 11 goals against {{AFL Foo}}.<ref>{{cite news|last=Baum|first=Greg|publisher=theage.com.au|url=https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/malcolm-blight-the-exception-to-every-rule-20170620-gwuv5m.html|title=Malcolm Blight, a Legend of Australian football|date=20 June 2017}}</ref>

Blight was indirectly involved in another infamous football incident during the [[1980 Escort Championships|1980 Escort Cup]] grand final against [[Collingwood Magpies|Collingwood]], held at [[VFL Park]], Waverley. Blight kicked the ball to [[Kerry Good]] as the siren sounded. However, the umpire did not hear the siren and awarded the mark to Good, who kicked the winning goal to win in controversial circumstances.

===1983–1985: Return to Woodville===
After his stint in the VFL, Blight returned to Woodville, serving as captain-coach from 1983 to 1985 before continuing as non-playing coach in 1986 and 1987. He was club best and fairest in 1983 and in his last season of playing football (1985) topped the league goalkicking list with 126 goals.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20020903185554/http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/SAToC_half_forwards.htm SA Team of the Century: Left Half Forward Flank – Malcolm Blight]}}</ref>

===Other matches===
Blight also played 14 interstate/State of Origin football matches (seven for South Australia and seven for Victoria), kicking 25 goals, as well as 11 pre-season/night series matches for Woodville, kicking 17 goals, and 17 pre-season/night series matches for North Melbourne, kicking 37 goals (these are counted as senior by the SANFL but not the VFL/AFL).

If these are included, Blight played a total of 372 senior career games and kicked a senior career total of 865 goals.

==Coaching and after coaching==
Blight later became a successful coach famous for employing unorthodox, and at times controversial, coaching methods as attempts to motivate his players.<ref name=stopping>{{cite web| url = http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/05/26/1053801337715.html |title = Stopping the rot | access-date = 2009-01-18 | date = 2003-05-27 |work=[[The Age]]}}</ref>

===Player-coach at North Melbourne===
Appointed [[player-coach]] in 1981 after [[Ron Barassi]] departed, Blight was sacked as coach after six consecutive losses.<ref>[http://www.australianrules.com.au/2004stories/top10sacked.html Australianrules.com: The 10 biggest mid-season coaching upheavals] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050617033649/http://australianrules.com.au/2004stories/top10sacked.html |date=17 June 2005 }}</ref> The following week he rebounded with a club-record 11 goal haul against [[Footscray Football Club|Footscray]], at the Western Oval. Once again, Blight's inaccurate kicking for goal may have prevented him from kicking a club record of a possible 16 to 17 goals. Blight's total as playing coach ([[Wayne Schimmelbusch]] was captain) was 16 games (6 wins, 10 losses) and the last of the playing coaches in the VFL.

===Back at Woodville===
Playing coach 1983 to 1985, continued as non-playing coach to 1987. His tenure as coach coincided with the club's most successful season (1986) in the entire history of the Woodville Football Club, when they reached the Preliminary Final.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20030316163032/http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/Woodville.htm Fullpointsfooty.net: Woodville Football Club]}}</ref> During the season the Warriors (who had changed from being known as the Woodpeckers to the Warriors in 1983) had defeated their hated "big brother" Port Adelaide once during the minor round at [[Woodville Oval]] (drawing the oval's ground record attendance of 11,026 to their Round 18 clash), and also in the First Semi-final at [[Football Park]], before going down to eventual premiers [[Glenelg Tigers|Glenelg]] in the Preliminary Final.

===Geelong Football Club senior coach (1989–1994): High-Voltage Football, September Disappointment===
Blight was appointed successor to [[John Devine (Australian rules footballer)|John Devine]] at {{AFL Gee}} as senior coach for the [[1989 VFL season]]. In Blight's first year at Geelong, he guided them to the [[1989 VFL Grand Final|1989 Grand Final]] but fell short to [[Hawthorn Football Club|Hawthorn]] by six points. In the [[1990 AFL season|1990 season]], Geelong under Blight finished tenth on the ladder with eight wins and fourteen losses, missing out of the finals. In the [[1991 AFL season|1991 season]], Blight guided Geelong to finish third on the ladder, but were eliminated in the Preliminary Final by [[West Coast Eagles]]. Blight guided Geelong again to the [[1992 AFL Grand Final|Grand Final in 1992]] but fell short again to [[West Coast Eagles]] by twenty-eight points. In the [[1993 AFL season|1993 season]], Blight guided Geelong to finish seventh on the ladder with twelve wins and eight losses, just missing out of the finals.

The Cats players warmed to his all-out attack philosophy, to such an extent that they broke the record for aggregate points in a home-and-away season (2916), which would again be broken in 1992 when they became the first (and so far only) team to score an aggregate of 3000 points in a home-and-away season. In the semi-final against {{AFL Mel}}, aware that the Demons intended to put a hard tag on their classy midfielders [[Paul Couch]] and [[Mark Bairstow]], Blight started them on the interchange bench, and Geelong ended up winning by 63 points.

In an interview with [[Gerard Whateley]] in 2019, Blight opened up about the day he knew his time as Geelong coach was finished. In Round 12 of the [[1994 AFL season]], Geelong were hosting {{AFL StK}} at [[Kardinia Park (stadium)|Kardinia Park]], and at last break the unfancied Saints held a 26-point lead after kicking seven goals to none in the third quarter. The frustrated home fans directed their displeasure at Blight, booing and heckling him as he made his way down to the huddle.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article118170767 |title=Ablett snatches win from Saints |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |date=12 June 1994 |accessdate=19 May 2021 |page=15 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Although he made light of this to his assistant coach and soon-to-be successor [[Gary Ayres]] by remarking "I told you, the Geelong people don't like you Hawthorn people", Blight was stung inwardly by the negative reception.<ref>{{cite web|first=Ben|last=Waterworth|title=AFL: Malcolm Blight reveals merciless boos that sparked him to quit as Geelong coach in 1994|url=https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-malcolm-blight-reveals-merciless-boos-that-sparked-him-to-quit-as-geelong-coach-in-1994/news-story/079cd0a7b51005ad55bd41e5402eaff9|date=24 April 2019|publisher=foxsports.com.au}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|publisher=sen.com.au|title=BLIGHT'S NEVER-TOLD STORY ABOUT LEAVING GEELONG|url=https://www.sen.com.au/news/2019/04/24/blights-never-told-story-about-leaving-geelong/|date=24 April 2019|first=Nic|last=Negrepontis}}</ref> Fortunately for the home side, star forward [[Gary Ablett Sr.|Gary Ablett]] kicked four of his seven goals as Geelong came from behind to win by three points. The Cats ended up making the Grand Final in 1994 for the third time under Blight, but after a difficult finals series, they were no match for {{AFL WC}}, where Geelong fell short to West Coast by eighty points in the [[1994 AFL Grand Final|1994 Grand Final]] and Blight confirmed his decision after the game to hand the coaching reins to assistant coach [[Gary Ayres]], who replaced Blight as Geelong Football Club senior coach.

One of the strangest incidents as a coach of Geelong was his extroverted decision to stand on a metal box to watch the game against the West Coast Eagles in Perth. His excitement of "seeing the game at ground level", was an attempt to get back to basics and some nostalgia.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}

Blight coached Geelong Football Club from 1989 to 1994 to a total of 145 games with 89 wins and 56 losses with a winning percentage of 61 percent.

===Adelaide Football Club senior coach (1997–1999) : Premiership success===
Blight's then made his arrival at the Crows at the end of the [[1996 AFL season|1996 season]], when he replaced [[Robert Shaw (footballer)|Robert Shaw]] as senior coach of Adelaide Football Club.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/c3a15545-5fbc-453a-bfd7-d8a62cd21106/downloads/1cvdrco0b_244083.pdf?ver=1563704898261|title=ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL CLUBS|access-date=16 March 2022}}</ref> This was marked with dramatic effect, with the delisting of four ageing club stalwarts [[Anthony "Tony" McGuinness|Tony McGuinness]], [[Chris McDermott]], [[Andrew Jarman]] and [[Greg Anderson (footballer)|Greg Anderson]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,20521838-21543,00.html|work=[[The Advertiser (Adelaide)|The Advertiser]]|title=Head rules heart}}</ref> This attracted great criticism at the time, but Blight was vindicated, when Adelaide Football Club under Blight won the [[List of Australian Football League premiers|AFL premiership]] in [[1997 AFL Grand Final|1997]], and again in [[1998 AFL Grand Final|1998]] for the second consecutive year. Blight resigned as Adelaide Football Club senior coach at the end of the [[1999 AFL season|1999 season]] after an unsuccessful year finishing 13th.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://crowshistory.afc.com.au/past-senior-coaches|title=Past Senior Coaches (AFL)|access-date=October 11, 2021}}</ref> In 74 games under Blight, Adelaide won 41 games and 33 losses bringing a winning percentage to 55 percent.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://crowshistory.afc.com.au/past-senior-coaches|title=Past Senior Coaches (AFL)|access-date=October 11, 2021}}</ref> But he will always be remembered for his finals record with seven wins from eight games for two premierships To commemorate his legacy as Adelaide's first premiership coach, the club named their annual best and fairest award the [[Malcolm Blight Medal]]. Blight was once again replaced by [[Gary Ayres]], this time as Adelaide Football Club senior coach.

===St Kilda Football Club senior coach (2001): Promising start, disappointing end===
After finishing at Adelaide, Blight decided to retire from football and moved to Queensland. St Kilda officials visited him there during 2000 and overcame his reluctance to coach St Kilda in 2001 with a $1 million offer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/st-kilda/andrew-thompson-on-how-the-saints-wooed-malcolm-blight-as-coach/news-story/27d4e7860d9484a0c669d5e2a2e15f17|work=[[Herald Sun]]|title=Andrew Thompson on how the Saints wooed Malcolm Blight as coach|date=21 May 2017|access-date=29 August 2017}}</ref> Blight then replaced [[Tim Watson]] as the St Kilda Football Club senior coach.  Blight was however sacked after Round 15 during the [[2001 AFL season|2001 season]] with three wins and twelve losses sitting at fourteenth (third-last) on the ladder. Blight was then replaced by [[Grant Thomas (footballer)|Grant Thomas]] as caretaker senior coach for the rest of the 2001 season, who was eventually appointed as full-time senior coach.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.afl.com.au/news/452104/strength-through-loyalty|title=Strength through loyalty|date=1 May 2013|access-date=17 March 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.crikey.com.au/2001/12/16/butterss-wouldnt-melt-in-his-mouth/|title=Butterss wouldn't melt in his mouth|date=16 December 2001|access-date=17 March 2022}}</ref> Blight's famous humiliation of the players by making them stay on Colonial Stadium after a Round 10 loss to Melbourne and again after a Round 15 loss to Adelaide in his final game as coach, highlighted the worsening relation between the coach, players and club supporters. Some years later the former president of St Kilda, [[Rod Butterss]], questioned Blight's commitment to the club during his tenure. Blight responded memorably from his position as media commentator with Channel Ten, saying: 
{{blockquote|I couldn't give a rat's tossbag whether he thought I could coach or whether anyone thinks I can coach or can play. But when he talked about commitment for St Kilda, for the time I was there, it was absolute garbage made by a very naive person.|Malcolm Blight|[http://www.theage.com.au/news/rfnews/blights-passion-burns-furiously/2009/07/21/1247941916376.html Out of left-field, Blight's passion burns furiously]}}
However, as early as February 2003, Butterss had admitted that his appointment of Blight as coach was "an error."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/02/24/1046063964928.html|work=[[The Age]]|title=Butterss admits: We haven't delivered|date=25 February 2003|access-date=29 August 2017}}</ref> In August 2017, Butterss further admitted that he'd made crucial decisions (including the Blight saga) while under the influence of drugs and alcohol during his tenure at the club.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sportingnews.com/au/afl/news/rod-butterss-made-decisions-as-st-kilda-president-on-drugs-and-alcohol/bphjp61lt7j11g23vr1gixoas|work=[[Sporting News]]|title=Rod Butterss made decisions as St Kilda president while high, drunk|date=17 August 2017|access-date=29 August 2017}}</ref>

Blight coached St Kilda Football club in 2001 to a total of 15 games with three wins and twelve losses to a winning percentage of 20 percent.

===Involvement at Gold Coast Suns===
In 2009, Blight joined the [[Board of directors]] at the 17th AFL team, [[Gold Coast Suns]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.goldcoastfc.com.au/news/760918/blight-joins-gold-coast-football-club|title=Blight Joins Gold Coast Football Club|date=21 July 2009|access-date=13 February 2022}}</ref>

In July 2012, Gold Coast Suns announced that Blight had stepped down from the board to take up a part-time advisory role as director of coaching under Gold Coast Suns senior coach [[Guy McKenna]], following a similar growing trend where former coaches (among them [[Mark Williams (Australian footballer born 1958)|Mark Williams]], [[Dean Laidley]] and [[Mark Harvey]]) have been employed as advisors to other senior coaches.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/afl/blight-borrow-wisdom-of-elders/story-fn83zfxo-1226419871410|title=Blight: Borrow wisdom of elders|work=[[Sunday Mail (Adelaide)|Sunday Mail]]|date=7 July 2012}}</ref> Blight left the Gold Coast Suns at the end of the 2015 season, after he was relieved of his duties as director of coaching position at Gold Coast. Blight and the club came to a mutual agreement that the position had become redundant after the appointment of [[Rodney Eade]] as senior coach of the Gold Coast Suns at the start of the year and season.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/gold-coast-suns-part-ways-with-malcolm-blight/news-story/1d5633f56ef1396280047b72af1bf98d|title=Gold Coast Suns part ways with Malcolm Blight|date=15 September 2015|access-date=14 February 2022}}</ref>

===Blight's Squad of Champions===
Looking back over his coaching career, Blight nominated in June 2012 a team of the greatest 22 players that he had coached, plus four emergencies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/afl/my-squad-of-champions/story-fncw5ppl-1226391006372|last=Blight|first=Malcolm|title=Selecting my squad of champions|work=[[Sunday Mail (Adelaide)|Sunday Mail]]|date=9 June 2012}}</ref> This was how the team looked:
<!-- Do not change. -->
{{Aussie rules team | title = Malcolm Blight's Squad of Champions
| backpocket1 = [[Ben Hart (Australian footballer)|Ben Hart]]<br>(Adelaide)
| fullback = [[David Dench]]<br>(North Melbourne)
| backpocket2 = [[Mark Bickley]]<br>(Adelaide)
| halfbackflank1 = [[Andrew McLeod]]<br>(Adelaide)
| centrehalfback = [[Ross Glendinning]]<br>(North Melbourne)
| halfbackflank2 = [[Nigel Smart]]<br>(Adelaide)
| wing1 = [[Keith Greig]]<br>(North Melbourne)
| centre = [[Paul Couch]]<br>(Geelong)
| wing2 = [[Mark Bairstow]]<br>(Geelong)
| halfforwardflank1 = [[Wayne Schimmelbusch]]<br>(North Melbourne)
| centrehalfforward = [[Barry Stoneham]]<br>(Geelong)
| halfforwardflank2 = [[Ralph Sewer]]<br>(Woodville)
| forwardpocket1 = [[Darren Jarman]]<br>(Adelaide)
| fullforward = [[Gary Ablett Sr.]]<br>(Geelong)
| forwardpocket2 = [[Robert Harvey (footballer)|Robert Harvey]]<br>(St Kilda)
| ruck = [[Shaun Rehn]]<br>(Adelaide)
| ruckrover = [[Mark Ricciuto]]<br>(Adelaide)
| rover = [[Garry Hocking]]<br>(Geelong)
| interchange1 = [[Ken Hinkley]]<br>(Geelong)
| interchange2 = [[David Pittman]]<br>(Adelaide)
| interchange3 = [[Simon Goodwin]]<br>(Adelaide)
| interchange4 = [[Tyson Edwards]]<br>(Adelaide)
| interchange5 =
| interchange6 =
| coach = Malcolm Blight
}}

The four emergencies named were: [[Peter Caven]] (Adelaide), [[Kane Johnson]] (Adelaide), [[Peter Riccardi]] (Geelong) and [[Tony Modra]] (Adelaide).

==Media career==
Blight continued his football involvement through the media. He commentated for the [[Seven Network]] during his hiatus from coaching in 1988, 1995–1996 and 2000, and also co-hosted ''[[Talking Footy]]'' with fellow commentator [[Bruce McAvaney]] and journalist [[Mike Sheahan]]. He was one of the commentators at [[Waverley Park]] during the famous "Lights Out Incident" during a night match between {{AFL Ess}} and {{AFL StK}} in [[1996 AFL season|1996]]. After finishing up as a coach, Blight commentated for [[Network Ten]]'s television coverage.

In 2006, Blight appeared in a Toyota Legendary Moment ad recreating his goal after the siren against Carlton.

He also wrote football-related articles for the ''[[Sunday Mail (Adelaide)|Sunday Mail]]''.

Blight is known for his dislike of the practice of players using [[grubber kick]]s when attempting to score a goal, due to the lack of control and unpredictability of the bounce.<ref name="ban">{{cite web|url=http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-premiership/afl-legend-malcolm-blight-urges-coaches-to-ban-players-from-performing-the-grubber-kick-for-goal/story-e6frf3e3-1226411827163|title=AFL legend Malcolm Blight urges coaches to ban players from performing the 'grubber' kick for goal|last=Milbank|first=Zac|work=[[The Advertiser (Adelaide)|The Advertiser]]|date=29 June 2012}}</ref> With David Wildy, he is currently the co-host of Sportsday SA on [[FIVEaa]] in Adelaide.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sportsday SA |url=https://www.sen.com.au/programs/sportsday-sa |access-date=2023-03-29 |website=www.sen.com.au |language=en}}</ref>

==Statistics==

===Playing statistics===
:<ref>[http://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/M/Malcolm_Blight.html Malcolm Blight's player profile at AFL Tables]</ref>

{{AFL player statistics legend}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|style="background:#DD6E81; width:1em"|
|Led the league after season and finals
|}
{{AFL player statistics start}}
|-
|- style="background-color: #EAEAEA"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[1974 VFL season|1974]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL NM}}
| 15 || 15 || 17 || 18 || 200 || 60 || 260 || 91 || {{n/a}} || 1.1 || 1.2 || 13.3 || 4.0 || 17.3 || 6.1 || {{n/a}}
|-
|style="text-align:center;background:#afe6ba;"|[[1975 VFL season|1975]]†
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL NM}}
| 15 || 18 || 14 || 18 || 187 || 63 || 250 || 69 || {{n/a}} || 0.8 || 1.1 || 11.0 || 3.7 || 14.7 || 4.1 || {{n/a}}
|- style="background-color: #EAEAEA"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[1976 VFL season|1976]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL NM}}
| 15 || 23 || 35 || 29 || 378 || 102 || 480 || 159 || {{n/a}} || 1.5 || 1.3 || 16.4 || 4.4 || 20.9 || 6.9 || {{n/a}}
|-
|style="text-align:center;background:#afe6ba;"|[[1977 VFL season|1977]]†
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL NM}}
| 15 || 24 || 24 || 33 || 415 || 115 || 530 || 127 || {{n/a}} || 1.0 || 1.4 || 17.3 || 4.8 || 22.1 || 5.3 || {{n/a}}
|- style="background-color: #EAEAEA"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[1978 VFL season|1978]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL NM}}
| 15 || 24 || 77 || 51 || 361 || 69 || 430 || 136 || {{n/a}} || 3.2 || 2.1 || 15.0 || 2.9 || 17.9 || 5.7 || {{n/a}}
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[1979 VFL season|1979]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL NM}}
| 15 || 19 || 60 || 27 || 275 || 67 || 342 || 102 || {{n/a}} || 3.2 || 1.4 || 14.5 || 3.5 || 18.0 || 5.4 || {{n/a}}
|- style="background-color: #EAEAEA"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[1980 VFL season|1980]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL NM}}
| 15 || 20 || 44 || 29 || 282 || 90 || 372 || 87 || {{n/a}} || 2.2 || 1.5 || 14.1 || 4.5 || 18.6 || 4.4 || {{n/a}}
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[1981 VFL season|1981]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL NM}}
| 15 || 15 || 70 || 45 || 206 || 31 || 237 || 79 || {{n/a}} || bgcolor="DD6E81"| '''4.7''' || bgcolor="DD6E81"| '''3.0''' || 13.7 || 2.1 || 15.8 || 5.3 || {{n/a}}
|- style="background-color: #EAEAEA"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[1982 VFL season|1982]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL NM}}
| 15 || 20 || bgcolor="DD6E81"| '''103''' || 66 || 233 || 43 || 276 || 112 || {{n/a}} || bgcolor="DD6E81"| '''5.2''' || bgcolor="DD6E81"| '''3.3''' || 11.7 || 2.2 || 13.8 || 5.6 || {{n/a}}
|- class="sortbottom"
! colspan=3| Career
! 178
! 444
! 316
! 2537
! 640
! 3177
! 962
! {{n/a}}
! 2.5
! 1.8
! 14.3
! 3.6
! 17.8
! 5.4
! {{n/a}}
|}

==Head coaching record==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"|Team !! rowspan="2"|Year !! colspan="5"|Home and Away Season !! colspan="4"|Finals
|-
!Won!!Lost!!Drew!! Win % !!Position!! Won !! Lost !! Win % !! Result
|-
![[North Melbourne Football Club|NTH]]||[[1981 VFL season|1981]]
||6||10||0||{{winperc|6|10}}||8th out of 12||—||—||—||—
|-
! colspan="2"|NTH Total||6||10||0||{{winperc|6|10}}|| ||0||0||.000||
|-! style="background:#fdd;"
![[1989 Geelong Football Club season|GEE]]||[[1989 VFL season|1989]]
||16||6||0||{{winperc|16|6}}||3rd out of 14||2||2||{{winperc|2|2}}|| <small>'''Lost to [[Hawthorn Football Club|Hawthorn]] in [[1989 VFL Grand Final|Grand Final]]'''</small>
|-
![[Geelong Football Club|GEE]]||[[1990 AFL season|1990]]
||8||14||0||{{winperc|8|14}}||10th out of 14||—||—||—||—
|-! style="background:#fdd;"
![[Geelong Football Club|GEE]]||[[1991 AFL season|1991]]
||16||6||0||{{winperc|16|6}}||3rd out of 15||1||2||.333||<small>'''Lost to [[West Coast Eagles|West Coast]] in [[1991 AFL finals series|Preliminary Final]]'''</small>
|-! style="background:#fdd;"
![[Geelong Football Club|GEE]]||[[1992 AFL season|1992]]
||16||6||0||{{winperc|16|6}}||1st out of 15||2||2||.500||<small>'''Lost to [[West Coast Eagles|West Coast]] in [[1992 AFL Grand Final|Grand Final]]'''</small>
|-
![[Geelong Football Club|GEE]]||[[1993 AFL season|1993]]
||12||8||0||{{winperc|12|8}}||7th out of 15||—||—||—||—
|-! style="background:#fdd;"
![[Geelong Football Club|GEE]]||[[1994 AFL season|1994]]
||13||9||0||{{winperc|13|9}}||4th out of 15||3||1||.750||<small>'''Lost to [[West Coast Eagles|West Coast]] in [[1994 AFL Grand Final|Grand Final]]'''</small>
|-
! colspan="2"|GEE Total||81||49||0||{{winperc|81|49}}|| ||8||7||{{winperc|8|7}}||
|-! style="background:#FDE910;"
![[Adelaide Football Club|ADE]]||[[1997 AFL season|1997]]
||13||9||0||{{winperc|13|9}}||4th out of 16||4||0||1.000||<small>'''Defeated [[St Kilda Football Club|St Kilda]] in [[1997 AFL Grand Final|Grand Final]]'''</small>
|-! style="background:#FDE910;"
![[Adelaide Football Club|ADE]]||[[1998 AFL season|1998]]
||13||9||0||{{winperc|13|9}}||5th out of 16||3||1||.750||<small>'''Defeated [[North Melbourne Football Club|North Melbourne]] in [[1997 AFL Grand Final|Grand Final]]'''</small>
|-
![[Adelaide Football Club|ADE]]||[[1999 AFL season|1999]]
||8||14||0||{{winperc|8|14}}||13th out of 16||—||—||—||—
|-
! colspan="2"|ADE Total||34||32||0||{{winperc|34|32}}|| ||7||1||{{winperc|7|1}}||
|-
![[St Kilda Football Club|STK]]||[[2001 AFL season|2001]]
||3||12||0||{{winperc|3|12}}||(resigned after R15)||—||—||—||—
|-
! colspan="2"|STK Total||3||12||0||{{winperc|3|12}}|| ||0||0||.000||
|-
! colspan="2"|Total||124||103||0||{{winperc|124|103}}|| ||15||8||{{winperc|15|8}}||
|}

:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://afltables.com/afl/stats/coaches/Malcolm_Blight.html|title=AFL Tables - Malcolm Blight - Coaching Record|website=Afltables.com|access-date=17 November 2021}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[After the siren kicks in Australian rules football]]
*[[Robert Walls]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{AFL Tables}}
* {{AFL Tables coach ID}}
* {{AustralianFootball}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121120182806/http://www.kangaroos.com.au/History/PlayerHistory/MalcolmBlight/tabid/14471/Default.aspx Profile at kangaroos.com.au]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070928042351/http://prod.www.afl.cfour.com.au/Season2007/Awards/HallofFame/Players/tabid/856/Default.aspx AFL: Hall of Fame]
* SANFL Hall of Fame [https://sanfl.com.au/inside-sanfl/hall-of-fame/malcolm-blight/ Profile]
* {{YouTube|id=WnWFqGD9JF8|title=Toyota AFL Legendary Moments – Malcolm Blight}}
* {{YouTube|id=6FDIF2WiIfQ|title=Malcolm Blight on Open Mike (Extended Edition)}}

{{Australian Football Hall of Fame Legends}}
{{AFL Brownlow Medallists}}
{{AFL Coleman Medallists}}
{{Jock McHale Medal}}
{{Australian Football Media Association Player of the Year}}
{{Magarey Medal winners}}
{{Ken Farmer Medal}}
{{1975 North Melbourne premiership players}}
{{1977 North Melbourne premiership players}}
{{1997 Adelaide premiership players}}
{{1998 Adelaide premiership players}}
{{North Melbourne leading goalkickers}}
{{North Melbourne Team of The Century}}
{{Syd Barker Medal}}
{{North Melbourne Football Club coaches}}
{{Woodville Football Club coaches}}
{{Geelong Football Club coaches}}
{{Adelaide Football Club coaches}}
{{St Kilda Football Club coaches}}
{{Woodville Football Club captains}}
{{1972 All-Australian team}}
{{1982 VFL Team of the Year}}
{{1985 All-Australian team}}
{{1979 South Australia State of Origin players}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blight, Malcolm}}
[[Category:North Melbourne Football Club players]]
[[Category:North Melbourne Football Club premiership players]]
[[Category:Woodville Football Club players]]
[[Category:Coleman Medal winners]]
[[Category:Brownlow Medal winners]]
[[Category:Syd Barker Medal winners]]
[[Category:Magarey Medal winners]]
[[Category:Adelaide Football Club coaches]]
[[Category:Adelaide Football Club premiership coaches]]
[[Category:Geelong Football Club coaches]]
[[Category:North Melbourne Football Club coaches]]
[[Category:St Kilda Football Club coaches]]
[[Category:Woodville Football Club coaches]]
[[Category:Australian rules football commentators]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of Australia]]
[[Category:All-Australians (1953–1988)]]
[[Category:Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:South Australian State of Origin players]]
[[Category:Australian people of Cornish descent]]
[[Category:Australian rules footballers from Adelaide]]
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[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
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[[Category:VFL/AFL premiership coaches]]