Mick Nunan


Michael 'Mick' Nunan is a former Australian rules footballer and coach who represented, and in the South Australian National Football League and in the then Victorian Football League. He was also the last official senior coach of in 1996, resigning halfway through the season as news came out that the club was going to merge with the Brisbane Bears to form the Brisbane Lions.

SANFL career

Nunan played his football as a rover. He joined from Port Pirie in 1966 and during his 188 games with the Double Blues, he played in their 1969, 1970, 1974 and 1976 premiership sides. Having spent his whole playing career at Sturt under the tutelage of the legendary Jack Oatey, it was no surprise that Nunan was heavily influenced by him when he later became a coach. He played in the 1978 premiership side during the first of his two seasons at. He then coached North Adelaide to premierships in 1987 and 1991 during his twelve seasons as senior coach.
His solitary VFL senior game came while he was on National Service training in Melbourne. The previous week he had played in the reserves side while fellow Sturt footballer and conscript, Malcolm Greenslade, played in the senior side. The next week they both played in the seniors. Both then returned to the SANFL.

Fitzroy coach

Nunan was at the helm for Fitzroy's last-ever AFL win, in Round 8 against at Whitten Oval on 16 May 1996. It was an emotional day for many Fitzroy fans, and he described it as "a relief and reward for those players who had worked very hard to improve their skill levels".
After Fitzroy lost to Essendon in Round 13 and just 48 hours after Fitzroy merged with Brisbane, Nunan announced his resignation to the staff and players, which he had planned to do if a merger went ahead. As he left the room, he remembered that the club doorman, Tommy Couch, had taken a liking to Nunan's jacket and had asked him if he could have it if he couldn't fulfill his commitments. So he returned and handed Couch the jacket.