Briggsy is on the lookout for a Wild Cat. Single since birth, Lloyd has been interested in football, football and football, in that order. He is willing to explore a Wild Cat with a genuine interest outside of football, but whatever, it must have a steady and rock solid back line. Collingwood supporters need not apply. Briggsy commenced his love of Aussie Rules at the Broady juniors, where he notched up over 100 games from the age of 10. His birth date may be calculated in the knowledge that he played home games at Paradise Point. He tasted success in the U/17s in 1984 when the young pussies won the flag. Appointed captain the following year, they made the finals but went out in straight sets. Better be tactful at this point, but apparently the good judges responsible for the senior list, provided little encouragement so Briggsy took off to Burleigh - which is OK, so long as it wasn't Southport - where he played with some interesting characters (some are still inside) for 7 years. Boredom set in, slowly, because of the travel between Broady and Burleigh and in 2000 he was persuaded by Tim, father of current player, Josh Searl, to be the runner for the Broady U/16s. Briggs proved to be a runner who could provide more than message delivery, and in the following years ran for the U/16s. U/18s and Stingrays. Exhausted he took a year off and returned in 2005 to coach the U/16s where he focussed on player development. There are half a dozen or so of that team with the seniors now, which is a great retention rate and testament to Briggsy's influence.
Al has been on the coast on and off since 1993, when the crime rate increased significantly. He came from Melbourne where he played junior footy at South Melbourne Districts (Percy Baker's club), kicked around with the Tiger's U/19s (Percy mositens up at the thought of it), and finished up in the Amateurs at Beaumauris and Hampton Rovers. Joined Broady in 1996 and walked straight into a premiership. And was voted best player in the finals. Ask him, he'll tell you. That's what a manager of GoTalk is expected to say. Al returned to Melbourne in 1998 to further his career and took over as Vice Captain and assistant coach at Spotswood, former swannies territory. Returned to the coast in 2003 and stupidly and successfully applied for assistant senior coach at Labrador for 2005. In 2006 Al was overheard to say "a good coach is one who would lay down his life for the good of the team. Am I prepared to do that for Labrador? No." In 2007 he returned to Broady as assistant to the senior coach but if you count time put in at the Old Boys then he returned in 2005 where he played at CHF until 2008. In 2010 Al coached the under 18s in a season chaacterised by competitive games week to week with wins and losses frequently in the single digit range. The highlight was probably a win over the eventual premiers and the number of appearances by listed players in the seniors and magoos. Al is the father of two children - one of each variety, is a sad supporter of Richmond, who were well beaten by the Bloods for the flag in 1933. He fancies a bottle of red with a good steak and hates losing games of footy. His guiding principle in life is a conclusion reached after supporting the Tigers for so long. "Some people are destined never to experience joy, satisfaction and fulfilment in their lives. For these people the Richmond Football Club was created."
Last Modified on 02/12/2010 11:14