Barassi: Farewell to a frenemy

On the eve of Ron Barassi's State Funeral, we look back at some of the football icon's many battles with the brown-and-gold.

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Ron Barassi, whose life will be remembered and celebrated at the MCG on Friday, was a giant of the game.

Among his many claims to fame was that he was a revered figure at four clubs – Melbourne, Carlton, North Melbourne and Sydney to each, was immense.

There is no doubt that Barassi’s greatest rival was Collingwood. Four of his six premierships with the Demons came against Collingwood, while two of his four flags as a coach as coach of the Blues and then the Kangas, also came at the expense of the Magpies.

What about the Hawks, you ask? He enjoyed several spirited battles with them over a few seasons while at the Demons and the Hawks loomed large throughout his time at the Blues. But in his eight seasons as coach of North Melbourne, there was no bigger rivalry than that between his Kangaroos, and the Hawks.