READ MORE:<\/strong> Aussies fear Maxwell 'risk' after marathon knock<\/strong><\/a>\ufeff<\/strong><\/p>\n READ MORE: \ufeff<\/strong>'Oblivious' bosses handing 'rabble' to new coach<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n READ MORE: \ufeff<\/strong>Black Caps edge towards semis as rival's woes continue<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n \ufeff"\ufeffJust a lovely man, he was a gentleman," Nine's Tony Jones told Today<\/em> of Barassi.<\/p>\n "It didn't matter who you barracked for, everybody loved Ron Barassi.<\/p>\n "We will hear from rivals – and I put them in inverted commas – Leigh Matthews, Kevin Sheedy.<\/p>\n "He was very much a humanitarian, too. He worked with Legacy, because he lost his dad when he was five. That was his greatest loss, losing his dad."<\/p>\n You can watch the Ron Barassi State Funeral on 9NOW from 10.30am AEDT<\/strong><\/em> here<\/strong><\/em><\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n One of the best players and coaches of all time, Barassi won six premierships with Melbourne in the club's glory years.<\/p>\n He played in the 1955, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960 and 1964\ufeff flags, at the same time pioneering the role of a ruck-rover.<\/p>\n He was later named at ruck-rover in the V\/AFL's team of the century.<\/p>\n He shocked the sport in 1964 by leaving the Demons and joining Carlton, in a move later likened to the Australian prime minister switching political parties.<\/p>\n \ufeffJones said that move was "heartbreaking" for Barassi, particularly given his deep connection to his father who died in the battle of Tobruk when Barassi was just five years old.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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