The AFL has announced the medal presenter for the Jock McHale Medal for the 2022 Toyota AFL Grand Final to be played on Saturday, September 24 at the MCG.
One of the 12 inaugural Legends of the Game, Carlton's Team of the Century ruckman John Nicholls will present the Jock McHale Medal to this year's Premiership Coach.
Nicholls made his VFL debut for Carlton in 1957 and went on to play a then-record 328 games for the club across 18 seasons, before retiring in 1974.
Nicholls led the Carlton Football Club to two Premierships as captain in 1968 and 1970 and a third as captain-coach in 1972, marshalling the Blues to victory over Richmond in the highest-scoring Grand Final in history.
Nicholls is a five-time Carlton best and fairest winner and is regarded as one of the greatest players to pull on the navy blue, with Carlton's best and fairest medal named in his honour.
Since 2003, the AFL has used a former premiership coach to present the McHale Medal and asked Nicholls to present the medal for a second time (having previously done so in 2009), with eligible recent premiership coaches Paul Roos and Mark Thompson both away travelling and unavailable this year. Their invitations will be held over into the future for when they are available.
"It is an honour. I've always regarded myself as a very loyal VFL and AFL person and if I get asked to do these things, you do them," Nicholls said.
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When asked for his choice of 2022 Premier, he remained impartial.
"It is a 50/50 contest. Geelong are the favourites, but Sydney in the last four or five games have been unbelievable.
"I wouldn't choose one team over the other as I respect both teams so much."
About the Jock McHale Medal
The medal honours legendary Collingwood coach James "Jock" McHale, who guided the Magpies in an astonishing 714 matches, for 467 wins, 237 losses and 10 draws. McHale's Collingwood teams won eight premierships, including a never-equalled four in a row between 1927 and 1930 inclusive.
Formerly known as the Premiership coach's medal, the McHale medal was instituted in 2001, with back-dated presentations to all coaches back to 1949 (the year after McHale's retirement from Collingwood), while all premiership coaches up to 1949 were presented a back-dated Premiership Coaches medal.
