By Corey Everitt
Locals are remembering football player and coach James Thomas Dore (1948-2024), a legendary leader respected across the football world and mentor for many from his hometown Nar Nar Goon to the fierce local league in Canberra.
Mr Dore died on Sunday 14 July at the age of 76.
A member of the well-known family, Mr Dore was born and raised on the family farm in Nar Nar Goon.
Moving to Canberra and eventually Queensland later in life, his roots locally are strong and he is still remembered for his pivotal role in local football.
President of the Nar Nar Goon Football Club, Patrick Noonan remembers watching him coach the club to the 1980 premiership during his younger days as a player.
“He was a very passionate man and very driven. He held Nar Nar Goon close to his heart,” he said.
“He drove the boys and got the best out of them, but he still set a really high standard for himself.”
1980 was far from the last premiership he would play or coach in, as the Gazette understands Mr Dore was involved in at least nine senior premierships in his life – most of which he led as coach.
Nar Nar Goon was his longest contribution where he developed in the juniors to be a promising talent.
In the 60s he was named under 16s best and fairest for the West Gippsland Football League. He got his senior debut young, playing in the 1965 premiership at the age of 16.
He played in another premiership in 1970, involved in two flags by the age of 22.
In the 70s he would take up coaching both in juniors and seniors.
He took appointments to Wycheproof Narraport Football Club in 1975 and Mildura’s Imperial Football Club in 1976. He would lead both to a premiership in each year.
Early on, he did this while managing a farm with his brother Geoff and also putting himself through higher education to become an accountant.
He would return to be senior coach for Nar Nar Goon where he brought them to the 1979 and and 1980 grand final.
They would lose 79, but take the flag the second time round. Unfortunately in 1980 he was injured and reserved solely to being a coach on the sidelines.
Nonetheless, it was a significant moment to lead his home club as champions and his players knew it too. He was chaired around the ground upon victory.
After this time he would move clubs, with a stint at Tooradin and a number of years at Pakenham.
His talents to develop players was equalled by his performance on the field. Skilled all-round, he played predominantly at centre half-back at Nar Nar Goon, but at Pakenham he played at full-forward in their 1989 premiership.
Former president of Pakenham Football Club Greg Marshall remembers his legendary status that was firmly established by the 80s.
“He was very well respected in the football world,” he said.
“A terrific country football coach and his record would tell you that. Some learnt quite a lot from him.”
In these years he caught the eye of VFL teams seeking to employ his talents. After he departed Nar Nar Goon, he became a development officer for Carlton. Then he was recruited in the early years of Kevin Sheedy’s reign to coach and develop Essendon’s young prospects in their under 19s side.
By the 90s he would move to Canberra following new employment.
According to a local interview by Tony Wynd he had no plans to coach when he moved to the Nation’s capital.
However, his endeavours hundreds of kilometres south took little time to spread amongst the AFL Canberra league and clubs were eager to court the new accountant in town.
This was helped by coincidence, Mr Dore’s first senior coach and fellow football legend of Pakenham and Nar Nar Goon Bill Drake also moved to Canberra years before him where he coached at Ainslie and Eastlake Football Clubs.
Eastlake wanted to appoint him, but complications saw a contract fall through and he found himself senior coach at Queanbeyan Football Club in 1998.
Recruited to steer the club back on course after the abrupt departures of a coach and several senior players, the club reportedly had ‘less than a dozen’ turn up for the first practice and lost by ‘8-10 goals’ in each preseason game.
Not only would Mr Dore lead the club to a premiership that very year, the Firsts would become a historic three-peat team winning the premiership over the 1998, 1999 and 2000 seasons.
He would coach one more year in 2001, capping off almost 40 years in senior football with an epic saga.
In the interview by Tony Wynd, Mr Dore reflects, “Football can and has always provided me with a focus and purpose when other aspects of life were not so smooth.
“The only time I would totally relax is after a grand final win. To sit in the social club and see the pleasure on all the faces – the players, officials, volunteers and supporters – brings the greatest satisfaction when you get the job done.”
Even though he moved far from his hometown, he was always ‘very keen’ to hear how Nar Nar Goon was doing when contacting friends and family. His brother Geoff recalls a life dedicated to football.
“He got very serious about his football, he was very determined,” he said.
“He was always inspirational as a brother to me.”
