The wily old coach stared down his young full forward and mouthed some of the harshest words a footballer can ever hear.

“You cost us the Grand Final, young man.”

Fred Wooller was 17 years old in 1956, and yet there he was, in front of 79,402 people at the MCG in the VFL Semi Final, a fair way from Bacchus Marsh where he until recently was playing his football.

Late in the game, 35 metres out, lining up for goal, Wooller's kick has hit the man on the mark, and the crowd let out a collective groan. The Cats would eventually go down by 2 points, ending their season, and Reg Hickey was not pleased.

Wooller chuckles about it now. That’s the thing with Geelong’s 1963 premiership skipper, he laughs a lot, still seemingly equally appreciative and puzzled by what he sees as the good fortune to have had the career he did.

Lucky to end up at Geelong, lucky to make the state team as a 17 year old, lucky to be made captain, and in particular, lucky to have made the connections he did across a long career at the Cats as a player and later administrator.

It’s a endearing trait and one that sticks with you long after you part company with him.

But back to Hickey, Wooller tells the story best. That’s other thing about the now 85-year-old, he’s a master story teller,

“He didn't miss you,” Wooller told Cameron Ling in the most recent episode of Legends of Kardinia Park.

“In that game against Footscray in '56, in the first Semi Final, I got a mark about 35 metres out and the scores were pretty close. I misjudged it and kicked into the man on the mark and we got beaten by three or four points, and he said, 'you cost us the Grand Final young man'. 

“I still remember that, but anyway, I deserved it, I shouldn't have been so slack!”

Wooller responded by topping the club’s goal kicking the following year as an 18-year-old with 56 goals after being moved closer to goal. 

“I was only a bag of bones really, I was only 11 stone 7 (about 75kg) when I played my first game and that's pretty light for 6'1," he said.

“Anyway, they played me full forward and I had a couple of really good games early in the year and got some good goals and again, another fortunate break I had in my career.”

As always, Wooller is being modest. 

He would finish up at the Cats as a 25 year old in 1964 after being lured to Tasmania to coach, with an impressive CV: premiership skipper, three time leading goal kicker, and a Carji Greeves Medallist. 

All up 225 goals from 132 games. 

But the story that brings the biggest smile to his face is of course the 1963 premiership, and in particular the legendary lead up, a tale that includes a comical mix of sausages, sustagen, an accordion player, a guy named Happy Hammond and another guy inexplicably dressed as a black cat. 

Again, it’s best to let Fred tell the story. 

“We started off the day with the club doctor suggesting we have sausages and eggs instead of steak and eggs,” he laughed, still clearly puzzled by the decision. 

“Then we climbed onto the bus and we got to Werribee and we got out the bus and we had to walk along the highway for nearly a kilometre. 

“It was only one way! 18 players going to a Grand Final drinking this sustagen out of a cup to make us stronger and fitter when we got there.”

And we they did get there, they were greeted by a seen that is, well, comical is probably the best way to describe it.

“Then we get into the rooms, and we have a fellow playing a piano accordion to relax our nerves. And we had Happy Hammond who was a children's program presenter. 

“Anyway, he had one of his mates dress up as a black cat and he brought him along to the rooms." 

Unsurprisingly, officials at the MCG on the day did not think it was a good idea to let the comedian and his costume sporting friend out on the ground, but Wooller had a solution. 

“So, I said, when I go you just jump in behind me and start running. So Happy was there, we had the piano accordion guy and Bob was full of smoke and we were ready to go for the big game.”

With the club celebrating the 60-year anniversary of the Cats’ 1963 triumph as part of retro round, it’s another reason for Wooller to get together with his mates and swap stories and ‘talk rubbish’, something that he clearly treasures in his 85th year. 

“The one good thing about football is that you make lifelong friends,” he said.

“I worked at a company for 30 years and probably only have one person that we might meet once a year for a cup of coffee.

“Football creates a special atmosphere.”

After you’ve spent time with Wooller you do leave reminding yourself to appreciate the good things in life, as he does, but one thing that is very clear, is that it is the Geelong Football Club that has been very fortunate to have had Fred Wooller walk through its doors all those years ago.

The Fred Wooller interview, conducted as part of the Member Exclusive series Legends of Kardinia Park, will be available here this weekend.