Denis Pagan

Denis Pagan
Personal information
Full name	Denis Pagan
Date of birth	24 September 1947 (1947-09-24) (age 64)
Original team	Carlton U19
Height/Weight	183cm / 85kg
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1967–1974 1975–1976 Total	North Melbourne South Melbourne	120 (5) 23 (0) 143 (5)
Coaching career3
Years	Club	Games (W–L–D)
1993–2002 2003–2007 Total	Kangaroos Carlton	240 (150–90–0) 104 (25–77–2) 344 (175–167–2)
1 Playing statistics to end of 1976 season . 3 Coaching statistics correct as of 2007.
Career highlights
Kangaroos premiership coach 1996, 1999 All-Australian coach 1999

Denis Pagan (born 24 September 1947) is a former Australian rules football coach and player in the VFL/AFL. He is current coach of Northern Knights in TAC Cup.

Playing career

Pagan played 120 games for the North Melbourne Football Club between 1967 and 1974, kicking 5 goals, mainly due to his permanent spot as a hard-nosed defender in the back pocket. He represented Victoria in interstate matches in 1971.

After the Grand Final loss to Richmond in 1974, Pagan was pushed out by Barassi. Although Pagan's dwindling form and the club's reassessment of its squad in the aftermath of 1974 loss, Pagan then moved back to his original roots (excepting Carlton, where Barassi expelled him in 1966) to South Melbourne for two seasons, 1975–1976, playing 23 games and kicking 0 goals. However, these events did not deter Pagan from his dedication to the North Melbourne football club, despite Barassi's authoritative coaching style.

Coaching career

North Melbourne Football Club

Pagan first came to North Melbourne in 1993 without any Australian Football League coaching experience, and at 45 years of age, made his AFL coaching debut at a late age. Pagan had earlier taken North Melbourne Under 19s to 5 Premierships during the late 1980s and early 1990s, before he took the Essendon Football Club reserves to a premiership in 1992. Given Pagan's amazing level of success at the lower levels, it was only a matter of time before Pagan was offered a senior appointment.

He had an immediate impact at the Kangaroos, taking the side to premierships in 1996 and 1999.

He was known for pioneering a successful tactic which was termed "Pagan's Paddock", based around his key forwards Wayne Carey and John Longmire. The coaching strategy involved moving all forwards out of the 50-metre arc and midfielders bombing the ball into empty space. The key forwards would run with the flight of the ball to take a mark or running goal.

By the end of his term at North Melbourne, he had established an impeccable reputation as a senior AFL coach and the longest serving coach in the club's history. His worst season at North Melbourne was 2001, when the club missed the finals for the only time during his 10-year term at the club.

Pagan quit the North Melbourne Football Club at the end of the 2002 season, despite the team far-exceeding all expectations in finishing 7th[1]), which was never expected after Wayne Carey left the club at the beginning of the year after his much-publicised affair. At the end of 2002 he was poached by then Carlton President John Elliott to take up a new job at the Carlton Football Club.

Carlton Football Club

In 2003 Pagan was appointed coach of the Carlton Football Club. He made an immediate impact at the club by terminating the contracts of many senior players to rebuild the side. In his first year in 2003 Carlton had an unsuccessful season in which they finished fifteenth with the previous year's severe draft penalties, injuries and poor form not helping his cause. In 2004 Pagan lead Carlton to finish eleventh, which was Carlton's highest placing under Pagan. In 2005 After Carlton won the pre-season, which many thought it would be a good season for Carlton they finished 16th for the wooden spoon. In 2006 Pagan lead Carlton yet again another wooden spoon with only three wins for the season; two of which were against Melbourne and the other against fellow cellar-dwellar Essendon. In round 16, Carlton were involved in a draw with Essendon in a match which would not only decide the wooden spoon (Essendon had only won one game and were on the bottom of the ladder leading into round 16) but also what the media dubbed the "Bryce Gibbs Cup". Carlton's season ended with a dismal 92-point thrashing from eventual runners-up the Sydney Swans at the SCG.

He had often been criticised for the lack of performance at Carlton during a time of financial crisis, and his lucrative 3 year incentive based contract. It is also believed that Carlton's salary cap debacle of 2002 may have been a factor in the club not performing well under Pagan. He had also come under fire for what some believe to be an overly "Fev-centric" gameplan, revolving around star forward Brendan Fevola and neglecting other forwards to the team's detriment. After much controversy and speculation over him leading the side to the 2006 wooden spoon, there were talks that he may be sacked. However, after a 6-hour meeting, it was decided that Pagan would stay on at least until the end of the 2008 season.

In the 2007 season when Pagan and Carlton still weren't making an improvement, on 23 July 2007, Pagan was sacked as coach of Carlton, after five consecutive heavy defeats. He was not bitter at the club's decision, and wanted to go on record that he would never have quit as the coach of the Carlton Football Club. The day before, Carlton had suffered a 117 point belting at the hands of the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba in Round 16, 2007, in which Lions' full-forward Jonathan Brown kicked a record 10 goals to put Carlton, and Pagan, out of their misery. Brown went on to win that season's Coleman Medal. It would prove to be the nail in the coffin for Pagan and his job. Pagan was replaced by assistant coach Brett Ratten as caretaker coach for the reminder of the 2007 season and was eventually appointed full-time coach of Carlton. The Blues have since made steady improvement on the field. Pagan had a year to go on his contract which was paid out in full by the club. Nine months later in The Herald Sun newspaper Pagan also stated that coaching Carlton was "the worst job he's ever had".

Post coaching career

In 2008, Pagan became a board member for North Melbourne however after the 2008 season he left the position.

Coaching record

Season	Team	Games	Wins	Losses	Draws	Position	Win%
1979	Yarraville	18	11	7	0	6th	61.11%
1980	Yarraville	21	15	6	0	2nd	71.42%
1982–1991	North Melbourne Under 19s	238	193	44	1	–	81.30%
1992	Essendon Reserves	24	21	3	0	1st	87.50%
1993	North Melbourne	21	13	8	0	3rd	61.90%
1994		24	14	10	0	3rd	58.33%
1995		25	16	9	0	3rd	64.00%
1996		25	19	6	0	1st	76.00%
1997		25	14	11	0	4th	56.00%
1998		25	18	7	0	2nd	72.00%
1999		25	20	5	0	1st	80.00%
2000		25	15	10	0	4th	60.00%
2001		22	9	13	0	13th	40.91%
2002		23	12	11	0	7th	52.17%
2003	Carlton	22	4	18	0	15th	18.18%
2004		22	10	12	0	11th	45.45%
2005		22	4	17	1	16th	20.45%
2006		22	3	18	1	16th	15.91%
2007		16	4	12	0	14th1	25.00%
2009	Northern Knights	19	9	10	0	8th	47.36%
Career totals		664	424	237	3	-	64.08%

• ¹ Carlton were 14th at the time of Pagan's sacking.

References

Sporting positions
Preceded by Wayne Schimmelbusch	North Melbourne Football Club coach 1993–2002	Succeeded by Dean Laidley
Preceded by Wayne Brittain	Carlton Football Club coach 2003–2007	Succeeded by Brett Ratten

Persondata
Name	Pagan, Denis
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	24 September 1947
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death