Allan Jeans is football royalty.

After a relatively unspectacular playing career comprising 77 games in the red, white and black, the boy from the Riverina with the booming voice returned to St Kilda in 1961.

Assuming the role of senior coach just two years after his retirement as a player, it was here that “Yabby” left an indelible mark on our game.

Jeans is widely regarded as one the most gifted orators ever to grace our great game.

His speeches still ring in the ears of noted football greats; his “pay the price” speech at half-time in the 1989 Grand Final, which many attribute to Hawthorn’s victory that day, sticks out in the memory.

READ: The Great Allan Jeans

Jeans’ 16-year coaching tenure at St Kilda saw the Saints move from the Junction Oval to their now spiritual home at Moorabbin in 1965, where he led them to their first grand final appearance since 1913.

One year later, the boy from the Riverina would etch his name into St Kilda folklore.

At three-quarter time in the 1966 Grand Final, Jeans’ Saints held a slender four-point lead, and were just one quarter away from winning their first ever VFL Premiership, almost 100 years after being founded.

Sensing the magnitude of the moment, “Yabby” looked his chargers squarely in the eyes in the middle of the MCG.

“You’ve got 25 minutes to make a name for yourself like you’ve never made before!” he yelled.

Inspired by their chance at immortality, the Saints went on to claim an historic one-point victory over Collingwood. An emotional Jeans jumped up on the table in the change rooms after the match to address the ecstatic players and supporters.

Allan Jeans and the 1966 St Kilda Premiership side

“I knew it would happen,” he said.

“If we stuck together … I knew it would happen.”

He paused as the crowd listened closer, before clearing his throat and cutting through every person in the room.

“I’m not skilled enough or learned enough to tell you how I feel, but no matter where you go, or what you do in life, I’ll always remember what you did for me this day.”

READ: The Jeans Principles

Yet for all his footballing genius and indisputable coaching ability, “Yabby” was also an extremely dedicated member of his community, serving with the Victoria Police from 1958-1987.

Such was Jeans’ devotion to community that he continued policing full-time until he was forced to choose between the police and football after his Hawks lost the 1985 Grand Final.

Jeans worked as an officer with the Victoria Police for nearly 30 years

Jeans subsequently retired at the rank of Senior Sergeant at the Moorabbin Police Station after nearly 30 years as a police officer, and was awarded the National Police Medal for his years of service.

This Saturday sees St Kilda and Hawthorn compete for the Blue Ribbon Foundation Cup, played in honour and appreciation of the 159 Victoria Police men and women who have been killed on duty.

These men and women paid the ultimate price for our safety, sacrificing their own lives for their communities, and the Blue Ribbon Foundation serves to perpetuate their memory through vital fundraising for hospitals throughout Victoria.

As a premiership-winning coach at both St Kilda and Hawthorn, and a committed member of the Victoria Police, the annual Blue Ribbon Foundation Cup would no doubt hold great significance for the late Allan Jeans.

To donate to the Foundation, please head to http://remember.org.au/donate/