GEORGE Stone is exactly the type of person you want at a football club.

Humble, hard-working and full of heart; quite simply he commands respect.

Stone’s football background is rich in experience, knowledge and success.

“I was probably a blue collar VFA player for quite a few years. I played just under 200 games with Brunswick, Camberwell and Prahran, so that’s my footy background. But my AFL background belongs to Hawthorn and Sydney.”

“I spent 17 years with Hawthorn and 13 with Sydney, so I’ve been in the system for a long time and really fortunate to be at Hawthorn in the golden era, when Allan Jeans was coaching and Alan Joyce [was coaching] and won some premierships for them.

“Then going to Sydney, working with Roosy and John Longmire, [winning] another two premierships there, so [I’ve been involved in] six in total, so I’ve been very fortunate. It’s been two great clubs, with wonderful culture at both clubs.”

He might not have the profile as some in the game, but anyone who has worked or made contact with Stone understands his status in the game.

That was officially recognised by the AFL coaches association this year, when he received a lifetime achievement award. Although Stone said it was a “great privilege” to be a life member of Hawthorn and the Sydney Swans, he was genuinely humbled by his recent accolade.

“The AFL coaches’ association award was a bit of a surprise and it came out of the blue. It’s a real honour to receive that from your peers and people from the industry, who have seen that you’re a contributor for a long period of time,” he said.

“It’s a great honour and I was really thrilled to win it and to be nominated and win the award.”

He’s worked with one of the game’s most legendary coaches, the late Allan ‘Yabbie’ Jeans, and one of the great coaches of the modern era, Paul Roos.

“I learned most of my football and my early stages [of coaching] from ‘Yab’,” he said.

“I had a great relationship with him in that era, when they had such a good side. His coaching was first grade and a lot of my coaching background comes from that era.

“There’s lots of stories about him and lots of myths in footy, but Yabbie wasn’t a myth – he was the real deal. It was great working with him – it really was. It was a great experience.”

“I’m delighted to be here with Roosy, knowing him from Sydney. I’m looking forward to the challenge and looking forward to working with the young players, especially the young mids and see if we can get a few wins on the board, which would be great.”

Stone said Jeans’ philosophies still stood up in today’s game, particularly his people skills.

“Football’s come a long way now – it’s a lot more advanced than when ‘Yab’ was coaching, but one thing that he really had in his skill set was that he was a great people manager. That hasn’t changed in football and you’ve still got a group of young men here that you’ve still got to manage them,” he said.

“He had a great ability to get the best out of the players he had, so that man management, along with the football nous, was a really important ingredient in coaching and I hope I can bring some of that to here.”

As for Roos, Stone couldn’t speak highly enough of the 2005 Sydney Swans premiership coach and new Melbourne mentor.

“Roosy’s man management skills are first class, but working with him at the Swans was one of the highlights of my footy [career],” he said.

“In 2005, [we won] the premiership and then going back-to-back [in the Grand Finals] and getting beaten in 2006, was a great era for the Swans.

“It was the building of a great football club and I think Roosy looks back at that time – and we all do – but that really established the Swans as a great football club within Australia. I have some really fond memories of working alongside Roosy and John Longmire as well.

“The 2012 premiership was one out of the box as well, so it was a great experience … and working with some really great people, including the footballers as well. It’s been a really good period for them.”

Now as Melbourne’s s midfield and strategy coach, Stone is determined to add another chapter and add value at his third AFL club.

“For a start, our first couple of weeks and months here will be getting to know the players and getting to actually know their strengths and weaknesses and not having any preconceived ideas. I’m really keen to let everyone of them impress and then we can work from there,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to working with the young group over the summer. We’ve actually brought some experience in with Daniel Cross and Bernie Vince, so they’re experienced players and they’ll help our young mids as well. Getting Dom Tyson from the Giants is another good get for us.

“I’m looking forward to blending the new players in with the players that are already here and making them a really competitive, combative midfield group. That should lead to hopefully a few more wins.”