The Newtown Jets’ NSW Cup grand final win on Sunday “literally killed” their former president.
The Jets triumphed 28-22 over the North Sydney Bears – but news later emerged former boss Barry Vining had suffered a heart attack while watching the game. He was 85.
Newtown president Barry Cotter and one of Vining’s friends, Rob Howard, confirmed the tragic news.
“I spoke to his family this morning, and Barry literally leapt to his feet to celebrate the win, then had a heart attack and died – it’s extraordinary,” Potter told this masthead on Monday.
“I said to his daughter [Jamie], ‘if that’s the way you’re going to go, I couldn’t think of a better way’.
Newtown Jets celebrate their NSW Cup win on SundayCredit: Mario Facchini
“Barry was a football bloke who had five daughters. His greatest legacy was keeping this club alive between 1983 and 1990 before we were readmitted to [the Metropolitan Cup] in 1991. Barry and Terry Rowney met in a telephone box every month in a bid to keep the club afloat, even though there was no football team.”
Howard told 2GB’s Ben Fordham Live: “It’s very, very sad news. Unfortunately, Barry did not make it.
“The irony is just palpable with how he left us. He loved Newtown Jets to a point of where it literally killed him.