ST KILDA'S sole premiership coach Allan Jeans wasn't taking visitors last week.
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But a handful of the 77-year-old's closest friends received a phone call, inviting them to say goodbye in person.
South Warrnambool export and Saints premiership player Kevin "Cowboy" Neale was on the receiving end of one of those calls and went straight to Jeans' bedside on Wednesday.
"I'm a little bit spoilt with Jeansy," Neale told The Standard yesterday.
"He's just a great person, everyone in the football world knows how good he was."
Jeans, who suffered fibrosis of the lung, died after a long illness yesterday.
Tributes continue to flow in for the legendary motivator, who played a modest 77 games with St Kilda, before taking the reins as coach of the club in 1961.
He delivered the Saints' only flag in 1966, with Neale booting five goals in the historic win.
But Neale has lost more than a football acquaintance.
"After my dad died in 1971, he became my second dad," Neale said.
"He helped me after football no-end, he always did everything he could for me.
"He was that close to me and my family."
Neale said he was "honoured" to see his father-figure last week.
Both men knew it would be for the last time.
"He told me a lot of things that I didn't know and I told him a few things," Neale, who regularly visited Jeans while in palliative care near Cranbourne, said.
"He's always been terrific mentally, just not physically."
Following his 16 years at St Kilda, Jeans was appointed coach of Hawthorn in 1981 and went on to guide the side to premierships in 1983, 1986 and 1989.
The Hawks dominated the competition, appearing in seven successive grand finals from 1983 to 1989 - excluding 1988 when Alan Joyce took over and won the flag.
Hawthorn star Dermott Brereton was among the players guided by Jeans.
"I spoke to him about 48 hours ago and I knew it was the last time I was ever going to speak to him," Brereton said.
"It's a really sad thing when somebody who's had such a profound affect on your life says goodbye to you and you know it's the last time.
"(He was) the most morally sound man I've ever come across."
Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett said the funeral of Allan Jeans will be held on Wednesday.
with AAP
mrooth@standard.fairfax.com.au
