News Past Players Thread

[FredLeDeux]

Time to reminisce about other Geelong greats? I count David Clarke Snr, No.14, as one of the greats of the 70's which wasn't hard given it was probably our bleakest decade in terms of finals appearances. Clarke debuted in 1971 and immediately made a big impression winning the B&F in his first season. Has that happened at Geelong before? Yes - Gary Ablett Snr in 1984.

Clarke went on to win 2 more B&F's, was a favourite for the Brownlow in 73 or 74(?), and will be remembered as a very classy and versatile utility / half forward flanker. He played taller than what his height - 184cm, 3 cm shorter than Jimmy Bartel!

Incredibly consistent player, very rarely out of our Best 6, another in the club's long line of outstanding centremen, and deservedly a member of our Team of the Century.

 

[year of the cat]

Was given no.14 by my old man at the age of 4. He clearly rated him.

 

[Vdubs]

Time to reminisce about other Geelong greats? I count David Clarke Snr, No.14, as one of the greats of the 70's which wasn't hard given it was probably our bleakest decade in terms of finals appearances. Clarke debuted in 1971 and immediately made a big impression winning the B&F in his first season. Has that ever happened at Geelong? Yes - Gary Ablett Snr in 1984.

Clarke went on to win 2 more B&F's, was a favourite for the Brownlow in 73 or 74(?), and will be remembered as a very classy and versatile utility / half forward flanker. He played taller than what his height - 184cm, 3 cm shorter than Jimmy Bartel!

Great fan of this player. I remember him as an incredibly good shot at goal, very reliable. Can you recall a famous shootout between Clarke and John Pitura, at Lakeside Oval,iirc? Awesome display by the 2 premier centremen of the comp back then.
Bizarre that his 2 sons, David jnr and Tim were both criticised for very ordinary kicking. You are right about his height, would have thought he was a 189 cm type player, but back then, maybe players have gotten taller proportionally over the 30 yrs.

 

[you pick one]

Obviously no one who lost their life savings in pyramid has passed by yet.

 

[you pick one]

Great fan of this player. I remember him as an incredibly good shot at goal, very reliable. Can you recall a famous shootout between Clarke and John Pitura, at Lakeside Oval,iirc? Awesome display by the 2 premier centremen of the comp back then.
Bizarre that his 2 sons, David jnr and Tim were both criticised for very ordinary kicking. You are right about his height, would have thought he was a 189 cm type player, but back then, maybe players have gotten taller proportionally over the 30 yrs.

187cm/80 kgs,young David was 184cm.

 

[THE CAT WRANGLER]

Bumped into Murray Witcombe @ Day on the Green on Saturday he was a good player

 

[Sttew]

187cm/80 kgs,young David was 184cm.

The following website had Clarke Senior as 184 cm and 82 kg. Also said the following about him:

"Recruited locally by the Cats from Geelong College, David Clarke made his debut in the opening round of the 1971 season, and went on to become one of the most exciting as well as arguably the most consistent of the club's stars throughout the 1970s. Perhaps best remembered as a half forward flanker, Clarke was equally effective in the centre, on the ball, or even at centre half back. A combination of a great spring, strong hands and tremendous anticipation made him one of the finest marks in the game, while his silky ball skills made him a real fan favourite. He won the first of his three club best and fairest trophies in his debut season while still aged only nineteen, making him the youngest ever recipient of the award. He was also dangerous near goal, and his 41 majors in 1979 topped the Cats' list. Selected to represent either the VFL or Victoria's state of origin team a total of 14 times, Clarke was awarded an All Australian blazer after the 1972 Perth carnival. The consistently high quality of the service he gave Geelong is emphasised by his unprecedented feat in finishing in the top two places in the best and fairest voting on no fewer than seven occasions during his ten seasons with the club...."

http://australianfootball.com/players/player/david+clarke/10443

 

[you pick one]

The following website had Clarke Senior as 184 cm and 82 kg. Also said the following about him:

"Recruited locally by the Cats from Geelong College, David Clarke made his debut in the opening round of the 1971 season, and went on to become one of the most exciting as well as arguably the most consistent of the club's stars throughout the 1970s. Perhaps best remembered as a half forward flanker, Clarke was equally effective in the centre, on the ball, or even at centre half back. A combination of a great spring, strong hands and tremendous anticipation made him one of the finest marks in the game, while his silky ball skills made him a real fan favourite. He won the first of his three club best and fairest trophies in his debut season while still aged only nineteen, making him the youngest ever recipient of the award. He was also dangerous near goal, and his 41 majors in 1979 topped the Cats' list. Selected to represent either the VFL or Victoria's state of origin team a total of 14 times, Clarke was awarded an All Australian blazer after the 1972 Perth carnival. The consistently high quality of the service he gave Geelong is emphasised by his unprecedented feat in finishing in the top two places in the best and fairest voting on no fewer than seven occasions during his ten seasons with the club...."

http://australianfootball.com/players/player/david+clarke/10443

I'm reading from the Encyclopaedia of AFL Footballers.
Clarke David E (Geelong and Carl) Geelong 1971-74 and 76 to 81 202 games 298 goals.Carlton 1982,9 games,21 goals(b 31 Dec 1952, 187 cms, 79.5 kgs) end of quote.Then goes on with pretty much the same story you posted. One has it wrong.I can't confirm the 187cms so happy to go with 184 for now.

 

[Sttew]

I'm reading from the Encyclopaedia of AFL Footballers.
Clarke David E (Geelong and Carl) Geelong 1971-74 and 76 to 81 202 games 298 goals.Carlton 1982,9 games,21 goals(b 31 Dec 1952, 187 cms, 79.5 kgs) end of quote.Then goes on with pretty much the same story you posted. One has it wrong.I can't confirm the 187cms so happy to go with 184 for now.

No, let's take an average - 185.5 cm

TBH he looked taller than 184, but I put that down to his high hair!

 

[Goggin Our Best]

Id have at least 40 former Geelong players before Clarke - its great to reminisce - and all the rest of it - but he got dropped for that cut throat 1981 prelim final for a very good reason- because he use to pick and choose when there was a hard ball to be got

Same thing happened to him at Carlton- i can remember that second semi in 82 out at Waverly - when Richmond annihilated Carlton- Tim Lane ( and at the time an exasperated Carlton supporter) - said - Clarke didnt go for that ball - basically questioned whether he shirked it- he got dropped- and played no further finals for Carlton

On specialist half forwards flankers - Sharrock was easily the best - then Johnson- then Newlands - who wouldnt been out of place in this current flag winning era - because he was clever and skillfull

 

[you pick one]

Id have at least 40 former Geelong players before Clarke - its great to reminisce - and all the rest of it - but he got dropped for that cut throat 1981 prelim final for a very good reason- because he use to pick and choose when there was a hard ball to be got

Same thing happened to him at Carlton- i can remember that second semi in 82 out at Waverly - when Richmond annihilated Carlton- Tim Lane ( and at the time an exasperated Carlton supporter) - said - Clarke didnt go for that ball - basically questioned whether he shirked it- he got dropped- and played no further finals for Carlton

On specialist half forwards flankers - Sharrock was easily the best - then Johnson- then Newlands - who wouldnt been out of place in this current flag winning era - because he was clever and skillfull

Davis for me is no1,he was fair dinkum unbelievable,but I might be going to far back I guess most here wouldn't have seen him play.

 

[Vdubs]

Id have at least 40 former Geelong players before Clarke - its great to reminisce - and all the rest of it - but he got dropped for that cut throat 1981 prelim final for a very good reason- because he use to pick and choose when there was a hard ball to be got

Same thing happened to him at Carlton- i can remember that second semi in 82 out at Waverly - when Richmond annihilated Carlton- Tim Lane ( and at the time an exasperated Carlton supporter) - said - Clarke didnt go for that ball - basically questioned whether he shirked it- he got dropped- and played no further finals for Carlton

On specialist half forwards flankers - Sharrock was easily the best - then Johnson- then Newlands - who wouldnt been out of place in this current flag winning era - because he was clever and skillfull

Opinions are just that.
What you said about him occurred in his final year at Geelong, but before then he fully deserved all the aforementioned accolades. He was classy, impeccable delivery, possession accumulator, and Gerard Healy like as a player.
He spent a whole season out of footy (1975) with a career threatening injury right at his peak, and you may have forgotten how much impact he had when ON- which was often.
Newlands was good, Clarke great. Are you letting his last 2 seasons dilute the rest of his career?

 

[Sttew]

Davis for me is no1,he was fair dinkum unbelievable,but I might be going to far back I guess most here wouldn't have seen him play.

You saw Bobby Davis play?!?

 

[David the Cat]

Newlands was good, Clarke great. Are you letting his last 2 seasons dilute the rest of his career?

So you rate Clarke over Newlands? Hmmm….not sure where I stand with that call….

 

[Sttew]

So you rate Clarke over Newlands? Hmmm….not sure where I stand with that call….

I do too. Don't get me wrong, Kenny Newland was a handy player, but at almost every level I think Clarke was superior. Don't forget Clarke won a B&F in his first season as a 19 year old. That's a rare feat.

As a HFF Newland averaged 1.18 goals per match (255 games including 18 at Footscray). Clarke averaged 1.51 goals in 211 games (including 9 with Carlton). Newland was not as versatile as Clarke who could play HFF, ruck/rover, CHB.

I know statistics can be misleading, but even in marks, Clarke was superior - 5.26 marks per game -v- 4.68

http://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/K/Ken_Newland.html
http://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/D/David_Clarke0.html

 

[you pick one]

You saw Bobby Davis play?!?

yep

 

[Sttew]

yep

And I thought Fred LD was our elder statesman!!

 

[you pick one]

And I thought Fred LD was our elder statesman!!

I think Fred may have me covered not sure though.

 

[SleazySimon]

Incredibly consistent player, very rarely out of our Best 6, another in the club's long line of outstanding centremen, and deservedly a member of our Team of the Century.

I need to ask someone this who lived through the 70's - aren't we overrating Geelong players from this decade? I dont get why there are more players from this era in the team of the century than any other time, especially considering it was the worst decade on field in the clubs history. I have watched footage of many Geelong games from this time and I feel like many guys bieng talked about here are way overrated. I feel like people pine for the good old days too much - only remember the good times and forget the bad.

 

[Sttew]

I need to ask someone this who lived through the 70's - aren't we overrating Geelong players from this decade? I dont get why there are more players from this era in the team of the century than any other time, especially considering it was the worst decade on field in the clubs history. I have watched footage of many Geelong games from this time and I feel like many guys bieng talked about here are way overrated. I feel like people pine for the good old days too much - only remember the good times and forget the bad.

Firstly, I have just checked the TOTC for Geelong and probably the ONLY players whose best football was in the 70's were David Clarke and Ian Nankervis. Others like Sam Newman, Mike Turner, and Doug Wade played in the 70's but they truly spanned more than one decade.

I attended Geelong games throughout the 70's. I did preface my accolades of Clarke by pointing out the pickings were relatively slim in the 70's with this decade being our worst since the War era. But we did have some serious talent on the list - Ian and Bruce Nankervis (affectionately described as the Leyland brothers); Sam Newman; Ken Newland; Geoff Ainsworth; and Jumping Jack Hawkins.

 

[Partridge]

I need to ask someone this who lived through the 70's - aren't we overrating Geelong players from this decade? I dont get why there are more players from this era in the team of the century than any other time, especially considering it was the worst decade on field in the clubs history. I have watched footage of many Geelong games from this time and I feel like many guys bieng talked about here are way overrated. I feel like people pine for the good old days too much - only remember the good times and forget the bad.

It was also the first decade covered properly by television, that no doubt had an impact too.

Prior to 2007 you could have comfortably fitted in a few players from then into our all-time team. Not so sure now though.

 

[Teriyakicat]

I need to ask someone this who lived through the 70's - aren't we overrating Geelong players from this decade? I dont get why there are more players from this era in the team of the century than any other time, especially considering it was the worst decade on field in the clubs history. I have watched footage of many Geelong games from this time and I feel like many guys bieng talked about here are way overrated. I feel like people pine for the good old days too much - only remember the good times and forget the bad.

It's easy enough to do, SS- do you have any particular players in mind that you're referring to?

 

[you pick one]

I need to ask someone this who lived through the 70's - aren't we overrating Geelong players from this decade? I dont get why there are more players from this era in the team of the century than any other time, especially considering it was the worst decade on field in the clubs history. I have watched footage of many Geelong games from this time and I feel like many guys bieng talked about here are way overrated. I feel like people pine for the good old days too much - only remember the good times and forget the bad.

In regards to the bolded that bit shouldn't be to hard,finding some one who can remember the 70s might prove a little more difficult.

 

[Sttew]

I sometimes have thought that way myself. The team that ran out onto the field in the 2007 grand final could rightfully make up Geelong's team of the century but then again, we had many underrated players who worked beautifully as cohesive unit. The backline was never one of the best (on paper) as there was Josh Hunt, David Wojcinski, Andrew Mackie etc, but it was those 5-6 all time great players like Scarlett, Johnson, Ablett, Bartel, Chapman & Ottens who really sprung into top gear at the same time which made the team what it eventually became.

I reckon back in the 70's, 80's and 90's, we only ever had 1, maybe 2 once-in-a-generation types perhaps?

70's - Ian Nankervis (?), David Clarke, Newman

80's - Ablett, Turner, Williams, may be Couch, Buddha Hocking

90's - Ablett, Couch

 

[Partridge]

70's - Ian Nankervis (?), David Clarke, Newman

80's - Ablett, Turner, Williams, may be Couch, Buddha Hocking

90's - Ablett, Couch

For the 1980s-1990s, from what I saw, I'd go Ablett, Williams and Garry Hocking.