Hacks to stars

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Levi Casboult is by no means anywhere near a star but I've really liked how much he has developed his contested marking game.


Hopefully continues to improve upon his kicking and tear games apart more consistently. Probs doesn't help that he gets pretty mediocre delivery
 
Dane Swan, drafted in the 60's, looked to be down and out at Collingwood early in his career, went on to be a Premiership player and Brownlow medalist.
 
Horaceg said:
Dane Swan, drafted in the 60's, looked to be down and out at Collingwood early in his career, went on to be a Premiership player and Brownlow medalist.
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I remember Swan kicking 4 and having 30 touches, against the dogs at the dome once. I was sitting there thinking, this blokes supposed to be s**t!!!!
 
Pavlovs Cat said:
Yep, very harsh call on Tucky. Could play.
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And one of the best tacklers there ever was, was Old Friar Tuck....Once he wrapped those octopus arms around you, there was no escaping....Only Rioli has been a better tackler than Tuck at Hawthorn.

His trade-mark 60 meter torps through the sticks, after 3 running bounces weren't bad either....Between 1979-1984 he was easily our most consistent & important player.
 
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Hard Ball Get said:
I remember Swan kicking 4 and having 30 touches, against the dogs at the dome once. I was sitting there thinking, this blokes supposed to be s**t!!!!
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He always had potential, had some attitude issues and looks a little awkward running at times but glad he turned it around because he has been fantastic to watch over the years.
 
un_eggs said:
Yep, in fact I saw Tucky do some quite 'assuming' things too during his career. If you watch YouTube highlights of the era he pops up now and then with a nice grab or a freaky goal. He was a wonderful reader of the game. I always said Hird was the best I saw at seeing the game unfold before it happened. Tucky had a bit of that quality about him.
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Tuck was an out and out champion of the game. Massively underrated by people outside of Hawthorn for some reason. He wasn't made captain of the greatest team ever because of his seniority. Even in his mid-to-late 30s, he was still a GUN.

He was the best ruck rover in the comp for about 10 years. He could do it all - snap goals from outta nowhere, roost 60m bombs from inside the centre square, pack marks, speckies, great skills on both sides of the body, fast, tough, durable, great endurance, a two-way player (he was a great defender), he did all the team things and made the game look easy. He usually racked up more possessions than anyone. He just had an ungainly style which made people underestimate him. He wasn't a flashy player. He didn't have silky moves like other star on-ballers, but he was probably the effective footballer in the comp. He was a natural.

He finished runner up in Hawthorn's best fairest on 7 occasions and finished 3rd another 2 times. That's 9 seasons in the top three! (And the Hawks had really strong sides from 1974-1991.) He was a Big V regular and captained Victoria vs WA. He was picked in the VFL team of the year in 1990 at the age of 37!!! That was the All Australian team. (They re-branded it in 1991.) Who else has been selected in the AA team at that age?

He was never a hack. He took a long time to develop and played reserves footy for 4-5 years because he was very skinny and the coaches felt he wasn't big enough for senior footy. That was typically the Hawthorn way - they brought their players along very slowly and gave them time to develop.
 
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Matthew Priddis. Couldn't get drafted (twice I think) went back to star in the WAFL, winning the Sandover medal. Rookie listed by West Coast, quickly promoted. Maligned by many as "too slow", "poor kick" etc yet won the Eagles best and fairest (and was repeatedly runner up), then went on to win the Brownlow, and followed that up with a second place the next year. Consistantly leads the team in several statistical catergories , such as tackles, hard ball gets and handballs, the sort of stats that teams WANT a midfielder to excell at.
 
craffles said:
Surprised noone has said GAJ yet
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Was never seen as a hack. Just maybe not reaching his full potential. The thought at the time was he was not going to be a high draft pick if we had not taken him father-son. Just upped his game in 06, and again in 07.

A more accurate 'hack to star' from Geelong could be Cameron Ling. Was seen as way to slow, a plodder, a bit chubby and no right foot in his early career. Also missed a shot at goal from the top of the goal square vs Essendon in what was his first game (I think). Was still maligned and ridiculed even up to the mid point of 2007 really, although I never classified him as a 'hack'
 

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Grockadoc said:
Agree with the Rance nomination.

First couple of seasons he was on the list his biggest strengths were his athleticism and his determination/courage. Anything football skill related he wasn't all that great in.

Fast forward 6 years or so and he'd be just about the best key defender in the AFL.
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Yeah, Rance was my whipping boy for a while, could never keep his feet; always looked like he was trying to swim through grass. Absolute star now, and definitely the best key defender in the league.
 
Jimmybob said:
Yeah, Rance was my whipping boy for a while, could never keep his feet; always looked like he was trying to swim through grass. Absolute star now, and definitely the best key defender in the league.
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Nope.
 
Sean Dempster was a bits a pieces player for years before becoming one of the intercept marks and lockdown defenders in the AFL.
 
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