The player that made you a Saints / AFL supporter

[MacMcMurphy]

Watching the (pretty good) video on Jason Holmes and his comment that watching footage of Nic Naitanui made him want to play AFL made me think back to the one player that got me into AFL and more particularly the Saints.

For me it was Justin Koschitzke. I first travelled to Australia in 2005 and similar to Holmes I did not know too much, if anything, about this game. I had in mind to watch a few games and then pick a team (albeit being a Southampton supporter, the Saints were probably the natural choice anyway). Well, it was the time of Koschitzke's famous purple patch and I immediately fell for this great game, the mighty Saints and big Kosi. Those who know me from my former Bigfooty identity will not be surprised...

Who was the player that got you hooked (be it as a child or later in life) ?

 

[Manimal_Dunstan]

Rob Harvey is the obvious one but also this bloke loved him as a footballer:

 

[Grav]

As a kid, I always admired my fathers footballing skills, then when we moved to Melbourne I found out that he had played for the Saints,I was hooked. Watching this players outstanding ability, helped to keep me devoted for the rest of my life. #trevorbarkerbloodylegend
Actually the best photo/photos of Barker was up in the social rooms at Moorabin, it was a full wall pic of I think two photos of Barker going for a double fisted spoil. Bloody Brilliant.

 

[cartwright]

Well, both my parents are saints supporters. It was kinda expected..... but in terms of loving the game... Plugger & barks.

 

[Ian Dunross]

Riewoldt, Goddard for me.

 

[saintkildaman]

Dad was a Saints fan, and I remember when I was 7-8 years old watching a very wet St Kilda vs Sydney game (Think it was Michael Rix' debut??) and Riewoldt took a few ripping grabs and he was instantly my favourite player.

 

[saintsrfreak]

 

[12Chill]

My dad is a Richmond supporter, as was I as a youngster, from ages 0-5. When I started primary school at age 5 (turning 6) I had decided I didn't want to go for the Tigers anymore and (I can admit this) part of the reason I stated going for the Saints was because I liked their colours. I was 5 years old. The other reasons were the players though, I remember raving about how good Nick Riewoldt was and the like, and when people would ask me "what if Riewoldt went to another team? Would you go for them?" I remember saying proudly "He would never do that, but if he did, I would still go for St Kilda because we have Fraser Gehrig!"

Some of my earliest memories of the Saints haha. Remember sitting in the car one day too, we were at the tip and my dad was getting rid of stuff, I remember it was St Kilda vs Freo on the radio on Gehrig was kicking goal after goal, must've kicked a bag that day, often after passes from Riewoldt (I remember getting slightly irritated because I wanted Riewoldt to kick the goals).

 

[Nutsngum]

Milney and Lenny for me.

 

[Saint_J]

grew up with Father and lder brother supporting the Saints. I just fell into line.

Players for me, Lockett Winmar and Harvey

Followed by G Train Hamil and the new stars that took us so close in 09/10 we all know their names.

Sorry forgot to mention.... pre 2000 Aussie Jones and Lappin. Jones dash and carry really fired me up... cant understand why it slipped my mind.

also Jason Heatley vs Roos 1997!!!!!

 

[Big Mart]

Maurice Rioli....

The first game I ever saw on TV was the 82 GF (we didn't get too many in country Tas) and I supported Rich for a few years.

Until a big bloke came on the scene and just kicked bags... In a terrible team. I idolised Plugger, and changed teams ..... When he moved to Sydney I still followed him, but stayed loyal to StK as was also a Harvey disciple at that stage.

 

[Stan_Darsh72]

Harvey, Burke, Winmar, Loewe, Everitt the late 90's boys were the players who i loved most.

I remember meeting Harvey at Chaddy in either 98 or 99 and it was the best day of my young life at that point.

 

[StFly]

Player; David "the Ox" Schwarz
Reason; Picking anyone other than Melbourne to spite him, and Bombers to spite the old man.

Tossed up between the Dogs, as they were the closest alternative and also had a clinic on at the time, Fitzroy because Sunbury Lions equates to Lions and settled on the Saints because stuff it, I love underdogs. Then, if I had to pick two players I remember seeing as opposed to vaguely remembering and hearing about, it would be Burke & Winmar. Truth be told, I was initially not a fan of Harvs as he seemed to my young stupid eyes as a bit soft and your standard AFL player.

I would of course be entirely wrong, but yup.

Do love Spider though, best day of my life running that lap with him as he was just ginormous.

 

[CALL ME SNAKE]

Lived in Country Vic as a young boy and didn't follow anybody. Then my cousin played a few games for Sandy & the St.Kilda under 19's in the mid 70's so my family followed the Saints since then.
Then as a young boy watching Trevor Barker play made my blood red, white & black for life.

 

[Mowman]

The Great Trevor Barker, Big Carl and George Young

 

[gringo2011]

I was made a Saint by my grandfather but Plugger, Winmar and Harvey got me from a pained kid into a football follower. Before that I went but it was a kind of excessively long painful male initiation ceremony like what Melbourne supporting kids go through today. I think I must have a lot of character now because I was apparently doing a lot of building of it. The mid to late 90s were the time I got obsessive though so the Harves, Burke, Loewe, Aussie Jones, Heater, Hall, Spider era really took it to the next level.

 

[Defacto]

jason heatley

 

[Pakenhamsaint]

I don't know. I've always been a saint.
Getting to where I am today in footy support is was proberly the likes of Harvey, Loewe, Bourke, Hayes.

I remember meeting Harvey at Chaddy in either 98 or 99 and it was the best day of my young life at that point.

Be 99. The extension that had the AFL store in it opened then.

 

[Plugger35]

Plugger obviously but also other great players from that era like Harvey, Winmar, Loewe and Burke.

 

[VDS66]

Big Carl and Cowboy Neale... plus a few others from that era. BAck then we'd just won a flag a few years prior, so we were very successful.

 

[Smoke_Me_AKipper]

I am the fourth generation St Kilda supporter with two of those generations served on the match committee/board. I never had a choice. I was the only kid at primary school who supported the saints in the 80's which were full of Hawthorn, Richmond, Carlton, and the Filth. It was hard in the schoolyard.

The great Trevor Barker was my idol and started my love of the club.

The rest were just a natural progression. Joffa Cunningham, Plugger, Harvey, Loewe, Winmar, Hayes, & Reiwoldt!!

 

[Munga]

 

[Ekomaira]

Reckon I was a St Kilda supporter before I was born. Pretty sure my old man made sure of that. When I was about 3 or 4 or something, my uncle (Dad's sister's husband) put a Collingwood jumper on me and took a photo. Dad wasn't happy with that haha.

My favourite player as a kid was Aussie. Absolutely loved him, I remember we were watching a game somewhere and Aussie walked passed and I'm like "Aussie Jones!!!". He looked at me and winked. Still remember it to this day!

 

[HayesTheChamp]

Watching the (pretty good) video on Jason Holmes and his comment that watching footage of Nic Naitanui made him want to play AFL made me think back to the one player that got me into AFL and more particularly the Saints.

For me it was Justin Koschitzke. I first travelled to Australia in 2005 and similar to Holmes I did not know too much, if anything, about this game. I had in mind to watch a few games and then pick a team (albeit being a Southampton supporter, the Saints were probably the natural choice anyway). Well, it was the time of Koschitzke's famous purple patch and I immediately fell for this great game, the mighty Saints and big Kosi. Those who know me from my former Bigfooty identity will not be surprised...

Who was the player that got you hooked (be it as a child or later in life) ?

haha same mate. I'm from a migrant background, so I'm the first generation born here, and I was still in my formative years. I started getting into footy (i.e. religiously watching like 4 games on tv a week) around 04-05, was actually tossing up between Melbourne and the Saints at the time - given all my mates were either Pies or Dons supporters, and I wanted to be a little bit different at the time. (jeez I'm glad I picked the right one at the time, but I certainly have Kosi to thank for that gem of a decision). I remember watching that game (I forgot who it was against) where Kosi absolutely dominated in a 3rd quarter, I think he kicked about 4 goals, had another 2-3 goal assists while playing Ruck and floating forward. He was absolutely clunking everything, balls that seemed to be way out of reach, were somehow clunked. Most ridiculous domination of a quarter of footy I have ever seen. From then on, was a nutcase saints supporter to now and beyond!

 

[HayesTheChamp]

Also, the G-Train, loved him. Absolute character, the AFL lost a bit of its old-school values when blokes like Johno Brown, G-Train etc retired. Fond memories of him just pushing his opponent away and rocketing down one of the pockets at Etihad (Telstra Dome back then) to take a grab, if he was in the right pocket, he'd rocket around on his left and somehow curve it through everytime. What an absolute legend!