- Dec 14, 2008
- 19,841
- 32,317
- AFL Club
- Essendon
Darren Bewick vs Mark Mercuri
Tale of the tape;
Darren Bewick stands at 178 cm, and played at a weight of 81 kgs
Mark Mercuri stands at 178 cm and played at a weight of 77kgs
Bewick played 238 games averaging 17.5 disposals over his career with 3 marks and went at one and a half goals per game for a total of 332.
Mercuri played 207 games averaging 18.7 disposals over his career with 5 marks and went just under 1 goal per game for a total of 242.
Cleary these two are fighting in the same weight division.
Early years;
Rumour has it Bewick still holds an 800m schoolboy record in Perth, the story says he sprinted the entire way then spent the rest of the day throwing up. Always a showman. He spent three years playing for West Perth before making the move over to play for Essendon in the VFL. He made an immediate impact as a small forward debuting in 88 then playing 3 finals games in 89. He played in the losing 1990 grand final. He had a stellar 1991 coming 2nd in the clubs best and fairest.
Mercuri came via the zone system from Keilor park just like his mate Joe Misiti. He came through the under 19s system then was chosen to stay on the list when the old system was abolished. He along with the rest of the baby bombers made an immediate impact in his first full season, averaging 22.4 possessions a game, a total he would never again top. This season culminated in a grand final win, a game where a lot of people called Mercuri the best player on the ground after a polished three goal haul.
Strengths and weaknesses;
Bewick was a superbly skilled footballer; I believe he had one of the most pure kicking actions on both sides of any player I have seen. He was deadly accurate shot for goal from a set shot, on the run and was absolutely lethal on the snap when anywhere inside 50. He was a very fast footballer but had the trait of looking faster when the ball was between him and the goals, and not so much when he was chasing an opponent. Although most people think of him as a small forward he was more of a midfielder than people give him credit for (as his numbers indicate), he was often seen streaming off half back to use his good delivery by foot (or goaling after 5 bounces ignoring leads) and was often used in spurts on the ball. Although not overly strong in the air he was a very smart footballer with great judgement who could manoeuvre an opponent off the ball. Bewick had a penchant for playing for free kicks which didn’t really endear him to opposition fans, more times than not he fooled the umpires into awarding a free but at times it could back fire. He was also a fairly hungry footballer, who rarely handballed (ask Scott Cummings re: centenary game) but if these two points are weaknesses they are only slight. With his explosive pace and eye for goal he could take the game away from an opponent in a short time.
Mercuri was a sublimely skilled footballer who had that rare ability to make time stop when he had the ball, the ability to make space where there was none. At times it felt like he had eyes in the back of his head, he could just extricate himself out of any predicament. He was a very smooth footballer in traffic who had the knack of finding a teammate with a dinky kick in an obscure place that nobody else had even considered. He would say “to be a good kick you have to make the bloke go to the ball, you say this is where you have to run, go and get there” When he drifted forward he was very strong in the air for his size and a very reliable kick for goal. He really had the ability to bring others in the game with his creativity, in this sense he was a very unselfish footballer, at times too much so, it was when he gained full belief and took the game by the throat that he had his greatest season in 99. He was a very injury prone footballer which probably got the better of him in the end.
Career;
Bewick had a solid one club career spanning 12 years and 232 games. There is a perception he could run hot and cold but I just think that he either ran white hot, or normal, I didn’t think he ever really went missing as such. But when he was on you could camp him in the 50 and let him do his thing. But he was definitely a confidence player, when he got on a roll he could just rip the opposition apart, he regularly bagged hauls of 5, 6, even 8 goals plus a memorable 9 goal haul in his comeback game from a knee reconstruction in the centenary game. He was every bit a big match player who stood up when required. I am certain if it wasn’t for Bewick we would not have won the premiership in 1993, in fact we wouldn’t have even made the grand final. Most of the plaudits for the preliminary final comeback go to Michael Long but in my eyes it was Bewick and his 6 goals that got us home. He kicked 52 goals in 1993 which is a terrific haul for a player of his type. He was in his twilight in 2000 for the second flag but still managed to impact on games and add touches of class to our displays. Bewick is a dual premiership player who represented WA 4 times.
Mercuri’s career started in a blaze of glory winning the flag in his first full season; he instantly impacted games with his sublime skills. He graduated to playing for his state of Victoria in 94. It was commonly accepted that he was the most skilled, most dangerous player at the club, even more so than James Hird but he began to suffer from soft tissue injuries, particularly groins which curtailed his impact somewhat. He regained full fitness in 1999 and pretty much took the league by storm, It was like he was taking the piss at times, just dancing through traffic, hitting players with party trick kicks. He was vying for the lead of the Brownlow medal count for the bulk of the year until injuring a hamstring late and handing over the medal to Shane Crawford. He did however have the time for a late cameo game vs Sydney where he was able to manage a best on ground performance in just under half a game of football. This form prompted Essendon to sign him on a rare (at the time) five year contract, a contract that backfired as Mercuri’s form tailed off rapidly after the 2000 premiership. A terrible family tragedy weighed down on Mercuri hard and he was never the same player, coupled with the persistent injuries he lost the ping in his body and probably lost the drive to succeed. Mercuri retired a 12 year, 207 game dual premiership player, he was a one time all Australian, one time state player and one time club best and fairest.
Verdict;
In every respect this is a tight battle, impossibly tight. These are my two favourite players…ever. They are of similar size, have similar stats and even if it didn’t always look like it played similar roles. i.e midfielders who spent more time forward. Both players were big game players who loved the spotlight on the big stage (but not off it) and they were both go to men when the occasion needed an important goal or important play. But could also go missing at times. I am still procrastinating as I write this. If I’m honest Bewick had the more consistent career as he didn’t have to deal with injuries as much as Mercuri and he was more important to our 93 flag, plus the fact that Bewick hit the scoreboard harder may – for me – just have him in front. But then again he has red hair, so that has to be a point in the negative. In the end since his retirement we are still looking for his replacement over a decade later, that’s the sign of a great player.
This fight has gone the distance, both players raise their arms at the final bell claiming victory – but its Darren Bewick who the ref has raised arm in the air.
Bewick at his best.
Mercuri at his best
Both players skills on show throughout this clip.
Tale of the tape;
Darren Bewick stands at 178 cm, and played at a weight of 81 kgs
Mark Mercuri stands at 178 cm and played at a weight of 77kgs
Bewick played 238 games averaging 17.5 disposals over his career with 3 marks and went at one and a half goals per game for a total of 332.
Mercuri played 207 games averaging 18.7 disposals over his career with 5 marks and went just under 1 goal per game for a total of 242.
Cleary these two are fighting in the same weight division.
Early years;
Rumour has it Bewick still holds an 800m schoolboy record in Perth, the story says he sprinted the entire way then spent the rest of the day throwing up. Always a showman. He spent three years playing for West Perth before making the move over to play for Essendon in the VFL. He made an immediate impact as a small forward debuting in 88 then playing 3 finals games in 89. He played in the losing 1990 grand final. He had a stellar 1991 coming 2nd in the clubs best and fairest.
Mercuri came via the zone system from Keilor park just like his mate Joe Misiti. He came through the under 19s system then was chosen to stay on the list when the old system was abolished. He along with the rest of the baby bombers made an immediate impact in his first full season, averaging 22.4 possessions a game, a total he would never again top. This season culminated in a grand final win, a game where a lot of people called Mercuri the best player on the ground after a polished three goal haul.
Strengths and weaknesses;
Bewick was a superbly skilled footballer; I believe he had one of the most pure kicking actions on both sides of any player I have seen. He was deadly accurate shot for goal from a set shot, on the run and was absolutely lethal on the snap when anywhere inside 50. He was a very fast footballer but had the trait of looking faster when the ball was between him and the goals, and not so much when he was chasing an opponent. Although most people think of him as a small forward he was more of a midfielder than people give him credit for (as his numbers indicate), he was often seen streaming off half back to use his good delivery by foot (or goaling after 5 bounces ignoring leads) and was often used in spurts on the ball. Although not overly strong in the air he was a very smart footballer with great judgement who could manoeuvre an opponent off the ball. Bewick had a penchant for playing for free kicks which didn’t really endear him to opposition fans, more times than not he fooled the umpires into awarding a free but at times it could back fire. He was also a fairly hungry footballer, who rarely handballed (ask Scott Cummings re: centenary game) but if these two points are weaknesses they are only slight. With his explosive pace and eye for goal he could take the game away from an opponent in a short time.
Mercuri was a sublimely skilled footballer who had that rare ability to make time stop when he had the ball, the ability to make space where there was none. At times it felt like he had eyes in the back of his head, he could just extricate himself out of any predicament. He was a very smooth footballer in traffic who had the knack of finding a teammate with a dinky kick in an obscure place that nobody else had even considered. He would say “to be a good kick you have to make the bloke go to the ball, you say this is where you have to run, go and get there” When he drifted forward he was very strong in the air for his size and a very reliable kick for goal. He really had the ability to bring others in the game with his creativity, in this sense he was a very unselfish footballer, at times too much so, it was when he gained full belief and took the game by the throat that he had his greatest season in 99. He was a very injury prone footballer which probably got the better of him in the end.
Career;
Bewick had a solid one club career spanning 12 years and 232 games. There is a perception he could run hot and cold but I just think that he either ran white hot, or normal, I didn’t think he ever really went missing as such. But when he was on you could camp him in the 50 and let him do his thing. But he was definitely a confidence player, when he got on a roll he could just rip the opposition apart, he regularly bagged hauls of 5, 6, even 8 goals plus a memorable 9 goal haul in his comeback game from a knee reconstruction in the centenary game. He was every bit a big match player who stood up when required. I am certain if it wasn’t for Bewick we would not have won the premiership in 1993, in fact we wouldn’t have even made the grand final. Most of the plaudits for the preliminary final comeback go to Michael Long but in my eyes it was Bewick and his 6 goals that got us home. He kicked 52 goals in 1993 which is a terrific haul for a player of his type. He was in his twilight in 2000 for the second flag but still managed to impact on games and add touches of class to our displays. Bewick is a dual premiership player who represented WA 4 times.
Mercuri’s career started in a blaze of glory winning the flag in his first full season; he instantly impacted games with his sublime skills. He graduated to playing for his state of Victoria in 94. It was commonly accepted that he was the most skilled, most dangerous player at the club, even more so than James Hird but he began to suffer from soft tissue injuries, particularly groins which curtailed his impact somewhat. He regained full fitness in 1999 and pretty much took the league by storm, It was like he was taking the piss at times, just dancing through traffic, hitting players with party trick kicks. He was vying for the lead of the Brownlow medal count for the bulk of the year until injuring a hamstring late and handing over the medal to Shane Crawford. He did however have the time for a late cameo game vs Sydney where he was able to manage a best on ground performance in just under half a game of football. This form prompted Essendon to sign him on a rare (at the time) five year contract, a contract that backfired as Mercuri’s form tailed off rapidly after the 2000 premiership. A terrible family tragedy weighed down on Mercuri hard and he was never the same player, coupled with the persistent injuries he lost the ping in his body and probably lost the drive to succeed. Mercuri retired a 12 year, 207 game dual premiership player, he was a one time all Australian, one time state player and one time club best and fairest.
Verdict;
In every respect this is a tight battle, impossibly tight. These are my two favourite players…ever. They are of similar size, have similar stats and even if it didn’t always look like it played similar roles. i.e midfielders who spent more time forward. Both players were big game players who loved the spotlight on the big stage (but not off it) and they were both go to men when the occasion needed an important goal or important play. But could also go missing at times. I am still procrastinating as I write this. If I’m honest Bewick had the more consistent career as he didn’t have to deal with injuries as much as Mercuri and he was more important to our 93 flag, plus the fact that Bewick hit the scoreboard harder may – for me – just have him in front. But then again he has red hair, so that has to be a point in the negative. In the end since his retirement we are still looking for his replacement over a decade later, that’s the sign of a great player.
This fight has gone the distance, both players raise their arms at the final bell claiming victory – but its Darren Bewick who the ref has raised arm in the air.
Bewick at his best.
Mercuri at his best
Both players skills on show throughout this clip.
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