Which footballer do you feel is underrated because they played for an unsuccessful team?

[Occidental]

Richard Osborne /thread
Ossie was a gifted, freakish champion half forward who kicked 574 goals for some terrible teams. Great player to watch. Always stood out. He played in the 83-84-86 finals for Fitzroy. But from 1987-1998, he played in mostly bottom four teams (Lions, Swans, Dogs, Pies)


Robert Harvey - all-time great who only played in one PF & GF in his first 16 seasons while he was still at his peak.
Garry Wilson - champion of the game who would be remembered more fondly if he'd played in Grand Finals for Carlton or Collingwood
Bernie Quinlan - versatile all-time great who played in a few finals series late in his career when was at full forward
Matthew Pavlich - same as Bernie Quinlan
Spida Everitt - f.wit of a bloke, but he was one of the most talented ruckman ever
Stewart Loewe - Buckets was the best pack mark I've ever seen
Brent Harvey - one of the greats, his career is undersold by many on here
Brad Johnson - same as Brent Harvey
Matthew Larkin and Peter German - North's gun midfielders from the mid-to-late 80's
Tony Liberatore - gutsy champ who was a one-man in & under tackling machine for the Bulldogs
Peter Foster - underrated Bulldog CHB in the 80's

Hawthorn's John Peck is barely remembered these days, but he was the league's leading goalkicker for 3 successive years in the mid 60's.

Mark Graham was an underrated versatile Hawk defender in the 90's and early 2000's who often punched above his weight at FB and CHB

Melbourne suffered a 25 year finals drought through the 1970's and 80's. The great Robbie Flower overshadowed Melbourne's other guns from that era: Greg Wells, Gary Hardeman, Stan Alves, Stephen Smith, Steven Icke and Alan Johnson. Laurie Fowler was a great half back flanker for the Dees - best remembered from his Richmond days when he played in the 73-74 flags

South Melbourne 70's guns: Norm Goss, Mark Browning and Peter Bedford, who won the 1970 Brownlow but should be rated higher than he is.
Sydney Swans 80's: Stephen Wright formed a great roving combo with Bernie Evans and then Barry Mitchell.

Fitzroy 70's/80's guns (besides Wilson, Quinlan and Ossie): Warwick Irwin, David McMahon, Harvey Merrigan, Laurie Serafini, Bob Beecroft and Matty Rendell

Agree with OP about Paul Broderick. Good player. Other Fitzroy guns from the 90's who switched clubs: Ross Lyon, Matty Armstrong, Darren Kappler. John Blakey, Stephen Paxman and Alastair Lynch went on to enjoy premiership success at their new clubs, so they don't fit the thread premise. Lynchy was a much better footballer than many people remember. He was more than the 70/80 goal a year gorilla for the 3peat Lions. He was a budding champion CHF for Fitzroy just before his illness, who was also named All Australian full back as a youngster.

Unlucky Richmond stalwarts: Richo, Benny Gale, Matthew Knights, Wayne Campbell, Darren Gaspar, Joel Bowden, Chris Newman
Richo and Knighta got their individual accolades but the others were definitely underrated because of the Tigers' lack of success.

Geelong had a lean period through the 70's and 80's. Their best players in that time were the great Gary Ablett and gun defenders: Ian Nankervis and Gary Malarkey. Less-heralded, underrated guns: Peter Featherby, Jack Hawkins, Mark Bos, David Clarke, Andrew Bews. I'll even be magnanimous and say Neville Bruns was a pretty good wingman.

St Kilda 1974-2004: Jeff Sarau, Bruce Duperouzel, George Young, Joffa Cunningham, Greg Burns and David Grant. Rob Harvey, Stewy Loewe and Spida Everitt already mentioned. Plugger, Winmar, Spud Frawley, Nathan Burke and Trevor Barker weren't underrated. They got their dues.


Port: Brett Ebert, Brad Ebert

Freo: Shane Parker

Great post.
So glad you mentioned Garry Wilson.
I bet most will be saying... Garry who?

Four times a top ten Brownlow finisher and just about the gamest and most courageous rover I ever saw.
I was a kid when he played, but he was probably my favourite non Pies player of his era.
A champion.

 

[ShadeyP]

Always rated Wayne Cambell higher but both very good footballers

Knights was a class above Campbell

 

[ShadeyP]

Daryl Creswell - Sydney, All Australian and Best and Fairest winner played 244 games and made the Sydney Team of the Century,

sadly, no one remembers he was really even a footballer anymore, he’s now known as a fraudster and gambling addict

Even changed his name due to the damage he did to it

 

[ShadeyP]

Jack Steven

Was rated VERY highly by certain team mates

 

[schmuttt]

James Clement

 

[ItsAllAboutMe]

Knights was a class above Campbell

Disagree, Campbell won 4 club bnf & 2 x AS, Knights won 2 club bands & 1 x AA

 

[Tzatziki_Man]

Disagree, Campbell won 4 club bnf & 2 x AS, Knights won 2 club bands & 1 x AA

Richmond supporters rate Knighta wayyyy higher, he played the big games better, stats and accolades dont mean anything if premierships arent attached to them

 

[ShadeyP]

Richmond supporters rate Knighta wayyyy higher, he played the big games better, stats and accolades dont mean anything if premierships arent attached to them

Knights had to deal with a severe ankle injury , then knee and then OP right when he was hitting his prime .
Was such a smooth player who really cut teams up through the middle , no disrespect to Campbell who was 100% grit and effort .

 

[Jimbojay]

Ed Curnow.

Considering him playing midfield is the sole reason Carlton won 6/11 to finish the year.

 

[ShadeyP]

Disagree, Campbell won 4 club bnf & 2 x AS, Knights won 2 club bands & 1 x AA

Fair call , respect your opinion and by no means trying to undersell Campbell .

 

[NonPhixion]

Robbie gray

 

[Work Hardery]

Josh Francou

 

[ItsAllAboutMe]

James McDonald was a fantastic footballer and an even better leader during some tough times at Demonland.. Other Dees who I thought were fantastic footballers were Stephen Tingay & Todd Viney

 

[Wallaby]

Richmond supporters rate Knighta wayyyy higher, he played the big games better, stats and accolades dont mean anything if premierships arent attached to them

Not all Richmond supporters. Knights looked a far better, classier player (classic left-footer gliding through packs). When the annual AFL 'Players Survey' would come out each year, other non-Richmond players would all rate Campbell higher (he was nearly always rated Richmond's best ahead of Knights and Richo).

Admittedly, Campbell has nothing to compare with Knights' masterpiece in the 1995 semi-final against Essendon. Not many players do. But Campbell played fine in his (few) finals.

 

[masai]

Bob Skilton, geez if only he’d played in some grand finals and received a Norm Smith *, or two. He’d be a legend ....

* Norm Smith’s only evolved in 1979.

 

[queensberryrules]

Our back flank plumber, Done to a Crisp, is rated by many Pie fans, so must be under rated. We may not have choked 2wice in a row if he was playing, they say.

On SM-G955F using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Damon_3388]

Nathan Buckley, for most of his career. Possibly the most technically gifted, "textbook" footballer we've ever seen.

 

[Buzzasto DaSilva]

I've always attached Ashley McGrath to this type of thread.

He had some success early in his career, but I think his best years were when Brisbane were battling and combined with playing in a smaller market, I don't think he ever got the recognition he deserved.

 

[cisco]

Rocket Rod Carter

 

[dropbear101]

dale kickett

roger hayden has been mentioned a few times but he was awesome pity injuries got him before that 2012/2015 run might have kept zac dawson out of the side and resulted in us only playing 2 tall defenders with ibbotson as a thirdish tall.

 

[Danger2Jenkins]

Dangerfield and Ben Dixon.

Danger would be rated waaaay above Martin (by bigfooty posters) if he played any of his games in October

 

[tiger_tough]

Chris Newman

 

[Upgrayedd]

I always liked Tony Woods

Thank you!

Hugely under-rated. was going to make a huge post about how Tony Woods would never get a mention and you beat me.

 

[My Tilly]

Joel Bowden and Simon Beasley.

 

[Captain_Bender]

Dangerfield and Ben Dixon.

Danger would be rated waaaay above Martin (by bigfooty posters) if he played any of his games in October

Probably would have to play them in October because we all know he will never play on the last Saturday in September