Best Pies 22 from 1970-2020

[cliffdrabble]

B SHAW KELLY MORWOOD
HB BUCKLEY POTTER MCGUANE
C BROWN PENDELBURY MILLANE
HF DAICOS A ROCCA CARMAN
F MOORE MCKENNA P. WILLIAMS

FOLL THOMPSON GREENING SWAN

INTER PRICE, WRIGHT, CRAIG DAVIS, W RICHARDSON

I agree with the poster that suggested Carman was overrated. His fitness to me was one of his major assets rather than talent. That is not to suggest he was not talented.

Greening to me is the most talented player we have had in the period mentioned. He was quick, strong, great overhead, could kick either foot and unlike Carman had superb mental strength and character.

Another poster mentioned Rene Kink. I know a player who played in Richmond premierships, transferred to Collingwood and played in the 79 and 80 GFs for us. He told me that Hafey paired him with Kink and a guy named Hannebury for run throughs at training.

If Hafey thought they were not doing the run throughs how he would like, he would force them to repeat it. Our friend got so incensed with what he termed the lazziness of Kink that he threatened to 'punch Kink's lights out' at training one night.

We Collingwood supporters like to say that Hafey overtrained the team for the 1977 GF replay. According to our friend, the leaders in the playing group at Collingwood had always had it is so easy that they resented hard training. He said the opposite was the case at Richmond. The leaders in the playing group would always encourage everyone to train hard to the point that they had tremendous confidence in outlasting any opposition with superior fitness. That was his answer to my question of why the Tigers won flags but we didn't.

The very next night after our discussion, I watched Rene Kink on Mike Sheehan's show saying that if he had played well enough to 3/4 time he often couldn't be bothered in the last quarter. It was quite ironic given the previous day's discussion and also why I would never pick him in a 'best of' Collingwood side.

 

[Covidwood]

Swap Thommo and Grundy over and this is just about perfect.
I would love Crosisca on a half back flank, but who can argue with McGuane and Morwood.

Just for you Thommo is in

Shaw McCormack Clement
Mcguane Picken Morwood
Millane Buckley Brown
Didak Carman Greening
Moore McKenna Daicos

Thompson Pendlebury Richardson

Swan Price Tuddenham Grundy


*I struggled with Didak over Twiggy the most, but I already had 3 talls

 

[raymond35]

Yeah not many teams have 3 ruckmen, but the fact is the pies have had 3 champion big men who you have to pick.

 

[Covidwood]

Yeah not many teams have 3 ruckmen, but the fact is the pies have had 3 champion big men who you have to pick.

You'd be tempted to play Grundy as the ruck rover, he fits the literal description of that position, especially when he taps it down to himself

 

[jmac70]

You'd be tempted to play Grundy as the ruck rover, he fits the literal description of that position, especially when he taps it down to himself

Great username man.

 

[jsdsgn]

Heres how I would structure it

B: Heath Shaw - Simon Prestigiacomo - James Clement

HB: Nathan Buckley - Bill Picken - Mick McGuane

C: Darren Millane - Tony Shaw - Gavin Brown

HF: Phil Carman - Saverio Rocca - Peter Daicos

F: Peter Moore - Peter McKenna - Rene Kink

R: Len Thompson - Scott Pendlebury - Dane Swan

I: Alan Didak - Barry Price - John Greening - Wayne Richardson

• I got rid of Cloke for Sav.
• Grundy misses out because theres already two ruckman who are both brownlow medallists and, frankly, are better. Grundy will push for this side in a few years though.
• Sidebottom hasn't done more than Alan Didak
• John Greening makes the team over Barham but only on bench as he didnt play that long
• Moved Richardson to the bench.
• Moved Swan into the midfield and added Kink at FP and moved Daicos to HF
• Wanted to move Bucks to the midfield where he belongs but backline options are thin.
• Tuddenham misses as he didnt play enough in the 70s

 

[Saintly Viewed]

Yeah not many teams have 3 ruckmen, but the fact is the pies have had 3 champion big men who you have to pick.

I assume you mean:

Len Thompson, Peter Moore and Brodie Grundy?

The great news is that Moore could and did play very very very well as a key forward. Was excellent in 1977 with him transitioning to the ruck.

 

[Sea fog]

I assume you mean:

Len Thompson, Peter Moore and Brodie Grundy?

The great news is that Moore could and did play very very very well as a key forward. Was excellent in 1977 with him transitioning to the ruck.

Yep, he kicked four and five goals in the two GFs at full forward as well, though Thompson seemed to play in the ruck basically the whole time. He was a great mark and really good kick for goal. Grundy is probably the more natural ruckman.

 

[mocamagic]

Burns Clifton Clement

Shaw D. Moore Pendlebury

Millane Buckley Brown

Tuddenham Cloke Greening

P. Moore McKenna Daicos


Grundy McGuane W. Richardson


Swan, Thomas, Wright, DeGoey

“Wooden legs” Clifton was exposed in finals

 

[Robroy22]

“Wooden legs” Clifton was exposed in finals

By whom?

 

[mocamagic]

On Tarrant - he shouldn't be a wingman. You mention strong overhead and quick - strong overhead isn't something that is a must have from a wingman. Thing about the best wingmen in the game right now - Gaff, Sidebottom, Smith, Hill (x2), etc. Not stong overhead. Wingmen need to have a very good speed/endurance profile, be able to get to space and get hand ball receives, and be able to use the ball really well. None of which Tarrant could do.

Also Tarrant was an extremely poor field kick

 

[Sea fog]

Also Tarrant was an extremely poor field kick

I guess that Tazza as a wingman was made because in previous times wingmen were opposed to one another, not running free without an opponent like they do today.

 

[Covidwood]

“Wooden legs” Clifton was exposed in finals

Peter Hudson said McCormack was his toughest opponent

 

[vjknight]

I guess that Tazza as a wingman was made because in previous times wingmen were opposed to one another, not running free without an opponent like they do today.

Exactly. He was quicker than anybody else who could stand next to him, and better and stronger overhead than anyone who could run with him.
Exactly the same argument for swan to forward pocket

 

[Sea fog]

Exactly. He was quicker than anybody else who could stand next to him, and better and stronger overhead than anyone who could run with him.
Exactly the same argument for swan to forward pocket

That is why it is hard to compare players in different eras. I think that a bloke like Phillips would struggle in previous eras because he is not good one on one but he has the endurance to run all day and get on his own. The way it used to be played made more contests possible.

 

[Covidwood]

That is why it is hard to compare players in different eras. I think that a bloke like Phillips would struggle in previous eras because he is not good one on one but he has the endurance to run all day and get on his own. The way it used to be played made more contests possible.

Yep, those tree stumps were never gonna run a marathon

 

[Sea fog]

Those tree stumps were never gonna run a marathon

Weren't there a lot of swift wingmen in the past who were also strong overhead though? What about Greig and Flower?

 

[Saintly Viewed]

Weren't there a lot of swift wingmen in the past who were also strong overhead though? What about Greig and Flower?

Two of the all time greats of football - in any era.

Keith Grieg was a pure delight in watching him play, the sweetest of science. Smooth, silky, sublime.

 

[Leviathan Pie]

Collingwood 1970 - 2020


B. J Clement ~ W Picken ~ S Burns

HB. J Greening ~ D Moore ~ M McGuane

C. W Richardson ~ N Buckley (c) ~ G Brown

HF. P Carman ~ P Moore ~ D Millane

F. P Daicos ~ P McKenna ~ J Elliott

R. L Thompson ~ S Pendlebury ~ D Swan

I. B Grundy ~ D Tuddenham ~ B Price ~ A Shaw

C. L Matthews

E. J De Goey, S Sidebottom, A Treloar, M Williams

De Goey, Sidebottom, Treloar > A.Didak? Wouldn't have thought so.

 

[Robroy22]

Peter Hudson said McCormack was his toughest opponent

Interesting comment if Huddo ever made it, seeing that they might have played on each other maybe 3 times! When Hudson was old and injured and Peter MAC was just a kid trying out at full forward! Cliffo played on Hudson when he was kicking 150 a year. And he also played on Jezza (in his prime), and Wade (in his prime) and Blethyn who was pretty handy too....Cliffo played on the best back then.

 

[Robroy22]

Two of the all time greats of football - in any era.

Keith Grieg was a pure delight in watching him play, the sweetest of science. Smooth, silky, sublime.

Weren't there a lot of swift wingmen in the past who were also strong overhead though? What about Greig and Flower?

Greig was soft "ish".....but Robbie Flower took everything he got and still got up. Flower was as tough as they come.

 

[35Daicos]

Interesting comment if Huddo ever made it, seeing that they might have played on each other maybe 3 times! When Hudson was old and injured and Peter MAC was just a kid trying out at full forward! Cliffo played on Hudson when he was kicking 150 a year. And he also played on Jezza (in his prime), and Wade (in his prime) and Blethyn who was pretty handy too....Cliffo played on the best back then.

Hudson surely wouldn't have made that comment, as they never once played on one another! McCormack played just a handful of games in his first two seasons (1976-77), and was up forward anyway. None of those games were against Hawthorn. Hudson returned to the VFL in 1977 (his final VFL season) after being absent for a couple of years, and did play three games that year against the Pies, but never encountered McCormack.

https://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/P/Peter_McCormack.html || https://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/P/Peter_Hudson.html

 

[Robroy22]

Hudson surely wouldn't have made that comment, as they never once played on one another! McCormack played just a handful of games in his first two seasons (1976-77), and was up forward anyway. None of those games were against Hawthorn. Hudson returned to the VFL in 1977 after being absent for a couple of years, and did play three games that year against the Pies, but never encountered McCormack.

https://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/P/Peter_McCormack.html || https://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/P/Peter_Hudson.html

Thankyou!

 

[Saintly Viewed]

De Goey, Sidebottom, Treloar > A.Didak? Wouldn't have thought so.

Mr Didak has a lot of merit.
One of those prayers I’ve waxed waned on over the years; thereabouts but sometimes I seem to peg him down.

future gazing I’m really sure De Goey will pass him but as of now Didak could be on the list as a fair case for him. Though I did leave him out.

 

[Robroy22]

I see the poster you quoted has been suspended (after just two days on BF, but plenty of posts in that time), so it's quite possible he was just being a smartarse!

Well I knew he hadn't been watching closely during Hudson's prime but moreso I was just doing it from memory so as I get older....well you know!