Football Cards

[aislegi]

As promised, these are my football cards. Like it would have been for most six- or seven-year-olds, 35 cents was a huge sum in 1979 and most of these cards didn’t come from purchasing the inevitable Scanlens chewing gum but were purchased as a job lot for $5 from a second-hand store near Glen Iris railway station in about 1983, which is why most of the cards are from about 1978 to 1981. Of course, this includes plenty of Richmond’s 1980 premiership heroes. There are also plenty of stars from other clubs, including Brownlow Medalists Bernie Quinlan and Malcolm Blight, and sundry stalwarts. I might post each club’s cards separately, with some thoughts on each of them, and would love to see any cards that anyone else can post.

 

[aislegi]

Carlton: Before my time as a player (and coach), John Nicholls was not only a legend at the Blues but, bizarrely, served a prison term for embezzlement in 1960; next we have the inimitable Bruce Doull, plus hair minus headband, in a great action shot (as opposed to some of the not-so-great action shots that we’ll get to in later cards!); and then we have a further cohort of premiership players, including inaugural Norm Smith Medalist Wayne Harmes, while the four in the series of cards that had the names (and statistics) on the back are Val Perovic, Rod Austin, Wayne Johnston, and Greg Wells, respectively.

 

[aislegi]

Collingwood: Wayne Richardson, Peter McKenna, and Ross Dunne were before my time but my dad would, from time to time, regale me with the commentary from the drawn 1977 Grand Final that “Twiggy Dunne came down with the ball” (and kicked a goal late in the final quarter that leveled the scores); we also have the champion, Bill Picken, and some journeyman, including Rene Kink (“The Incredible Hulk”) and Craig Stewart (who later crossed to Richmond and played 35 games in the yellow and black), while the last two are, of course, Ray Shaw and Peter Daicos, respectively.

 

[aislegi]

Essendon: Spicks & Specks had the “Musician or Serial Killer” segment and I can’t help thinking that cards like these would provide ample material for a “Football Card or Mugshot” segment; on the plus side, a number of them went onto be part of the club’s premierships in 1984 and 1985; the last seven are Max Crow, Alan Reid (derided in the synopsis on the back of the card as yet to show his true ability in the VFL and later traded to Geelong), Ron Andrews, Wayne Foreman, Terry Daniher, Paul Vander Haar, and Gary Foulds, respectively.

 

[aislegi]

Fitzroy: First-up we have Lorenzo (Laurie) Serafini, who started as a forward in 1977 and kicked six of his nine career goals in his first two games, before becoming a reliable defender, and I have no idea why I made one of his teeth black, although that’s nothing next to the rage I had for Gerry McCarthy, which is lost to time; some quality players in this set, including Bernie Quinlan and (WA legend) Ron Alexander; the last six are Garry Wilson (who used to wear a helmet), Leon Harris, Warwick Irwin (who said he loved his time at Fitzroy but hated his time at Collingwood), Chris Smith, Serafini (again), and Chris Hansen.

 

[aislegi]

Footscray: Apart from Quinlan, who is captured in a great action shot during his one of his nine seasons at Footscray (1969-1977) and later had nine seasons at Fitzroy (1978-1986), which included sharing the 1981 Brownlow Medal with Barry Round, I can’t claim to have any great recollection of these players; the last two are Ian Dunstan and Ted Whitten Jr, respectively.

 

[aislegi]

Geelong: First-up we have prolific goal kicker Doug Wade, who was a premiership player at Geelong (1963) and North Melbourne (1975), and one of my childhood memories is of my dad complaining that the latter “bought the premiership” (which presumably included Wade); next we have Rod Blake in a classic training in the dark shot; others include Michael Turner (who destroyed us in our Round 17, 1980 clash at the MCG); the last five are Peter Featherby, Jack Hawkins, Bruce Nankervis, Kevin Sheehan, and Mark Bos, respectively.

 

[voorhees]

cotchin

 

[voorhees]

 

[voorhees]

 

[aislegi]

Hawthorn: Premiership players galore, including “Rocket” Rodney Eade (who was later coach of Sydney, Footscray, and Gold Coast), Don Scott (looking like a poor man’s Mr T. with the chain around his neck), and a particularly freaky looking Peter Knights (far right).

 

[aislegi]

Melbourne: Some quality players, none better than Robert Flower, on some truly terrible football cards, starting with Steven Smith in a totally inexplicable pose, Flower looking like he’s just said no to a request to emulate Smith, and Laurie Fowler picking up the ball in a manner that I can only suggest would get you killed if you tried it in a game and, of course, doing it in the dark and (just for you, voorhees) wearing non-regulation shorts; don’t know much about the other three, apart from Carl Ditterich (but perhaps the less said the better there).

 

[voorhees]

 

[wegetpumped]

As promised, these are my football cards. Like it would have been for most six- or seven-year-olds, 35 cents was a huge sum in 1979 and most of these cards didn’t come from purchasing the inevitable Scanlens chewing gum but were purchased as a job lot for $5 from a second-hand store near Glen Iris railway station in about 1983, which is why most of the cards are from about 1978 to 1981. Of course, this includes plenty of Richmond’s 1980 premiership heroes. There are also plenty of stars from other clubs, including Brownlow Medalists Bernie Quinlan and Malcolm Blight, and sundry stalwarts. I might post each club’s cards separately, with some thoughts on each of them, and would love to see any cards that anyone else can post.

View attachment 2281840

Typical Carlton and the CFL even back than they played one extra lol

 

[Muddiemoose]

View attachment 2282425

Not a tiger one but I have the Tom Mitchell signed Brownlow predictor from the year he won it
Only decent one I have

 

[aislegi]

North Melbourne: Premiership players galore, including Steven Icke handballing in the dark, John Byrne looking exactly like Jeff Spicoli (which is all the more impressive because Fast Times at Ridgemont High was yet to be released), and some Brownlow Medalists, in Malcolm Blight and Keith Greig, who look less than impressed.

 

[aislegi]

Richmond: Barry Richardson and Royce Hart (in non-regulation shorts), alas, were before my time but so many childhood heroes and 1980 premiership players in this set and love that Kevin Bartlett, like Hart, is in the dark and have no idea what he’s trying to accomplish in this shot or whether making it over the wall (ala Officer and a Gentleman) was part of the training; second row, no doubt, need no introduction but are Mark Lee, Robert Wiley, Raines (again), Stephen Mount, Mick Malthouse, Jess (again), Rowlings (again), Bartlett (again), and David Cloke, respectively.

 

[aislegi]

South Melbourne: Some decent players, including Brownlow Medalists Barry Round and Graeme Teasdale, and a number with connections to Richmond (including Teasdale and Francis Jackson, who were part of the John Pitura trade, and Noel Jenkinson) but no idea why I drew vampire fangs on Russell Campbell; the last three are Mark Browning, Jenkinson, and Teasdale, respectively.

 

[aislegi]

St Kilda: First-up we have premiership hero Barry Breen (in the dark, of course!); next we have a great mugshot, from journeyman Mark Kellett, and some quality players in Jeff Sarau, Trevor Barker, and Garry Sidebottom, who had the misfortune to play for a club that was an absolute cellar-dwellar at the time; the last three are Michael Roberts, Mordecai Bromberg (now a Federal Court judge), and Jeff Dunne, respectively.

 

[Stan Judkins]

one of my favorite cards and i feel fortunate to have his signature
1996 Select AFL Series 2 Limited Edition Legend Signature Card SC1 + Redemption Card SR5 Jack Dyer (265/500)
Jack Dyer would have been around 82 years old when he signed these (died in 2003, 89 years old)
fair effort by him as I'm having trouble signing mine and I'm 30 years younger

 

[Stan Judkins]

this other set of cards i purchased from a friend who attended the RFC centenary function at Crown in 2008
he and i are the only 2 people that have this signed as it is (it was purchased on the night unsigned)
Kevin Bartlett is very difficult to obtain a signature at the best of times, so very rare for him to sign on the night
signed by:
TOM HAFEY
ROYCE HART
KEVIN BARTLETT (29, 403)
FRANCIS BOURKE (30)

 

[aislegi]

one of my favorite cards and i feel fortunate to have his signature
1996 Select AFL Series 2 Limited Edition Legend Signature Card SC1 + Redemption Card SR5 Jack Dyer (265/500)
Jack Dyer would have been around 82 years old when he signed these (died in 2003, 89 years old)
fair effort by him as I'm having trouble signing mine and I'm 30 years younger
View attachment 2282546
View attachment 2282547

Wow, that's a beauty and I'm sure I saw that photo, or one very similar, in football books that I had when I was little. Apparently, Jack Dyer was small for a ruck by today's standards but I always thought he looked terrifying in his playing photos!

 

[aislegi]

View attachment 2282425

Clearly, you can never have too much of the great man, Matthew Richardson, and these are a great reminder that you never knew for sure what was going to happen when he had the football!

 

[voorhees]

Clearly, you can never have too much of the great man, Matthew Richardson, and these are a great reminder that you never knew for sure what was going to happen when he had the football!

man is clearly a God!
have enjoyed putting the Richo collection together for years now.