Opinion Best Wingmen since 2000

[Farm Boy]

Isaac Smith

7

Isaac Smith

Age

37

Ht

188cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

21.3

5star

K

13.0

5star

HB

8.4

5star

M

5.5

5star

T

2.9

4star

CL

1.7

4star

D

19.4

4star

K

11.1

4star

HB

8.3

4star

M

3.8

4star

T

2.5

3star

CL

1.3

4star

D

19.2

5star

K

10.6

4star

HB

8.6

5star

M

7.6

5star

T

2.0

4star

CL

0.6

3star

. Ed Langdon

15

Ed Langdon

Age

30

Ht

182cm

Wt

78kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

21.0

5star

K

12.1

4star

HB

9.0

5star

M

5.0

5star

T

2.3

4star

CL

1.4

4star

D

20.3

5star

K

12.8

5star

HB

7.5

4star

M

4.5

4star

T

0.8

1star

CL

1.8

4star

D

13.0

4star

K

6.4

3star

HB

6.6

4star

M

3.0

3star

T

2.4

4star

CL

0.6

3star

.

 

[Cyclops]

Wing has changed so much, and theres half forward wings, sweeper wings and sometimes clubs seem to play 5 centre square players.

Jaicis more like a classic rover-wing, Sidey more of a centreman part time wing to my mind.

Chris Scott stationed that Irish backman on a wing against us for a quarter, another time he parked an injured ruck (one of the two big blondes) out on a wing and it worked for a bit.

Its all so confusing these days. Pies seem to play a "third wing defensive sweeper" at times.

Tom Philips for Collingwood was a superb underrated wing for about four seasons. Covered the ground from goalsquare to goalsquare, not super fast but so enduring.

Andrew Gaff under rated at his peak

Ran all day and racked it up on the wing with good disposal

Gaff was a classic taller wing in the Len Smith/Hafey style (he played Francis Bourke on the wing).

Definitely underrated, and tge Eagles i know rated him highly.

 

[RonnieRaven]

Bradley hill
Loved watching him play live
When he was at the anchors.

 

[Mr Meow]

Bradley hill
Loved watching him play live
When he was at the anchors.

Have you ever mentioned a player that hasn't ever played for Freo in these sorts of "nominate a player" threads?

 

[Freomaniac]

Stephen Hill was a proper star wingman for a while, great to watch in full flight. Then he got Ross Lyoned, where defensive efforts were more important than natural flair.

I wouldn't say he was Ross Lyoned. It was more like we stupidly went in a different path. We decided it was better to bulk up Stephen Hill rather than not. Turned out to be a mistake

 

[Freomaniac]

Good player, but bit of a jaw dropper to claim him in the best wingman group of the last 26 years.

Well most dockers players for hating Andrew Gaff for belting Brayshaw in his rookie year in 2018.

If Gaff never did that, I wouldn't of had any strong opinion on him.

Andrew Embley was different. Yeah he played on a wing but he was built like a Centre half forward.

Daniel Kerr was an inside mid and had pace. He looked like a winger though.

If you drafted a teenage Daniel Kerr in this era, he would of played as an outside mid

 

[iameviljez]

Good player, but bit of a jaw dropper to claim him in the best wingman group of the last 26 years.

Gaff was the real jaw-dropping wingman at the Eagles... specifically, Andy Brayshaw's jaw

 

[nineteen eighty]

You said from 2000 on but I have a few from before that. Robbie Flower would have shone in any company in any era. So too John Greening who pretty quickly moved into the centre after a year on the wing first.

The 1990 Pies had three great wingers in Millane, Wright and when he was allowed to play there Gavin Brown. All three were dominant players in that era.

And from my boyhood days, Thorald Merrett was a delight to watch.

Not to detail this thread, but the best I've seen in my days are:

Keith Greig
Robbie Flower
Francis Bourke
Bryan Wood
Peter Matera

You get kudos for seeing Merrett play. Read about him as a young boy. He was rejected by Jack Dyer as a teenager and went on to become a Collingwood champion. They were the days when there was genuine HATE between our clubs.

 

[ItsAllAboutMe]

Isaac Smith

7

Isaac Smith

Age

37

Ht

188cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

21.3

5star

K

13.0

5star

HB

8.4

5star

M

5.5

5star

T

2.9

4star

CL

1.7

4star

D

19.4

4star

K

11.1

4star

HB

8.3

4star

M

3.8

4star

T

2.5

3star

CL

1.3

4star

D

19.2

5star

K

10.6

4star

HB

8.6

5star

M

7.6

5star

T

2.0

4star

CL

0.6

3star

comfortably

 

[Golumless]

Who are the best genuine wingmen (or at least played significant time there) since 2000? Feel as if it is a forgotten position to history but interested in peoples thoughts of some of the best in the modern era.

Definitely a forgotten/low importance position in the last 10 years. Honestly? Outside of Issac Smith, no idea, because anyone who's good at wing end up getting moved elsewhere when the team faces a crisis.

 

[the hypnotoad]

Stephen Hill was a proper star wingman for a while, great to watch in full flight. Then he got Ross Lyoned, where defensive efforts were more important than natural flair.

geez, yeah, hill was a brilliant player to watch

 

[the hypnotoad]

You said from 2000 on but I have a few from before that. Robbie Flower would have shone in any company in any era. So too John Greening who pretty quickly moved into the centre after a year on the wing first.

The 1990 Pies had three great wingers in Millane, Wright and when he was allowed to play there Gavin Brown. All three were dominant players in that era.

And from my boyhood days, Thorald Merrett was a delight to watch.

millane came to mind when i started reading this thread ... memory may be enhanced by the mythologising around him but from a non-c'wood fan, millane was pretty breathtaking to watch

 

[The_Reaper]

Well most dockers players for hating Andrew Gaff for belting Brayshaw in his rookie year in 2018.

If Gaff never did that, I wouldn't of had any strong opinion on him.

Andrew Embley was different. Yeah he played on a wing but he was built like a Centre half forward.

Daniel Kerr was an inside mid and had pace. He looked like a winger though.

If you drafted a teenage Daniel Kerr in this era, he would of played as an outside mid

Kerr had too much mongrel in him to stay as an outside player

 

[crows dude]

Andrew McCleod Obviously.... He did play a fair bit of games on a half back flank.

But yeah was dangerous on a wing.

I am gonna be a bit biased as I am a dockers fan. But Stephen Hill was good. His Younger Brother Brad hill was decent. He got 3 premiership medals at Hawthorn very early in his career. Still playing good footy at the saints.

Macca never played wing. Started as a half forward the went to half back before moving to the midfield in the 1997 prelim. Then he was an inside mid until his last few seasons where he went back to half back. AA as half back in 2007

 

[funguy1984]

Steele sidebum for me following closely by Isaac Miss

 

[Cyclops]

People have lost sight of the "since 2000" bit, so be it.

millane came to mind when i started reading this thread ... memory may be enhanced by the mythologising around him but from a non-c'wood fan, millane was pretty breathtaking to watch

Millane was strong in the air, and an enforcer who ran all day. Couldn't get near dancing Dougie Hawkins who also touched up Dipper, Robbie Flower, the under rated Merv Neagle and maybe an older Keith Greig. Hawkins played in perhaps the greatest era for wingmen, and I think he was the best of them.

Younger viewers may remember his footy Show antics and think he was a lightweight, but on the field he was arguably the GOAT wing. A very old Bob Skilton thought Hawkins was still the best player in the league as late as 1996 IIRC. I recall reading that and asking my old dad about it, and he made the case for Hawkins based on skill and ability to win a contest. A bit like Shane Crawford, a real appetite to win a one on one you might not expect from a slightly silly personality.

Hawkins, of all Footscray's stars down the years, seems the most unassailable to me. Regularly pantsed any opponent. Chris Grant, Bont, even Teddy Whitten have contemporaries who challenged them in their position (in Whitten's case different players in each of the zillion positions he played)

 

[the hypnotoad]

People have lost sight of the "since 2000" bit, so be it.


Millane was strong in the air, and an enforcer who ran all day. Couldn't get near dancing Dougie Hawkins who also touched up Dipper, Robbie Flower, the under rated Merv Neagle and maybe an older Keith Greig. Hawkins played in perhaps the greatest era for wingmen, and I think he was the best of them.

Younger viewers may remember his footy Show antics and think he was a lightweight, but on the field he was arguably the GOAT wing. A very old Bob Skilton thought Hawkins was still the best player in the league as late as 1996 IIRC. I recall reading that and asking my old dad about it, and he made the case for Hawkins based on skill and ability to win a contest. A bit like Shane Crawford, a real appetite to win a one on one you might not expect from a slightly silly personality.

Hawkins, of all Footscray's stars down the years, seems the most unassailable to me. Regularly pantsed any opponent. Chris Grant, Bont, even Teddy Whitten have contemporaries who challenged them in their position (in Whitten's case different players in each of the zillion positions he played)

i saw a bit of most of those guys, probably never appreciated them as i might now, although i did actually like neagle, part of a great essendon side
i remember greig as a big name but that was probably when i was really starting to pay attention to the game (brought up as rugby league kid) ...
would michael long qualify at all for this discussion?

 

[Shane Heard]

Blake Caracella

Blake Caracella

Age

49

Ht

186cm

Wt

85kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

16.5

4star

K

10.1

4star

HB

6.4

4star

M

4.7

4star

T

1.4

3star

No current season stats available

D

13.2

4star

K

8.8

4star

HB

4.4

4star

M

4.0

4star

T

0.6

3star

[th]

187​

[/th][th]

218​

[/th][th]

​

[/th]​

​

187 games / 218 goals

370 shots at goal…from a wing.

 

[Shane Heard]

Richo

With his 45 mtr lead runs.

He was like a wild brumby galloping up the wings and back again.

 

[Freomaniac]

Kerr had too much mongrel in him to stay as an outside player

I disagree. I am going to be in the minority on this....

Kerr had the talent and gut running ability to play on a wing.

I can say the same thing with Ben Cousins too. Like Kerr had the pace and fitness to play on a wing

 

[Shane Heard]

I disagree. I am going to be in the minority on this....

Kerr had the talent and gut running ability to play on a wing.

I can say the same thing with Ben Cousins too. Like Kerr had the pace and fitness to play on a wing

I agree. They were both supremely hardworking, gut running mids who pushed forward looking for shots at goal.

Kerr ( like J.Sellwood) would also put his head over the ground ball in any contested situation time and time again ..and take the big hit after delivering a pinpoint bullet handpass.

 

[Cyclops]

Long a utility more than a classic wing, Caracella got hurt but at times was excelkent. Maybe more of a hff.

Greig was a classic racehorse wing. We had Barham, injury prone but his best was top tier.

I'll say it again, Neagle was a gun.

 

[Altum Volantes]

I agree. They were both supremely hardworking, gut running mids who pushed forward looking for shots at goal.

Kerr ( like J.Sellwood) would also put his head over the ground ball in any contested situation time and time again ..and take the big hit after delivering a pinpoint bullet handpass.

Kerr is pound for pound one of the toughest guys ever to play.

 

[Shane Heard]

Kerr is pound for pound one of the toughest guys ever to play.

I concur. And after living here in Perth for last 20 years..from Melbourne…I talk to WC fans and even they kind of underrate his toughness.

I saw many WC live games back in the Cox, Kerr, Judd Cuz combo days and just marveled at their work rate and disposal under pressure.

I used to get stoned and watch WC tv games just to watch Kerr. It was hilarious to watch his manic style.
He would stick his head in any pack and not give a hoot about getting hit. I’d laugh at the way he would manically chop away arms and break away from opponents trying to grab hold of him.
Slippery, fast and built like little Roman legion. A genuine lovable psychopath.

( although it wasn’t funny years later when he was setting houses on fire )

I compare him to the two toughest maniacs I’ve seen at Essendon ..Mark and Jason Johnson. Super aggressive battering rams with elite skills .

Kerrs kicking was truely sublime too ..super strong overhead with marks.

Should’ve won 3 brownlows if he didn’t have the other three around him. They got a lot of ball between them.

 

[Shane Heard]

Kerr is pound for pound one of the toughest guys ever to play.

I concur. And after living here in Perth for last 20 years..from Melbourne…I talk to WC fans and even they kind of underrate his toughness.

I saw many WC live games back in the Cox, Kerr, Judd Cuz combo days and just marveled at their work rate and disposal under pressure.

I used to get stoned and watch WC games just to watch Kerr. He would stick his head in any pack and not give a hoot about getting hit. I’d laugh at the way he would manically chop away arms and break away from opponents. Slippery, fast and built like little Roman legion.

His kicking was sublime..strong overhead.

Should’ve won 3 brownlows if he didn’t have the other three around him. They got a lot of ball between them.

Long a utility more than a classic wing, Caracella got hurt but at times was excelkent. Maybe more of a hff.

Greig was a classic racehorse wing. We had Barham, injury prone but his best was top tier.

I'll say it again, Neagle was a gun.

I watched Merv from the start as a 8/9 year old and he was the ultimate big size wingman with a raking kick.

His late 55 mtr running goal in the last qrt of the 84’ gf is my most vivid memory of all the great moments at this club. I was 14 at the time and had waited 6 or 7 years for us to be a contender and thought Neagle was like a god like Achilles warrior.

The Essendon crowd roar after that goal was incredible. Still running down the wing taking a bounce in the 35th minute and slotting a long range bomb to put one more nail in Hawthorn’s afternoon.

As a kid he seemed like he was 6’4 to me. But he was just under 6ft and by 84’ he had conditioned himself with weights to be a superb athlete. Merv, Shane Heard and Watson took fitness and conditioning to another level in that early 80s era.

We loved Merv and all the other country boys. Watson, Hawker, Daniher, Duckworth, Baker and others. Bush kids.
Good,hard,honest footballers.

It’s ironic that Merv and Nobby Clarke went early.

Both were dearly loved by the Essendon faithful.