16 David Thorpe

[littlenails]

Counting down by player jumper numbers

First match of pre-season cup
Friday February 20.
Western Bulldogs v Richmond.
Dogs and Tigers to open 2004. The first match of the pre-season competition.

First match for premiership points
Sunday 28th March.
Western Bulldogs v West Coast at Telstra Dome.

That's 16 days away
David Thorpe
Matthew Croft
Chris Burton

16 Chris Burton
Period on list: 1980 to 1984
Senior Games: 68
Goals: 27
Recruited From: Sunshine Heights
Clever and speedy winger who could read the play well.
He was born in England and still had the accent, so he was called 'Pommy Burton"
Went on to play for Richmond then Williamstown

http://littlenails.50megs.com/BurtonChris.htm

16 David Thorpe
Birthday: 30 May 1948
Period on list: 1965 to 1973
Senior Games: 152
Goals: 78
Recruited From: North Footscray
Honours: Vice Captain, State player for Victoria 3 times. Twice club best and fairest. Headed league's most possessions list 3 times. Nominated for Team of the Century. All Australian 1972. Played in Richmond's premiership team.

Played on the wing, centre or was a follower.
His early years were a bit up and down in form but everybody knew that he had the skills and they persevered with him.
Western Bulldogs
Came good in a spectacular way in a reserves game where he had 63 possessions. Needless to say that we won that day.

He was a good size player with a well-proportioned body. He loved to carry the ball and dodge and weave around opponents, sometimes he got caught but mostly he got by them and left them standing around or fallen to the ground and embarrassed by it all. He'd stick out the ball like in the picture there, and around them he'd go.

In 1972 he was selected for the Victorian state side and when in Adelaide he biffed one of the officials. So, they didn't let him play.

When Ted Whitten retired as coach David had a chance to be coach, was almost offered the job, but Bob Rose turned up. They didn't get on well, David and Bob. Some not-so-good player management here. David quit and went to Richmond.

http://littlenails.50megs.com/ThorpeDavid.htm

Any stories about these or other number 16's. Any opinions on the loss of Thorpie.

I don't know any otjher number 16's and am greatfull to everybody for supplying the numbers.

 

[Anja_Nees]

Surely Crofty deserves a profile!!!

 

[Captain Sensible]

Denis Blair was 16 when I was a kid. Came from Subiaco as a half forward I think.



Once saw Chris Burton train in a pair of Richmond socks, next season he was playing for them. Always thought that was a bit odd. He was our runner for a while too.

 

[littlenails]

Crofty

Surely Crofty deserves a profile!!!

I'd love to but it takes a long time to do all of this and Crofty will go on, so I'll have to amend it if I do one.

I do rely on this forum for a lot of the interesting things about players, things that people love to read, incidents and accidents.

Good ol' Crofty, supposed to be a full-foward but has ended up as full back. I wonder where his best spot would have been over the years.

A great half-back flanker, probably a good half forward.

 

[desipura]

Steve Hoffman wore 16. His most memorable game would have had to have been that game in 1982 against top of the ladder Hawthorn at the Western Oval. We were on the bottom but managed to win with Hoffman & Bristow vying for best on ground honours!
Russell Shields who came from Hawthorn as a handy half forward flanker with potential also wore number 16.
Unfortunately the only outstanding feature was his mullet! Did not last long at the doggies (sound familiar?)!

 

[Ching]

Originally posted by localyokel

Once saw Chris Burton train in a pair of Richmond socks, next season he was playing for them.

I must of been at the same training session

 

[Mr. Walker]

Originally posted by littlenails

16 David Thorpe
Birthday: 30 May 1948
Period on list: 1965 to 1973
Senior Games: 152
Goals: 78

My recollection is that he was a prolific ball winner but his disposal could be very erratic at times. I can remember one day, must have been in the 1970's my mother coming home from the football all disgusted. I asked her the reason why and it turns out that thorpe got the ball on the wing and tried to kick the ball down field but put it straight out on the full. to quote my mother " He said F, F, F, right in front of us" Ah grass roots football!

 

[Dogs 13]

Thorpey was always called a show pony, he used to do his warm up stretches in front of the grandstand. I remember getting the Sunday papers when they were first introduced and always checking for Thorpey's huge stats. I also remember being at our B&F and some sections of the crowd booed when he won it.

After finishing with Richmond he went on to coach Yarraville in the VFA when they had this massive recruitment campaign. One day Yarraville had a huge lead and Thorpey called for a count. Sure enough the other team had 17 men on the ground so their score was wiped. He was pretty ruthless. I think that's the only time I've seen a count on the field.

Trivia - Chris Burton was born in the same town as I was in England.

 

[John Gent]

No. 16 Ken Duff

 

[Captain Sensible]

Originally posted by Dogs 13
After finishing with Richmond Thorpe went on to coach Yarraville in the VFA when they had this massive recruitment campaign. One day Yarraville had a huge lead and Thorpey called for a count. Sure enough the other team had 17 men on the ground so their score was wiped. He was pretty ruthless. I think that's the only time I've seen a count on the field.

The recruitment drive was sponsored by Masseys the car yard on the corner of Willy Road and Francis street. In the end it sent the car yard and the footy club broke.


Denis Pagan took over from Thorpe as coach at Yarraville

 

[desipura]

Jarrod Thorpe was given his dads number, he came over with big raps!

 

[dogsbody]

Ken Duff played at Full Back although his build was far closer to that of Jordan McMahon than Crofty/Harris. He was not particularly tall nor fast. He had consistent success on Doug Wade when the latter was at Geelong. He never worried about marking but tried to bring the ball to the ground where his agility, comparative to big Doug's, was superior. He would tap the ball behind Doug and then double back before Doug, who had a Queen Elizabeth 11 turning circle, knew what was happening. He did not share that success against other forwards. Paddy Guinnane gave him a terrible time and John Peck troubled him especially. He wore his hair in the classic Footscray Rocker's DA.

 

[Spiritof82]

Think Emmett Dunne (ex cop from Richmond) also wore 16

 

[doggies40]

Woohoo crofty days to go, what a sexy man he is .

 

[scooter600x]

Originally posted by littlenails

16 David Thorpe
Honours: Vice Captain,

Hate to be pedantic littlenails, but I think you will find David Thorpe was club captain in 1973.

Thorpe was vice-captain in '70 but was sacked (as VC) by Ted Whitten for the '71 season (along with the other leaders Stuey Magee and George Bissett. They were replaced by Gary Dempsey, Bernie Quinlan and Gary Merrington).

Whitten himself was sacked at the end of '71 and was replaced by Bob Rose. Rose left Dempsey as captain in '72 but went for Thorpe in '73. Thorpe went to Richmond in '74 (supposedly to play in a premiership but the rumblings were he didn't get on with Rose) and Dempsey was once again captain.

Thorpe only managed 14 games with Richmond but his last was the '74 premiership win.

 

[littlenails]

Being Pedantic

Thanks, you must be pedantic with the facts. We have to get those as right as we can. I want to know even if there are the slightest errors. Helps in credibility.


I appreciate any correction to the stats.


I think that Emmet Dunne was number 4. Does anybody know for sure whether he was number 4 or 16 or some other number?

 

[Spiritof82]

Think you're right about Dunne, was mixing him up with another ex Richmond player we got who played well for us for a few years then became our coach but let fame go to his head. He though he was better than what he was and decided to prostitute himself off to other clubs for a coaching position but in the end found out that he was damaged goods and no one wanted him.

He has a love child at Richmond now where he will coach next year if they can afford him and are happy to delist any player over 6 foot.

 

[Adrian Shelton]

Jarrod Thorpes biggest contribution to footy history that i know of was his 31 games for Norwood, was supposed to heading for Subiaco after that(in around 1990) Did he wind there or not?