AFL. The game for all sizes. AFL's smallest players.

[Engimal]

Brent Harvey is our shortest. Funnily enough, official records used to have him standing at 172 cm but now the data has been changed to 167 cm. I do recall that Harvey had Matthew Campbell by a centimetre or two, or so he claimed in an interview.

EDIT:

Haha.

 

[Scotland]

The AFL's bullshit rules means it's no longer a game for all sizes. The new interchange and ruck rules will result in less and less tall players and the real giants that everyone loves will become extinct

Good luck finding a 185cm ruckman to compete with Nick Naitanui.

Rule changes and developments in sports science aren't going to take talls out of the game, they're going to reduce the emphasis on being good at football compared to being an athletic specimen.

We're just going to see more and more Majak Daws occupy list spots while players like Michael Barlow rack up 50 touches away in the lower leagues but don't get a chance because they can't run 14 in the beep test or sprint 100m in less than 12 sec.

 

[Ron The Bear]

whos the smallest ever, libba?

Shortest (and tallest) VFL/AFL players born in each calendar year

http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/stats-questions.982511/page-127#post-31519727

 

[DudleyB]

Talls will still be considered valuable but there will be less positions for them on the ground. I.e. a lot of teams will go from having 3 tall forwards to just 1 or 2 (which will also see less tall defenders) and the rucking set up will also be downsized.

Tell this to GWS. They must have missed the memo.
Let the Swans know as well - save them wasting all that cash on Franklin and Tippet.

 

[DudleyB]

whos the smallest ever, libba?

Danny Craven was 162cm

The Saints had a bigger midget in the 80s - can't remember his name. Italian name...

 

[Bollox]

Danny Craven was 162cm

The Saints had a bigger midget in the 80s - can't remember his name. Italian name...

Dont know the Italian name bloke..but surely Paul Callery was the tiniest. From what i was told he'd be lucky to have pushed 5'4 with long stops on concrete. Wouldnt surprise me if i heard he was the shortest for the last 50-60 yrs. You see old 70's footage and he looks like a gnat buzzing around.

 

[Cylon7]

You continually sprout this, but whenever asked to provide specifics or the detail you fail to deliver every single time. This passive aggressive crap won't change a thing unless you have the guts to come out and state what happened.

Read the threads.
There is nothing passive or aggressive - just stating what happened.
The press know.

 

[Albert Ross]

I'd say that average would rise considerably if it were limited to Australian males aged between 18-35.

I doubt that includes children or old people.

It would be an age where you're full grown.

Average height for Australian male between 18-24 is 178.8cm. So we are still basically saying that someone of average height is a rover or pocket player - and probably only 10% (4 players per squad?) of AFL players are that height or shorter.

http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4338.0main+features212011-13

 

[Spluff]

while players like Michael Barlow rack up 50 touches away in the lower leagues but don't get a chance because they can't run 14 in the beep test or sprint 100m in less than 12 sec.

Michael Barlow ran a 14.12 beep test and recorded 2.89 secs for the 20m sprint...

 

[Deep Blue]

Thought Alwyn Davey was the current smallest at about 166cm.

Looks like the smallest (shortest anyway) was a bloke called Bradford:

James “Nipper” Bradford holds the honour of the shortest footy player ever in the VFL/AFL and at 155 cm and 53 kg, managed a very credible 24 goals in a 16 game career at Collingwood and North Melbourne in the 1940s.

 

[Ron The Bear]

The famous Doug Nicholls stood only 5'2" (157cm).

 

[Bosk]

The AFL rules against charging with your head puts shorter players at a disadvantage. Some free kicks will be given away for just being short, taller players already have a advantage in marking contests now in contested situations thats bullshit

True but don't forget that taller players have a tougher time getting down low to tackle opponents around the waist. This is why guys like Lance Franklin often give away frees for high contact. (poor technique may be another)

I reckon if you looked at the stats throughout history you'd find that the most prolific tacklers were invariably shorter players.

 

[Whistling Hawk]

Good luck finding a 185cm ruckman to compete with Nick Naitanui.

Rule changes and developments in sports science aren't going to take talls out of the game, they're going to reduce the emphasis on being good at football compared to being an athletic specimen.

We're just going to see more and more Majak Daws occupy list spots while players like Michael Barlow rack up 50 touches away in the lower leagues but don't get a chance because they can't run 14 in the beep test or sprint 100m in less than 12 sec.

It's not just the leap on a player either. Natanui at 201 cm also has a longer wingspan than someone shorter than him so the shorter bloke has to have an even bigger leap again to beat him.
It's one of the reasons Sandilands is so dominant. Probably has a 15 cm advantage already over someone who is only 10cm shorter than him without even jumping.

 

[mike123]

True but don't forget that taller players have a tougher time getting down low to tackle opponents around the waist. This is why guys like Lance Franklin often give away frees for high contact. (poor technique may be another)

I reckon if you looked at the stats throughout history you'd find that the most prolific tacklers were invariably shorter players.

I'm saying breaking a takle will be harder for shorter players not laying them.

 

[Top_4_Tiger]

The AFL's bullshit rules means it's no longer a game for all sizes. The new interchange and ruck rules will result in less and less tall players and the real giants that everyone loves will become extinct

20-30 years ago a KPF was tall if they were 188cm. Players less than 190cm could compete in the ruck too.

Now 195cm is average for talls and 200cm for rucks.

From that perspective, the if you're right and taller giants are becoming extinct, then they weren't around for long to begin with.

 

[Concussion]

Tony Bahaja, Essendon in the 80s (not sure of spelling) would have been one of the smallest to play the game.

 

[kranky al]

Ashton hams was 174cm 73kg

 

[Donakebab]

Travis Colyer is the shortest on our list at 175cm/75kg. Orazio Fantasia is the lightest at 178cm/64kg.

Honourable mention for height to weight ratio goes to rookie Johnny Rayner at 184cm/68kg.

 

[threenewpadlocks]

John Barnes and Jeff White would have to be the shortest rucks in recent decades, 193/194cm and often when up against blokes who were generally listed at 200cm

Wayde Skipper rucked for Dogs and Hawthorn as recently as 2010 listed at 193 cm, and rucked for Port Melbourne in the VFL last year. Must have had a long wingspan, because I don't recall him being a brilliant leaper.

 

[Collins-Langford-Ayres]

Can't see the talls disappearing as some suggest.