Best Full Back Ever

Who is best full back in history of the league ?

  • Jack Regan

  • Fred Goldsmith

  • Kelvin Moore

  • Chris Langford

  • Geoff Southby

  • Matthew Scarlett

  • David Dench

  • Stephen Silvagni

Results are only viewable after voting.

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Meteoric Rise said:
Didn’t read the middle pages of this thread, so apologies if this ground has been covered.

There were two pre-eminent full backs during the world war eras. Richmond’s Vic Thorp and later Collingwood’s Jack Regan were both for many years the best full back in the game. I would suggest that relative to their era these are the best two full backs in the history of the game. Loads of old timers when I was growing up considered Regan clearly the best full back in history, but they may not have seen so much of Thorp who had been finished about 5 years when Regan started in 1930. I am not sure there has been anyone comparable since, relative to their own era.

With all due respect Silvagni being named FB in the team of the 20th century looks badly wrong to me. When you consider players like Pert and Langford it is arguable whether Silvagni is even the best FB of his era. When you consider Southby it is arguable Silvagni is not the best FB Carlton has had in the period.

Thorp on all accounts I have found was considered the best Full Back in the VFL for the vast majority of his career, which spanned 1910-1925, and still a great player until the end. He retired a VFL games record holder with 263 matches and that stood for ten more years.

Dick Reynolds wrote during his time Regan was clearly the best full back he ever saw play. It is doubtful Reynolds ever saw Thorp with his own eyes as Reynolds was 10 years old when Thorp retired. Thorp is one of only six Richmond immortals, the others being Hafey(coach) Bartlett, Bourke, Hart and Dyer. Thorp was in the 1950’s recognised by a football historian as the champion player of the colony for 1916(only four clubs competed in the VFL) and 1919. This was not an official award but does show the sort of standing he had within the game.

Anyone overlooking these two players in any discussion about the best full back in history is committing a travesty.
Click to expand...
Great post!

Jack Regan “the prince of full backs” was just that.
Tall, athletic, fast, a superb mark and brilliant kick. Out marked opponents to win the ball and drive it forward. That’s why umpires kept rewarding him.
Five times a top six Brownlow finisher from full back!
No one else comes close
127 career Brownlow votes from full back!
No one else comes close.

He’s not just the best. He’s the best and no one else is close.
 
Occidental said:
Great post!

Jack Regan “the prince of full backs” was just that.
Tall, athletic, fast, a superb mark and brilliant kick. Out marked opponents to win the ball and drive it forward. That’s why umpires kept rewarding him.
Five times a top six Brownlow finisher from full back!
No one else comes close
127 career Brownlow votes from full back!
No one else comes close.

He’s not just the best. He’s the best and no one else is close.
Click to expand...

Except Vic Thorp....😁.

Honestly Regan should have been selected in that 20th century team, simple as that. Thorp must have been a superb player but impossible to select as there just wouldn’t be enough relevant people who had seen him play to make a meaningful comparison. But from what I can make out he was considered the best full back in the comp for about his entire career, which spanned the most games played by the time he retired.

I grew up listening to people talk about Jack Regan who had seen him play and played against and with him. He was just universally admired as a footballer and until the day I die I will consider his omission from that team the only major blight.
 
Socrates2 said:
Lol he'll end up on at least 9 All Australians which means he was the best full back for 9 years in a row.He's a class above and your're showing bias because he fancy.
Click to expand...
Folks this is what happens when Richmond trolls post. They make an ass out of themselves.
Captain Bender, blaisee and beema limapep take notice.

Won't even go down as the best fullback in his period. Let alone era or all time.
 

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Art Vandelay_ said:
Folks this is what happens when Richmond trolls post. They make an ass out of themselves.
Captain Bender, blaisee and beema limapep take notice.

Won't even go down as the best fullback in his period. Let alone era or all time.
Click to expand...
About time you looked at my sig ;)
 
Regan should have been FB in the TOC ... SOS was only half way through his career at the time

SOS easily the best I’ve seen .... people talk about Carey v Jakovich but the truth was we never saw Carey play a great game v the Blues because SOS smashed him every time ... the beauty of SOS is he could play FB v Lockett Dunstall Ablett but then go out to CHB for Carey or even HB v Hird ...
 
Lots of interesting opinions here...

Does anyone have any hard facts ? Like goals ( team or individual ) conceded - or points ratio for/against, games won, flags won, B&F, brownlow etc...
 
The Cryptkeeper said:
How is Matthew Scarlett even an option? The guy was a half back flanker.
Click to expand...
2003 All Australian - Full Back
2004 All Australian - Full Back
2007 All Australian - Back Pocket
2008 All Australian - Full Back
2009 All Australian - Full Back
2011 All Australian - Back Pocket

For reference:

Luke McPharlin 1x AA
James Frawley 1x AA
Brian Lake 2x AA
Darren Glass 4x AA
Ben Rutten 1x AA

half back flanker Pfffft! Our half backs and pockets for over a decade comprised of Hunt, Wojcinski, Enright, Mackie and Milburn.
 
Alex Rance, Stephen Silvagni and Matthew Scarlett are the only 4 x All Australians to be named at Full Back.
 
The poll result I think is pretty fair, close between SOS and Scarlett. A few on the list could only be judged on stats because none of us is old enough to have seen them play.

Honorable mention for Rance who would have polled well but not sure he played solely at full back. He usually took the best forward who was often Centre Half Forward.

Cats had a full back in the 70s and 80s who I really admired Gary Malarkey. I put him on a par with Geoff Southby who was the other titan at full-back during that period and made OP's poll list. Both had to play on some of the best full forwards of all time, including the best in Peter Hudson.
 

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