Brian Taylor

[turtle27]

Question for Pies fans, what happened to Brian Taylor in the '90 finals series. My memory tells me he played in the drawn final against the Eagles at Waverly, but didn't play after that.

 

[Lockyer24]

I was only 10 at the time, maybe some of the older guys can shed some light. But from my understanding, BT was a spent force in 1990 very early in the season. He was dropped for the majority of the year but I think may have earned a recall for the EF after strong reserves form. He was then dropped for the replay or the Semi whatever game came next.

 

[turtle27]

Cheers L24, good luck in '05.

 

[hotpie]

Too slow (knees were shot), and basically past it. Spent most of the second half of the season in the seconds. Came back in late in the season when Michael Christian got dropped after a bout of poor form, but Crisso was always going to see September action. BT spent most of the drawn QF on the bench, and came on in the last quarter to kick two goals to save the Pies season. Finished his career off in style, even if it wasnt quite the way he wanted to go out.

He was a bit unlucky to be dropped (along with Ronnie McKeown and Alan Richardson, you can't play them all) especially as we didnt really have a key forward, but the side was simply too one-dimensional and predictable when he was in the side. We were better off with a forward line full of mobile midfielders and rucks.

 

[Cyclops]

Basically he was on the outer with Matthews, and by 1990 his time was up. He started to write the "Taylor Diaries" at the beginning of the year I think, and it wasn't a popular move.

He was getting past it but they brought him in for the drawn final vs West Coast and it was his finest hour. He took one big-arsed mark and drew an iffy free with some acting skills to claw us back into the match. Then there was Daic's goal, and Suma's point...

The next game Matthews went with pace and Barge was dropped, quite rightly. We annhilated them, took the foot off the pedal in the third quarter and still beat 'em by 10 goals.

The way we dominated vs Essendon the next two games, he would've snagged big hauls if he stayed at FF, but so would've Ronny McKeon. TD took a bunch of marks in the goalsquare vs Brown, who killed them on the lead, but was only 6 foot.

Ron McKeon and Alan Richardson were the unlucky ones. Ronny was a big lump who could really use his body and knew footy. He was fit at the time (he had a bung foot that stopped him from stringing good games together, but at his best he was a bouncing, high marking, torp lobbing freak), so he would've been even more of a handful for TD and Anthonty Danihar than Browny was. Alan Richardson had a broken bone from memory, but would've played if it killed him, he was a great servant of the club.

Still Kerro got the nod. Matthews has always been more interested in beating the oppostion than kicking high scores, and Kerrison was a rough tagger who gave nothing away and really went the man. On the day he played his best game, a great effort so good luck to him.

 

[Jabso]

Best commentator. I love his over the top calls for Triple M.
LEOOOOOOOOOOOON!

 

[The Scarecrow]

Didn't Leigh Matthews have something against Taylor? I read his book, and it has it in there. Taylor's book of course.

 

[1980GFVideo]

Apparently the book was a big part of the problem. The fact that they knew he was putting it together went against everything Mathews wanted from a football club - coming from Hawthorn.

Seeing him hardly being able to move from the goalsquare playing for Prahan the next year suggests he was well and truly past it. Shows how much footy can take it out of you given he was moving like an old man but only 29 years old.

 

[Johnny Destiny]

I tell you right now, without BT's late goals in the WC final, we would not have won the first AFL premiership.
A lot went our way that year, the "genius" Sheedy decided to rest his stars for the last home and away game so he could play all 4 Daniher brothers in the one team (a record)
Then we draw against WC and suddenly the rested Essendon champions go 3 weeks without match fitness.
I think Matthews saw the door ajar and went for a fast side, we already had Mckeown out of full back with an injury and he dropped Taylor effectively leaving the side without book ends.
Kelly and Christian took the key defensive posts which still gave us a lot of strength and height.
But the forwardline was imaginative to say the least, Crosisca to CHF and Brown to FF, a half back flanker and a winger in the key forward posts, even Starcevich was started on the bench, that forwardline was damn fast and it payed off after a tight opening.

 

[Murray]

And little Dougie Barwick playing for a part of the game at CHF

 

[NICK THE PIE MAN]

Leigh Matthews owes the 1990 flag to Taylor.
And his coaching career for that matter.

It was common knowledge that Matthews was gone in 1990 if we didn't perform in the finals after the failures of the '88 and '89 finals series.

 

[Johnny Destiny]

Leigh Matthews owes the 1990 flag to Taylor.
And his coaching career for that matter.

It was common knowledge that Matthews was gone in 1990 if we didn't perform in the finals after the failures of the '88 and '89 finals series.

Is it true Matthews tackled Alan Richardson on the thursday before the GF to test him and reinjured him?

 

[Nardz]

But the forwardline was imaginative to say the least, Crosisca to CHF and Brown to FF, a half back flanker and a winger in the key forward posts, even Starcevich was started on the bench, that forwardline was damn fast and it payed off after a tight opening.

didnt brown kick 70 odd goals that season? i was too young to remember most of the H&A season, but i imagine kicking 70 goals in a year he wouldntve been a regular on the wing...

 

[hotpie]

Is it true Matthews tackled Alan Richardson on the thursday before the GF to test him and reinjured him?

No, it was Francis Bourke who tested Mick Malthouse in 1982. Richardson was fit enough to play even if not 100%, but because he was not a name player like Millane or Brown he wasnt allowed to go in at 80%.

Instead Kerrison was selected for his toughness. In hindsight I would have played Richardson and left out Turner.

 

[Nardz]

. In hindsight I would have played Richardson and left out Turner.

in hindsight who cares. We won the flag. That's all that matters.

 

[The Scarecrow]

Who would of been left out if Taylor was given a shot?

 

[hotpie]

Who would of been left out if Taylor was given a shot?

If it was a big man, probably Manson. If it was a midfielder, Turner. On balance, Turner, because we went in with a small side and Manson was the only second ruck apart from maybe Christian.