Opinion Geelongs best 22 ever, with a twist.

[Vdubs]

I don't think Gary Malarkey has been mentioned, he was playing when I was very young and Dad thought he was our best FB until Scarlett and perhaps Lonergan came along... Would he also fit this category?

Was a great FB, and for his lack of height, even more meritorious. But this is not about talent really, the way I read it, but that sort of player with seemingly no care for self preservation at all in any contest.

 

[Vdubs]

Don't want to spoil this for people, but Ablett Snr was for most of his career a poor defensive player and not particularly team oriented.
No one mentioning the bravest player Iv'e seen, (along with Selwood) Brenton Sanderson.

Interesting that we see different things in players. While Sando always put in 100%, he never struck me as one of these that we are discussing, that hatred of losing.

 

[ijaxcat]

Interesting that we see different things in players. While Sando always put in 100%, he never struck me as one of these that we are discussing, that hatred of losing.

Obviously, this thread has severe limitations.
Everyone has differing interpretations of what they see, there are insightful observers of the game and others, not so much.
It would appear sometimes that the, " not so much " go on to become commentators.
How can we look at a player on the field and judge his hatred of losing? That is simply not possible.
When doing the exercise associated with this thread, I and it seems most others, include the players we judge as tough and hard at the ball,
or in the past, hard at the player. What about an outside player like Peter Riccardi, did he hate losing less than others?
He didn't bust open packs but he could have run himself to exhaustion for his team and his will to win.
We don't and cannot know the answer, but no one will include him in their team.
We are judging based on our perception, and not only this, in many instances on reputation.
People who followed GA senior's career will know that he could not be included in a team with the premise of this thread, however most
had him in no questions asked.
GA junior sobbed out on the ground after the 2008 GF, some will say, there, he hates losing, I'm putting him in.
This thread asks a question, for which the correct answer is an impossibility.
I mentioned Sanderson based on my statement that he (along with Selwood) is the bravest player I have seen.
I'll never forget a game in the nineties when he ran back with the flight, eyes on the ball and was cleaned up badly.
The later newspaper photo showed Sando with a large gash over his eye while still parallel to and 4 feet of the ground.
When he later reemerged stitched and bandaged, one of his first acts was to run back with flight again, without hesitation.
Did he hate to lose, maybe he did, but that type of physical act lingers in our thoughts to form our perception.
You seem to think that he didn't hate losing, perhaps you could enlighten us on exactly how you could know that?
The other limitation is time, we mostly pick players that come from the years we remember.
I can remember back to the early sixties so when I pick a team for this it will start there, but may contain a couple of old time players
I've read about.

 

[Vdubs]

Obviously, this thread has severe limitations.
Everyone has differing interpretations of what they see, there are insightful observers of the game and others, not so much.
It would appear sometimes that the, " not so much " go on to become commentators.
How can we look at a player on the field and judge his hatred of losing? That is simply not possible.
When doing the exercise associated with this thread, I and it seems most others, include the players we judge as tough and hard at the ball,
or in the past, hard at the player. What about an outside player like Peter Riccardi, did he hate losing less than others?
He didn't bust open packs but he could have run himself to exhaustion for his team and his will to win.
We don't and cannot know the answer, but no one will include him in their team.
We are judging based on our perception, and not only this, in many instances on reputation.
People who followed GA senior's career will know that he could not be included in a team with the premise of this thread, however most
had him in no questions asked.
GA junior sobbed out on the ground after the 2008 GF, some will say, there, he hates losing, I'm putting him in.
This thread asks a question, for which the correct answer is an impossibility.
I mentioned Sanderson based on my statement that he (along with Selwood) is the bravest player I have seen.
I'll never forget a game in the nineties when he ran back with the flight, eyes on the ball and was cleaned up badly.
The later newspaper photo showed Sando with a large gash over his eye while still parallel to and 4 feet of the ground.
When he later reemerged stitched and bandaged, one of his first acts was to run back with flight again, without hesitation.
Did he hate to lose, maybe he did, but that type of physical act lingers in our thoughts to form our perception.
You seem to think that he didn't hate losing, perhaps you could enlighten us on exactly how you could know that?
The other limitation is time, we mostly pick players that come from the years we remember.
I can remember back to the early sixties so when I pick a team for this it will start there, but may contain a couple of old time players
I've read about.

Excellent post.
And tbh, we probably haven't even nailed what TB was after in his OP. But your points are spot-on, and thought provoking.
I guess we decide by the single-minded way a player attacks the ball how desperate they are, and Selwood & Buddha need no explanation, justification, or clarification.
Others may be more subjective on our part.
Your points about Riccardi and Sando are great, and I'm worse off for having missed that Sando episode.
I also go back to the 60's, as my "team" will attest to a few posts back, but another player you reminded me about- Mandingo- Mark Bos- he had that steely glint in his eye and players knew he would stop at nothing.
I'm also fortunate that used to do a little work at the club early 80's, hence the mention of Denham.

 

[ijaxcat]

Excellent post.
And tbh, we probably haven't even nailed what TB was after in his OP. But your points are spot-on, and thought provoking.
I guess we decide by the single-minded way a player attacks the ball how desperate they are, and Selwood & Buddha need no explanation, justification, or clarification.
Others may be more subjective on our part.
Your points about Riccardi and Sando are great, and I'm worse off for having missed that Sando episode.
I also go back to the 60's, as my "team" will attest to a few posts back, but another player you reminded me about- Mandingo- Mark Bos- he had that steely glint in his eye and players knew he would stop at nothing.
I'm also fortunate that used to do a little work at the club early 80's, hence the mention of Denham.

Mark Bos will be on my bench.