Geelong's string of full forwards

[Turbocat]

Phil Baker played 1 year and went back to North,Paul Johnston took some great marks but wow was his kicking bad..S Reynoldson was the next super star...…SNichols GExell

I was going to mention Snake... and did that Port Adelaide FF try out with us for a season.. a bit like Fred Cook gun at that lower level...

 

[Turbocat]

Can we extend this discussion to opine on who we regard as the best ever dual combo throughout the comp?
I would have to say
1. Dunstall- Brereton
2. Longmire- Carey
3. Lockett-Loewe

Plugger the best FF i have ever seen... Dunstall was like Borg in tennis... and seeing his persona now its like he was a different person... almost unstoppable in the haw side. Hudson not my taste but look at his numbers... Modra must have been what Pratt was like.... but a very under rated name is McKenna. He was a beautiful shot at goal.

 

[FredLeDeux]

From memory Ryan had the double handed ball drop which looked awkward but was effective in front of the big sticks.
His mark V Saints where he stood on the shoulders of a guy who was also in the air riding another bloke remains one of my all time favourites

Wade was the man though - those huge torps sailing well over post height straight thru the middle from huge distances out were unforgettable - note some exaggeration possible from my memories as a young tacker

This Club has given me so much enjoyment over the last 55 or so years

Apart from being a more than useful FF/CHF, Billy actually also played some pretty good footy as a Ruck-Rover.

 

[Larry Donohue]

True, specially at Kardinia Park, some awesome memories.

Glad to be around for those magic times. A special period for the cats back then too.

 

[FredLeDeux]

Plugger the best FF i have ever seen... Dunstall was like Borg in tennis... and seeing his persona now its like he was a different person... almost unstoppable in the haw side. Hudson not my taste but look at his numbers... Modra must have been what Pratt was like.... but a very under rated name is McKenna. He was a beautiful shot at goal.

McKenna was an interesting one.
Like Wade with Goggin, he had a huge help in Barry Price (a beautiful kick) slamming it on his chest on his leads.

 

[Turbocat]

McKenna was an interesting one.
Like Wade with Goggin, he had a huge help in Barry Price (a beautiful kick) slamming it on his chest on his leads.

Agreed.. and to some degree its why he is underrated... that era had so many gun forwards that he over looked. If Matty Richardson could have kicked like McKenna ..he would perhaps have been better than Buddy.

 

[Max Milburn]

Glendinning/Sumich

 

[FredLeDeux]

Blight/Blight.

And, at the other end,
Blight/Some FB or Other.

 

[Max Milburn]

Brown/Lynch

 

[Larry Donohue]

Plugger the best FF i have ever seen... Dunstall was like Borg in tennis... and seeing his persona now its like he was a different person... almost unstoppable in the haw side. Hudson not my taste but look at his numbers... Modra must have been what Pratt was like.... but a very under rated name is McKenna. He was a beautiful shot at goal.

Cant ever understate Peter Hudson. He had a magnetic force. Didnt look like a footballer but somehow had the ball in his court and his flat punting was remarkable.
Another understated CHF/FF combo at the time was at Melbourne. The team was weak but they were very capable. Ross Dillon and Greg Parkes were a fabulous combo.

 

[Larry Donohue]

Brown/Lynch

Bridas/Baker
Templeton/Beasley
Cornes/Tredrea
Merrett/Capper

 

[Larry Donohue]

From memory Ryan had the double handed ball drop which looked awkward but was effective in front of the big sticks.
His mark V Saints where he stood on the shoulders of a guy who was also in the air riding another bloke remains one of my all time favourites

Wade was the man though - those huge torps sailing well over post height straight thru the middle from huge distances out were unforgettable - note some exaggeration possible from my memories as a young tacker

This Club has given me so much enjoyment over the last 55 or so years

Glad you have enjoyed those guys too. We are incredibly lucky to have followed such a skilled team over a long time. Your memories of Ryan and Wade ring true for me too.
That was a particularly enjoyable club period.
West and Mitchell, Walker Marshall Scarlett Sharrock Rosenow Andrews Strahan Closter Polinelli Ryan Wade Newman Farmer Goggin Newland
Brilliant talent

 

[FredLeDeux]

Glad you have enjoyed those guys too. We are incredibly lucky to have followed such a skilled team over a long time. Your memories of Ryan and Wade ring true for me too.
That was a particularly enjoyable club period.
West and Mitchell, Walker Marshall Scarlett Sharrock Rosenow Andrews Strahan Closter Polinelli Ryan Wade Newman Farmer Goggin Newland
Brilliant talent

A couple of Lords, and Devine.

 

[Spazz Cat]

Bridas/Baker
Templeton/Beasley
Cornes/Tredrea
Merrett/Capper

Did Quinlan have a decent FF to work with?
Never got to see him play but looked like bloody gun from all the highlights I've seen.

 

[Turbocat]

Glad you have enjoyed those guys too. We are incredibly lucky to have followed such a skilled team over a long time. Your memories of Ryan and Wade ring true for me too.
That was a particularly enjoyable club period.
West and Mitchell, Walker Marshall Scarlett Sharrock Rosenow Andrews Strahan Closter Polinelli Ryan Wade Newman Farmer Goggin Newland
Brilliant talent

How good...? Davis loved him

 

[Drunkcat]

Joe Radojevic did he ever try out? VFA all clubs had good full forwards

 

[Vdubs]

How good...? Davis loved him

Farmer, Goggin, Marshall- best ever trio?
Farmer, Goggin, Wade, Marshall- best ever 4-some?

 

[Vdubs]

Plugger the best FF i have ever seen... Dunstall was like Borg in tennis... and seeing his persona now its like he was a different person... almost unstoppable in the haw side. Hudson not my taste but look at his numbers... Modra must have been what Pratt was like.... but a very under rated name is McKenna. He was a beautiful shot at goal.

The best of them all as far as a package to rival Ablett snr as a freak talent at FF was John Coleman. Never saw him, but people at Geelong in the 70's - 80's who worked for the club and had seen him said he was something else- the Polly Farmer of FF.
McKenna was great to watch- perfect action and so accurate.
Modra was great to watch for more spectacular reasons.
Another absolute gun was Bernie Quinlan. SuperBoot, aptly named. Similarly dominant was Kelvin Templeton. In many of these cases, they did not have to share the limelight with other similarly skilled players.

 

[Farmer2Goggin]

Glad you have enjoyed those guys too. We are incredibly lucky to have followed such a skilled team over a long time. Your memories of Ryan and Wade ring true for me too.
That was a particularly enjoyable club period.
West and Mitchell, Walker Marshall Scarlett Sharrock Rosenow Andrews Strahan Closter Polinelli Ryan Wade Newman Farmer Goggin Newland
Brilliant talent

Such a great list of names
Can recall catching the train at Essendon station to the G in anticipation of the centre line duel between Polinelli/Marshall/Closter and Clay/Barrott/Bourke
Great memories

 

[Larry Donohue]

How good...? Davis loved him

Marshall was an absolute star. He would have played well in current play. Played a lot across half back but was quick, had a beautiful side step and used the ball with precision on both sides. Combine a Dusty with a Robert Harvey and you'd go close to having him. Great talent. Didnt stay long enough.
Has been on Open Mike. Worth a look

 

[Larry Donohue]

Such a great list of names
Can recall catching the train at Essendon station to the G in anticipation of the centre line duel between Polinelli/Marshall/Closter and Clay/Barrott/Bourke
Great memories

Brilliant battle that would have been. I preferred Bourke Stewart and Barrot when they put Dick Clay in the backline.
Closter and Polinelli were favourites too.

 

[Larry Donohue]

Did Quinlan have a decent FF to work with?
Never got to see him play but looked like bloody gun from all the highlights I've seen.

Quinlan did it on his own. If we had him now Id be very confident for a flag. He was mobile and could kick the ball with accuracy half the length of the ground. Best kick I ever saw. Without doubt. Loved him. He did have Mick Conlan and Richard Osbourne for support though.
So many brownlow medalists from the dogs in that era. Most won them after they left.
Quinlan. Dempsey, Round, Hardy, Wilson, Templeton. So much talent

 

[iameviljez]

Brown/Lynch

From a similar era: Gherig and Riewoldt were a fantastic forward setup, because they complimented each other so well. Riewoldt's ability to run all day and jump like Superman opened up so much space for the bigger Gherig and was a massive factor in Gherig hitting the ton.

 

[iameviljez]

Apart from being a more than useful FF/CHF, Billy actually also played some pretty good footy as a Ruck-Rover.

Blight did later say on Open Mike that, if he'd had his time again, he'd have put Stoneham at CHB, entrusted Billy with CHF, and put Ablett at FF.

I only started following footy in 1993, when Billy was unceremoniously shoved out of the way, only to kick bags of goals when Ablett missed a game.

Even then, though - Blight was right. We should have put Stoneham at CHB, McGrath at FB, and undersized Tim Darcy to the back pocket, where he wouldn't have been giving so much body size away to Dunstall and the like.

 

[FredLeDeux]

Marshall was an absolute star. He would have played well in current play. Played a lot across half back but was quick, had a beautiful side step and used the ball with precision on both sides. Combine a Dusty with a Robert Harvey and you'd go close to having him. Great talent. Didnt stay long enough.
Has been on Open Mike. Worth a look

Tim Watson was the closest equivalent of Marshall, almost a clone.