Grant Birchall; Tasmania's best player ever?

[PenAndPaper]

Not enough Richo in this thread for my liking, I loved the bloke!

 

[seysearles]

Peter Hudson is the best footballer Tasmania has produced by a country mile. He has the best goals per game average in history at 5.64 which is between 20-25% better than both Locket and Dunstall and 5% better than the legendary John Coleman. He was a genuine freak of nature and if not for some devastating injuries could legitimately be spoken about as the greatest player to ever play the game.



edit: i didn't read the responses to the thread before i posted but it would seem many of you share the above sentiments.

 

[Agent Smith]

Peter Hudson really personified the term 'a freak of nature'. It's the only way to describe him - freakish. If you weren't keeping score, you'd often think he'd kicked two or three goals to half time when in reality he had six to his name. He really should be immortalised in song.

Hudson, you were the great full forward.

 

[pacman]

3 Premiership, elite foot skills, immense leadership and a proper hatred for Essendon.

Well, is he?

Not even the best Tasmanian for the Hawks - Peter Hudson
Others off the top of my head Baldock, Stewart & Richo.

There is an argument for top 5 but not the best.

 

[Gralin]

Wish I could have seen Hudson in his prime, lethal too for that matter. I was lucky enough to witness the 80's but as a young fella I didn't understand how lucky I was at the time and my memories are a little hazy.

 

[Gold Member]

Congratulations Birch for surpassing 5.64 goals per game career average!!!!

 

[Seymour Skinner]

I absolutely love watching Birch play, he's my second favourite non-Richmond player behind Dangerfield, but best ever is a very long stretch. Hudson, Hart, Stewart and I'd even chuck in Richo, doesn't have the accolades that Birch has but played some amazing footy in a very, very ordinary side.

 

[Hodgey 15]

Baldock, Hudson, Stewart - some great footballers there.

Tough to split those three for me.
Maybe Huddo but by a bee's appendage though.

 

[HAWKS HEROES]

out injured for 4-6 weeks

 

[Goldhawk]

Lucky it's only a slight knee injury could have been worse.

 

[HAWKS HEROES]

true

 

[seysearles]

Bloody jinxed him you mob did!

Hawthorn defender Grant Birchall to miss 4-6 weeks after hurting his knee at training

HAWTHORN defender Grant Birchall has been ruled out of the Hawks’ first NAB Challenge match after hurting his knee at training last week.

Birchall, who strained his medial ligament during a tackling drill, is expected to available for Hawthorn’s Round 1 blockbuster against Geelong.

HOW DEEP DOES YOUR AFL CLUB DEFENCE RUN?

The triple premiership defender will begin his running program on Monday, the first stage of his 4-6 week recovery.

Birchall played every game last year averaging 23 disposals to finish second in the club’s best and fairest.

The star rebounder missed seven games in 2013 after hurting his knee midway through the season.


http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/ha...knee-at-training/story-fndv8os9-1227216438556

 

[gollytas]

Here is the Tasmanain Football Team of The Century

B: Verdun Howell. Tassie Johnson. Ivor Warne-Smith
HB: Barry Lawrence. Laurie Nash. Brent Crosswell
C: Rodney Eade. Ian Stewart. Arthur Hodgson
HF: Darrel Baldock(C). Royce Hart. Daryn Cresswell
F: Horrie Gorringe. Peter Hudson. Alistair Lynch
Foll: Percy Jones. John Leedham(VC) Terry Cashion
Int: Niel Conlan. Darrin Pritchard. Paul Williams
Michael Roach. Len Pye. Rex Garwood. Matthew Richardson
Coach: Roy Cazaly
Assistant Coach: Robert Shaw

I am a follower of all Tassie footballers and I will be honest I haven't heard of a few of these guys, I'm sure some older guys on here might of heard of more than me.

It's a fair forward line if Roach and Richo can't make it

Also I think Birchall would be the only one since this was done that would be considered as an inclusion. Maybe Jack Riewoldt but probably not with that forward line

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

He's not even close.

Might sneak into the top 10 players, but thats about it.

 

[andrew coombs]

Amazing the quality of the players produced by the smallest state in the Commonwealth.

It could be argued that Hudson is in our top five players (maybe only second or third behind Barney), Baldock as St Kilda's best ever, Hart as Richmond's best ever, with Richo top ten, and Stewart not far behind Baldock for St Kilda and also rated highly at Richmond too. Hart and Stewart are AFL Team of the Century players, and you'd think that Hudson and Baldock were stiff to miss out.

We've done well out of the Apple Isle at Hawthorn, having had Hudson, Eade, Pritchard and Birchall all being big parts of some of our strongest teams.

I have always had Huddo as our second greatest, behind Leigh and ahead of JD. Had he not suffered the knee injury he would hold the goalkicking record clearly and our boys would be aiming at about our 15th premiership this year.

 

[medusala]

Amazing the quality of the players produced by the smallest state in the Commonwealth.

Of the many stains on Vlad's tenure his arrogant dismissal of the case for a Tasmanian team is up there.

 

[Steven Tyler]

Peter Hudson really personified the term 'a freak of nature'. It's the only way to describe him - freakish. If you weren't keeping score, you'd often think he'd kicked two or three goals to half time when in reality he had six to his name. He really should be immortalised in song.

Hudson, you were the great full forward.

Hudson number 26
150 through the sticks
1 more goal, and you will be, the champion of them all!

He WAS immortalized in song!

 

[Breretonisahood]

Of the many stains on Vlad's tenure his arrogant dismissal of the case for a Tasmanian team is up there.

A game I'd love to see again on DVD was a one-off return by Hudson late 1973 against ladder leader Collingwood at VFL Park. It was a desperate attempt by the Hawks to make the 5. I was at the game and watched Huddo kick 8 goals against the best defence in the VFL. They constantly double-teamed him but he still ran rings around them. He was hobbling around on painkillers and had barely played or trained since Round 1 1972 when he did his knee. He was an absolute freak who always seemed to be where the ball was going- never out of position. I'm afraid Birchall is not in the same class. BTW we lost the game and missed the 5.

 

[Procrastinator35]

Congratulations Birch for surpassing 5.64 goals per game career average!!!!

Sumfin tells me you missed a decimal placing....or 2

 

[Nuggets73]

Peter Hudson is the best footballer Tasmania has produced by a country mile. He has the best goals per game average in history at 5.64 which is between 20-25% better than both Locket and Dunstall and 5% better than the legendary John Coleman. He was a genuine freak of nature and if not for some devastating injuries could legitimately be spoken about as the greatest player to ever play the game.

View attachment 108500

edit: i didn't read the responses to the thread before i posted but it would seem many of you share the above sentiments.

Question for the for experienced Hawks supporters ... Prior to his injury, I heard that Hudson's goal average was more like 6.5 goals per game??? - Is this correct??
.. I've heard a lot of the old timers claim that Hudson, pre injury, was the forward to ever play the game ... and that was coming from Pies & Blues supporters!!!

PS - Love Birch ... Absolute warrior, class act ... on & off the field

 

[seysearles]

Question for the for experienced Hawks supporters ... Prior to his injury, I heard that Hudson's goal average was more like 6.5 goals per game??? - Is this correct??

Hudson was 31yrs old the year I was born. So sadly I am of no help to you

 

[Agent Smith]

Hudson number 26
150 through the sticks
1 more goal, and you will be, the champion of them all!

He WAS immortalized in song!

Yes I know. In fact, multiple songs. The last line of my post was the first line of another Huddo song.

BTW, happy birthday Huddo... if I heard right, you're 69 today.

 

[Lord Mud of Glenferrie]

Question for the for experienced Hawks supporters ... Prior to his injury, I heard that Hudson's goal average was more like 6.5 goals per game??? - Is this correct??
.. I've heard a lot of the old timers claim that Hudson, pre injury, was the forward to ever play the game ... and that was coming from Pies & Blues supporters!!!

PS - Love Birch ... Absolute warrior, class act ... on & off the field

That average could be correct. Those post knee games did drag down his average. Adelaide Hawk could probably tell you off the top of his head. Collingwood supporters reckon he couldn't play and McKenna was much better. Not so Mckenna he believed Hudson was the best ever. Carlton supporters (the most delusional in the comp) believed he was very overrated. For some reason Huddo did not perform so well against Carlton. If I remember correctly Wes Lofts was the first fullback to keep him goal less. Can't blame Carlton supporters. After all they are blinded by the dazzling colours of their jumpers.

When I get time I will do a check of that average. By the way, I am not an old timer I have just been around for some time.

 

[Breretonisahood]

That average could be correct. Those post knee games did drag down his average. Adelaide Hawk could probably tell you off the top of his head. Collingwood supporters reckon he couldn't play and McKenna was much better. Not so Mckenna he believed Hudson was the best ever. Carlton supporters (the most delusional in the comp) believed he was very overrated. For some reason Huddo did not perform so well against Carlton. If I remember correctly Wes Lofts was the first fullback to keep him goal less. Can't blame Carlton supporters. After all they are blinded by the dazzling colours of their jumpers.

When I get time I will do a check of that average. By the way, I am not an old timer I have just been around for some time.

Hudson kicked 606 goals from 101 games up to an including the game where he was injured. That's 6 per game- unbelievable. The tossers who say he was overrated either never saw him play or were just jealous. He still averaged 4-5 goals per game against the stronger sides of his day (Carlton, Collingwood, Richmond etc), its just that he averaged about 8 per game against the shit sides like Melbourne, South, North and Fitzroy. He wasn't spectacular like Coleman or a teen idol like McKenna, and that's why sometimes he seemed a bit ordinary. But you cannot argue with his goal-kicking prowess.

 

[Roddy]

Not so sure about about Tassie's best ever, but I love the Birch and would rate him the best rebounding half-back in the league and of the last 10 years.