Great Football Moments : Stonka's tackle

[Mobbs]

1989 Reserve Grand Final, Geelong player scarpering down the wing, coldly pursued by an inspired John Ironmonger.

Twelve foot seventy inches of Boral Exhaust Stack lumbering after a mosquito.

Hand in back of shorts, lock finger into jocks, stumble to the ground ... and mediocrity kills the cat!

On the wing, what a chase, what a tackle, but what an opportunity lost!

SHOULDAH GIVEN HIM A WEDGIE!

Cheers Stonkah, a Roys legend!

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Hallowed be thy Roy

 

[Super Boot]

What about Micky's goal to put us 1 point infront of the Bombers at VFL park in the 1986 elimination final . Yes those were the days.

 

[Darky]

Surely there has never been a better tackle than the spear tackle Ironmonger executed on Graham Wright about 10 years ago! As frightening and as dangerous as it was, it was a completely legal tackle, and if I recall correctly, Ironmonger was paid the free kick for Wright holding the ball.

 

[Olmy]

Kev and Darky - I remember both of those tackles.

Remember J.Wynd's tackle on Marshall(?) in Adelaide in '91??? (The one where he got pinged, despite it being the best tackle ever laid . . .).

I also remember Tony Woods' goal to get us up in that '89 GF.

 

[Fat Pizza]

They were all great tackles. Some coaches used to use video footage of the Jim Wynd tackle, to teach players how to execute the perfect tackle.

That sensational spear tackle on Graham Wright was legal at the time & Big Johnny did get the free. The rule was later changed (because it was incredibly dangerous) & Ironmonger was nabbed on trial by video & suspended for a couple of weeks. Talk about changing the goalposts (if you'll pardon the pun).

Do you also remember Ironmonger's last game for the Roys, when he dribbled through about 4 goals? He'd only kicked 5 in his whole career up until that day.

And as for the 1989 Reserves Grand Final, what about Dean Lupson?

 

[Mobbs]

I sure remember Stonka's pile-drive, it was right in front of us, on the wing at Princes Park, in front of the Hawthorn stand.

Wright picked the ball up off the ground, turned, and saw Ironmonger preparing to tackle him. Scared Wrighty six feet off the ground, it did

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Hallowed be thy Roy

 

[Olmy]

Yeah, Ironmonger in one of his last games kicked about 5. That was in '91. Was it against North, when Rosco Lyon kicked the sealer?

 

[Fat Pizza]

That was the game, Olmy - I couldn't confirm the year. I think Jamie Elliott kicked a pearler that day too.

As for Graeme Wright, he was lucky he didn't finish 6 fett UNDER the ground.

 

[Olmy]

In '91, Matty Rendell followed up a few weeks later against WCE, with a great game - his last for the Roys.

 

[Mr Ripper]

Originally posted by Olmy:
Yeah, Ironmonger in one of his last games kicked about 5. That was in '91. Was it against North, when Rosco Lyon kicked the sealer?

Yeah, JI got 4 that day. (3 in the last quarter!) And Rossy Lyon booted the winner, quite right, Olmy.

This'll refresh ya memory!

Round 22, 1991
Sat, Aug 17
FITZROY 7. 5 14. 9 17.14 22.16.148
NORTH MELBOURNE 4. 2 14. 6 16.12 21.21.147
GOALS: Fitz- Ironmonger 4, Wheildon 3, Cormack 2, Baldwin 2, Stephens 2, Osborne 2, Roos, Dundas, Wynd, Kappler, Lyon, Harding, Caven.
N.M- Allison 5, Carey 4, German 3, Romero 3, Longmire 2, Rock, Larkin, McCarthy, Sholl.
BEST: Fitz- Roos, Ironmonger, Blakey, Wynd, Baldwin, Lynch.
N.M- German, Allison, Sholl, Romero, Schwass, Larkin.
UMPIRES: Rich, Van Beek. CROWD: 8,588 @ Princes Park


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Olmy knows best

[This message has been edited by Mr Ripper (edited 05 March 2001).]

 

[Olmy]

Gee! I didn't remember the scoreline being as big as that though!

 

[OldLion]

Trying to remember the Tank's goal of the year where he headbutted his way thru' a pack ( v Hawthorm ? ) and snapped truly - any ideas ? I'm thinking 84 'cause it was at PP.

 

[Olmy]

Fat Pizza has a similar account of the Doc headbutting someone in Tasmania and kicking one out of mid-air, over his head from the boundary in '92 (or something like that, at least).

Care to do the honours, Fat Pizza?

 

[Fat Pizza]

Conlan did it twice! Once against St Kilda, after headbutting Trevor Barker in the chest & the other was against Hawthorn, with Peter Russo on the receiving end. The era was about 1979 to '81, at a guess.

I don't know that Doc actually headbutted anyone, but he did swing around & kick a goal from mid-air on the boundary line, in Tassie. I think it was in that game, when we were absolutely slaughtered by Hawthorn.

Doc's goal was the best I have ever seen, but he didn't even win Goal of the Week on Channel 7. Can you believe that? They gave it to Daicos, admittedly for a very good goal, but nowhere near as good as Doc's. The reason given by the commentators, was that Doc's was a fluke. It may have been a fluke that it went through, but I have no doubt he was trying to kick a goal.

I'd love to have videos of any of those 3 goals.

Mickey Conlan, He's Our Man,
If He Can't Kick It, No-one Can.

 

[OldLion]

I've got a few videos - esp. the 1983 The season thing that is done every year. There's also a best goals section with the Doc's speculative effort in Tassie featuring.

 

[Mr Ripper]

Yeah that Micky Conlan goal where he headbutted Peter Russo was in 1984.

It was early in the year when we were really struggling, but that day we were 5 goals up and going beautifully late in the third quarter. Alas, Terry Wallace stepped up and had about 500 kicks in 10 minutes and we went down by 5 or so goals.

Another thing I remember about that day was Graeme Hinchen's job in the back pocket on Leigh Matthews. I recall thinking that Hinch had done a real good job...until checking the Sunday Press the next day and seeing Lethal had put 7 majors on the board.

Bootnote: Bernie kicked his 600th career goal in that match.

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Olmy knows best

 

[Mobbs]

The Doc goal was in Tassie, but it wasn't against Hawthorn.

I think it was against North. If we had only one win down there, and the win was against North, then that was the game where Doc kicked the goal out of mid-air from the boundary line.

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Hallowed be thy Roy

 

[Mr Ripper]

Want the definitive Doc answer?

It was vs the Weagles; Sunday, May 3, 1992. The very same day Geelong broke our record score.

A bittersweet afternoon, to be sure.

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Olmy knows best

 

[Mobbs]

Thank you!

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Hallowed be thy Roy

 

[IAMDASH]

I was pretty young at the time but I think one day the ORIGINAL FLEA (AS OPPOSED TO THE IMPOSTER FLEA - READ DALE WEIGHTMAN) knocked out jimmy jess with a hip and shoulder