The way I think of it, how would Dunstall have gone had he played for St Kilda in the mud in the 80's, in a terrible team, with poor delivery and then for us in the 90's and Sydney after that and conversely, how would Lockett have gone had he been getting the lace-out delivery all day long from the likes of Buckenara, Pritchard, Platten, Jarman, etc, in a dominant team, year after year, in his prime years (before injuries started to take a toll)?
Take 1989 as an example. In spite of the fact that we finished 3rd last that year, Plugger was extraordinarily dominant and kicked a whopping 78 goals from just 11 games. That's just half a season, without any finals. Had he been playing for Hawthorn that year, played the 24 games that Dunstall played and maintained that average, he would have had a 170 goal season! Playing for a better, more dominant team, he may have even kicked more than that. That's how well he was going that year (at just 23yo) and how good he was.
Lockett was so good that it didn't really matter how we got it to him, but he still would have gotten more chances and much better delivery had he been playing for Hawthorn instead and as such it blows my mind to think of how many goals he would have kicked in those seasons when Hawthorn dominated, had he been playing for them, like Dunstall was, compared to how many he kicked for us in the mud at Moorabbin and so-on.
It would have also been a hell of a lot harder to double-team Lockett (or for the likes of Monkhurst to drop back into the hole in front of him) had he been playing at the bigger Waverley ground more in the 80's, like Dunstall was. Left one-out, there just would have been no stopping him. He would have just killed them on the lead, in the air, whatever. I genuinely reckon he might have given 2000 career goals a nudge had he been the one recruited by Hawthorn. Injuries (and suspensions) also held him back a considerable amount over the journey.
I think if you asked anyone who played full forward which team they would have preferred to play for, that they would have 100% picked Hawthorn over us and that's because it would have been a much, much easier gig and given them a much greater chance to dominate (on top of the other reasons you'd pick them- perhaps unless you already barracked for us).
Plugger dominated extraordinarily in spite of playing for us.
Dunstall, who I saw a heap of, was bloody good, very consistent, team oriented and very professional, but Plugger was just in another league, especially in the 80's, before his body started to hold his performances back.
Some evidence for this I believe is that by the time Lockett was the age Dunstall was when made his debut (ie. the season they both turned 21yo- for Lockett, 1987, for Dunstall, 1985), Tony had already won a freaking Brownlow medal and that when he was just 18yo, in the team that came dead-last, Lockett kicked an incredible 77 goals (in his 2nd season, from 20 games). That's right, 77 goals, at 18yo, in the team that came last (with just 5 wins). Dunstall also kicked 77 goals in his 2nd season (after kicking 36 in 16 games in his debut year), but in his case he was 22yo, played 22 games and was playing for the team that won 18 games in the H&A rounds and then the premiership.
Plugger was just on another level and it's a shame that more didn't get to see him when he was in his absolute prime, in those late 80's (due to the fact he played for a terrible team, who didn't make it onto the TV much) and that he only played 31 of 66 games in the 3 seasons after he won that Brownlow at 21yo.
Take 1989 as an example. In spite of the fact that we finished 3rd last that year, Plugger was extraordinarily dominant and kicked a whopping 78 goals from just 11 games. That's just half a season, without any finals. Had he been playing for Hawthorn that year, played the 24 games that Dunstall played and maintained that average, he would have had a 170 goal season! Playing for a better, more dominant team, he may have even kicked more than that. That's how well he was going that year (at just 23yo) and how good he was.
Lockett was so good that it didn't really matter how we got it to him, but he still would have gotten more chances and much better delivery had he been playing for Hawthorn instead and as such it blows my mind to think of how many goals he would have kicked in those seasons when Hawthorn dominated, had he been playing for them, like Dunstall was, compared to how many he kicked for us in the mud at Moorabbin and so-on.
It would have also been a hell of a lot harder to double-team Lockett (or for the likes of Monkhurst to drop back into the hole in front of him) had he been playing at the bigger Waverley ground more in the 80's, like Dunstall was. Left one-out, there just would have been no stopping him. He would have just killed them on the lead, in the air, whatever. I genuinely reckon he might have given 2000 career goals a nudge had he been the one recruited by Hawthorn. Injuries (and suspensions) also held him back a considerable amount over the journey.
I think if you asked anyone who played full forward which team they would have preferred to play for, that they would have 100% picked Hawthorn over us and that's because it would have been a much, much easier gig and given them a much greater chance to dominate (on top of the other reasons you'd pick them- perhaps unless you already barracked for us).
Plugger dominated extraordinarily in spite of playing for us.
Dunstall, who I saw a heap of, was bloody good, very consistent, team oriented and very professional, but Plugger was just in another league, especially in the 80's, before his body started to hold his performances back.
Some evidence for this I believe is that by the time Lockett was the age Dunstall was when made his debut (ie. the season they both turned 21yo- for Lockett, 1987, for Dunstall, 1985), Tony had already won a freaking Brownlow medal and that when he was just 18yo, in the team that came dead-last, Lockett kicked an incredible 77 goals (in his 2nd season, from 20 games). That's right, 77 goals, at 18yo, in the team that came last (with just 5 wins). Dunstall also kicked 77 goals in his 2nd season (after kicking 36 in 16 games in his debut year), but in his case he was 22yo, played 22 games and was playing for the team that won 18 games in the H&A rounds and then the premiership.
Plugger was just on another level and it's a shame that more didn't get to see him when he was in his absolute prime, in those late 80's (due to the fact he played for a terrible team, who didn't make it onto the TV much) and that he only played 31 of 66 games in the 3 seasons after he won that Brownlow at 21yo.
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