Player Watch Josh Thomas (Retired 2021)

Oct 7, 2001
21,828
18,329
In the Pocket Rocket, lights ablaze!
AFL Club
Collingwood
Sorry, Clenbuterol was the steroid I was talking about that is in synthetic coke. I am not defending them, they did not know it had clenbuterol in it. My point is they didn't intend to take PED's. stop trying to put words in my mouth. I couldn't give a fu** if they never plkayed again, I'm just telling you what they took
You believe the story that they took it unknowingly.
I don’t.
Just like the cyclist I quoted elsewhere that lost the TDF title for taking the same drug claiming it was in his beef steak. I don’t believe him either.
As I’ve stated before, fringe players trying to take the next step, made the wrong choice. The took a pill at a music festival is a great excuse, like the beef steak excuse. But I keep coming back to the fact the AFL, in fact all professional sports and feeder organisations in Australia, educate constantly the dangers of taking unknown substances at the very same music festivals.
Its a great excuse that plays out well in the media, but it’s just a fantasy.
 
Jun 10, 2005
8,332
6,222
Melbourne
AFL Club
Collingwood
Other Teams
collingwood
Very successful career. Without his ban he could easily have been a 150 gamer. Consistent tough and strong. No superstar but all respect to him, especially for his comeback after his ban and his career best form in 2018.
That’s exactly right, one of the players that was maligned due to sacrificing his game to play a role towards the end. Thanks for your service!
 
Classy exit JT...minimum of fuss as always.

I think there was an interview of him where he mentioned in the early days fans confused him with Jamie Elliott all the time, but he was cool with that 🤣
 
Apr 18, 2015
21,055
25,576
AFL Club
Collingwood
Other Teams
PAOK of SALONIKA LIVERPOOL
Don't know how anyone can call the drugs JT took as performance enhancing in a footy sense and that re.. was it part of his pre season and that to take the drugs that he did to improve his shuffling and rave dance moves so that he can improve his evasiveness in a pack situation.. get a hold of the pill.. for a sausage roll job.. what.. how many mths before the season started and that re? Or was he hoping to return back to the Holden Centre.. turn it on with his suffling rave dance moves on the track and that re.. for a 3 yr contract extension.. coach's and players all shocked by his exponential growth as a footballer.. ask him what his secret was.. and he's like.. with his glow stick and fluro headband and that re.. 'like.. 'I'm just inspired by the muuusiiccc maaaaann'. So we go and get Guru Josh to run a few sessions man.

Gimme a break re.
 
Last edited:
Sep 14, 2005
18,420
18,659
AFL Club
Collingwood
That’s exactly right, one of the players that was maligned due to sacrificing his game to play a role towards the end. Thanks for your service!
Not being a smartarse towards you, but I hear this often… what was this role? It’s a bloody shyte role to play because it renders a forward ineffective.
 
Jun 10, 2005
8,332
6,222
Melbourne
AFL Club
Collingwood
Other Teams
collingwood
Not being a smartarse towards you, but I hear this often… what was this role? It’s a bloody sh*te role to play because it renders a forward ineffective.
I don’t know exactly. But in my view if you’re playing in the forward line and you’re not the primary target(s) you’re playing a role…that may be applying pressure, crumbing, blocking so that others can jump at it, tagging. Needless to say being a forward in our team over the last few seasons has been hard, especially if you aren’t degoey, Elliot or Cox (as main i50 targets).

Through the middle again, he was not considered a primer mover nor a on baller to extract the ball from the coal face…so the assumption is he was playing a role. That could be again applying pressure, providing defensive cover in case of turnover, aerobic capacity to run up and down all day, tagging, spreading the defence as a decoy etc. all these functions are done in team sports and they don’t always translate to stats.

His stats were not impressive post 2018, but he was played so I’m guessing if he was picked he was playing his role effectively enough. What that is hard to pick up on TV. It’s like dark matter we know it exists but tough to know what it does and how it works. Not everyone in the team can have 30 touches or 5 goals or 10 intercept marks. Sometimes it’s not so obvious what a players contribution is to the game plan.
 

Mike Olotripo

Club Legend
Nov 15, 2019
1,042
1,108
AFL Club
Collingwood
Good on JT for having a crack and making a great fist of his career.

I assume given that he interns there at present, that he will be going full-time into a position with Barry Carp's River Capital in the not too distant future.

Most people won't remember, he was drafted in 2008, the same year as Beams and Sidebottom, but did not debut until 2013. By that stage, both Sidey and Beams had won flags, Beams even won the B&F in 2012 too.

Best of luck to him.
 

Cyclops

Brownlow Medallist
Oct 25, 2001
12,944
9,946
Northern Suburbs
AFL Club
Collingwood
Other Teams
IOM Gyms, Preston Nth End
Well done young man, very skilful and successful player, and overcame nasty injuries to succeed in a tough sport. Best of luck in Finance, its a game full of horrible people so keep your chin up.

I loved watching this guy, and appreciated his footskills and quick brain.
 

Pragmatic Shill

Norm Smith Medallist
Jul 2, 2017
8,062
15,179
AFL Club
Collingwood
Classy



He gets it. Knows where we are at, that are in transition.
I haven't listened to the interview but if he knew pretty early on that it was going to be his last year, why did he not explore his options as an unrestricted free agent? He held on until after the trade period obviously with the hope that he could get one last year out of us, football is clearly something he still could have continued elsewhere.

On SM-G981B using BigFooty.com mobile app
 

Kappa

Brownlow Medallist
Oct 7, 2014
27,760
37,107
AFL Club
Collingwood
I haven't listened to the interview but if he knew pretty early on that it was going to be his last year, why did he not explore his options as an unrestricted free agent? He held on until after the trade period obviously with the hope that he could get one last year out of us, football is clearly something he still could have continued elsewhere.

On SM-G981B using BigFooty.com mobile app

No other club would want him, he's been terrible the past 2 seasons.
 
May 5, 2015
1,631
2,392
AFL Club
Collingwood
Not being a smartarse towards you, but I hear this often… what was this role? It’s a bloody sh*te role to play because it renders a forward ineffective.
have to agree with this. A "role" where a forward kicks about 4 goals in 20 games could be done by a red witches hat. Would make about the same amount of tackles also.
 

Louie the Lipinski

Senior List
Oct 12, 2021
155
225
AFL Club
Collingwood
This shortens the list of whipping boys to Grundy, WHE, Madge, the Brown brothers, Cox & Darcy Moore.

Thank you for your service, Josh. Wished I'd played 123 games for Collingwood.
 
I haven't listened to the interview but if he knew pretty early on that it was going to be his last year, why did he not explore his options as an unrestricted free agent? He held on until after the trade period obviously with the hope that he could get one last year out of us, football is clearly something he still could have continued elsewhere.

On SM-G981B using BigFooty.com mobile app
I guess there is having a feeling this would be your last year, and still having hope for an extra year, depending how the dominoes fall.
Might have wanted to be a 1 club player.
His manager did always say, he would retire if he wasnt given a new contract and transition into the next phase of his life. Going into the financial section apparantely.
 
Sep 14, 2005
18,420
18,659
AFL Club
Collingwood
have to agree with this. A "role" where a forward kicks about 4 goals in 20 games could be done by a red witches hat. Would make about the same amount of tackles also.

He averaged less than 1 goal and 1 tackle i50 a game. You need to be good at one of these at the very least to be deemed an adequate forward player.

The other one is WHE, but at least he is capable of plucking marks, and averaged 6 with 1 contested per game in 2021. He was able to play the lead up role so has a good attribute which is useful to the team.

I just never saw it with JT.
 

35Daicos

Premium Platinum
Mar 6, 2011
8,952
11,843
Adelaide
AFL Club
Collingwood
Other Teams
Collingwood (VFL), Man Utd.
This shortens the list of whipping boys to Grundy, WHE, Madge, the Brown brothers, Cox & Darcy Moore.

Thank you for your service, Josh. Wished I'd played 123 games for Collingwood.
Great Post....well said.
Yes, it was well said. It's just a pity we have so many people here who would rather say something nasty about departing players when saying something kind, or if they can't manage that, saying nothing at all, would be far better!
 
Sep 14, 2005
18,420
18,659
AFL Club
Collingwood
Yes, it was well said. It's just a pity we have so many people here who would rather say something nasty about departing players when saying something kind, or if they can't manage that, saying nothing at all, would be far better!
In my defence, I had nothing nice to say whilst he was still on the list too.
 

De Glueie

Senior List
Mar 25, 2021
162
294
AFL Club
Collingwood
Out of all the fallout this season and delistings i think Josh Thomas could haver been given a lifeline to to be at least used as depth.
Experienced player that could've been handy next year.
 
To JT l wish him all the best, got a second chance, and re payed the faith in by the club. A good career all the best
Classy exit.
Thanks JT.
Plenty of great memories.
Played 100 games for the Pies and nearly pinche a premiership medal.
Lived most of our dreams.
 
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