Opinion Leigh Matthews and that season he didn't win the Brownlow . . .

[Wallaby]

Never even heard of John Murphy or Garry Wilson. Fitzroy had a lot of champions didn't they

Well, fair enough - you're a West Coast supporter. You probably didn't follow the VFL back in the 70s and 80s.

Gary Wilson deserves to be mentioned with Kevin Bartlett and Leigh Matthews as the best small midfielders throughout the 70s. All won multiple B&Fs, and all won their club goalkicking a few times along the way as well.

Wilson was an absolute champion.

 

[weewilly]

Leigh Matthews is my best player ever in 65 years of watching VFL/AFL football and captain coach of my best team with Wayne Carey as VC!

 

[lumpinee]

Leigh Matthews is my best player ever in 65 years of watching VFL/AFL football and captain coach of my best team with Wayne Carey as VC!

fair call,curious to know does Schimmelbusch get a wing ?

 

[Occidental]

Mckenna kicked 128 in the same h&a and polled 11.

In 1971 he kicked 130 and polled 6

In 1972 he kicked 130 and polled 8

McKenna kicked 130 in just 20 games in the Home & Away season in 1972. He finished the H&A with bags of 11,9,9,8.
The reason he ‘only’ got 8 in the last round was he tore his hamstring half way through the last quarter.
Pies got the double chance and McKenna missed all the finals.
On form, had he played finals, he may well have broken the 150 in a season.

 

[Partridge]

Well, fair enough - you're a West Coast supporter. You probably didn't follow the VFL back in the 70s and 80s.

Gary Wilson deserves to be mentioned with Kevin Bartlett and Leigh Matthews as the best small midfielders throughout the 70s. All won multiple B&Fs, and all won their club goalkicking a few times along the way as well.

Wilson was an absolute champion.

Can't endorse this strongly enough. He's absolutely in that conversation and the only difference was Fitzroy didn't play as many finals so his profile isn't as high.

 

[Baird]

What about Brendan Fevola not winning the John Nicholls medal in the season he won the coleman for the last placed team

 

[morsie]

Favourite 2 x's

Neither did Garry Wilson.Both he and Bartlett should have a couple.

 

[Occidental]

Can't endorse this strongly enough. He's absolutely in that conversation and the only difference was Fitzroy didn't play as many finals so his profile isn't as high.

Yes, Garry Wilson was a brilliant player.
Right up there with the best I’ve ever seen.
Fitzroy weren’t hopeless though… in Wilson’s last 6 seasons, they made the finals 4 times.
As a kid, I clearly remember my Pies having fantastic finals games against them at the ‘G - 1979, 1981, 1984.

 

[ExileOnArdenStreet]

Well, fair enough - you're a West Coast supporter. You probably didn't follow the VFL back in the 70s and 80s.

Gary Wilson deserves to be mentioned with Kevin Bartlett and Leigh Matthews as the best small midfielders throughout the 70s. All won multiple B&Fs, and all won their club goalkicking a few times along the way as well.

Wilson was an absolute champion.

Leigh Matthews rated Garry Wilson his toughest opponent when Mike Sheahan interviewed him on Open Mike.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Umpires didn’t like him and probably didn’t consider him a fair player. Which really is fair enough, he was one of the biggest thugs to ever play the game.

Pretty simple I would’ve thought. If there was an MVP etc, he’s have probably won that.

 

[Woolly Mammoth]

I think Graham Teasdale's magnificent rectum-brown crushed velvet suit and matching bow tie trumped any of those playing stats. The right man won.

 

[nineteen eighty]

Good to see others on here (likely my vintage) calling out Wilson. What a fantastic player he was and absolutely can be spoken about alongside Matthews and Bartlett. He was a beautiful rover.

fair call,curious to know does Schimmelbusch get a wing ?

Keith Greig and Francis Bourke surely have these sown up. Schimma was a North champion no doubt. But Greig was magnificent.

 

[lumpinee]

Good to see others on here (likely my vintage) calling out Wilson. What a fantastic player he was and absolutely can be spoken about alongside Matthews and Bartlett. He was a beautiful rover.




Keith Greig and Francis Bourke surely have these sown up. Schimma was a North champion no doubt. But Greig was magnificent.

354 goals 370 behinds as a wingman...incompareable,nobody,nobody comes close to him....an offensive running,tackling,contested ball winning juggernaut,stands alone as not only Norths( Cable included) best ever finals player but in the top half dozen best EVER finals players (29 finals) the game has produced

 

[nineteen eighty]

354 goals 370 behinds as a wingman...incompareable,nobody,nobody comes close to him....an offensive running,tackling,contested ball winning juggernaut,stands alone as not only Norths( Cable included) best ever finals player but in the top half dozen best EVER finals players (29 finals) the game has produced

I couldn’t have Schimma over Greig as a wingman. Greig is easily top 2 that I’ve seen in that position.

Schimma would have to go up against Bourke for that other wing. And maybe I have my blinkers on but I take Bourke over him every time.

Note: even the North team of the century selectors didn’t have Schimma on the wing. I know it’s not the be all and end all but highlights for me how good Greig was.

 

[lumpinee]

wow,stunned,just been left hooked and still on the canvas for the count on that one,Schimma not named on the wing in theyre TOTC
well i guess it just goes to show that
1/ that theyve not only insulted Schimma but Arnold Breidas as well by not naming him as a HF
&/or
2/Schimma was that good of a HF in his say 30-35 odd games there,that the judges deemed his achievements in the position higher than Breidas & Kekovich

no wonder Norths a rabble,not to mention naming a waning Gary Dempsey in front of a 2 x premiership ruckman in McKernan.
FMD, talk about insulting your loyal club legends,that TOTC is a disaster

Blights probably the greatest RR of all time and theyve got him on a flank,PO

 

[nineteen eighty]

wow,stunned,just been left hooked and still on the canvas for the count on that one,Schimma not named on the wing in theyre TOTC
well i guess it just goes to show that
1/ that theyve not only insulted Schimma but Arnold Breidas as well by not naming him as a HF
&/or
2/Schimma was that good of a HF in his say 30-35 odd games there,that the judges deemed his achievements in the position higher than Breidas & Kekovich

no wonder Norths a rabble,not to mention naming a waning Gary Dempsey in front of a 2 x premiership ruckman in McKernan..FMD

I can see why you would argue re Schimma. I appreciate how good he was. As for McKernan over Dempsey…never!!!!

I’m an ex ruck and I put Dempsey up with the best I’ve seen. Play ruck beautifully back in the day. I could never mention McKernan as a great of his day. He may be a 2 time premiership ruck but then again, Castagna is a 3 time premiership forward. Just can’t base it on that if you know what I mean.

 

[Guardian Hawk]

I can see why you would argue re Schimma. I appreciate how good he was. As for McKernan over Dempsey…never!!!!

I’m an ex ruck and I put Dempsey up with the best I’ve seen. Play ruck beautifully back in the day. I could never mention McKernan as a great of his day. He may be a 2 time premiership ruck but then again, Castagna is a 3 time premiership forward. Just can’t base it on that if you know what I mean.

Agreed - also an ex-ruck and Dempsey is in the best handful of rucks of all time. McKernan had 1 season ('96) at the level that Dempsey played his entire career at.

 

[Osho]

Neither did Garry Wilson.Both he and Bartlett should have a couple.

KB has flags and great finals performances to keep him warm. He don't need no brownlows, imagine his next level trolling if he had a couple!! Bloody hell!

Wilson on the other hand, would have have great if he snagged one.

 

[Rimmer]

Leigh was a bit like KB a constant stand out who was overlooked.

Brownlows are won by midfielders we know, they are often won by the standout midfielder in a weak side. Having a strange hairdo too does not hurt when trying to stand out. Asking the umpires how their families are before the first bounce of every game too does not hurt cough Len Thompson cough.

Leigh will go down as possibly the best player of all time who led a frighteningly good team full of stars but who never quite got enough of the attention of the umpires often enough to win a Brownlow.

In short the Brownlow will seldom be won by the player who has the most impact in a given season.

 

[raymond35]

Bagging Len Thompson.
We've got a real intellectual here folks.

 

[the harry]

Leigh was a bit like KB a constant stand out who was overlooked.

Brownlows are won by midfielders we know, they are often won by the standout midfielder in a weak side. Having a strange hairdo too does not hurt when trying to stand out. Asking the umpires how their families are before the first bounce of every game too does not hurt cough Len Thompson cough.

Leigh will go down as possibly the best player of all time who led a frighteningly good team full of stars but who never quite got enough of the attention of the umpires often enough to win a Brownlow.

In short the Brownlow will seldom be won by the player who has the most impact in a given season.

I would say if you're not in the finals, you're not winning a brownlow. Other than Priddis, most that I can recall play in September.

 

[lumpinee]

I can see why you would argue re Schimma. I appreciate how good he was. As for McKernan over Dempsey…never!!!!

I’m an ex ruck and I put Dempsey up with the best I’ve seen. Play ruck beautifully back in the day. I could never mention McKernan as a great of his day. He may be a 2 time premiership ruck but then again, Castagna is a 3 time premiership forward. Just can’t base it on that if you know what I mean.

But Dempseys best was not @ North,he was a solid contributor @ North,got there @ 30yrs of age,couldnt elevate them,McKernan on the other hand 6-7 solid seasons,2 flags,runner up in the Brownlow and elevated North to 2 flags,Club Legend,Dempsey isnt considered a North legend,not by anyone i know and that includes dyed in the wool North supporters

 

[Randall Stevens]

I would say if you're not in the finals, you're not winning a brownlow. Other than Priddis, most that I can recall play in September.

That certainly seems to be the case now.
However, during Matthews career eight of eighteen Brownlow winners played for non-finalists. Also, ten of the eighteen were either ruckmen or key position players. A very different voting era!

 

[HairyO]

Leigh Matthews is my best player ever in 65 years of watching VFL/AFL football and captain coach of my best team with Wayne Carey as VC!

He was head and shoulders (and hip and elbow) above any other player. Carey, Ablett, Whitten and Farmer can round out the top 5.

 

[My Tilly]

But Dempseys best was not @ North,he was a solid contributor @ North,got there @ 30yrs of age,couldnt elevate them,McKernan on the other hand 6-7 solid seasons,2 flags,runner up in the Brownlow and elevated North to 2 flags,Club Legend,Dempsey isnt considered a North legend,not by anyone i know and that includes dyed in the wool North supporters

Just to put things into perspective, When Dempsey went to North for those remaining five and a bit seasons, he averaged 16.5 disposals, 8 marks and 30 hit-outs per game.
Those are numbers Max Gawn is putting up right now.

I think it's reasonable to put him above Corey McKernan given his consistency and sheer dominance for such a long period of time in the ruck position.