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Mark Mercuri - what happened?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mr Shankly
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Despite being a Tigers supporter he was my eldest son's favourite player.
My son had a Bombers jumper with No 2 on it for when he went to the Bombers games with his grandad
 
Reading back over this thread on one of my favourite footballers makes me realise how people's perceptions can be influenced by the twilight years of a player's career.

Essentially, I consider him a true great of the game. He performed in finals, even from a very young age. And he is one of the most gifted players to play the game. His first 150 games were laced with scintillating performances. That's a very good base to be considered as a great of the game. Is in the best 100 players I've seen over the past 37 years.
 
The most complete footballer I have seen at Essendon. Quick, evasive, brave, quality use and by hand or foot and stood up in pressure situations. Most of all, he had glorious hands - the best 178 cm aerialist you'd ever see and if he fumbled a ground ball through the entire '99 season then I missed it.

Had the lot and was so, so damaging - could rip a game apart with less than twenty touches because every one of them had hurt factor.His prime only lasted for a couple of years but through that period his best was as good as those considered the giants of the time - Voss, Hird and Buckley.

Many Essendon players, including Hird, rate him the best they played with. For those who missed him - watch the first half of the 99 final against Sydney, Mercs at his absolute best.

An all-time favourite of mine - the epitome of a footballing "Rolls-Royce."
 

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srobbo said:
That Sydney qual final in 99. Remember Rocket Eade saying post match that "he was a jet" & that "we've prob seen a bloke get 3 votes in a little over a qtr & half"!!

Sums him up at his best.
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Was his defining moment - was at the game and he got an ovation when he came off early. Ripped them apart with about 15 touches if I remember correctly.
 
Mercuri absolutely took the piss in 1999.
 
Absolute freakin gun.

But I've said it enough times here over the years.

For pure sidesteppin, make your opponents look like idiots, free wheeling entertainment ...Mercs is the man.

Classy exucution with nearly every disposal. Only Baker, Timmy, his son, Wangas and Rama come close to that type of gifted skills.
 
freddy mercury said:
Watchimg essendon vs west coast 2004 where james hird kicked that famous goal.

Never seen or have strong memories of mecuri but gee he looked like he had more time than anyone, skillful and tough. brb just watching highlights.
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From memory he was very much getting a game on reputation by that stage, and I remember the crowd loving him turn the clock back a bit.

As well as the loss of his brother, his groins were stuffed in his last few years. Lost about 15-20m on his kicks and all his explosiveness.
 
Shane Hird said:
Absolute freakin gun.

But I've said it enough times here over the years.

For pure sidesteppin, make your opponents look like idiots, free wheeling entertainment ...Mercs is the man.

Classy exucution with nearly every disposal. Only Baker, Timmy, his son, Wangas and Rama come close to that type of gifted skills.
Click to expand...

I don't put Jobe in the same bracket as Mercs. Mercs was just pure silk.
 
Shane Hird said:
Absolute freakin gun.

But I've said it enough times here over the years.

For pure sidesteppin, make your opponents look like idiots, free wheeling entertainment ...Mercs is the man.

Classy exucution with nearly every disposal. Only Baker, Timmy, his son, Wangas and Rama come close to that type of gifted skills.
Click to expand...

I'm finding it hard to think of anyone we've had with a similar skillset. Dean Rioli is the only I can think of in about 25 years of watching us closely, but he had a significantly inferior career.
 

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Darealrath said:
I'm finding it hard to think of anyone we've had with a similar skillset. Dean Rioli is the only I can think of in about 25 years of watching us closely, but he had a significantly inferior career.
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Hirdy was right there - just lacked polish with his kicking at times. He made up for it in other ways.

Outside that - agree. Rioli wasn't quite in the same bracket as these two but when fit there wasn't a lot he couldn't do on a footy field. Rama was also very gifted.
 
Shane Hird said:
For pure sidesteppin, make your opponents look like idiots, free wheeling entertainment ...Mercs is the man.
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This video from earlier in the thread demonstrates this perfectly.
Surrounded by opposition, weaves through them and even found time for a bounce.
Must have watched this 10 times last night.

 
Shane Hird said:
Absolute freakin gun.

But I've said it enough times here over the years.

For pure sidesteppin, make your opponents look like idiots, free wheeling entertainment ...Mercs is the man.

Classy exucution with nearly every disposal. Only Baker, Timmy, his son, Wangas and Rama come close to that type of gifted skills.
Click to expand...

You missed Leon Baker...!
 
Shane Hird said:
Absolute freakin gun.

But I've said it enough times here over the years.

For pure sidesteppin, make your opponents look like idiots, free wheeling entertainment ...Mercs is the man.

Classy exucution with nearly every disposal. Only Baker, Timmy, his son, Wangas and Rama come close to that type of gifted skills.
Click to expand...
Longy?
 
When I think of pure silk but also champion attitude Baker and Mercs. Mercs did to Sydney in 99 what Baker did to Collingwood in the 84 prelim destroyed a team in a final in a short space of time. For those who haven't seen Baker YouTube the highlights of that game and how he could read the ball of a contest take it cleanly and make a team really pay. If he wanted could have kicked 12 that day.

My bro worked in a cafe and reckoned Mercs also had a unique talent for smashing coffees down.
 

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I backed Mercuri to win the 99 Brownlow at big odds. Still think he got stooged somewhat - pretty sure ukovic got 3 votes in one game that Mercuri dominated in.
 
efcboy said:
I backed Mercuri to win the 99 Brownlow at big odds. Still think he got stooged somewhat - pretty sure ukovic got 3 votes in one game that Mercuri dominated in.
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Ukovic got votes! Far out, that does sound suspicious.
 

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