Monkey on open Mike

[Robroy22]

Listening to Monkey tonight is just so good. He's still that great big loveable country boy he was when he first came to the club. He's a "Scallywag"...love the bloke.
Isn't it great to hear someone speak about footy and not resort to spin?

 

[soreplums]

Listening to Monkey tonight is just so good. He's still that great big loveable country boy he was when he first came to the club. He's a "Scallywag"...love the bloke.
Isn't it great to hear someone speak about footy and not resort to spin?

I love him. Wish he was at the club to lead Grundy and Witts.

Spewing we moved him on when we picked up Fraser. Would have been a great protector of him and we may have even picked up Pav with pick 3

 

[soreplums]

PS... Love hearing the slightest comment or seeing any vision of the 1990 team- especially Pants

 

[Shaneprice97]

I love him. Wish he was at the club to lead Grundy and Witts.

I prefer Huddo.

 

[mattys123]

When you started to talk about the crowd in 1990, how it went silent in the last quarter, it almost bought me to tears, ah those memories of the greatest day in our clubs history.

Monky was huge for us for so long, loved seeing that tonight.

 

[TradeDraft]

When you started to talk about the crowd in 1990, how it went silent in the last quarter, it almost bought me to tears, ah those memories of the greatest day in our clubs history.

Monky was huge for us for so long, loved seeing that tonight.

Sadly I was too young and have no memories of this

 

[jimmy35]

Any ideas on who the Geelong player was that kinged him and then retired?

 

[soreplums]

I prefer Huddo.

I'd take Monky

 

[PieBeast]

Watched the segment at the gym without sound but the vision alone gave me a semi.

Legend of a bloke.

 

[Robroy22]

Any ideas on who the Geelong player was that kinged him and then retired?

I was trying to think about that one as well.....Budda Hocking was pretty good with the elbow back then? But he'd have needed a ladder to hit Monkey....

 

[Demonalke]

Any ideas on who the Geelong player was that kinged him and then retired?

Trevor Spencer was the only cats player in that game that retired at the end of 1991...
http://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/T/Trevor_Spencer.html

 

[jimmy35]

Trevor Spencer was the only cats player in that game that retired at the end of 1991...
http://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/T/Trevor_Spencer.html

That could be it, ruckman and also Essendon links as well.

 

[jimmy35]

I was trying to think about that one as well.....Budda Hocking was pretty good with the elbow back then? But he'd have needed a ladder to hit Monkey....

I thought Bruns but the same thing.

 

[Stripes B and W]

Trevor Spencer was the only cats player in that game that retired at the end of 1991...
http://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/T/Trevor_Spencer.html

This is correct Demon...

 

[red+black]

Just watched the episode, Monkey was great. I'd hate to think he suffered greatly from the Long incident, I most definitely do not think any less of him for that or any of his battles with Essendon.

Given the clues about the king-hit, as already mentioned, Trevor Spencer is the #1 suspect. Another player who never played Collingwood again was Spiro Malakellis, although he didn't retire until 1993.

Trivia:
- he played in two draws against West Coast, one for Collingwood, one for St Kilda
- Monkey's last game was against Collingwood

 

[didaksrightfoot]

Didn't see the interview, but I had always wished we had Monky as a ruck coach, particularly when you look at what Hawthorn got out of their limited Rucks from the late 2000's onwards, while we had guys either underperforming, or injured or unable to take the next step. (In the 10 years prior to our flag - I reckon Chris Bryan is probably our only ruck who overachieved, and that may be an overstatement... but he was a guy with very little in the way of talent, but seemed to be pretty useful on the park).

However, now I am pretty happy with having Huddo here - another guy who was never the most talented, but did all the right things to ensure he had a pretty good career as a ruckman... if he can instill that same approach into Witts and Grundy, who both have that natural size/talent - then they should both have a very bright future.

 

[red+black]

Trevor Spencer was the only cats player in that game that retired at the end of 1991...
http://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/T/Trevor_Spencer.html

It has been suggested that the more likely culprit is Damian Bourke. While Damian did not retire until 1995, he conveniently managed to avoid playing Collingwood in his last 4 years. If we exclude the two teams Damian played for after that game, Geelong and Brisbane, as well as Fremantle who were not scheduled to play Brisbane until after Bourke's last game, here are his opponents after the Monkhorst incident:

5 - Hawthorn
3 - Carlton, Melbourne, Richmond
2 - Adelaide, Essendon, Fitzroy, Footscray, North Melb, St Kilda, West Coast
1 - Sydney
0 - Collingwood

Shouldn't be too hard to confirm from the video: https://www.sportsdelivered.com/dvd/1991-round-24-geelong-def-collingwood/2765.html

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Watched the segment at the gym without sound but the vision alone gave me a semi.

Legend of a bloke.

He is.

Have spoken to him a couple of times at Box Hill matches where his boys have played the last couple of years, and he's a ripper.

Incidentally, Collingwood have tried to lure him back to the club on at least one occasion(maybe twice now), but like he said in the open mike interview he genuinely really likes being involved with our current coach/player group.

 

[PieBeast]

He is.

Have spoken to him a couple of times at Box Hill matches where his boys have played the last couple of years, and he's a ripper.

Incidentally, Collingwood have tried to lure him back to the club on at least one occasion(maybe twice now), but like he said in the open mike interview he genuinely really likes being involved with our current coach/player group.

Bodes well for your mob mate, sounds like he wants to finish what he's started which is a great attribute to have.

 

[Damon_3388]

Spewing we moved him on when we picked up Fraser. Would have been a great protector of him and we may have even picked up Pav with pick 3

Really could have hung on until the end of 2001 or 2002, given his age. I know he was getting on as it was and losing effectiveness (seemed to peak as a footballer around 1992-1994), but I still think he could have had something to offer playing 50-50 ruck/forward with Fraser, moreso than Steve McKee did even.

 

[soreplums]

Really could have hung on until the end of 2001 or 2002, given his age. I know he was getting on as it was and losing effectiveness (seemed to peak as a footballer around 1992-1994), but I still think he could have had something to offer playing 50-50 ruck/forward with Fraser, moreso than Steve McKee did even.

Agree. And surely we would have a young Pavlich working nicely with a young Anthony Rocca and Chris Tarrant

 

[Damon_3388]

Agree. And surely we would have a young Pavlich working nicely with a young Anthony Rocca and Chris Tarrant

I think it's safe to say it cost us a flag.

Would have liked to have kept Mal Michael too.

Imagine this side throughout 2002:

B: James Clement - Simon Prestigiacomo - Mal Michael
HB: Ben Johnson - Shane Wakelin - Ryan Lonie
C: Tarkyn Lockyer - Nathan Buckley - Paul Licuria
HF: Glenn Freeborn - Anthony Rocca - Alan Didak
F: Leon Davis - Chris Tarrant - Matthew Pavlich
R: Josh Fraser - Scott Burns - Shane O'Bree
I: Damien Monkhorst - Nick Davis - Heath Scotland - Jason Cloke
E: Rupert Betheras - Mark McGough - Brodie Holland

Extra size, extra versatility, extra know-how, extra depth, possibly an extra flag (or two) though that era.

 

[Trickster]

I think it's safe to say it cost us a flag.

Would have liked to have kept Mal Michael too.

Imagine this side throughout 2002:

B: James Clement - Simon Prestigiacomo - Mal Michael
HB: Ben Johnson - Shane Wakelin - Ryan Lonie
C: Tarkyn Lockyer - Nathan Buckley - Paul Licuria
HF: Glenn Freeborn - Anthony Rocca - Alan Didak
F: Leon Davis - Chris Tarrant - Matthew Pavlich
R: Josh Fraser - Scott Burns - Shane O'Bree
I: Damien Monkhorst - Nick Davis - Heath Scotland - Jason Cloke
E: Rupert Betheras - Mark McGough - Brodie Holland

Extra size, extra versatility, extra know-how, extra depth, possibly an extra flag (or two) though that era.

Sorry I disagree strongly with this. He peaked in 1993/ 94 and did well in the Brownlows from memory as well as being top 3 in bnf.

By the late 1990s he was shot. He started getting niggly injuries which I think affected his form. I recall one game against WCE at Vic park (May have been when Cummings had the can thrown at him), a WCE forward had a set shot at goal from 50, Monkhorst was on the goal line with the full back and full forward.

With no player to worry about as the WCE player was kept out by the full back, monk misjudged the ball so badly that it bounced before the goal line and went through. I thought to myself he was well and truly past it.

 

[Damon_3388]

Sorry I disagree strongly with this. He peaked in 1993/ 94 and did well in the Brownlows from memory as well as being top 3 in bnf.

By the late 1990s he was shot. He started getting niggly injuries which I think affected his form. I recall one game against WCE at Vic park (May have been when Cummings had the can thrown at him), a WCE forward had a set shot at goal from 50, Monkhorst was on the goal line with the full back and full forward.

With no player to worry about as the WCE player was kept out by the full back, monk misjudged the ball so badly that it bounced before the goal line and went through. I thought to myself he was well and truly past it.

Even so, could we have fielded the same size (minus Monkey, but with Pavlich and Michael), and still succeeded in that era? Who could have been the second ruck option? I can't see any real standout young ruck options from the 1999, 2000 or 2001 Drafts who would have had an impact in 2002.

Maybe Spider Burton? North Melbourne picked him up with Pick #74 in the 1999 National Draft after Freo delisted him, and got four years of good service from him, and he only missed three games between 2000-2002.

 

[Deathray]

I don't recall the incident referred to but I do remember a Geelong ruck named Hooper around early 90's. He was intro'd on the news as a bad ass from WA with accompanying footage showing him laying an awesome clothesline on an opponent in the wafl.