Past Champions who don't get mentioned enough in the media

[00Stinger]

Fraser Gehrig

Dual AA (once at FB, once at FF). Had a 100 goal season and kicked over 550 goals but is never mentioned in the best forwards of the 00's

 

[MaddAdam]

I actually think of Rupert Betheras when someone mentions tagger.

WCA/DMA and East Malvern Boyz.

 

[skipper kelly]

Chicken Smallhorn

 

[Jack Bradley]

Shannon Watt

 

[Du_key]

Gary Dempsey.

 

[Plugger46]

Saw him at the Rising Sun on the weekend scoffing down beers

Wouldn't look to heathly these days I'd imagine..

 

[hoianbulldog]

Is Aker anywhere in the media these days? For a guy who seemed to love it I don't see or hear any of him.

He loved it. It didn't love him.

 

[DERO]

James Hird

 

[sataris]

Plugger

 

[Guardian Hawk]

Gary Dempsey is the big one for me.

Plenty on this site will say who? Others will recognise the name as a good ruckman.

However, he should be rated as one of the greatest 5 rucks in the history of VFL/AFL football IMO. People always mention Polly Farmer, Simon Madden and Dean Cox but Dempsey is right up there with them (arguably ahead) and in the best 20-30 players of all time!

A few facts on Dempsey:

• Hall of Famer
• Played 322 games (a lot for a 70's ruckman!)
• Won 7! best and fairests, including 5 straight.
• Team of the Century at Footscray AND North Melbourne
• Most Brownlow votes of all time (and miles ahead of any other ruckman or players from his era). He won one, finished 2nd another time and was top 10 thirteen times!
• Held the record for most marks ever (2906 at nearly 9 per game) for 30 years. Even now, Nick Riewoldt is the only player within 400 marks of Dempsey despite Dempsey playing in an era without lots of possessions and uncontested marks around the ground. If contested marks were a stat in his time, he would be hundreds in front of everyone else ever. The closest player from Dempsey's era (or earlier) to his number of marks is Barry Round, who took 1855 marks, more than 1000 marks less than Dempsey.
• Dempsey also held the record for most hitouts for about 30 years. These days, stoppage and hit out numbers have ballooned exponentially but Dempsey still sits 3rd all time. Len Thompson (another great) is the closest to him from his era and he is nearly 2000 hitouts behind!

Hugely underrated nowdays.

 

[DangerSloane]

Simon Black and Tyson Edwards are two that spring to mind.

 

[DangerSloane]

Nah, he was a twat. I have no doubt Stynes was a fierce competitor on field in the same mould as Aker, but to make these comments the day he died was a disgrace.

He called Stynes a "nasty man" and suggested he was being treated like a "Demigod".

"What amazes me is yes, he was a legend of the game and did a great job and wonderful things with kids, but you know there are a bunch of people who have done just as much who don't get any recognition. I just think it's a bit out of kilter.

"He got a state funeral - do all football players get a state funeral? There's something about it all that just made me feel uncomfortable. Jim's good, but is he that good?''

Then the apology:

"People die all the time,'' he said.

"I saw my mum die of cancer in the exact same way and she was as human as anybody else. Jimmy dying is sad, but give me a break. My mum was great lady too but she wasn't pure."

His comments were dripping with jealousy at the way Stynes was regarded.

He'd probably have bounced back if that was his only foot in mouth moments, but he was notorious for them.

The guy was overly honest.
A lot more people would say things like that if they had the balls...

Maybe he didnt like Stynes for whatever reason?

Then you get to his comments about gay footballers, which have proved to be 100% correct..that people misinterpreted (some ignorantly, some deliberately) to make him sound like a bigot.

 

[Stan_Darsh72]

Sam Fisher.

 

[Listclogger]

Fraser Gehrig

Dual AA (once at FB, once at FF). Had a 100 goal season and kicked over 550 goals but is never mentioned in the best forwards of the 00's

Certainly loved playing against us.

 

[newblueo]

cain ackland

 

[TonaldDrump]

Dustin Fletcher/ Brent Harvey. For both of them to play at a high standard of footy even after they were 30+ is pretty incredible

 

[Duck Farmer]

Fraser Gehrig

Dual AA (once at FB, once at FF). Had a 100 goal season and kicked over 550 goals but is never mentioned in the best forwards of the 00's

I remember the PF ground invasion in 2004 with fond memories.

 

[Judd2Sewell]

Joel Bowden made AA twice in a row (CHB and HBF) playing the quarterback role no-one cared about until Hodge did it in the 08 final, while still playing accountable footy on the big forwards. What often gets lost is that previously he was a forward flanker, but moved back and completely reinvented his game.

He gets forgotten because he is not a media favourite, and funnily enough the only thing anyone remembers about him isn't even true (the lawmakers at the afl have stated that the reason for the rushed rule change was because of hawthorn rushing so many from a long way out during the 08 final).

Opposite fans seem to hate him despite the fact that he was neither a thug, offensive, cheat, sniper, or a complete dud. But he was an exceptional player in a tough position in a s**t team and one of my favourites.

I remember Bowden, he was good to my Dream Team side

 

[AstroboyUK]

steve wallis

 

[Deathray]

I remember the PF ground invasion in 2004 with fond memories.

2 massive momentum changers in Aussie sports. One was the delay for Gehrigs ton and the other was that deadhead getting stuck in the net in Aus vs Iran soccer qualifier.

 

[Franko Armani]

Roger Merret, Alistair Lynch

 

[Deathray]

Roger Merret, Alistair Lynch

I’d pay Merret, he lifted a pretty average team to many a victory with his sharpened elbows and underrated athleticism.

 

[Franko Armani]

I’d pay Merret, he lifted a pretty average team to many a victory with his sharpened elbows and underrated athleticism.

Do we forget how good Lynch was when he came back post chronic fatigue?

 

[Tarkyn_24]

That’s because the weren’t champions.

Oh sorry, my mistake.

Tarkyn Lockyer

 

[Koopa]

Gavin Wanganeen
Doug Hawkins
Robbie Flower
Paul Salmon
David Dench
Matthew Lloyd
Mick Martyn
Glenn Archer

All to varying extents.