Past Player Of The Week - Alan Martello

Jane Doe

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upload_2014-10-6_20-39-10.jpeg


DOB: 19/9/52

Height: 193 cms
Weight: 100 Kgs

Games: 223
Goals: 164

Recruited From: St Marys (Melbourne)

Debut: Round 1 1970 V Geelong

Big Al was a big strong & forceful centre half forward & ruckman who played many fine games over a decade. Al was a huge kick and had the ability to burst through packs and create the play. Al played in the 1971,76 & 78 premiership teams he also represented Victoria in 1973. Al was often accused of not holding as many marks as his ability should have permitted. Al was the youngest player to reach the 200 game milestone. He left the Hawks at the end of 1980 and ended up going to Richmond where he played in the losing 1982 Grand Final.

Where is he now? Still working as a sparkie in Melbourne
 

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moginie

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#2
My favourite player. The one I could identify first as an 8 year old, growing up in Sydney with no idea of the game.

In my childhood mind he was always referred to as "Big Alan Martello" by either Mike Williamson or Lou Richards.

I know he had his detractors (RustyHawk ;)) due to his inability to clunk marks when he should. Little kids don't remember stuff like that.

And when they grow up to be big kids they don't want to acknowledge it.

Wasn't he CHF in the Italian team of the Century?

Good to see he's still around.
 

Jane Doe

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My favourite player. The one I could identify first as an 8 year old, growing up in Sydney with no idea of the game.

In my childhood mind he was always referred to as "Big Alan Martello" by either Mike Williamson or Lou Richards.

I know he had his detractors (RustyHawk ;)) due to his inability to clunk marks when he should. Little kids don't remember stuff like that.

And when they grow up to be big kids they don't want to acknowledge it.

Wasn't he CHF in the Italian team of the Century?

Good to see he's still around.
One of my favourites as well. From memory he suffered a pretty serious ankle injury towards the end of his time at the Hawks. Yeah and he did make the Italain Team of the Century.
 

hawkheart

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#4
Early memories of Al. Dad used to call him Al-Pal, dunno if that was a common nickname.
I vaguely remember him being one of the main culprits when Hawthorn kicked that record score of behinds (something like 25.43?)
 

moginie

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Early memories of Al. Dad used to call him Al-Pal, dunno if that was a common nickname.
I vaguely remember him being one of the main culprits when Hawthorn kicked that record score of behinds (something like 25.43?)
Martello only kicked 3. The Matthews family contributed 11 of the 41 kicked.

Good shot of the Glenferrie mud in that footy card.
 

grumbleguts

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Early memories of Al. Dad used to call him Al-Pal, dunno if that was a common nickname.
I vaguely remember him being one of the main culprits when Hawthorn kicked that record score of behinds (something like 25.41?)
He kicked 1.3 there were several worse than him, as has been pointed out, the matthews Brothers kicked 4.5 and 4.6 each. Hudson kicked 7.4 and bernie Jones kicked 1.4 and Bomber hendrie kicked 3.4. But career wise, he was one of Hawthorn's most inaccurate players, kicking 167.250, but then a lot of those shots were from 60 m out, he had a hell of a kick on him.

Edit: fixed the scoreline in the game you quoted.
 
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#7
Big Al played footy the nearest thing to a rugby player that I ever saw....All hips & elbows with a huge hulking frame to match....Gangly & ungainly, but solid & reliable....Tried his guts out every match he ever played & a much underrated relief to Scotty in the ruck!

Great servant of our football club, which his 3 Premierships will attest to.
 

moginie

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Big Al played footy the nearest thing to a rugby player that I ever saw....All hips & elbows with a huge hulking frame to match....Gangly & ungainly, but solid & reliable....Tried his guts out every match he ever played & a much underrated relief to Scotty in the ruck!

Great servant of our football club, which his 3 Premierships will attest to.
Possibly explains why I liked him. Maybe just identifying the style I was already familiar with.
 

Coathanger

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#9
I remember seeing him for the first time up close.
I was around 10 or 11 and the Hawks had come to Mildura(Tigers zone) for a practice match.
Standing next to him after the game, I thought he was a man mountain.
Great memory.
 

Steven Tyler

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Scared the bejesus out of me and my brothers back in the day
In the 70's it was fairly easy to get into the rooms after a game
My dad used to go every week, and was familiar with John Kennedy snr
He would take us to the rooms, win, lose or draw, so much so that the trainers would wait for us to come, grab us 3, and take us to high-five all the players

One Saturday we went in, were standing next to a trainer, when big, and I mean BIG Al Martello dropped his towel on the floor and started to get dressed, unaware we were only a few feet from him!
My old man nearly pissed himself laughing going by the look on my face!
 

BobHawk

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#11
Big Al played footy the nearest thing to a rugby player that I ever saw....All hips & elbows with a huge hulking frame to match....Gangly & ungainly, but solid & reliable....Tried his guts out every match he ever played & a much underrated relief to Scotty in the ruck!

Great servant of our football club, which his 3 Premierships will attest to.
Great description. Exactly as I remember him. Also, the mutton chops. He always had the mutton chops. Bet he drove around in a Fairlane 500 with his hair combed back.
 

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RustyHawk

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#12
I know he had his detractors (RustyHawk ;)) due to his inability to clunk marks when he should. Little kids don't remember stuff like that.



Good to see he's still around.

Your not wrong. Frustration beyond belief. JUST MARK THE BALL, stop stuffing around. Any good defender would know he never took a clean first grab so they had ample opportunity to smack the ball away.

But totally agree with Procrastinator 35. Just remember the elbows out to the side like a delta winged fighter. Surprised he didn't take more players out with that stance.

Playing CHF and then relieving in the ruck and on the ball meant and no interchange like we have today meant he was a very fit player who always tried hard.

If memory serves me correctly, I think his contract with Richmond said he couldn't be dropped to the 2's unless he wanted to play there like returning from injury. How a football club can agree to such conditions is beyond me.
 

Garf

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Big Al, the big number 14. He certainly was a presence at CHF though I don't recall him taking many games by the scruff of the neck. He did however play almost every match for the Hawks from 1970 to 1978, before being injured for much of 1979.
 
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