News Past Players Thread

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Aug 2, 2012
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Clarke actually did play as a genuine ruck rover, and centreman, and hff, one of our best ever players. He was a great kick for goal, and very fit. Did a lot of off-season speed and distance running, for his on ball roles.
I know, because I used to run with him over summer off-seasons at Landy Field and along the Barwon river tracks.
One of my favourite Clarke memories was a game v South Melbourne, iirc, at Lakeside Oval, and Clarke was matched up on John Pitura. It was a fantastic duel, 2 brilliant and skilled players, each BOG for their teams.
Back then, "a genuine ruck rover" was a player who who actually regularly competed in boundary ruck contests a la Barassi, Whitten, Newland, Pascoe, etc.
He didn't play that role.
He certainly played as a taller non-rucking on-baller, a role which gradually became described as "ruck roving", replacing the original meaning of the term (witness Hocking, for example)
 
Back then, "a genuine ruck rover" was a player who who actually regularly competed in boundary ruck contests a la Barassi, Whitten, Newland, Pascoe, etc.
He didn't play that role.
He certainly played as a taller non-rucking on-baller, a role which gradually became described as "ruck roving", replacing the original meaning of the term (witness Hocking, for example)
Ok, for 30 all, can I say that Clarke led that brigade of players who became what we now know as traditional on-baller ruck rovers?
 

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I don't remember Clarke as anything but a HFFer sure he may have played a game here and there away from that position but in my eyes the HHF was it.
Fair enough- it was a while ago.
He has been credited with 32-39 possessions in at least 10 games
He averaged over 21 disposals a game.
His last 2 seasons were well below that and probably dilute his very good averages (1981-1982)
He missed the whole 75 season when he was right at his peak, yet came back to better than his previous best.
He was excellent as a hff, but was our best on-baller during a very lean period at Geelong.
 
I see Cockatoo has done a hamstring strain
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Vorno

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Sep 8, 2017
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Quiet achievers article from the Advertiser just popped up on my feed. Subscription article click bait, anyone able to post article please.


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AndyMac05

Senior List
Aug 28, 2012
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First up, I’m looking at Geelong’s quiet achievers, the players who got the job done week-in, week-out with a minimum of fuss.

I started thinking about this last Saturday while watching the Cats capitulate against the 2020 wooden spooners, the Adelaide Crows.

The home side’s stunning performance was kick-started by big ‘Tex’ Walker who booted four goals in the first half on the way to a five-goal haul.

I dare say he wouldn’t have kicked five and been such an influence on the game if he’d been opposed to Harry Taylor whose absence through retirement was brought into sharp focus.

After 13 magnificent seasons, Taylor is gone and we didn’t even get to say goodbye as he bowed out of AFL football in Brisbane on grand final night last year.

It was a low-key exit from the big stage for the popular defender which was probably right up his alley.



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Defenders dominate today’s list, a reflection of the role they play in trying to negate the glamour boys up forward who kick the goals.

Harry Taylor. Picture: Michael Klein
Harry Taylor. Picture: Michael Klein
Harry Taylor: Arguably recruiting chief Stephen Wells’ best ever draft pick (that’s another list!), Taylor was pick No. 17 in the 2007 national draft. The Cats needed a readymade replacement for the injured Matthew Egan and they found a 21-year-old in Western Australia who slipped comfortably into a premiership team. Fans and experts alike shook their heads in amazement that Taylor had not been drafted earlier. Now they nod in acknowledgement of a brilliant career which spanned 13 seasons, 280 games, two premierships and two All-Australian team selections. The best stat – and his ultimate quiet achievement - was his 15 spoils in the 2009 grand final opposed to Nick Riewoldt. ‘Chappy’ won the Norm Smith medal but you could have given one to ‘H’, too.

Geelong’s [PLAYERCARD]Matthew Egan[/PLAYERCARD].
Geelong’s Matthew Egan.
Matthew Egan: The man replaced by Taylor built up a handy body of work in 59 games across three seasons. He was a latecomer to football due to tennis pursuits but looked at home taking on footy’s top seeds such as Pavlich, Riewoldt, Brown, Lloyd, Hall and Gehrig on the way to All-Australian honours in his third and, sadly, final year.

[PLAYERCARD]Darren Milburn[/PLAYERCARD] getting off the ground after the Geelong v Brisbane round 12 AFL game in Geelong, Sunday, June 17, 2007. Picture: AAP Image/Andrew Brownbill
Darren Milburn getting off the ground after the Geelong v Brisbane round 12 AFL game in Geelong, Sunday, June 17, 2007. Picture: AAP Image/Andrew Brownbill
Darren Milburn: A true utility until he was embedded in the defence which underpinned the 2007 and 2009 flags. Billy Brownless once described Milburn as the shyest footballer he ever met while former coach Mark Thompson said, “he’s a good leader, not by words but by actions”. And that was Dasher for 292 games.

[PLAYERCARD]Joel Corey[/PLAYERCARD] in action against Adelaide.
Joel Corey in action against Adelaide.
Joel Corey: Extremely unlikely to form a radio duo with Milburn, Corey was another who shunned the spotlight during his 276-game career. Arrived from Perth as a skinny 17-year-old who cut his teeth on the wide, open spaces of WA’s big grounds and ended up at the bottom of the pack whenever the umpire called for a bounce during his 276 AFL games.

[PLAYERCARD]James Kelly[/PLAYERCARD] celebrates a goal.
James Kelly celebrates a goal.
James Kelly: When he donned the No. 9 jumper, Kelly resembled Team of the Century wingman Michael Turner. A smooth mover, he could do the skilful stuff but broadened his game to include the one percenters. His versatility saw him used as a tagger and small defender as required. Ablett, Bartel, Johnson and Chapman were the front men, Kelly was behind the drums keeping the tempo.

Steve Hocking in 1986.
Steve Hocking in 1986.
Steve Hocking: The reliable back pocket and occasional tagger has a much higher profile today than during his 199 games for the Cats.

Mark Yeates (left) in 1989.
Mark Yeates (left) in 1989.
Mark Yeates: An uncomprising competitor who took on tough assignments at centre half-back against bigger opponents and rarely yielded. It was consistent with his team-first philosophy; an approach he took into each of his 154 games over 11 seasons.

Mark Bos in 1981.
Mark Bos in 1981.
Mark Bos: A strong, silent youngster from the bush who blossomed into, well, a strong, silent older player with an uncomplicated style. It was good enough to win him two Carji Greeves medals
 

Vorno

Debutant
Sep 8, 2017
123
176
AFL Club
Geelong
Other Teams
Pramac Ducati, Ducati Lenovo
First up, I’m looking at Geelong’s quiet achievers, the players who got the job done week-in, week-out with a minimum of fuss.

I started thinking about this last Saturday while watching the Cats capitulate against the 2020 wooden spooners, the Adelaide Crows.

The home side’s stunning performance was kick-started by big ‘Tex’ Walker who booted four goals in the first half on the way to a five-goal haul.

I dare say he wouldn’t have kicked five and been such an influence on the game if he’d been opposed to Harry Taylor whose absence through retirement was brought into sharp focus.

After 13 magnificent seasons, Taylor is gone and we didn’t even get to say goodbye as he bowed out of AFL football in Brisbane on grand final night last year.

It was a low-key exit from the big stage for the popular defender which was probably right up his alley.



FROM OUR PARTNERS
offnet.svg

Watch new drama series Generation with BINGE Get BINGE Basic from only $10/mth
Defenders dominate today’s list, a reflection of the role they play in trying to negate the glamour boys up forward who kick the goals.

Harry Taylor. Picture: Michael Klein
Harry Taylor. Picture: Michael Klein
Harry Taylor: Arguably recruiting chief Stephen Wells’ best ever draft pick (that’s another list!), Taylor was pick No. 17 in the 2007 national draft. The Cats needed a readymade replacement for the injured Matthew Egan and they found a 21-year-old in Western Australia who slipped comfortably into a premiership team. Fans and experts alike shook their heads in amazement that Taylor had not been drafted earlier. Now they nod in acknowledgement of a brilliant career which spanned 13 seasons, 280 games, two premierships and two All-Australian team selections. The best stat – and his ultimate quiet achievement - was his 15 spoils in the 2009 grand final opposed to Nick Riewoldt. ‘Chappy’ won the Norm Smith medal but you could have given one to ‘H’, too.

Geelong’s [PLAYERCARD]Matthew Egan[/PLAYERCARD].
Geelong’s Matthew Egan.
Matthew Egan: The man replaced by Taylor built up a handy body of work in 59 games across three seasons. He was a latecomer to football due to tennis pursuits but looked at home taking on footy’s top seeds such as Pavlich, Riewoldt, Brown, Lloyd, Hall and Gehrig on the way to All-Australian honours in his third and, sadly, final year.

[PLAYERCARD]Darren Milburn[/PLAYERCARD] getting off the ground after the Geelong v Brisbane round 12 AFL game in Geelong, Sunday, June 17, 2007. Picture: AAP Image/Andrew Brownbill
Darren Milburn getting off the ground after the Geelong v Brisbane round 12 AFL game in Geelong, Sunday, June 17, 2007. Picture: AAP Image/Andrew Brownbill
Darren Milburn: A true utility until he was embedded in the defence which underpinned the 2007 and 2009 flags. Billy Brownless once described Milburn as the shyest footballer he ever met while former coach Mark Thompson said, “he’s a good leader, not by words but by actions”. And that was Dasher for 292 games.

[PLAYERCARD]Joel Corey[/PLAYERCARD] in action against Adelaide.
Joel Corey in action against Adelaide.
Joel Corey: Extremely unlikely to form a radio duo with Milburn, Corey was another who shunned the spotlight during his 276-game career. Arrived from Perth as a skinny 17-year-old who cut his teeth on the wide, open spaces of WA’s big grounds and ended up at the bottom of the pack whenever the umpire called for a bounce during his 276 AFL games.

[PLAYERCARD]James Kelly[/PLAYERCARD] celebrates a goal.
James Kelly celebrates a goal.
James Kelly: When he donned the No. 9 jumper, Kelly resembled Team of the Century wingman Michael Turner. A smooth mover, he could do the skilful stuff but broadened his game to include the one percenters. His versatility saw him used as a tagger and small defender as required. Ablett, Bartel, Johnson and Chapman were the front men, Kelly was behind the drums keeping the tempo.

Steve Hocking in 1986.
Steve Hocking in 1986.
Steve Hocking: The reliable back pocket and occasional tagger has a much higher profile today than during his 199 games for the Cats.

Mark Yeates (left) in 1989.
Mark Yeates (left) in 1989.
Mark Yeates: An uncomprising competitor who took on tough assignments at centre half-back against bigger opponents and rarely yielded. It was consistent with his team-first philosophy; an approach he took into each of his 154 games over 11 seasons.

Mark Bos in 1981.
Mark Bos in 1981.
Mark Bos: A strong, silent youngster from the bush who blossomed into, well, a strong, silent older player with an uncomplicated style. It was good enough to win him two Carji Greeves medals

Thank you very much for that. Greatly appreciated.


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Vorno

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Sep 8, 2017
123
176
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goyoucatters

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Jan 31, 2008
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Some of the very best among these boys. Corey and Kelly would give my left and right nut to have boys like that in our side again. As for Bossy might have to lose a kidney for him.

It's a great list. They certainly were a bunch of quiet achievers. A related reality I thoroughly enjoyed about all these players is how small the gap was between their best and their worst games. Just knew what you'd get from them, week after week.

Over my 40 years watching the club, that's not a statement you can comfortably make about all the players I've seen don the hoops.
 

Drunkcat

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Fogarty will not be a champ but he could become a good player as Carlton are giving him a go....I think Scott is poor in giving youth a go they have a bad game then they are out
 
Sep 11, 2006
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Fogarty will not be a champ but he could become a good player as Carlton are giving him a go....I think Scott is poor in giving youth a go they have a bad game then they are out
I think we gave Fogs a chance but injury didn’t help him.
I also think our game style doesn’t suit him one bit.
Best of luck to Fogs, I was a big fan and happy to see him doing well
 

TheYid

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May 8, 2007
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Past players I enjoyed- for whatever reason (not necessarily guns):

Darren Morgan. A great shot for goal, always a danger. At one game this Cats fan sitting next to us bagged him incessantly and then shut up after he kicked his fourth before half time.

Austin McCrabb. Just for the name McCrabb. And Austin. A character.

Fish & Chips- the Marakellis bros. Good in and under types. Spiro played ok in an ordinary side.

David Mensch. Had skills, could do anything and was in the end a very serviceable player.

The redhead brigade- Scratcher Neal, Brunsy, Bazza (K'bazza's kebab shop) Stoneham, Hickmott and Lingy of course.

Barry Smith- did he ever get a senior's game? Loved watching him bounce around opposition players at FF in the twos like a pinball machine repelling the pinballs.

Just off the top of my head.
 

TheYid

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May 8, 2007
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Time for another past player to be honored? What about the enigmatic Gavin Exell? Emerged from obscurity, dominated in what could have been a premiership year in 1989 and disappeared almost as quickly as he arrived. I was at the Hawthorn v Geelong game in '89 when he kicked a lazy 9 goals. Cats managed to lose the game even though we kicked 25 goals!

How blessed was Geelong with forwards who could kick bagfulls of goals in the late 80's / early 90's - Ablett, Exell, Lindner, Brownless, Cameron, Stoneham, and even, yes, Dwayne Russell....well maybe not Russell

View attachment 95612
Yep. I was at that game too!! He got traded to Fitzroy, got a poke in the eye in his first game and didn't play again I think?
 

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