Players that changed the Game

[jefffff34]

What changed? Kouta was good (in his prime) but not sure if he was as good as your saying.

First you've said Dale Thomas is soft, now you've said Kouta was only 'good'.

In 2000, Anthony Koutoufides legitimately took the piss on every other player in the AFL for half a season.

 

[willoblue]

Who's TI?

TI = Stephen Michael, the greatest footy player I have had the pleasure to see play live. (yes, I have seen many of the modern greats)

To put it into perspective, he had the athleticism & hard ball getting ability of Naitanui, as well as the footy smarts of Dean Cox. TI would have made both of them squeal had the game been played back in the 80's or 70's, but the modern rules would have counted against him when it came to solid hip & shoulder's.

I agree that Aaron Davey was a player who changed the game with his forward line pressure. Great call there.

Obviously, Polly Farmer's use of handball as a weapon was revolutionary, but that was before my time.

The change of the bouncing rule has been attributed to Bartlett & I remember him being a force when I was a kid, but I also remember Cable & possibly Baldock taking advantage of that rule.

Also Dench was the first key defender I remember running downfield in an attacking fashion, so kudos to the poster for pointing that one out.

 

[gbatman]

Kouta had a big influence on the game, a key position sized player who could mark but played midfield and played his best footy on the ball. From then people strived to find guys around 190cm who were good athletes and played midfield. This broke the only short players in the midfield rule. Kouta broke and created a new mould for the modern day footballer and also opened the door for the process of educating athletes to become good footballers.

 

[Books]

Polly Farmer was doing that 20 years before Williams even entered the league.

Polly Farmer was the first player I thought of when I saw the thread title.

I never saw him play, only brief highlights on TV, but everyone who did see him speaks very highly of him.

Nominating players from your own club is obviously biased, but Hawthorn did create a game plan around Peter Hudson, which led to changes in the game / rules.

 

[Bollox]

Libba, and his even worse partner in crime Jose Romero....by introducing the "squat to piss tag "
Gone were the days of playing or confronting man on man, everything had to be done with a pull of the hair, or a pinch, grope or fingernail scratch.

 

[The Passenger]

^^ don't forget ball biting... ooo wait

 

[The Chiefton]

Nicky Winmar and Michael Long.

Was Tony Campbell the first bloke to wear 2 gloves?

Jesse White - benchgate.

 

[Lets Roar like '44]

First you've said Dale Thomas is soft, now you've said Kouta was only 'good'.

In 2000, Anthony Koutoufides legitimately took the piss on every other player in the AFL for half a season.

The question is about players who changed the game. Kouta had an outstanding year, or as you say, 11 games (albeit still no Brownlow) but that isn't the topic. How he changed the game I fail to see.

 

[Bigeasy]

Laurie Nash was arguably the greatest 'swingman' to ever play the game (and according to Jack Dyer, the greatest player to ever play the game). He was switching between CHB and CHF in the 30's. And dominating.

Completely different reasons. Dench changed the way full backs play by linking up and creating play down field. Up until then full backs would stay close to the goals and not venture out. I have vivid memories of Dench contesting on the wing while his opponent was standing in the goal square.

Nash dominated positions at each end of the ground so yes he may have revolutionised the swing man role.

 

[you pick one]

Some have had the rules changed IE bowden,rushed behind.
Some have had the rules ignores IE Buddies arc.
But only one changed the game forever Polly's handball.

There is a difference between changing the game and changing the rules.

 

[Mitchell Madness]

Some have had the rules changed IE bowden,rushed behind.
Some have had the rules ignores IE Buddies arc.
But only one changed the game forever Polly's handball.

absolute myth about buddy

he walks in perfectly fine, and the last 2 steps he swings out, just like every other player
it's called balance

 

[basashi]

TI = Stephen Michael, the greatest footy player I have had the pleasure to see play live. (yes, I have seen many of the modern greats)

To put it into perspective, he had the athleticism & hard ball getting ability of Naitanui, as well as the footy smarts of Dean Cox. TI would have made both of them squeal had the game been played back in the 80's or 70's, but the modern rules would have counted against him when it came to solid hip & shoulder's.

I agree that Aaron Davey was a player who changed the game with his forward line pressure. Great call there.

Obviously, Polly Farmer's use of handball as a weapon was revolutionary, but that was before my time.

The change of the bouncing rule has been attributed to Bartlett & I remember him being a force when I was a kid, but I also remember Cable & possibly Baldock taking advantage of that rule.

Also Dench was the first key defender I remember running downfield in an attacking fashion, so kudos to the poster for pointing that one out.

Put me down for that as well. Best player I have seen play.

 

[you pick one]

absolute myth about buddy

he walks in perfectly fine, and the last 2 steps he swings out, just like every other player
it's called balance

Made me laugh,I've heard it all now. That's funny as ****.

 

[basashi]

From what I understand, the WA game at the time had a lot more handballing in it when compared to the VFL.

So with Polly it was partly his personal style and partly the culture of the comp he played in before.

 

[manboob]

absolute myth about buddy

he walks in perfectly fine, and the last 2 steps he swings out, just like every other player
it's called balance

[YOUTUBE]C6cTjUjabw4[/YOUTUBE]

Starts left and keeps going left, try the last 20 steps not the last two. And thats only from 20 out.

 

[Tex_21]

Some have had the rules changed IE bowden,rushed behind.
Some have had the rules ignores IE Buddies arc.
But only one changed the game forever Polly's handball.

There is a difference between changing the game and changing the rules.

Ignoring the Buddy shitfight, but Tom Hawkins also changed the rules, with regard to the F/S rule. Because he was touted as the next great KPF, clubs jumped up and down that we got him for a 3rd rounder, and the rules were changed.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Chris Judd.

Its a lot harder now to get third party deals done.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

Chris Judd.

Its a lot harder now to get third party deals done.

And he also became the first "superstar" without being able to mark or kick.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

And he also became the first "superstar" without being able to mark or kick.

Robert Harvey was about ten years ahead of him.

 

[Old Skool]

And he also became the first "superstar" without being able to mark or kick.

The word "superstar" is not applicable to Chris Judd anywhere outside of the tabloid media or a few Carlton/West Coast types.

Judd seems a pretty level headed person to me, and I think he would be the first to scoff at the suggestion his name belongs alongside Matthews, Ablett snr, Whitten, Carey, Coleman, Farmer, Hudson, Lockett, Blight etc.

The truth is, there hasn't been a true "superstar" since Carey retired.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

The truth is, there hasn't been a true "superstar" since Carey retired.

What makes you the judge?

Its just a word and it was just a word used in a throwaway line.

Theres no official list, you know.

 

[blues_future]

Bosustow and Johnston invented serious forward pressure in 1981, before that forwards stood with their hands on their hips while defenders hacked the ball to the boundary.

Was Neville Fields the first designated kicker? The Dons gave it to him a lot and he pinpointed long kicks like no other in the 1970s.

I have no memory of Bradley as a tagger except in 1995 GF and then was he tagging Hocking or Hocking tagging him? Can't remember him as a half back. But he was one of the original super fit gut runners.

Not sure Kouta changed the game. He was a freakish athlete like Goodes or Buddy, but being freakishly good doesn't really changed the game. Its not like there were heaps of Koutas out there waiting there chance and they only got the call after Kouta.

There's been a few attacking fullbacks before Scarlett - Southby and Dench and others going way back.

 

[Old Skool]

Was Neville Fields the first designated kicker? The Dons gave it to him a lot and he pinpointed long kicks like no other in the 1970s.

Thorold Merrett - 1950's
Barry Price - 1960's

I'm sure there would be others going back further.

I have no memory of Bradley as a tagger except in 1995 GF and then was he tagging Hocking or Hocking tagging him?

I don't remember Bradley being a tagger either, but I know he was tagged fairly often, with little effect on most occasions.

 

[blues_future]

The word "superstar" is not applicable to Chris Judd anywhere outside of the tabloid media or a few Carlton/West Coast types.

Judd seems a pretty level headed person to me, and I think he would be the first to scoff at the suggestion his name belongs alongside Matthews, Ablett snr, Whitten, Carey, Coleman, Farmer, Hudson, Lockett, Blight etc.

The truth is, there hasn't been a true "superstar" since Carey retired.

Feel the hate. He may not make the pantheon of North Melb superstars but he is an okay player in Carlton terms and we have had a few stars in our time. If he is not a superstar they probably need to rewrite the definition.
Ablett snr - possibly the most talented player ever, but he played four final series - in 89 he was super in the others he was very ordinary. Blighty- great talent but did he ever even win a Nth b&f? Maybe one so they thought he was Nths best player in a single year. Is that superstar material? Dragged pre interchange in the 1977 GF. Huddo - freakish player, played one GF and almost lost it through selfishness. These guys you have listed are 'superstars' but there are plnety who fit comfortably into that list in that they have dominated an era. Is Blight more a superstar than Jezza? Hudson than Dunstall? Farmer than Nicholls? Carey than Royce HArt or Laurie Nash or Bob Pratt?

If Juddy played for North I daresay he would be a superstar, in fact if he played for anyone other than Carlton he would be - 5 b&fs 6 AA, Norm Smith, premiership captian, not bad for a guy with a few years left.

 

[Kwality]

From what I understand, the WA game at the time had a lot more handballing in it when compared to the VFL.

So with Polly it was partly his personal style and partly the culture of the comp he played in before.

The East Perth side of the 50s was built on handball & Polly was dominant, taking the game to a new level with his use of handball from ruck contests.

Coached by Reverend Jack Sheedy, the support team included Jack himself, small men Paul Seal & Kevin McGill, 1963 Geelong premiership player John Watts, a couple of other indigenous players in Sandover Medallist Ted Kilmurray & Jack Hunt, one of the first NT players to venture South in Billy Roe, & at the end of the 50s Neil Hawke came over from South Aus & introduced the drop punt to the WA game.

Hawke was a more than useful cricketer, playing 27 tests for Aus including being the leading wicket taker in the 65/66 Ashes series.