Players Who Never Quite Made The Grade

[ErnieSigley]

Ben Sexton

 

[H Dolphin]

Going back a bit and relying on the recollections of a very young boy, in the early '60's big Rod Coutts came to the club from Kaniva. In an early game he took a couple of big grabs over a pack from behind and we all thought we had a gun full forward to match Doug Wade.

 

[Dog Town]

Tyson Lane 1995-1996 played 11 games for us..then went to Collingwood, I don't think he played many more games there? Anyone know?

His first two years at Collingwood were very good.He came second at the club for kicks in one of those years and might have even come top 3 in the B&F in what was a pretty weak Collingwod team.

 

[Aquamarinejewel]

His first two years at Collingwood were very good.He came second at the club for kicks in one of those years and might have even come top 3 in the B&F in what was a pretty weak Collingwod team.

Thanks for that Dog Town, I wasn't sure how many games Lane had played for Collingwood but I do remember that the Dogs thought highly of him when he first started with us. Guess it wasn't to be.

 

[OldSchool]

Sam Phillipou was a player that should have made it but just didn't have the mobility or endurance. He was totaly spent at the 20 min mark of each quarter no matter how hard they trained him.
Stephen Pitt should have taken his opportunity with us.

 

[Aquamarinejewel]

Phil O' Keefe 1989 played 11 games...had a couple of good games and that was the end of him.

 

[ErnieSigley]

Maybe these players should be separated in two categories.
eg 1 Players that had talent but squandered it and 2 players with not a lot of ability but gave there all.
I'd put Phil O'Keefee in 2 and Daniel Hargraves in 1.

 

[Gilbo_Fan]

What about Matthew Mansfield, say 188 cm half back flanker, was good of either foot and not too unlike Guy McKenna in the way he played.

I thought he was going to be very good, he did go onto Fitzroy also.

I'd be interested in anyones thoughts on him.

 

[W W Biscuit]

A few more for the cauldron:

Michael Frost
Michael Svilar
Jim Stephenson
Stuart Nichol
Lynton Fitzpatrick

 

[John Gent]

Going back a bit and relying on the recollections of a very young boy, in the early '60's big Rod Coutts came to the club from Kaniva. In an early game he took a couple of big grabs over a pack from behind and we all thought we had a gun full forward to match Doug Wade.

Kicked 6 against St Kilda at Moorabbin on one occasion.

 

[footscray1973]

Neil Bristow. Great call LocalYokel. He kicked a goal after the siren at the Western Oval against the Hawks & we won by a point. Kelvin Templeton held out Kelvin Moore and shepherded the ball through on the line. The Sun newspaper had a centespread feature on the game that was stuck up on my bedroom wall for a number of years after that! ( Probably the poster that you mentioned Gohard.) Pretty sure he wore the number 18.

Jean Claude - Neil Bristow wore number 27. Phil Bradmore from Sydney wore #18 in that period - a FF who only played a few games and wasn't up to it. Bristow playde a blinder against the Hawks at Princess Park - in the same game Gary Cowton wore #46 (not sure why) and he also featured in the full-page photo spread of highlights from that game. Bristow had a very awkward kicking style - with he and Bluey Hampshire rucking we never had a lot of mobility in the ruck!! Another player who played in that surprise win against the Hawks was Steve Hoffman (ex-Swan). We were turning into a team of rejects at that stage - Alan Atkinson, Terry Wight (father of Cameron), Peter Hickmott, etc, etc - not all at the same time, but we were selling/losing quality players like Dempsey/Quinlan/Wilson, and picking up hacks from other clubs - basically, we were a basket case.

 

[Captain Sensible]

Phil Bradmore kicked 3 goals in a quarter against Fitzroy at the Junction Oval. I can still see him taking a half volley, the fitzroy fullback Lawrie Serafini falling over and Bradmore running into an open goal just before half time. I think that Mick Conlan kicked 9 goals in the second half and most of those are burned in my memory as well.

The other thing I remember about Bradmore is that he came from Finlay like Spiderbait and Shane Crawford and he had the #18 just before Simon Beasley.

 

[Spiritof82]

. I think that Mick Conlan kicked 9 goals in the second half and most of those are burned in my memory as well.

Every game we played against Fitzroy, Conlan would always kick a bag of goals (and would always have Brian or Neil Cordy playing on him).

 

[Captain Sensible]

Every game we played against Fitzroy, Conlan would always kick a bag of goals (and would always have Brian or Neil Cordy playing on him).

Except for R22 1983. Brian Cordy run down Conlan as he ran into an open goal. It was just after half time and it turned the game on it's head. We outscored Fitzroy into a gale and then ran over them in the last. The story goes that when we were 4 goals down at half time a guy from eastcoast jeans walked into the change rooms and plonked a paper bag with $7,000 cash in it on a massage table and said "Win the game and it goes into the trip fund boys". Eastcoast had already promised a cash bonus of $21,000 if we won the last three games.

I think it paid for the infamous trip to Bangkok later that year.

 

[Benno From Berwick]

adam Morgan?

 

[Captain Sensible]

adam Morgan?

I'll go out on a limb and say he will make it.

 

[Godwin Fot]

Except for R22 1983. Brian Cordy run down Conlan as he ran into an open goal. It was just after half time and it turned the game on it's head. We outscored Fitzroy into a gale and then ran over them in the last. The story goes that when we were 4 goals down at half time a guy from eastcoast jeans walked into the change rooms and plonked a paper bag with $7,000 cash in it on a massage table and said "Win the game and it goes into the trip fund boys". Eastcoast had already promised a cash bonus of $21,000 if we won the last three games.

I think it paid for the infamous trip to Bangkok later that year.

I remember that too, but did this not happen in the last quarter? If Cordy did do this in the second, he also did in the last as I clearly recall Conlan running towards the Barkly Steet end goals and just about to drop the ball to his boot when Toby intervened. If he had of kicked this it would have got Fitzroy back on track. However Brian Cordy's tackle stopped Conlan in his tracks and it prevented them regaining the initiative.


Beasley kicked a goal after the siren in this game with thousands on the field.

The TV crews attended this match to see a former Footscray player boot his 100th for the season. But he didn't and it was Collingwood at the Junction the following week for BQ and his ton.

 

[Godwin Fot]

Mark West.... had he drilled that goal from 30 out, dead in front in the '97 preliminary final, he probably would've been a Doggies Premiership Player.

Neil Bristow. Great call LocalYokel. He kicked a goal after the siren at the Western Oval against the Hawks & we won by a point. Kelvin Templeton held out Kelvin Moore and shepherded the ball through on the line. The Sun newspaper had a centespread feature on the game that was stuck up on my bedroom wall for a number of years after that! ( Probably the poster that you mentioned Gohard.) Pretty sure he wore the number 18.

John Reilly. Occupation... Nuclear Physicist. I'm fair dinkum. Should've drafted Homer!

Of the rest, I quite liked Darryl Griffen. ( Great surname!) Hard at the ball and he wore the number 29... loved Neil Cordy!!!

Don't want to be a party pooper but the Bristow triumph was 1979 at Princes Park. We beat Hawthorn in close games at home in 1982 and 1985 but neither was an after the siren affair. One of the heroes of the 1982 victory was Ross Christensen who earned himself an appearance on World Of Sport the following day.

We gave Hawthorn a hiding at home in 1980 with Templeton majestically surging to the Brownlow. Two years earlier though in 1978 was shattering. We lost a close game to the Hawks by under a goal and Templeton didn't kick enough to reach the 100. He had to do it the following week against Collingwood at Victoria Park.

Bit like my previous comment regarding Quinlan and how he missed the 100 at the Western Oval and had to do it the following week against Collingwood.

 

[Godwin Fot]

Phil Bradmore kicked 3 goals in a quarter against Fitzroy at the Junction Oval. I can still see him taking a half volley, the fitzroy fullback Lawrie Serafini falling over and Bradmore running into an open goal just before half time. I think that Mick Conlan kicked 9 goals in the second half and most of those are burned in my memory as well.

The other thing I remember about Bradmore is that he came from Finlay like Spiderbait and Shane Crawford and he had the #18 just before Simon Beasley.

What year was that game do you reckon Local? Don't think it was 1984 because Beasley would have been wearing the 18 in his third season with us. Conlan booted 10 that day- it was an Easter Monday Public Holiday. Maybe 1979 or 1981 or 1982?

Definitely wasn't 1978 or 1980 as we beat them those years. I went to the 1981 game but not the 1979 or 1982. Was there in 1978 and 1980 though.

 

[Captain Sensible]

I remember that too, but did this not happen in the last quarter? If Cordy did do this in the second, he also did in the last as I clearly recall Conlan running towards the Barkly Steet end goals and just about to drop the ball to his boot when Toby intervened. If he had of kicked this it would have got Fitzroy back on track. However Brian Cordy's tackle stopped Conlan in his tracks and it prevented them regaining the initiative.


Beasley kicked a goal after the siren in this game with thousands on the field.

The TV crews attended this match to see a former Footscray player boot his 100th for the season. But he didn't and it was Collingwood at the Junction the following week for BQ and his ton.

My mind's eye has him running towards the Barkly street end. Your memeory for detail is better than mine so I'll defer to you on this one. It was the week after the big comeback at Morrabbin when Williams kicked the winner wasnt it?

 

[Godwin Fot]

My mind's eye has him running towards the Barkly street end. Your memeory for detail is better than mine so I'll defer to you on this one. It was the week after the big comeback at Morrabbin when Williams kicked the winner wasnt it?

No need to be sorry, as how many others on here would recollect the Conlan/ Cordy passage of play? I'm glad to know you saw it and remember it. I just seem to believe it occured in the middle or late part of the last quarter and he was definitely going to the Barkly Street end goals.

This was the first of the trifecta of wins that clinched the $21,000.


It was Fitzroy
St Kilda(Racoon Williams goal just before the siren)
Sydney(at home)


Happy to know someone else recalls that wonderful story of the money being brought out at half time of the Fitzroy game and at 3/4 time of the St Kilda match. Eastcoast jeans wasn't it?

Stephen Lunn would recall that end of season trip would he not? Doug Hawkins autobiography(Both Sides Of The Fence) provides a well detailed analysis of that holiday.

 

[Sedat!]

Maybe these players should be separated in two categories.
eg 1 Players that had talent but squandered it and 2 players with not a lot of ability but gave there all.
I'd put Phil O'Keefee in 2 and Daniel Hargraves in 1.

Top thread.

One of my favourite players in 1987 (which was one of my favourite seasons) was Gary Irvine off the back pocket. Strung together about 10-12 really solid games in a row when we made a late charge at the finals (that was the year we started off getting thumped by over 10 goals in each of the first 3 games of the year). He wore the number 47 with pride.

Darren Davies was one player I thought would go on to bigger and better things, but really tailed off. We ended up trading him to the Saints from memory. Very good goal poacher on his day.

Good call previously on Matty Mansfield. He looked like he could be anything off half back. Terrific left foot, and had an excellent season in 1992. Form tapered off the following year (like many of his teammates).

Daniel Hargraves was a real waste of talent. He could really play, but the hooch proved too much of a lure. At least we ended up getting Matt Robbins out of a complicated trade when we let Hargraves go to Freo.

 

[scooter600x]

Daniel Hargraves was a real waste of talent. He could really play, but the hooch proved too much of a lure. At least we ended up getting Matt Robbins out of a complicated trade when we let Hargraves go to Freo.

I thought we got Brad Wira for Hargraves (and maybe Hugh Riemers in a round-about way)

We gave up 3 draft picks for Robbins. Joel McKay, James Rahilly and Justin Wood from memory.

 

[Captain Sensible]

I thought we got Brad Wira for Hargraves (and maybe Hugh Riemers in a round-about way)

We gave up 3 draft picks for Robbins. Joel McKay, James Rahilly and Justin Wood from memory.

******** that was good deal for us.

 

[Gilbo_Fan]

I thought we got Brad Wira for Hargraves (and maybe Hugh Riemers in a round-about way)

We gave up 3 draft picks for Robbins. Joel McKay, James Rahilly and Justin Wood from memory.

We traded Hargraves for the 3 picks, which we onsold to Geelong for Robbins

Brad Wira was already on the list AND we later traded him back to Freo for Kingsley Hunter