Universal Love Ranking the best Port Adelaide players of all time

[Macca19]

Hodges should be top 5 solely on the weight of performances in big games.

 

[bomberclifford]

Of the players I've seen in the flesh, the cream of them would be; Russell Ebert, Craig Bradley, Gavin Wanganeen, Warren Tredrea, Chad Cornes, Robbie Gray and Chad Wingard. They all were/are able to do things that defy physics.

Ranking is a pointless exercise IMO. Probably better to discuss tiers of players.

 

[DaTBird187]

Hodges should be top 5 solely on the weight of performances in big games.

Hodges should be top 5 solely on the weight of the 1994 Grand Final.

 

[raman]

Hodges should be top 5 solely on the weight of the 1994 Grand Final.

...and 1996 prelim

 

[SgtSchulz]

So apparently the best player in the 1914 State Carnival for South Australia was John Robertson in front of Oliver, Hosking, Ashley and Congear let alone the rest of the states best players.

That 1914 Port side had some serious depth. Definitely not a few guns and some passengers.

 

[Nemisis]

The best that I have seen:

1. Russell Ebert
2. Gavin Wanganeen
3. Warren Tredrea
4. Robbie Gray
5. Craig Bradley
6. Greg Phillips
7. John Cahill
8. Martin Leslie
9. Scott Hodges
10.Josh Francou

 

[tribey]

One thing I've never understood is how Fos beat Bob Quinn to the rover position in the Greatest Team.

Quinn,
186 games, 386 goals
3 x Premierships (1 x Capt-Coach)
2 x Magarey Medal (1 x Runner-Up)
4 x B&F (1 x Premiership Year)
2 x Leading Goalkicker
3 x State Captain
1 x Sporting Life TOTY/'AA' Captain (Rover)

Williams,
151 games, 263 goals
6 x Premierships (6 x Capt-Coach)
2 x B&F (1 x Premiership Year)
3 x Leading Goalkicker
5 x State Captain

Surely it's the six-in-a-row/coach factor.

As individual players Quinn's record is objectively superior.

 

[Onward To Victory]

How many games did Scott Thompson play for Port? I have a feeling he was drafted even before he cracked the seniors here...

 

[NoddyHolder]

Rating a top 10 is borderline impossible, top 5 is hard enough, but here goes

1. Russell Ebert
2. Bob Quinn
3. Harold Oliver
4. Geoff Motley
5. John Cahill
6. Warren Tredrea
7. Gavin Wanganeen
8. John Abley
9. Ian Hannaford
10. Greg Phillips

As you're the only one here to have seen Harold Oliver play I'm happy to defer to your list 54

 

[240volt]

Geoff Motley was the hardest run through a brick wall player i have ever seen.

 

[Dave Omsby]

I can't comment before about 1965 but I'm sure some of those guys would be in but since my time
Ebert
J.Cahill
Motley
Tredrea
Cunningham
Wanganeen
Bradley
Phillips
Evans
S.Burgoyne
R.Gray
Hodges
Primus
K.Cornes
P.Burgoyne
Leslie
C.Cornes
Potter
R.James
Lade
Giniver
Woite
D.Cahill

 

[Muunky Tuunk Man]

Not the most skilled but Tim Ginever has to be mentioned in the list IMO. It all depends on the criteria though

 

[Rexie J]

Geoff Motley was the hardest run through a brick wall player i have ever seen.

Still have wonderful visions of Mots running out with those bandy legs flailing away. Could say he won the 1957 GF v Norwood when he was moved to the forward line. Need to check how many goals he kicked. I think he was against Peter Koerner (spelling)when playing centre in that game.

Great player and even better human being.

 

[1954]

Still have wonderful visions of Mots running out with those bandy legs flailing away. Could say he won the 1957 GF v Norwood when he was moved to the forward line. Need to check how many goals he kicked. I think he was against Peter Koerner (spelling)when playing centre in that game.

Great player and even better human being.

Geoff was switched with your mate Dave Boyd at halftime of that game, Boyd went into the centre and Motley to half forward, where he kicked 7 goals.

 

[Rexie J]

Yep, that's it '54, I thought it was around 6ish goals.

Geoff's late sister (passed at a young age) was a state basketballer as it was then called - now of course netball.

 

[Dylan8]

Hodges should be top 5 solely on the weight of performances in big games.

Plus the mullet which factors in heavily

 

[Saansa]

Stephen Williams and Bruce Abernethy underrated in this thread.

 

[PA88]

Angelo Congear is in our Hall of Fame and also was SA's leading rover for 4 years. I think he's in the SA Hall of Fame too (unsure but I think). He was rover in our 'the invincibles' team and in that same era where we won Australian Champions.

Although I saw Ebert, Evans, Clifford, Bradley and that era all play but I was young to really digest how good they were. So based upon those I really saw and understood were legend players I would say Wanganeen, Hodges, and Buckley.

 

[Dylan8]

Hodges is the player I wish I was around to see.

 

[StuMan]

Hodges is the player I wish I was around to see.

As a kid with no family connections to the club, he made me love Port Adelaide.

 

[Dylan8]

As a kid with no family connections to the club, he made me love Port Adelaide.

That's me and Byron.

 

[Teal Plums]

Troy Olsen <3 tribey

 

[tribey]

Based on histories, accolades, stats, the patchwork of what I've seen on video, TV and live and leaning heavily on the 1870-2000 Port Greatest Team selections:

01. EBERT, Russell
02. TREDREA, Warren
03. QUINN, Bob
04. MOTLEY, Geof
05. EVANS, Tim
06. ABLEY, John
07. CAHILL, John
08. HODGES, Scott
09. WANGANEEN, Gavin
10. WILLIAMS, Fos
11. GRAY, Robbie
12. BRADLEY, Craig
13. PHILLIPS, Greg
14. LADE, Brendon
15. DAYMAN, Bro
16. RUSSELL, Dick
17. OLIVER, Harold
18. HAYES, Neville
19. CORNES, Kane
20. POTTER, Jeff

Bar the first seven men who tick every single box - longevity of service, accolades, weight of numbers, records and were undisputedly one of the greats in their position - the next crop are tougher. Especially in the case of Hodges, Wanganeen, Bradley, Bro and Fos, who while genial, missed a ton of footy playing elsewhere which counts against them.

Certainly a tough tough exercise and obviously incredibly subjective.

 

[SgtSchulz]

Imagine our 1945 midfield!

Bunton-Quinn

Bunquinn
Quinton
...
3 Brownlows
3 Sandovers
2 Magareys

 

[Powerage]

Nathan Buckley was huge in his premiership year here and would be in the top 20 discussion imo

Yeah, much as I hate him now. He was a machine and basically was Collingwood for a decade. Almost the perfect midfielder even by today's physical requirements. But hated him for not coming back when he had the chance.

You can really only rate players you have seen and even then it is a matter of context in terms of opposition, opportunities training wise etc. I mean I hate to think how good Tim Evans and Russell Ebert would have been as full time players with today's training opportunities (I've heard the stories about Tim and how they would have to throw him in the showers to get him sober enough to play )

With careers completed I would have to go with:
1.Russell Ebert - always got the most out of his body and was a player who just had magnificent awareness. Ahead of his time in training standards too.
2. Warren Tredrea - the clubs original hero and only quadruple capped all Australian Port player to date (should have been in 2005 as well). No coincidence that his best years were our best years as an AFL club so far because he dominated aruguably the most important position on the ground. Damn those dodgy knees of his.
3. Gavin Wanganeen - the original Indian rubber man. From 16 to 34 he could do things other players could only dream of and also had terrific awareness.