Rate our best key forwards of the last 30 years

[Boris the Contradiction]

Okay, well if those stats are right then I agree I am being stiff on Didak. He is just one of those players I always thought we overrated as fans, but fair point I do need to get him in there. It would need to be at the expense of Tony Francis though, which hurts me greatly.

Looks like I'm one of those fans too

I've just double checked his numbers that year and it was 25 touches per game and 41 goals (so slightly behind where I thought it was), which included playing multiple finals with his pec muscle ripped off his chest.

Still an insanely good year and if anything I think he was underrated, because he's often remembered as the classy goal sneak he was at the start of his career, rather than prolific, pure silk, goal kicking midfielder he was later on. He was never the same after that injury, which was a shame because it happened when he was at his peak. If we had the 2009 - 2010 version of Dids in 2011, we very well may have gone back to back.

Francis was a very good player I agree (so bloody quick), especially in 1991, but Dids had him covered.

 

[raymond35]

The broader context for the question was we were trying to pick our best and second best 22s. So I had Daicos in the pocket.

Best 22.
B: Clement, Presti, L Davis
HB: Howe, Moore, H Shaw
C: Millane, Buckley, Brown
HF: Tarrant, T Cloke, P Williams
F: Daicos, S Rocca, De Goey
Fol: Grundy, Pendles, Swan
Int: T Shaw, McGuane, Sidebottom, Francis

2nd best 22.
B: Wakelin, Pert, Gayfer
HB: Morwood, Reid, Crosisca
C: Russell, Burns, Wright
HF: Thomas, Mihocek, Didak
F: Krakouer, A Rocca, Elliott
Fol: Monkhorst, Beams, O'Bree
Int: Licuria, Banks, Watson, Ball

So I was really looking for whether Mihocek gets a game in that twos side or not.

While we struggle for forwards, how is the half backs and centre line of your 2nd team.
Morwood and Crosisca, absolute guns.

 

[PIEWITHSAUCE]

Daicos was playing 30 years ago, so he's obviously the BEST we've had in that time.
Then comes Cloke, The Rocca Bros, Didak, Starcevic, Elliot, Gavin Brown played FF for a while back in the day, It gets a bit ordinary after that....Dawes maybe?

Brown was our lead up forward for some time around that 1990-ish period - did amazingly well for his size. Another one I would take over Molloy etc from that era in terms of actual impact is Ronnie McKeown who also pinch hit in the forward line and did okay for a while there.

 

[THATSGOLD]

Johnson Presti Millane
Crosisca Clement H Shaw
Wright Buckley Burns
G Brown T Cloke P Williams
Daicos S Rocca Didak

Jolly Pendles Swan

Mcguane Maxwell T Shaw Sidebotton

Emeg Wakelin Davis A. Rocca

 

[gouki88]

Johnson Presti Millane
Crosisca Clement H Shaw
Wright Buckley Burns
G Brown T Cloke P Williams
Daicos S Rocca Didak

Jolly Pendles Swan

Mcguane Maxwell T Shaw Sidebotton

Emeg Wakelin Davis A. Rocca

Is that Nick Maxwell and Ben Johnson in your side??

 

[THATSGOLD]

Is that Nick Maxwell and Ben Johnson in your side??

Ben Johnson who played 235 games and Nick maxwell or captained a premiership team. Why yes it is.

 

[gouki88]

Ben Johnson who played 235 games and Nick maxwell or captained a premiership team. Why yes it is.

Surprising is all, given Clement can play the 3rd tall defender and Moore is day and night better than Johnson. Also not sure what Maxwell's role would be, given there are three captains (4 if you count Burns) in that squad, and Maxwell's biggest contributions were intangibles.

Can't really go wrong, but I think both of those guys would struggle to be in our seconds team of the last 30 years

 

[THATSGOLD]

Surprising is all, given Clement can play the 3rd tall defender and Moore is day and night better than Johnson. Also not sure what Maxwell's role would be, given there are three captains (4 if you count Burns) in that squad, and Maxwell's biggest contributions were intangibles.

Can't really go wrong, but I think both of those guys would struggle to be in our seconds team of the last 30 years

Ben Johnson sits 19th games record holder of all time let alone the past 30 years. Played 13 seasons and won a flag. Moore has a long way to go. Let’s see if he can string a season together.

 

[gouki88]

Ben Johnson sits 19th games record holder of all time let alone the past 30 years. Played 13 seasons and won a flag. Moore has a long way to go. Let’s see if he can string a season together.

Lol, what are you even on about? Can the reigning AA CHB "string a season together"? He's at a much higher height than Johnson ever reached, plays a more important position and contributes more to success than Johnson did.

 

[THATSGOLD]

Lol, what are you even on about? Can the reigning AA CHB "string a season together"? He's at a much higher height than Johnson ever reached, plays a more important position and contributes more to success than Johnson did.

Define success...

 

[gouki88]

Define success...

That's not what I wrote. I wrote that Moore contributes more to success than Johnson did. Moore helps winning more than Johnson did

 

[Mike Olotripo]

I can only remember going to the footy from the year 2000 so I missed the best of Sav in a Collingwood jumper but our best key position forwards in that time are as follows:

1. Travis Cloke - People forget how good he was. He was a best and fairest by 20 (in a side that was within a kick of a grand final), was our key forward from essentially the start of 2007 when Pebbles' influence started to drop and injuries caught up with him, was a premiership centre half forward and All Australian at 23 and genuinely monstered most opponents running up and down the ground. Sadly we wasted the peak of his talent from 2013-2016 playing s**t footy but my goodness he was a terrific footballer who gave everything for the jumper.
2. Anthony Rocca

Anthony Rocca

Age

46

Ht

195cm

Wt

105kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.3

3star

K

8.1

3star

HB

3.2

3star

M

5.2

5star

T

1.5

3star

G

1.9

5star

No current season stats available

D

10.8

3star

K

7.2

3star

HB

3.6

3star

M

5.2

5star

T

1.8

4star

G

2.0

5star

- Pebbles was a genuine gun around 2002-2003 and was never quite the same after his injuries but he put his body on the line every single week.
3. Chris Tarrant

Chris Tarrant

Age

43

Ht

193cm

Wt

94kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.2

3star

K

8.3

3star

HB

3.9

3star

M

5.6

5star

T

1.5

3star

No current season stats available

D

3.2

1star

K

2.6

1star

HB

0.6

1star

M

1.2

2star

T

1.8

4star

- Spectacular mark, mercurial, terrific skills, Taz had it all aside from being slightly immature earlier in his career with us. His season is 2003 was top shelf.

Daylight after those 3 and I'd probably say Chris Dawes' form in 2010-2011 was the best other than those 3. Mihocek is probably number 5 in my books.

All these forwards have their flaws, i.e. goalkicking for Cloke and Tarrant, height in the case of Dawes and Mihocek, or speed in the case of Rocca.

 

[Toecrusher]

1.Sav
2. Cloke
3. Pebbles
4. Taz
Taz can go back and be AA in that position so that’s why he’s 4th on the forwards list.

Taz could probably still do better than our current key forwards. We badly miss a strong overhead marking target up forward.

 

[THATSGOLD]

That's not what I wrote. I wrote that Moore contributes more to success than Johnson did. Moore helps winning more than Johnson did

He just got beaten by Daniher.

 

[gouki88]

He just got beaten by Daniher.

Unlike Ben Johnson, the elite lockdown defender who never ever got beaten

 

[Toecrusher]

No no. Not washed up players that the Pies got no value out of. That deserves its own thread.

Good point. Someone should start a failed washed recruit thread - would be a great topic.

 

[Linda Lovelace]

The broader context for the question was we were trying to pick our best and second best 22s. So I had Daicos in the pocket.

Best 22.
B: Clement, Presti, L Davis
HB: Howe, Moore, H Shaw
C: Millane, Buckley, Brown
HF: Tarrant, T Cloke, P Williams
F: Daicos, S Rocca, De Goey
Fol: Grundy, Pendles, Swan
Int: T Shaw, McGuane, Sidebottom, Francis

2nd best 22.
B: Wakelin, Pert, Gayfer
HB: Morwood, Reid, Crosisca
C: Russell, Burns, Wright
HF: Thomas, Mihocek, Didak
F: Krakouer, A Rocca, Elliott
Fol: Monkhorst, Beams, O'Bree
Int: Licuria, Banks, Watson, Ball

So I was really looking for whether Mihocek gets a game in that twos side or not.

I would swap in Daisy and Didak for T Shaw and Tarrant but I agree with the rest of your 22.

Tarrant could arguably take either Presti or Moore's spots, but I wouldn't select him as 3rd key forward.

T Shaw a good honest workhorse, but I wouldn't have in him over dynamic players that can break games open. Daisy and Dids at their peak were elite players.

 

[mike123]

Didn't appreciate your irony, stormskye


Nor the omission of Ben Reid

Ben had the talent just not the durability

 

[legendstatus]

1. Dermie
2. Cummings
3. Lynch
4. Molloy
5. White

Can anyone see a pattern with these names?

 

[raymond35]

1. Dermie
2. Cummings
3. Lynch
4. Molloy
5. White

Can anyone see a pattern with these names?

Players of moderate to good ability, who were all broken down and at the end of their careers when they got to Collingwood?