Universal Love Simon Madden - A True Legend

[Doss]

Do we call Salmon a ruck? Great ruck and also a fantastic forward. I am still dirty on the cretins that booed him out of the club.

He was definitely a ruck at Hawthorn, more of a pinch hitter at Essendon though.

His record was 324 games, 561 goals, so if you do include him his average goals per game is superior to Madden’s.

 

[Howard Moon]

Do we call Salmon a ruck? Great ruck and also a fantastic forward. I am still dirty on the cretins that booed him out of the club.

how many goals did salmon kick? probably looks at home on that list - but we know he was parked fwd for a decade

 

[Howard Moon]

snap

 

[Howard Moon]

He was definitely a ruck at Hawthorn, more of a pinch hitter at Essendon though.

His record was 324 games, 561 goals, so if you do include him his average goals per game is superior to Madden’s.

he only had the little issue of one J Dunstall in his way at Hawthorn

 

[Blind Turn]

makes you wonder however, with the huge gap in the numbers whether it was just pure ability over the other guys or

-were we blessed to always have another quality ruck (Merrett, Salmon, *cough* Somerville) allowing madden to rotate more freely and often forward?
-were rucks of the day more likely just to plough on all game in the middle (no rotations) while madden was able to rest fwd

dunno. The closest guy on the list was mckernan with 300ish goals who id probably consider maybe more fwd than ruck? or maybe a 50/50 split guess

Simon played a more permanent-like forward role up until 83 once Justin had moved on.

The ruckman we have come to know him as is the 80s incarnation when he rested forward infrequently. In the mid-late 70s Graham Moss Steve Taubert and Krackers Keenan were unlikely to kick bags of goals resting forward and Max Crow was an awful kick so Simon would more often than not remain the focal point.

 

[Howard Moon]

Simon played a more permanent-like forward role up until 83 once Justin had moved on.

The ruckman we have come to know him as is the 80s incarnation when he rested forward infrequently. In the mid-late 70s Graham Moss Steve Taubert and Krackers Keenan were unlikely to kick bags of goals resting forward and Max Crow was an awful kick so Simon would more often than not remain the focal point.

next point of debate.

how many goes did he kick up until 1983.

 

[Howard Moon]

edit - he kicked 351 goals as that perma fwd before he took over the ruck

 

[Blind Turn]

edit - he kicked 351 goals as that perma fwd before he took over the ruck

Then there’s also 91/92 where he payed more forward while a young Somerville came onto the scene and the Fish was there too.

From 83-90 he kicked 200 goals from 176 games which is still pretty amazing for a number 1 ruck.

 

[Blind Turn]

edit - he kicked 351 goals as that perma fwd before he took over the ruck

315 goals from my count Howie

https://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/S/Simon_Madden.html

 

[Blind Turn]

I remember being told his contacts fell out in the '90 GF but I was never sure if it was fact or fiction.

The sort of urban myth that we can use as an excuse for our utter ineptitude that day.

Would make it very hard to play though if everything came at you blurred, doubled, and from an indeterminate distance. I know he had trouble playing in night games due to contacts.

 

[NAB777]

Old enough to remember him very well.

Magnificent tap ruckman, supurb leaping and marking ability, dead eye kick for goal and did it in big games. Was the best forward amongst the rucks of his era.

Was horrible at two things and it’s difficult to decide which he was worse at - fighting (see 85 GF) and handballing.

Seems a ripping bloke - unlike his brother who I have never liked.

It was the 84GF where he threw punches that had the impact of a wet lettuce leaf...

it's true - he was/is a great guy.

It's also true that his brother was universally disliked at Essendon.

 

[NAB777]

Greg Dear and Paul Abbott in the later 80s.

Don Scott had retired by ‘83 and their ruck was some bloke called Ian Paton. Can’t say I know anything about him.

He eye gouged Merv Neagle, which is why Simon started punching(!) him. Funniest punches I've ever seen, too.

 

[Shane Heard]

I was 7 years old in 77’ when I first started going to windy hill games ...simon was 3 years into his career so I saw the entire span of his playing days.

Sheedy came in as coach in 81’ and turned the place inside out..first step was to drop Madden as capt and replace him with Terry Daniher.

Sheeds had a distaste for any player who wasn’t a hard arse farmer or tradie and Simon being the ciggie smoking hipster school teacher was top of his list.

Was dropped to the reserves at one stage early on by Sheeds but he soon came back and got his game going again.

Famously rested on the bench for most of the 3rd qrt in the 84’ GF as a tactic by Sheeds who unleashed him in the 4th to our advantage.

Watch those tap downs in the final qrt that game. Pure mastery. Daisy Williams read him perfectly in the first bounce and down in went fir quick goal which ignited the entire side into a frenzy of attack.

Simon was a 6’6 leaping superstar who would just dominate a game as tall in his quiet, almost gentle style.

For a big guy he had a low ball drop. A beautiful drop punt action that was so consistent.

He was an absolute gem of player.


Essendon immortal who knocked back $500k from Edelsten to join
the swans.

Like Harvs and Bomber he was a true local boy.

The windy hill faithful adored him.

 

[NAB777]

His first half of the 85 GF was unbelievable. I repeat... unbelievable. It won him the Norm Smith.

Most pundits who have been watching the game for a while rank him the No.1 ruckman of the last 50 years, and with good reason. Took some monster marks, most of which I saw, as I went to nearly every game from about 1978 to 1988.

As he got older, he used to jump early into his opponents to take away their leap...clever guy.

Did too many weights towards the end & it probably cost him 400 games....but what a career, and what a player.

 

[NAB777]

I was 7 years old in 77’ when I first started going to windy hill games ...simon was 3 years into his career so I saw the entire span of his playing days.

Sheedy came in as coach in 81’ and turned the place inside out..first step was to drop Madden as capt and replace him with Terry Daniher.

Sheeds had a distaste for any player who wasn’t a hard arse farmer or tradie and Simon being the ciggie smoking hipster school teacher was top of his list.

Was dropped to the reserves at one stage early on by Sheeds but he soon came back and got his game going again.

Famously rested on the bench for most of the 3rd qrt in the 84’ GF as a tactic by Sheeds who unleashed him in the 4th to our advantage.

Watch those tap downs in the final qrt that game. Pure mastery. Daisy Williams read him perfectly in the first bounce and down in went fir quick goal which ignited the entire side into a frenzy of attack.

Simon was a 6’6 leaping superstar who would just dominate a game as tall in his quiet, almost gentle style.

For a big guy he had a low ball drop. A beautiful drop punt action that was so consistent.

He was an absolute gem of player.


Essendon immortal who knocked back $500k from Edelsten to join
the swans.

Like Harvs and Bomber he was a true local boy.

The windy hill faithful adored him.

No doubt we have crossed paths.

 

[Shane Heard]

No doubt we have crossed paths.

Did you sit on the bowling green brick fence as a kid? That’s where I was most games .

 

[Shane Heard]

His first half of the 85 GF was unbelievable. I repeat... unbelievable. It won him the Norm Smith.

Most pundits who have been watching the game for a while rank him the No.1 ruckman of the last 50 years, and with good reason. Took some monster marks, most of which I saw, as I went to nearly every game from about 1978 to 1988.

As he got older, he used to jump early into his opponents to take away their leap...clever guy.

Did too many weights towards the end & it probably cost him 400 games....but what a career, and what a player.

Yeah the 85’ GF was sublime performance. Like many in the side that day he just was in his prime and brimming with supreme confidence.

Ahhh..what a day that was...the year before was more exciting of course but I just remember how relaxed all the adults were before the game started. All standing around chatting...not a care in the world.

Everyone knew we were going to hoist another cup up in a few hours time.

 

[SydneyBomber]

View attachment 497828
The full collection...

Woah, a few memories came flooding back when the i saw this post!

Great work eggs!

 

[Doss]

As others have touched on, just imagine if he’d been around today.

The type who was at least one, if not two, generations ahead of his time.

 

[Shane Heard]

As others have touched on, just imagine if he’d been around today.

The type who was at least one, if not two, generations ahead of his time.

Sam Newman and many many other ruckman from the old days always say glowing things about Simon. One of the best ever tap experts...like Polly Farmer..Newman learnt his trade from Farmer and thinks madden was just as skilful

 

[yaco55]

I was trying to think who their other ruck was, I was thinking big spider burton - would never have guessed Capuano!

I was actually just discussing it with a mate - about how salmon walked into hawthorn, a few years later he is in their team of the century as a ruckman..

It probably said more about the state of the hawks rucks over the years, in their genuine dominant 80s/90s era, who was their ruck? Dear?

It says more about Hawthorn - No way was Salmon a better ruck than Don Scott.

 

[nomad]

It says more about Hawthorn - No way was Salmon a better ruck than Don Scott.

Don Scott was named ruck in the Hawthorn team of the century, Salmon was named on the bench.

 

[Vander18]

It was the 84GF where he threw punches that had the impact of a wet lettuce leaf...

it's true - he was/is a great guy.

It's also true that his brother was universally disliked at Essendon.

Can you shed any light on why Justin was disliked?

Personally I hate how he uses his goofy, ostensibly self-deprecating manner to somehow steer every conversation back to himself. Incredibly smug.

 

[TheBrightSide]

Justin was a student teacher in my last year at primary school.
Every single day at lunchtime someone would ask him to kick a footy, and he always said no.
Then on the last day he finally caved.
He kicked it a freakin mile, many jaws were dropped.

 

[yaco55]

Don Scott was named ruck in the Hawthorn team of the century, Salmon was named on the bench.

Thank god for that - Scott has always been an under-rated player.