Thanks for the memories Matthew Bishop

Toots Hibbert

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Thread starter #1
Bish is gone but he leaves a legacy of happy memories which will far outweigh any negatives.

He was a player who was not afraid to take chances. Sometimes he came spectacularly undone but in his prime his fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants approach regularly sent us on our way to another goal. Here's a classic example where he could have been found out but rode his luck to our benefit.

See you later and best wishes you big, frustrating, wonderful bastard.









 

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blackdiamond

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#4
Good stuff Toots!

Just one of his many highlights and what a great day to display what we best remember Bish for, a good mark and great dash off the backline - never scared to take the opposition on.
 

Macca19

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In our wonder years he was a highly dependable player who very very rarely got beaten by his opponent. He would attack and rebound with pace and skill.

Ill remember him for his great Grand Final and his regular beatings of Chris Tarrant.
 
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#9
I said it years ago, they shoulda given the Bish a run up forward. Still, he was a very handy and effective player for us who never lacked effort or courage. Would that we could say that of ALL players still on the list.

Good luck Bish, just another victim of Father Time.
 

MrMeaner

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#10
Best wishes to Bish. Like Primus, I was sorry to see age get the better of him.

He was fundamental to our premiership. It's a shame that it was such a sharp decline from there
 

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Powerstufff

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#12
I'm happy/sad.
Happy
Bishop was slowing, though still good in close when the ball had hit the ground. There was strong pressure for for his spot and that will increase with Willits, Carlile, Deluca and the like coming on-stream. This was a hard-nosed decision by a coach who seriously wants to rebuild a winning team, and for that I'm relieved.
Sad
Bish seemed a strange pick-up when we got him from Melbourne, I wondered what the attraction was. But with more experience and a great gung-ho attitude he became a very valuable defender. I was there at the GF to be deleriously astonished by the famous run out of defence that Toots has honoured with pictures, in fact I think my knackers tied themselves into a reef knot before Bish got clear. I'm grateful to him and he goes with my respect.
 

morell

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#13
Great thread Toots.

Bishop is a lovable fella, he was great for us and the run on GF day is something I will always remember.

ONYA HAROLD!
 

PREDAT0R

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#14
Always sad to see one of ours who was great at his best, hang up the boots.

Thanks for everything you did for us Bish, and hasta la vista. Hope to buy you a scotch one day.
 

Steve Dore

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#18
Good luck with your future endeavours Bish :thumbsu:

Thanks for the pics Toots. I have made reference to that play by Bishop in previous threads. Mark Williams was even quoted as making reference to it in the article in yesterday's Sunday Mail.

Unfortunately injuries in 2005/2006 meant Bish could not regain the form he showed in 2004 and before. While it must be disappointing for him it is good to see that the club made the right call.
 

Lightning_Rod

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Good luck for the future fella, your sercices to this great club will not go forgotten, and you will always be remebered as one of the port adelaide greats.
 

Mr Magoo

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#20
The mind was willing, but the body wasn't capable of doing what it used to is a phrase that sums up a player who is put out to pasture prematurely by his thoughts but the coach thinks totally different. Those words sum up Bishop's last year at Port, injury to his ankle/leg meant that he wasn't always at full fitness but he still gave his all whenever he pulled on the Port jumper & that's all you can ask from someone. I agree with Toots though in that he was so frustrating to watch as he got on in years, because he didn't have the pace to match the tall or fast leading forwards he was often assigned. Anyway thanks for the memories Bish as you done your bit & played in a premiership side so ten or twenty years down the track no one can take that away from you. :thumbsu:
 
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