Tony Lockett full back at Victoria Park

[DialMforMagro]

I have an unsubstantiated memory from my childhood of St Kilda coming to Vic Park and getting belted. BT dominated to an extent that the St Kilda coach sent Tony Lockett to full-back to play on him. I remember it being the funniest ish ever and seemed like a massive disrespect to a raging bull. I was born in 79 and it must have been somewhere from 86-89, if indeed it did happen. Its very possible I dreamt it as an 8 year old and somehow made it a reality in my mind. Any slightly older BigFootyer's able to corroborate/destroy my story?

 

[sirlothie]

I've never heard of it. It would be brought up if it happened.

 

[35Daicos]

I have an unsubstantiated memory from my childhood of St Kilda coming to Vic Park and getting belted. BT dominated to an extent that the St Kilda coach sent Tony Lockett to full-back to play on him. I remember it being the funniest ish ever and seemed like a massive disrespect to a raging bull. I was born in 79 and it must have been somewhere from 86-89, if indeed it did happen. Its very possible I dreamt it as an 8 year old and somehow made it a reality in my mind. Any slightly older BigFootyer's able to corroborate/destroy my story?

It's not something I remember happening, but that's not to say it didn't happen! You can have a look here at the games Brian Taylor played for Collingwood in the years you've suggested, obviously look for games against St Kilda, and check for ones where he kicked a fair few goals. Then look to see if such games were played at Victoria Park (and Lockett was in the other team!).

BT booted 9.6 in this Vic Park game in 1989, though Lockett kicked 5 goals. It's possible he was shifted back for a while at least in that game (Pies won by 64). * It seems there's no other candidate. It happened in this game or not at all!!

Edit: From 1985-86 we didn't play the Saints at Victoria Park, Taylor wasn't in the side in 1987, narrowing things down enormously! The 1988 game in which BT scored 4 goals at VP did not have Lockett playing for the opposition.

 

[jmac70]

I remember seeing Gary Ablett senior get moved onto Dunstall. The ball came down to Hawthorn’s forward line and Ablett sat on Dunstal’s head to take a screamer.
At the same time someone threw a full meat pie in the air and it landed on my head.

 

[sirlothie]

It's not something I remember happening, but that's not to say it didn't happen! You can have a look here at the games Brian Taylor played for Collingwood in the years you've suggested, obviously look for games against St Kilda, and check for ones where he kicked a fair few goals. Then look to see if such games were played at Victoria Park (and Lockett was in the other team!).

BT booted 9.6 in this Vic Park game in 1989, though Lockett kicked 5 goals. It's possible he was shifted back for a while at least in that game (Pies won by 64).

Edit: From 1985-86 we didn't play the Saints at Victoria Park, Taylor wasn't in the side in 1987, narrowing things down enormously! The 1988 game in which BT scored 4 goals at VP did not have Lockett playing for the opposition.

It would be folklore, BT wouldn't shut up about it if it happened.

 

[35Daicos]

I have an unsubstantiated memory from my childhood of St Kilda coming to Vic Park and getting belted. BT dominated to an extent that the St Kilda coach sent Tony Lockett to full-back to play on him. I remember it being the funniest ish ever and seemed like a massive disrespect to a raging bull. I was born in 79 and it must have been somewhere from 86-89, if indeed it did happen. Its very possible I dreamt it as an 8 year old and somehow made it a reality in my mind. Any slightly older BigFootyer's able to corroborate/destroy my story?

Since the 1989 game is the only possible candidate, then looking at The Age match report it's fair to say it didn't happen!! It mentions that Taylor had Trevor Barker then Steve Turner as opponents, and had 7 goals by half-time. It also only says that Lockett was moved to CHF at one stage.

https://news.google.com.au/newspapers?nid=MDQ-9Oe3GGUC&dat=19890424&printsec=frontpage&hl=en (page 26)

 

[Black_White]

You could always try and ask BT.

https://mobile.twitter.com/btbriantaylor?lang=en

 

[Robroy22]

I never saw Plugger moved onto BT and as others have said: If it happened BT would have lauded it at his sportsman's nights FOREVER!
My favourite memory of Plugger at Vicci Park was when Ned Kelly was pinching the hairs on his legs and he did it so often that Plugger saw red and tried to kill old "Cement Head"

 

[Saintly Viewed]

Round 4 of 1989 only candidate as 35Daicos suggests (see above).

My memory suggests Heath Shephard had an impact too.

Suggest Lockett never went to FB as it would (as suggested above) be folklore.

Fascinating thought though. Also I think Lockett would not have liked such a thing at all, and been very angry with the coach.

 

[Robroy22]

He might have had a run in the ruck and got down near BT?

 

[Saintly Viewed]

What is fascinating folklore to me re Lockett is about his dad.

The story goes father Lockett was a fantastic country player and mad Collingwood supporter.

Apparently only would have played AFL (VFL then) if it was for Collingwood.
He also wanted Tony to play for us.

 

[jmac70]

What is fascinating folklore to me re Lockett is about his dad.

The story goes father Lockett was a fantastic country player and mad Collingwood supporter.

Apparently only would have played AFL (VFL then) if it was for Collingwood.
He also wanted Tony to play for us.

Instead his son broke Coventry’s record against us.

That’s a s**t sandwich right there

 

[sirlothie]

What is fascinating folklore to me re Lockett is about his dad.

The story goes father Lockett was a fantastic country player and mad Collingwood supporter.

Apparently only would have played AFL (VFL then) if it was for Collingwood.
He also wanted Tony to play for us.

Tony wanted to play for us but we said no. Cant remember the reason but so he went to Sydney instead.

 

[Saintly Viewed]

Tony wanted to play for us but we said no. Cant remember the reason but so he went to Sydney instead.

Out voted at Board level as to his “behaviour”.

One of those bizarre things we have done:

Not getting Quinlan for a $5k extra he wanted..
Lockett, dear dear dear me...
Steven Johnson not passed as healthy enough...

And others

 

[35Daicos]

Thanks to YouTube you can watch some very enjoyable highlights (it's mostly Collingwood) of the game here:


I'd almost forgotten just how annoying Don Scott was, and just how strange so many of his comments were, but he's in "good form" here. He only ranks Daicos 4th best on ground, and gets mocked by other panelists (he had 37 disposals - the umps gave him the 3 votes)!

https://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/1989/041519890422.html

 

[sirlothie]

Thanks to YouTube you can watch some very enjoyable highlights (it's mostly Collingwood) of the game here:


I'd almost forgotten just how annoying Don Scott was, and just how strange so many of his comments were, but he's in "good form" here. He only ranks Daicos 4th best on ground, and gets mocked by other panelists (he had 37 disposals - the umps gave him the 3 votes)!

https://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/1989/041519890422.html

The good old days... and they are even complaining about the game then. lol

 

[35Daicos]

The good old days... and they are even complaining about the game then. lol

Yep. Funny about that! At least as far back as the 1890's you can read stories about how disgruntled the fans were with the state of the game! Not a lot has changed over the years in that respect.

 

[Black_White]

Yep. Funny about that! At least as far back as the 1890's you can read stories about how disgruntled the fans were with the state of the game! Not a lot has changed over the years in that respect.

Not sure if they had as poor an umpiring panel back then...

 

[35Daicos]

Not sure if they had as poor an umpiring panel back then...

There's lots of stories from back then of umpires being attacked by angry spectators (including nasty ladies with their hat pins!), struggling to get off/out of the ground in one piece! Whether it's umpiring or tribunal/MRP decisions, fans seem to always have found lots to complain about.

 

[35Daicos]

He might have had a run in the ruck and got down near BT?

Lockett failed to get a hit-out in that game, so even that possibility seems unlikely. There would have been lots of comment if he had spent even a few minutes on Taylor, but The Age match report (link posted above) and the post-game tv panel discussion (^) says nothing of the kind. The Age comments that Lockett was moved to CHF (nothing else).

Combining the "bleedin' obvious" thinking that says that BT would have been dining out on such a story for the last 30 years if it did happen, with the "scientific approach" that found there was only game where this could have occurred, it is reasonable to conclude that it didn't happen!!
Still, it's no doubt a fun memory for the OP to have had all these years!

 

[Collingwood 4 eternity]

I think Lethal sent BT to the back pocket one match for a quarter and a bit down the yarra falls end in front of the old scoreboard , to take the op full forward out of the goal square.

Might have been Lockett he was sent down to take out of the game

 

[35Daicos]

I think Lethal sent BT to the back pocket one match for a quarter and a bit down the yarra falls end in front of the old scoreboard , to take the op full forward out of the goal square.

Might have been Lockett he was sent down to take out of the game

That may well have happened against someone in another game, but (as posted above!!) there was only one game in BT's time at Collingwood (1985-1990) where he and Lockett were on opposing teams at Victoria Park. Collingwood won the game by 64 points, Taylor kicked 9.6 and destroyed the opposition. Lockett did his best to kick 5 goals from limited opportunities. It's completely unlikely that Taylor would have been sent down the other end under those circumstances.

https://afltables.com/afl/teams/collingwood/allgames_vn.html#1 (then click on opponent to sort and scroll down to the St Kilda games - they are in reverse chronological order):

This shows there were four games (1985-1990) at Victoria Park against St Kilda. Taylor missed the 1987 & 1990 games, Lockett missed the 1988 game.

 

[Black_White]

That may well have happened against someone in another game, but (as posted above!!) there was only one game in BT's time at Collingwood (1985-1990) where he and Lockett were on opposing teams at Victoria Park. Collingwood won the game by 64 points, Taylor kicked 9.6 and destroyed the opposition. Lockett did his best to kick 5 goals from limited opportunities. It's completely unlikely that Taylor would have been sent down the other end under those circumstances.

https://afltables.com/afl/teams/collingwood/allgames_vn.html#1 (then click on opponent to sort and scroll down to the St Kilda games - they are in reverse chronological order):
View attachment 640593
This shows there were four games (1985-1990) at Victoria Park against St Kilda. Taylor missed the 1987 & 1990 games, Lockett missed the 1988 game.

Any chance that StKilda we’re playing at Moorabbin during this period and the OP has the ground wrong?

 

[Art Corvelay]

Didn’t we have Plugger signed at one point but missed the trade deadline by a couple of minutes? Or are people suggesting we deliberately missed the deadline?

 

[35Daicos]

Any chance that StKilda we’re playing at Moorabbin during this period and the OP has the ground wrong?

I have no idea what goes on in the head of the OP, but I suppose it's not completely out of the question that he has the wrong ground!! We played the Saints at Moorabbin and Waverley Park as well during those years (1985-90), and there was also an MCG game in 1990 (BT didn't play).

Just looking at the non-Victoria Park games vs. St Kilda that Taylor played in: https://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/B/Brian_Taylor.html
1985: Taylor only kicked 2 (M) and 3 (WP).
1986: Taylor kicked 7 (WP) but Lockett didn't play, and just 2 (WP).
1987: Taylor only kicked 1 (M), Lockett booted 8 and the Saints had a rare win against us.
1988: Taylor was goalless (M) but Lockett wasn't playing anyway.

So in Collingwood vs St Kilda games away from Victoria Park in those years (when Lockett played for the opposition) Taylor booted 3, 2, 2, & 1 goals.

Nothing comes close to matching the OP's description (even if it was at a different ground) of " St Kilda coming to Vic Park and getting belted. BT dominated to an extent that the St Kilda coach sent Tony Lockett to full-back to play on him." So it's still fair to conclude that it never happened (anywhere)!!