Top five during the Sheedy years

[BigStork]

Here's an exercise to promote a bit of discussion among all you Bomber faithful. Name the best five Essendon players to have played under Kevin Sheedy. This gives us a twenty year time period to select from, and it is not easy!

In my opinion four players stand out as being the absolute best. They are (in order)

1 - J. Hird (Outstanding week in, week out)
2 - T. Daniher (Honest and always gave his best)
3 - S. Madden (Magnificent ruckman for so long)
4 - T. Watson (Explosive)

The fifth position is not so easy. So many are worthy. Just who do you go for? Dustin Fletcher? Mark Mercuri? Joe Misiti? Matthew Lloyd? Paul Vanderhaar? Leon Baker? Gavin Wanganeen? Mark Thompson? Garry O'Donnell? Paul Salmon? Greg Anderson? Its a hard choice, but in the end I went for another honest performer who's loyalty, courage and dedication could not be questioned. Fifth spot I give to Mark Harvey.

Any comments? What do you mob think?

 

[gPhonque]

1. Leon Baker
2. Leon Baker
3. Leon Baker
4. Leon Baker
5. Err.....Leon Baker.

What a shame he never got 'discovered' until he was 130 years old.......

Isn't he still playing somewhere.....?

Seriously though, i couldn't choose. It wouldn't be fair to the players you couldn't include.

 

[BigStork]

Yeah, Leon Baker was as smooth a silk. Who could forget that blind turn and goal in the '84 grandfinal.

He was one of the most skkillful players I have ever seen and had he played longer than his three years or so I would have included him in my top five. That fifth position was a killer to pick. You could put 'em all in really (except perhaps Ed Considine - sorry)

Cheers mate

 

[gPhonque]

Haha! Ed Considine. I haven't heard that name in a while.... (number 37 wasn't he...?)

I think Fletcher's right up there too. Wanganeen was amazing. Longy on his day had (and still has) them running around chasing their tails. Even guys like Misiti, Mercuri, hell, even Caracella and those types of guys could be rated fairly highly already.

The thing with the current side is that every player stands out in some way. Somehow, they just keep unearthing young guys who look like they've been playing AFL for 10 years. It's pretty freaky.

cheers.
gPhonque.

 

[Anton Grbac]

Considering the number of champions we've had over the last 20 years, it's too difficult to narrow it down to 5. But, if i had to choose 5, here they are:

1 - J.Hird
2 - L.Baker
3 - S.Madden
4 - T.Watson
5 - T.Daniher

Neale Daniher would 've made this list if not for those bloody knees. Longy is another who could've slotted in there. Thompson,Foulds, Van Der Haar, Wanganeen, Fletcher, O'Donnell......the list goes on.

where's wally?

 

[Dave]

I'd go with the same five Wally, though after Hird they could be in almost any order.

And lay off Ed , there's nothing wrong with good honest battlers!!!

 

[topdon]

Originally posted by Dave

And lay off Ed , there's nothing wrong with good honest battlers!!!

Yeah...like Tony Antrobus

My top 5 would be:

1. J. Hird
2. S. Madden
3. T. Daniher
4. L. Baker
5. P. Van der Haar <---- sorry i just had to slot him in somewhere

 

[gPhonque]

Yeah...like Tony Antrobus

I kid you not, i was going to put him in as a joke too........

Didn't he actually win a Magarey (sp?) Medal? (somehow?) Or am i just totally wrong?

 

[topdon]

Originally posted by gPhonque


I kid you not, i was going to put him in as a joke too........

Didn't he actually win a Magarey (sp?) Medal? (somehow?) Or am i just totally wrong?

You're right on the money! Tony won the Magarey Medal in 1983 when playing for North Adelaide.

How'd he manage that one??

 

[gPhonque]

You're right on the money! Tony won the Magarey Medal in 1983 when playing for North Adelaide.

How'd he manage that one??

The same way Brad Hardie managed a Brownlow......

Off the topic a bit: What other players have won the Magarey or Sandover that have played for Essendon? (did Greg Anderson win a Magarey? I don't think he did but i can't quite remember....he might have...) Graham Moss won a Sandover or two didn't he?

 

[Dave]

Glen Kilpatrick won a Margarey though it was after we got rid of him!

 

[windyhill]

The greatest player sheedy has had the good fortune to have coached is Simon Madden,very hard to pick the other four,almost impossible.
The worst five is another interesting test,i would have the following.
1. clever trevor spencer
2. o`connor
3.walsh (carried for far too long,came good at the end of his career)
4.lalich
5.considine

The most annoying,cockatoo collins,tear your hair out type of player,very arrogant,hardly ever produced.

 

[BigStork]

The worst five - hmmm

How about

5 - Ed Considine
4 - Dean Bailey
3 - Brad Fox
2 - David Flood
1 - Mike Richardson

 

[TheJet]

How about Michael Werner?

And Merrewether, can't remember his first name

 

[Dave]

Geez you guys are harsh.

Walsh kept Brereton to 2 goals in the 84 GF, unlucky not to be one except for an arsey mark just before 3/4 time.

Flood? Worst 5? Floody was stiff not to make the '93 GF side.

You want to talk about duds then how about

Ian McMullin
Brad Fox
Kieran Sporn
Peter Cransberg
Wllie Dick
Brendan Bower
Adrian Burns
Matthew Banks
Andrew Bomford
Tim Williams

And that's just from the 90's. Don't get me started on the eighties....Antrobus, Bailey, the two tiger duds ....shudder....I need a drink......

 

[topdon]

Hey...i liked Peter Cransberg! He was very unlucky with injuries, and whenever he wasn't injured and brought into the seniors, he did everything that was asked of him. IMO Cransberg is NOT a dud!

He was the forgotten man of Mark Harvey's last game. He did his knee...which ended his career. I'm sure no one else remembers that except me. Call me what you like, but i admired Cransberg. He was one of my favourite players!

Great to see him as a 'runner' now!!

 

[Dave]

Maybe I'm being a bit harsh myself, but I always thought he was capable of so much more.

One thing we need to remember too is that as much as we might think some of these blokes were "duds", they played footy at the highest level, which is more than we managed.

 

[walshy1993]

floody was pretty good for us in the 93 prelim, and bailey was pretty hard at it, both are doing wonders at the club now in coaching roles

i also though cransberg could play but was hampered by injuries


my top 5
1. James Hird
2. Leon Baker
3. Timmy Watson
4. Terry Daniher
5. Simon Madden

vander, mercuri, bomber thompson, gary odonnel, dustin fletcher, billy duckworth, damien hardwick, michael long, matty lloyd, gavin wanganeen, mark harvey, and a few others could probably all make claims to be in there

how about the next 5 greats?
lloyd, caracella, blumfield, ramanauskas, lucas, mcveigh, henneman, rioli, johnsons, heffernan all great talents

 

[gPhonque]

call me crazy but i didn't mind Ian McMullin. Maybe my memory's sh!tty but i thought he could definately play.

another player who used to do his job week in week out without any fuss was Shane Heard.

Also, is it just me, or will Brad Fox be forever remembered as "the guy Lockett tried to kill at VFL Park"??

 

[windyhill]

Cransberg played some good football for us as did Mcmullin,and Flood ??? could not have him.

 

[Anton Grbac]

Dave, you're entitled to you're opinion but,
As a founding member of the P.C.A.S. (Peter Cransberg Appreciation Society), i can't agree with yer that he was a dud.

Peter Cransberg played some good footy for us and would've played more if not for injury, IMO.

Topdon,
Nah mate, ya not the only one to remember Cransberg's last game. Shame his career ended the way it did....The P.C.A.S. was shattered. Another thing a lot of people forget is that same day was also we had a Daniher in the side. Chris hung 'em up after this game.

where's wally?

 

[Anton Grbac]

Originally posted by TheJet
How about Michael Werner?

And Merrewether, can't remember his first name

Andrew Merryweather was the man's name (recruited from Fitzroy), and yep, he was a dud.
How's this for a Half Back Line:

A.Merryweather B.Fox E.Considine

where's wally?

 

[Anton Grbac]

Anyone remember these guys?

Anyone remember any of these names?

B: R.Ramsay B.Winton A.Grbac
HB: E.Considine B.Fox A.Merryweather
C: G.Keane P.Banfield P.Francis
HF: P.Carman T.Spencer R.Kink
F: W.Dick W.Beddison W.Otway
FOL: P.Keenan C.Waterson T.Antrobus
INT: P.Light S.Pirrie M.Harbinson A.Underwood

Some real "stars" in that lot

where's wally?

 

[gPhonque]

Andrew Underwood. lol (It WAS "Andrew" wasn't it? I just haven't heard all these names for years.....! And he was number 9 wasn't he?)

I remember a woman one day at Windy Hill yelling out (during a quiet part of the game): "I WANT TO HAVE YOUR BABIES UNDERWOOD!!!!"

And that's about the only thing i can remember of him.....

 

[Dave]

Originally posted by Wally
Dave, you're entitled to you're opinion but,
As a founding member of the P.C.A.S. (Peter Cransberg Appreciation Society), i can't agree with yer that he was a dud.

Ok, I withdraw my dudding of PC. I admit I thgought he could play it was just that I always thought he was capable of so much more so perhaps it's more frustration at lost potential. And damn, I dips me lid, I can only remember about half to 3/4 of that team.

Underwood, there's a blast from the past (#9 he was). "Undies", one of the more tasteful nicknames eh!