toughest AFL players

themarkedman72

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different kind of tough.
Hits you know are coming arent as bad as the hit you cant see...there is a different kind of fear you must conquer to play AFL.

Many might remember the Dallas cowboys who came over to watch the cats play two years back? They where in awe of our game.
 
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[youtube]6aqKs63GRp4[/youtube]

And he gets straight back up without any bullshit.

Always loved this one myself:

[YOUTUBE]CS3D16ZurCM[/YOUTUBE]
Even though it's really just a front-on hit similar to what occurs in rugby league 100s of times a game, it's rare for our game that someone running with the ball will get stopped dead in their tracks from front-on, especially noted "hard men" like Max Rooke. Great effort and hardness from Maxwell, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was that act that was the last thing that got him over the line for the captaincy (this was in the 2007 Second Preliminary Final, Nathan Buckley's last game), as it really showed how desperate he is and much he always wants to win.
 
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From the Swans:

Jude Bolton
Ted Richards
Dan Hannebery
Ben McGlynn
Martin Mattner
Paul Bevan

All absolutely tough as nails and incredibly courageous. Constantly put their bodies on the line with little regard for their own safety, and when they get hit, they're up as quick as possible and are desperate to get back into it.

A few others like Mumford, Smith, Jack, Bird, ROK, etc, could have been mentioned, and all are pretty damn tough, but I felt the ones I listed really stand out as a level above in the toughness stakes.
 

deeplivid

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Heath Hocking is probably the toughest Don. Jobe Watson is also one of the league's toughest - not so much in the giving but in the taking.
 

Baldur

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Toughest League player I recall watching at a game was a St George 2nd rower, John Fifita, broke his arm half way though the match & played out the game. But it was noticed by the people at the game that his game was a little off. It appears that John did not know the meaning of the word pain. I suspect there where a lot of words that John did not know the meaning of.

But there are also AFL players who have played on with broken bones.
 
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Not just a Nick Maxwell thing, but I love how some fans take one isolated incident (eg. the McGinnity hit) and embellish it into a career-long, consistent pattern of bad behaviour. Darren Milburn has suffered the same fate since knocking out Stephen Silvagni a decade ago. Labelled for life as a "sniper" and a "dog", when he's never been involved in anything nearly as untoward since that regretable hit on SOS.

Yeah, just elbowing a 20 year old Marc Murphy in the face was a classic example of this dick's "courage". McGinnity's bump only further proved it. Him taking out a 19 year old Robinson late cemented it. He loves enforcing himself against kids, because he's a weak prick.

Good luck seeing him being as forceful against a renowned hard man

[YOUTUBE]6aqKs63GRp4[/YOUTUBE]

And he gets straight back up without any bullshit.

Classic example of a piss weak person who feels the need to talk down a guy who has more courage than you'd ever even be able to dream of having. You're nothing.

Pfft. He was on the deck and Brown ran into him. Players do that every week. We should give Ryan Houlihan a medal in that case.

Nick Maxwell is a kid beater. Nothing more, nothing less. He doesn't know to be tough you don't have to play the man.

Heath Scotland goes back with the flight 5 times every week and he isn't called tough. But he's got a s**t load more honour than Nick kid beater Maxwell.
 

Strawbs

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Lol some of the players mentioned in this thread shows just how soft the game has become. Most of the guys listed would of got snapped in half even 10yrs ago. Courageous yes they are, but tough you need to at least of layed out some players in your career and be feared by the opposition to be called tough. Unfortunately the 'tough guy' in the AFL no longer exists, thanks AFL!

Think you're confusing 'tough guy' with 'thug.' When Archer ran back with the flight of the ball or stood in the hole in front of Plugger, that was tough. When he punched his opponents in the back of the head, dropped his knees on their backs or punched them in the kidneys while they were unable to protect themselves, that was thuggery. Rarely do forwards get described as tough but the blokes who are prepared to play in front and actually make the ball their target - they're tough. Richo and the Kellaways would be three of the toughest Tigers I've seen. Schimma was tough too.
 

Gus

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Yeah, just elbowing a 20 year old Marc Murphy in the face was a classic example of this dick's "courage". McGinnity's bump only further proved it. Him taking out a 19 year old Robinson late cemented it. He loves enforcing himself against kids, because he's a weak prick.

Alternately, you could say that if these "kids" are out there on an AFL field, they're as much fair game as anyone else. You can't expect Maxwell or any other senior player to "go easy" on a bloke because they're younger than him. If trying to intimidate them is within the rules, is successful and helps his team win, why wouldn't he do it? I don't think anyone is claiming Maxwell is tough on the basis of this so-called "kid bashing" anyway, but rather his other numerous acts of genuine courage out on the field. As I said earlier in the thread, the bloke nearly lost a kidney this pre-season.

I'm not sure why Maxwell cops so much hate. Any other average-skilled player who gave the same effort and showed the same selflessness out on the field would be praised.
 
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Pfft. He was on the deck and Brown ran into him. .
He dived on the deck in front of a charging Brown. You'd s**t yourself if you were in that situation, and if you got hit like he did you'd cry like a little bitch. To get straight up from that and keep playing shows toughness.

The bitterness is strong among Carlton supporters.

429502-nick-maxwell.jpg
 

Roddy

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Yeah, you can't doubt that. Running into and knocking over blokes is one thing, doing the same to wooden posts anchored in concrete designed to withstand serious shocks is another...
 

power09

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He dived on the deck in front of a charging Brown. You'd s**t yourself if you were in that situation, and if you got hit like he did you'd cry like a little bitch. To get straight up from that and keep playing shows toughness.

The bitterness is strong among Carlton supporters.

You dont know him dickbrain so shut the hell up
God you make it sound like he jumped on a land-mine
 

Ricmel

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Today it is players like Hayes, Ball, Selwood who use their bodies like battering rams.

Toughest ever? Tony Lockett is the only AFL player I have ever seen that you could be confident would have made it as a rugby forward.

Robbie Muir could have played rugby, he simply didn't care what happened to himself.

Ken Hunter could have played full back in league, he would sit under a ball. Trevor Barker the same.

Dipper, Schimma, Matthews you suspect would all have been tough enough and could have gotten strong enough to play league.
 
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