Weirdest Football Career

JG22

Brownlow Medallist
Jul 12, 2016
12,311
14,159
AFL Club
St Kilda
Majak Daw comes to mind.

Seems to have been a high profile player in the competition for a good ten years yet the guys played 40 games without more than half a dozen in a row.
 

basashi

Premiership Player
Jun 18, 2010
4,070
5,449
AFL Club
Fremantle
Other Teams
FFC Quay Club
Leon Baker travelled around playing a bit of country footy. Played in Cairns and then did alright for a season in Bunbury WA. Was given a run at Swan Districts at the age of 24. Played in 82 and 83 premierships for Swans and backed up with 84 and 85 premierships for Essendon.
 
Sep 15, 2011
31,466
47,759
AFL Club
West Coast
Troy Wilson got picked up at age 28, became a West Coast cult figure, got cut, became a race car driver. Living the testosterone dream.

Dale Kickett made his way around five clubs before finding his place and becoming a very handy player.
 

raymond35

Club Legend
Jan 5, 2004
1,804
2,849
Brisbane
AFL Club
Collingwood
Other Teams
collingwood vfl
Nobody can beat Israel Folau

Wtf even was that? Did that actually happen?

Hard to beat this. I actually went to a game he played. He had 1 posession up to half time and was subbed out for the second half. The stupid thing is, if he really wanted to he could have made it, given his athletic ability and body.
 
Aug 27, 2014
38,196
41,193
spacetime
AFL Club
Carlton
Other Teams
there are no other teams worthy
Goddard.
Was going to be or first pick in draft in early 2000's.
Within a day or so of draft, AFL take our draft picks off us for previous salary cap breach.
So we lose Goddard and Wells.
Goddard Mum screams out in anger when he drafted by Saints. He stars in a drawn grand final.
They fail to win replay.
He becomes the first player in AFL free agency to move clubs.
He goes to the club that ends up with massive amounts of players suspended by WADA.


Two of biggest controversies affect him at both ends of his career.
Plays in drawn grand final in between all that and first player in league history to move under free agency with his club not matching bid of a new club.
Weird stuff. Very unique circumstances of a career like no other.
 
Aug 27, 2014
38,196
41,193
spacetime
AFL Club
Carlton
Other Teams
there are no other teams worthy
Rene Kink 6 grand finals without a flag.
Finally the club he is listed at wins the flag but missed as he was injured that year.
Drops towel on purpose in movie The Club.
In 1980 he plays in a new record losing margin in a grand final team.
In 1983 he does that again. So he experienced two times knowing the team he just played in has lost by biggest grand final losing margin in history to that point in time. That would have been fun, not!
 

BG__

Club Legend
May 22, 2018
2,931
4,316
AFL Club
West Coast
Only 25 games into his career, but Hugh Greenwood is another.

Played college basketball, just missed out on a spot in the Rio Olympic Boomers squad and Signed a multi year deal with the Perth Wildcats. Viewed as having the potential to play top Europe leagues/Boomers/possibly NBA. Walked out on the Wildcats weeks after signing his multi year contract. Threw it all away to go onto the Crows rookie list. After a couple of years in the SANFL got named co-captain of Adelaides SANFL side. Made his AFL debut last year and turning into a pretty solid footballer.

As a basketball fan and Wildcats member i thought it was a pretty foolish decision at the time, but glad to see he looks like he'll have a pretty decent footy career.

I think its a pretty weird footy path because he was entering his basketball prime with still a lot of potential to make top leagues. A lot of sport converts seems to take up footy when it seems they won't get far in their chosen sport, but that wasn't really the case with Greenwood.
 
Jun 16, 2012
25,015
25,575
AFL Club
Sydney
Only 25 games into his career, but Hugh Greenwood is another.

Played college basketball, just missed out on a spot in the Rio Olympic Boomers squad and Signed a multi year deal with the Perth Wildcats. Viewed as having the potential to play top Europe leagues/Boomers/possibly NBA. Walked out on the Wildcats weeks after signing his multi year contract. Threw it all away to go onto the Crows rookie list. After a couple of years in the SANFL got named co-captain of Adelaides SANFL side. Made his AFL debut last year and turning into a pretty solid footballer.

As a basketball fan and Wildcats member i thought it was a pretty foolish decision at the time, but glad to see he looks like he'll have a pretty decent footy career.

I think its a pretty weird footy path because he was entering his basketball prime with still a lot of potential to make top leagues. A lot of sport converts seems to take up footy when it seems they won't get far in their chosen sport, but that wasn't really the case with Greenwood.
Good mrs aswel
 

Isaac Cumming No 1

Cancelled
10k Posts
Mar 28, 2018
10,491
8,454
AFL Club
GWS
Hard to beat this. I actually went to a game he played. He had 1 posession up to half time and was subbed out for the second half. The stupid thing is, if he really wanted to he could have made it, given his athletic ability and body.
I think Folau and Hunt showed you cant develop as an adult focused on a game requiring strength and explosive speed, and make it in a game requiring endurance and physical flexibility as well.
To his credit he wanted out when he realized he was just a marketing tool, and was coerced into completing a very lucrative contract. I'm not sure about Hunt but I think Folau expected to cut it.
 
Troy Wilson got picked up at age 28, became a West Coast cult figure, got cut, became a race car driver. Living the testosterone dream.

Dale Kickett made his way around five clubs before finding his place and becoming a very handy player & pugilist.

EFA- If you ask Phil Read, he would agree with my changes
 
Sep 15, 2011
31,466
47,759
AFL Club
West Coast
Goddard.
Was going to be or first pick in draft in early 2000's.
Within a day or so of draft, AFL take our draft picks off us for previous salary cap breach.
So we lose Goddard and Wells.
Goddard Mum screams out in anger when he drafted by Saints. He stars in a drawn grand final.
They fail to win replay.
He becomes the first player in AFL free agency to move clubs.
He goes to the club that ends up with massive amounts of players suspended by WADA.


Two of biggest controversies affect him at both ends of his career.
Plays in drawn grand final in between all that and first player in league history to move under free agency with his club not matching bid of a new club.
Weird stuff. Very unique circumstances of a career like no other.
Like Goddard, you may have a point.
 
Oct 23, 2017
28
21
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
I remember a bloke called Mark Dwyer who burst into the Fitzroy team in 86. He only played the 2nd half of the season, polled 10 Brownlow votes (including votes in each of his first 5 games of footy). Only about 13 games in total. Shaggy hair, long sleeves and socks around his ankles.

In a similar vein, Adrian McAdam comes to mind.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Barry_Badrinath

Brownlow Medallist
Aug 23, 2011
19,104
62,066
Bathing in Premiership Glory
AFL Club
Richmond
Other Teams
Grand Finals at the Gabba
No idea what this was about:
images

images
 
Feb 5, 2018
13,936
33,319
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Other Teams
Chicago Blackhawks Melb Renegades
Only 25 games into his career, but Hugh Greenwood is another.

Played college basketball, just missed out on a spot in the Rio Olympic Boomers squad and Signed a multi year deal with the Perth Wildcats. Viewed as having the potential to play top Europe leagues/Boomers/possibly NBA. Walked out on the Wildcats weeks after signing his multi year contract. Threw it all away to go onto the Crows rookie list. After a couple of years in the SANFL got named co-captain of Adelaides SANFL side. Made his AFL debut last year and turning into a pretty solid footballer.

As a basketball fan and Wildcats member i thought it was a pretty foolish decision at the time, but glad to see he looks like he'll have a pretty decent footy career.

I think its a pretty weird footy path because he was entering his basketball prime with still a lot of potential to make top leagues. A lot of sport converts seems to take up footy when it seems they won't get far in their chosen sport, but that wasn't really the case with Greenwood.

And played in an AFL grand final in his first season too.
 

Moquo

Hall of Farmer
Jun 10, 2005
1,961
5,101
Sexyland
AFL Club
St Kilda
Other Teams
suck arse
Keith Miller
1940-42 Playing for the saints in the vfl
1942-45 WWII pilot
1946 Back at the saints for a season
1946-56 Australian test cricketer

What a gun. When asked how he handled the pressure of test cricket, he replied “Pressure is a Messerschmitt up your arse.”
 

Aeglos

Cancelled
Sep 27, 2016
3,580
2,743
AFL Club
Essendon
Other Teams
Riverpigs
Jonathan Giles - 63 games over 11 years at 4 clubs

Martin Pike - 4 premierships in 5 years at 2 clubs, won Fitzroy’s last B&F after narrowly avoiding jail for repeated alcohol based offences, and played for 4 clubs across his career.

Matthew Banks - played only 3 career games; two of which were on Anzac Day

Daniel McAlister - a Sheedy special; selected with pick 5 in 1996 and played 2 games in 1997, was delisted, then redrafted for the 2001 and 2002 seasons where he played another 3 games
 
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