What would we look like now?

[Olmy]

Just wondering, what would our Roys side look like now, if we'd continued after '96, with the same list, and kept the stock of our good players??

Here's my hypothetical side. Of course a few blokes aren't around any more due to injuries, bad luck, etc. (I'm assuming they'd have had a nicer fate with the Roys!). I've also included J.Brown under the father-son ruling.

B: B.Chandler, S.Paxman, S.Hawking
HB: J.Baldwin, M.Manfield, M.Pike
C: T.Cummings, J.Rombotis, S.Clayton
HF: J.Barker, J.Brown, B.Cook
F: D.Morton, J.Molloy, N.Carter
Foll: M.Primus, B.Boyd, C.Johnson

Basically, I've included players who I feel have, or could have, made it at AFL level in the long term (yes, I reckon Baldwin would still be there!). I've probably left out a few others who could have been a chance.

I reckon that side, along with additional players picked up in trading, and the draft, would have done alright out on the field. Obviously, it's pretty hard to gauge, when you've got guys like Manfield, Rombotis, Chandler, and Cummings who were all potentially good players who succumbed to injury.

Boyd would have been a champion if not for injury.

Then you have the likes of Cook, Carter and Morton, who all just seemed to be at the wrong club at the wrong time.

However, I reckon, given a good coach, and a few years of development under their belts, that the players in the above team would have made a pretty handy unit.

Any thoughts???

 

[Fat Pizza]

Out: Baldwin In: Warfe
Out: Cummings In: Bamford

I'm not sure about Cook as a forward flanker. Maybe he could swap with Morton.

Cassidy, Credlin, McMahon & Ramsey could warm the bench.

------------------
Fat Pizzas. They're Big & they're Cheesy.

 

[Olmy]

I don't know what I was thinking leaving R.Warfe out! I knew there was someone I'd forgotten.

Yeah, I was going to put Cook at CHF. But when you've got Brown and Barker, and even Molloy, with Primus already in the ruck, it is pretty hard to find a starting spot for Cook.

Cassidy was another who I thought of, along with Warry. Cassidy (probably the more likely of the two) could have developed into a flanker/wingman, with Warry on a forward flank.

I also thought of Bamford, but considering his feather-weight frame, I wondered whether the Roys would have persisted with him. He could play footy alright, but even since '96, AFL players seem to have gotten a lot bigger already.

I also gave Ramsey and Mellington a thought. Ramsey would have been the more likely of the two. Mellington was pretty slim in his time with the Roys, and although he bulked up with the Roos, but wasn't at the level to knock off Sholl for that FF spot.

I reckon Matthew Manfield could have been a real prospect if not for injuries. I was pretty surprised not to see Collingwood promote him from the rookie list after a good '99 season in the reserves.

I wonder if P.Bird would have done alright in this hypothetical side?

 

[Olmy]

I've had another thought about this, and here's my slightly renewed squad:

B: S.Hawking, S.Paxman, R.Warfe
HB: M.Pike, M.Manfield, C.Johnson
C: S.Clayton, J.Rombotis, B.Cassidy
HF: T.Cummings, J.Brown, J.Barker
F: M.Warry, J.Molloy, D.Morton
Foll: M.Primus, B.Boyd, B.Chandler
Inter (from): N.Carter, J.Baldwin, S.Bamford, B.Cook, P.Bird, J.Ramsey, A.Mellington, R.McMahon, N.Credlin

I'm supposed to be doing something else, so I'll give my thoughts on the capabilities of this side a bit later on . . .

 

[The invisible mullet]

I hate to say this Olmy but that side would probably get flogged nearly every week.

 

[Olmy]

Originally posted by The invisible mullet:
I hate to say this Olmy but that side would probably get flogged nearly every week.

Well, I am basing its fortunes on the prospect of it having been well-coached, and developed, over a few years.

Similarly, some of the players on that list were victims of injury, or suffered the 'injustice' of unfavourable circumstances at other clubs after leaving the Roys in '96.

Consider the same team, having been developed over a number of seasons by a coaching panel akin of that of Essendon.

Perhaps the players names as they are there now, don't mean much, however, given a proper development, in a stable club, perhaps those names could have been combined to form a strong unit.

After all, the players that were drafted, weren't necessarily any 'less' talent just because they were drafted by Fitzroy (who couldn't provide a stable club environment at that particular time).

 

[ptw]

you would not of course be able to play at the Western Oval....

a good wind and both Bamford and Morton would end up in the Grand Stand !!!!

ptw

 

[Saint Roy]

I think Darren Holmes could have made it this far too in the right circumstances. He was a great player at Lavington when he went bush. Jeff Bruce also did well at Corowa.

 

[FitzroyRamone]

Originally posted by ptw:
you would not of course be able to play at the Western Oval....

ptw

If the Roys had've survived, where would we be playing now? My guess is the club would've moved to the renovated Manuka Oval as Canberra is crying out for an AFL club and the Swans/Roos only have a minor following that could be exploited by a club that moves there permanently. OUt of interest, who would've followed the club if they did move to Canberra?

Cheers,
FitzroyRamone

 

[Fat Pizza]

I'd have followed them anywhere, if they'd kept the name Fitzroy.

If they'd given up the name, I don't know.

The name, Fitzroy, is incredibly important to me.

If they had adopted a Fitzroy-based non-geographical name, like The Lions (as opposed to Canberra Lions) or The Roys or The Maroons, I probably would have stuck with them.

Anything less than that, I don't know. I'd probably have gone along to a few games & just seen whether I liked it.

 

[Olmy]

I guess the actual club name would have remained "Fitzroy Football Club", even if the team name had changed to Canberra Lions, or similar.

The advantage, as opposed to a merger, would have been the ability to maintain our club records. Similarly, we would have had all our own players, and board members.

Perhaps they still would have used the FFC jumper on occasions too (although, I think they would have used a jumper similar to that of the Brisbane Lions one, in the long run).

Although I would have preferred to follow a team called simply, the "Lions" had Fitzroy not been in the equation, I still would have followed a team called, the "Canberra Lions", especially if they endeavoured to develop the Victorian supporter base.

I think we still would have had a lot of support amongst Victorians.

 

[Olmy]

And . . .

If you take all of the current AFL players who played with Fitzroy, or who were at least on their list at some stage (even prior to 1996), you would have something like this:

B: M.Dent, S.Paxman, D.Ward
HB: M.Pike, A.Lynch, R.Warfe
C: S.Clayton, D.Kickett, J.Blakey
HF: J.Barker, J.Brown, C.Johnson
F: B.Holland, J.Molloy
Foll: M.Primus, P.Broderick, T.Woods

* I included J.Brown under the father-son rule, as well as B.Holland as he was on our list in '95 (even though the begger never came over!). Similarly, Ward of the Demons was on our supplementary/rookie list in '96, so he gets a guernsey!

What's the deal with W.Schwass? Was he on our list as some stage? And is M.Seecamp still on the Dees list? If either of those guys qualify, then we can at least make the full 18!!!

 

[FitzroyRamone]

Originally posted by Olmy:
And . . .

What's the deal with W.Schwass? Was he on our list as some stage? And is M.Seecamp still on the Dees list? If either of those guys qualify, then we can at least make the full 18!!!

Wayne Schwass was tied to Fitzroy's zone (South Warrnambool) but as far as I know he wasn't on our list or ever trained at the club. Same with Gavin Brown. Paul Couch and Jason Dunstall both trained at Fitzroy (Couh twice) but each were turned away. SAme with Andy Collins. Ah, don't you love hindsight!

As for Seecamp, I don't think he's on Melbourne's list this yeat, bit I could be wrong
Cheers,
FitzroyRamone

 

[1883]

Wayne Schwass was tied to Fitzroy's zone (South Warrnambool) but as far as I know he wasn't on our list or ever trained at the club. Same with Gavin Brown. Paul Couch and Jason Dunstall both trained at Fitzroy (Couh twice) but each were turned away. SAme with Andy Collins. Ah, don't you love hindsight!

As for Seecamp, I don't think he's on Melbourne's list this yeat, bit I could be wrong
Cheers,
FitzroyRamone

 

[1883]

I am pretty sure we traded Wayne Schwass to North Melbourne and received Brendan Ryan in return.

 

[Mobbs]

I am pretty sure we traded Wayne Schwass to North Melbourne and received Brendan Ryan in return.

Quite the thread bump

This question "What would we look like now?" would probably bring up zeros by now ... nearly everybody's a coach!

 

[maroon and blue]

Found my sons Fitzroy autograph book, Paul Roos, Gary Pert and then Les Parish. A reflective thought about life.