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Opinion Which players would have been the best if not for injury?

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mattyc25 said:
Allan Jakovich for mine.

Understand it was a different era for forwards kicking bags but still...

  • For the dees he played 47 games for 201 goals, averaging more goals than Gary Ablett and and Gordon Coventry in his time there
  • Kicked 50 goals in his first 9 games, breaking Colemans record for least amount of games to reach 50 goals
  • Kicked 100 goals in his first 21 games, equaling a record from 1901
  • Had the 10th most scoring shots in a game in AFL history in his 9th game of football, kicking 11.8
  • In his 4th to 9th career games he kicked bags of 8.8, 6.2, 6.7, 8.5, 7.4 and 11.8= 80 scoring shots in 6 games of football in his debut season
  • Obviously, if he could kick straight he would've been even more impressive, kicking 208.173 for his career including games of 4.9 and 4.10.
  • Still ended up the overall 12th highest goals per game average in history despite only playing 54 games total and being injured

Back was stuffed, took a whole year off in 1995 after 47 games and was done after a mini stint at the dogs when he was cooked at 54 games.
Click to expand...
Also kicked 101 goals for Woodville in the SANFL in 1990....
 
Sam Docherty

2016 All Australian Squad
2017 All Australian
2017 ACL
2018 ACL
2020 Cancer
2021 Cancer
2024 ACL

What he is now (heart and soul club champion) compared to what he could've been.
 
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Clay Smith.
 
Glen Jakovich doing his knee and then breaking his ankle in his prime was an underrated footy tragedy.

1993-1996 Jakovich has not been emulated.
 
For Saints -

Brian Gleeson won the Brownlow at 22 in 1957 and did his knee in a pre-season game the following year and career over

Bill Stephenson - knee in 1963 aged 26 after kicking 20 in the first 4 games of the season ... career over

Graeme Gellie - won B&F in his 1st year and did a knee in his 2nd year ... never the same

Justin Koschitske (Head) / Matt Maguire (Leg) / Luke Penny (Knee)/ Aaron Hamill (Knee) / Luke Ball (OP) .... all severely curtailed in the mid 2000s
 
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If we're talking single seasons, I think Steve Johnson's 2009 gets lost in the mix a bit, because it wasn't an LTI and he went on to continue at an AA level for some time.

For the first 13 rounds (all Geelong wins), he kicked 37.31 and gathered 272 disposals (for averages of 2.85 goals and 20.9 disposals). If he'd kicked a little straighter, he would have well and truly surpassed Nathan Brown's almost mythical 2005 season. Remarkably, he only earned six Brownlow votes during that period.

Then he missed the famous St Kilda clash with a hip complaint and didn't return until Round 19 (which coincided with Geelong's season hitting the skids slightly), he missed the last couple of H&A games and the QF win against the Bulldogs, had a decent game in the PF belting of Collingwood and then was famously a "passenger" (in his own words) in the grand final, due to still carrying the effects of his injury and some now famously dubious tactics employed on him by Steven Baker.
 

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HairyO said:
Tony Hall did his knee in a State of Origin after a tackle by a Hawks teammate.
Click to expand...
still remember this..
sitting in the mud,clutching his knee with agony screaming across his face.
This incident plays a big part in making alot of team pull there players from playing future state of origin games.
 

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Cleric said:
t's a common thing. Tony Modra and even Taylor Walker never came back the same after their knees. Also, Warren Tredrea.
Click to expand...

Add Kelvin Templeton

He had 2 x coleman medals, 1 x brownlow medal at the age of 23 in 1980 after his first knee injury in 77. A repeat knee in 81 was the start of the end. Could have gone on to kick 1000 goals but wasnt to be
 
Nic Nat is already among the finest ruckman of his generation, but his later career especially was cruelled by injury. Had he been fit and found continuity I think he's a 2018 premiership player and couldve taken us all the way in 2019. Maybe.
 
Tony Hall...never the same after wrecking his knee in the bog at the G.

Archie Jackson, Cricketer of the 1920's...was rumoured to have more natural talent than Bradman...passed away in his early 20's. (8 Tests, 474 Runs @47.40)

On SM-S918B using BigFooty.com mobile app
 
It’s clearly Schwartz for me. Salmon and Neale Daniher were slightly before I started following footy and there have been so many other candidates sadly but Schwartz was the most electric CHF prospect I’ve ever watched besides Carey and Franklin.
 
Daniel Kerr, top 3 in the brownlow 3 years in a row, 2 of which he had a better points per game than the winner, but played less games. Final year of those three he was 24 years of age.

The following years he played 11, 11, 4, 16, 24 and 10. The team imploding didn't help, but the most banged up player i've seen in Eagles colours. Just couldn't stay on the park.
 

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Opinion Which players would have been the best if not for injury?

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