who is/was the greatest full forward?

[swanzforever]

Being a swan supporter of course i think tony lockett was the best ever full forward, and even if i'd probly still think he was one of the best,
i was just interested to know what other people think?

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cheer cheer the red and the white,honor the name by day and by night

 

[Darky]

Best I've seen in the 20 years I've watched footy would have to be Lockett, narrowly ahead of Dunstall who didn't have the same body-mass to use to his advantage.
Quinlan was good too, magnificent kick, and Beasley was very underrated from playing in a largely unsuccessful side. Ablett did some freakish things too, but by the time he got to play full-forward he became a dirty player and a thug.

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Blue is the colour of healing - Music is the crystallised emotion - Flow with the Force

 

[Frodo]

Plugger followed by Dunstall.

 

[homework_boy]

Alan Jackovich... if only his career finished better!

 

[Mr Ripper]

Tony Lockett remains the most unstoppable and intimidating footballer I've seen. An awesome combination of physicality and talent. Shame his earlier years at the Saints were punctuated by some serious failures in the discipline department.

If Lockett had Jason Dunstall's temperament he would have kicked 2000 goals.

 

[Daphne]

Dunstall then Lockett, Dunstall had a lot of injuries towards the end of his career had he stayed fit he would have been up there with the record as well.

 

[Carey_is_King]

The most accurate - Peter McKenna
The most amazing - Peter Hudson
The most imposing - Tony Lockett
The most athletic - Jason Dunstall
(I can't comment on the older ones I didn't see.)
The best I have seen - Peter Hudson by a long way.

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Trample the Weak,
Hurdle the Dead.

 

[GoEagles]

Does Brett Spinks deserve a mention?

 

[Dan26]

Have to be Coleman wouldn't it?

He kicked 100 goals in his first season, proving he was a natural. Lockett, Dunstall, Pratt, etc all took a few seasons before they registered the ton. Not so Coleman. He joined the country's best football league in 1949, and kicked 12 golas in his first game and 100 goals in his first season.

At the end of his tragically short career of 98 games, he kicked 548 goals, averaging 5.5 goals a game.

And this ws back in the low scoring 1940's and 50's !! Only Hudson averaged more (5.6 I think), and that was in the more prolific 70's. Lockett and Dunstall both averaged about 4.9.

Only a remarkable player could average 5.5 goals per game in the 40's and 50's, whilst adapting to VFL football from the first game he played ! Amazing.

He was named full-forward in the team of the century too, so there's your answer. Am I an Essendon supporter? Yes, I am. Has that got anyting to do with me rating Colemans as the best? NO!

He was named the greatest full-forward of all time (team of the century) by a panel of experts and his feats speak for themselves anyway.

John Coleman......the greatest full-forward of all time.

 

[Dan26]

What about Michael Werner?

Or Danny Del-Re?

 

[Coleman_was_crap]

Coleman the best? What a joke!!!
One of the things that make a great player in all sports is longevity. Coleman only played 98 games. He could of dropped off in his older years.
If you wanna go by average then Hudson was the best. Otherwise, I can't split Dunstall, Lockett & Ablett.

 

[Carey_is_King]

Originally posted by Dan24:
Have to be Coleman wouldn't it?

He kicked 100 goals in his first season, proving he was a natural. Lockett, Dunstall, Pratt, etc all took a few seasons before they registered the ton. Not so Coleman. He joined the country's best football league in 1949, and kicked 12 golas in his first game and 100 goals in his first season.

At the end of his tragically short career of 98 games, he kicked 548 goals, averaging 5.5 goals a game.

And this ws back in the low scoring 1940's and 50's !! Only Hudson averaged more (5.6 I think), and that was in the more prolific 70's. Lockett and Dunstall both averaged about 4.9.

Only a remarkable player could average 5.5 goals per game in the 40's and 50's, whilst adapting to VFL football from the first game he played ! Amazing.

He was named full-forward in the team of the century too, so there's your answer. Am I an Essendon supporter? Yes, I am. Has that got anyting to do with me rating Colemans as the best? NO!

He was named the greatest full-forward of all time (team of the century) by a panel of experts and his feats speak for themselves anyway.

John Coleman......the greatest full-forward of all time.

Dan, you are probably correct, certainly the stats back your argument. Of course, the calibre of the full backs these guys all played on has something to do with it too. I don't know what they were like in Coleman's days. As I have already said, the best I saw was Hudson, easily.


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Trample the Weak,
Hurdle the Dead.

 

[sandie]

Because I have seen him play I have to say Plugger, he was awesome. But being a Bomber & hearing about the great John Coleman & his remarkable acheivements in such a short time, I have to rate him up there with Lockett, Dunstall next. I also think Jakovitch could have been great, if only he wasn't so lazy & didn't love food so much, I really thought he was a lovable character.

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mantis

 

[Slax]

Plugger did kick most of his goals at Moorabbin.

Peter Hudson and Bernie Quinlan

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The Roys will remember

 

[dees01]

The best I have seen is Lockett just ahead of Dunstall. But probably the best was Coleman going on what I have heard and obviously what Dan has said. He had to be good to have the medal named after him.

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The Melbourne Football Club: Tradition, Heritage, Excitement

 

[Mr Ripper]

Coleman may well have been the greatest, but how can anyone rate a player they never saw in action?

[This message has been edited by Mr Ripper (edited 19 January 2001).]

 

[BIG POPPA PUMP]

I haven't seen them all, but from what Ive seen it's gotta be Tony Lockett followed by Dunstall. Dunstall was pretty much just a lead, mark then goal type full forward where Lockett could do all that + take a pack mark, he was probably more agile as well.
But, I think we tend to look at Dunstall from his last couple of years when he was a bit slower and his knees were up the shit.
He was unstoppable late 80's early 90's.

 

[carb70]

Originally posted by Dan24:
What about Michael Werner?


Or Danny Del-Re?

Dan24, its funny you mention Werner, I've got a friend who's an Essendon supporter and he used to go around and tell people that we never saw the best from Werner. I think he was taking the piss out of us though. Now I come to think about it, he was always pissed when he used to say it.

I think we were lucky to witness 3 of the games great full fowards all play at the same time in Lockett, Dunstall and Ablett.

I rate Dunstall as the best. He was the best leading FF I have seen and I was lucky enough to witness his 17 goals against Richmond at Waverley. He used to present himself so well that the players up the ground always knew where to deliver the ball. I rate Lockett as a very close 2nd though.

If you look at their goals per game average, it is very similar with Dunstall just ahead.

Lockett size and power were awesome and ever time he marked the ball you knew it was going to be a goal. He was the best kick for goal I have ever seen.

 

[warrior]

In my opinion Peter Hudson was the greatest full forward!!!

I did not see John Coleman play, but in other peoples minds who did, he was the best.

Lockett kicked a lot of goals , but in my mind, was not the greatest!!!

warrior

 

[Darky]

Originally posted by carb70:

If you look at their goals per game average, it is very similar with Dunstall just ahead.

Sorry to have to correct you Carb.
Lockett's average was 4.88, Dunstall's was 4.66.

There has always been some debate as to what effect ladder positions played on their respective returns as full-forwards, but I think generally the two main factors even eachother out.
Dunstall benefitted from playing in a winning team with greater possession of the ball, but with a winning team comes a greater spread of targets instead of Dunstall being the sole focus.
Lockett benefitted from playing most of his career as the sole focus at St.Kilda and then the Swans, with little or no goal-kicking support. But St.Kilda in the 80s where he played most of his career, were an unsuccessful unit who were lucky to have a full-forward of Lockett's ability to make the most of their comparatively few forays up forward.


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Blue is the colour of healing - Music is the crystallised emotion - Flow with the Force

 

[Carl]

CAPPER-what a legend.If only the bears had delivered the ball to him they would have won a premiership.

 

[Carey=Queen]

Tony lockett remember he played in a scummy side for over half his career.he is easily no1

 

[Macca19]

Originally posted by Coleman_was_crap:
Coleman the best? What a joke!!!
One of the things that make a great player in all sports is longevity. Coleman only played 98 games. He could of dropped off in his older years.
If you wanna go by average then Hudson was the best. Otherwise, I can't split Dunstall, Lockett & Ablett.

you dickhead...pity they didnt have the equipment or the knowledge about knee surgery these days as they did back then.

 

[Macca19]

On statistics, i would have to say that Coleman would of been amazing to watch.
Dunstall would be the best FF ive seen at AFL level...the perfect example of a perfect full forward. Strong lead, strong hands, straight kick.

Ill get flamed for this but the best FF ive ever seen is Scott Hodges. So many games Port won off his own boot. A few tiems he kicked more than what the opposition scored all day.
Scored a SA record 153 goals in 1990. He was magic that year. Had a strong mark, quick, agile, and a perfect kick. So many times he would be having a quiet day, and in a space of 10 minutes he would kick 4 or 5 goals. I will never forget the 1996 prelim when he got a free in the hardest possible position to score a goal from with 25 seconds left, Port down by less than a goal. A gale going across the face of goal which left Scott with aobut a 3cm margin for error, he kicked it, went right thru the middle and port ended up winning the flag!
Port down by 6 goals at 1/4 time in 94GF. Last quarter, Hodges kicks 5 or 6 great goals and port win by plenty. He killed Centrals in the 96 GF. An amazing full forward, and he will probably be the last great SANFL goalkicker...as noone has gone close to his amount of goalkicking power.

 

[Dan26]

Originally posted by Coleman_was_crap:
Coleman the best? What a joke!!!
One of the things that make a great player in all sports is longevity. Coleman only played 98 games. He could of dropped off in his older years.
If you wanna go by average then Hudson was the best. Otherwise, I can't split Dunstall, Lockett & Ablett.

You knobhead.

If he had averaged 5.5 goals per game over 20 games you might have a point. But he played 98 games. he dominated for SIX seasons. He wasn't just a one-season wonder. If a player played well for one season, he wouldn't deserve to get mentioned in the same breath as Coleman.

But Coleman dominated for SIX years. It's not his fault he did his knee.

If you think longevity is the key to being great, you'd probably think Michael Tuck was the greatest player of all-time.

Polly Farmer only played about 100-odd games in the VFL, yet he made the VFL/AFL team of the century in 1996. Deservedly so !

6 season of domincace is plenty of time to prove you were a champion. Grow up.