"The purest kicking action"

[Dry Rot]

As per another thread, I was talking to my footy guru last night, and he started talking about old players he admired, well before my time. One name that came up was Quinlan, who he reckoned had "The purest kicking action" he'd seen.

What was he like?

[Cyberdoggie]

it was ruel purty!

tall hunched over guy but helped keep his head over the ball, long legs, straight and snapped the kicking leg right up, similar to the e.j. statue above but without the arms outstretched. Guided the ball down precisely onto that left foot, and it went a mile,
hence the nickname superboot. Ben Graham was a little similar to bernie i think.

Ol'Blighty had a massive kick on him as well.


But for precision/accuracy our gilbee is the man.
I don't think you could pick a more accurate kick on the run, off 1 step, and over all distances. Sure his action doesn't quite look as pretty but it's a proven weapon.

compare that to farren ray and eagleton, 2 of the worst kicks going around, and by that i mean kicking action wise, sure they can nail one from time to time but because of their action they are incredibly inconsistent.

[The Coon Dog]

Firstly, he was called Superboot for a reason.

Secondly, he just made sweet contact with the ball every time. He never looked like he was putting his all into it, but it just went.

He played well before the 50 metre arc, but regularly kicked goals from 60 metres plus. Not Torps you occassionaly see these days, but true drop punts that didn't so much go high, more travelled far if that makes any sense.

A bit like a David Gower cover drive. Poetry in motion.

[The Coon Dog]

Guided the ball down precisely onto that left foot, and it went a mile,

Quinlan was a right footer!

[Sockeye Salmon]

Quinlan was another that you could put in the "if only" file.

[LostDoggy]

Quinlan was a great kick. From set shots or distance.
Beasley was great with his set shots.
Grant was one of the best field kicks going around
Hawkins one smartest kicks.

From a purest point of view, Quinlan was the best.

[LostDoggy]

Quinlan was another that you could put in the "if only" file.

Totally agree. I hated seeing former Bulldog players playing their best footy at other clubs and losing Quinlan really grates me.

[Dry Rot]

How many seasons did he play for us and when?

[LostDoggy]

it was ruel purty!

tall hunched over guy but helped keep his head over the ball, long legs, straight and snapped the kicking leg right up, similar to the e.j. statue above but without the arms outstretched. Guided the ball down precisely onto that left foot, and it went a mile,
hence the nickname superboot. Ben Graham was a little similar to bernie i think.

Ol'Blighty had a massive kick on him as well.


But for precision/accuracy our gilbee is the man.
I don't think you could pick a more accurate kick on the run, off 1 step, and over all distances. Sure his action doesn't quite look as pretty but it's a proven weapon.

compare that to farren ray and eagleton, 2 of the worst kicks going around, and by that i mean kicking action wise, sure they can nail one from time to time but because of their action they are incredibly inconsistent.

Bit harsh on Eagleton. Nothing wrong with his style, not the first left footer to have a 'slight draw'. If Ray could kick like Eagleton, he would be twice the player he is now.

[Cyberdoggie]

Quinlan was a right footer!

hmm, who was i thinking off then.

[Cyberdoggie]

How many seasons did he play for us and when?

Footscray (1969-1977)
177 games, 241 goals

Fitzroy (1978-1986)

189 games, 576 goals


Bernie Quinlan (born 21 July 1951), is a former Australian rules footballer and coach, who enjoyed a lengthy career with Footscray and Fitzroy in the VFL. He played 366 league games in total. He was recruited from Traralgon, Victoria as a 17 year old.

Debuting for the Bulldogs in 1969, he played 177 games for the club, playing mostly at centre half-forward (also occasionally playing as a centre half-back). He didn't find consistency in his career until he moved to Fitzroy in 1978. He played 189 games for the Lions, marking himself as one of their all-time greats (and also the only player to have played 150 games or more for two clubs), before retiring in 1986. He won the Brownlow Medal in 1981, tying with his former Bulldog team mate Barry Round (who had left the Bulldogs too by this stage). He also twice kicked more than 100 goals in a season: 1983 and 1984.

He was a prodigious kick of the football which earned him the nickname "superboot". He regularly featured in the World of Sport kicking competitions (a sports program which was popular in Melbourne for three decades) and is reported to have once kicked a goal from the wing at the Whitten Oval, Footscray (a distance approaching 100 metres). He also once appeared in an exhibition kicking challenge against the other football codes (including soccer, Rugby Union, rugby league and American Football, the latter representative actually throwing in the style of a quarter-back). He won the challenge with a kick approaching 90 metres.

He is also credited with having instigated the "Hell Ride", a cycling training ride, with two others in 1984


You can find him these days doing specialist skills and consulting work with port melbourne.
Still looks pretty fit and is taller the half the guys in the port list. Mind you crackers keenan is down there as well.

[The Coon Dog]

How many seasons did he play for us and when?

His playing career:

Footscray 1969-77 - 177 games - 241 goals
Fitzroy 1978-86 - 189 games - 576 goals

He is the ONLY player to have played 150 games with 2 different clubs (Roger Merritt came close but only played 149 games for the dons).

[Dry Rot]

Footscray (1969-1977)
177 games, 241 goals

Fitzroy (1978-1986)

189 games, 576 goals

Thanks.

Why did he leave? He did bloody well with Fitzroy - kicked twice as many goals per game.

[Dry Rot]

His playing career:

Footscray 1969-77 - 177 games - 241 goals
Fitzroy 1978-86 - 189 games - 576 goals

He is the ONLY player to have played 150 games with 2 different clubs (Roger Merritt came close but only played 149 games for the dons).

Thanks too - CD is fast.

[The Coon Dog]

Thanks.

Why did he leave? He did bloody well with Fitzroy - kicked twice as many goals per game.

From the Encyclopedia of AFL.

"His inconsistancy was a woory & when the club's financial problems worsened he was put on the market & it seemed likely he would go to Collingwood. The Magpies botched the signing & Fitzroy slipped under their guard. As it turned out Quinlan could conceivably made the difference at Victoria Park & helped towards a flag, but failure to sign him was the key link in a chain of events that saw coach Tom Hafey sacked & the administration overthrown. It took until May 1978 for the deal to be finalised & an exasperated Quinlan threatened to cross to VFA club Sandringham without a clearence before he was eventually cleared."

In those days there was no draft/salary cap, so struggling clubs often sold off their best players to help balance the books. Quinlan was one of many we cleared.