"The purest kicking action"

[LostDoggy]

So we sold off our best players? No wonder we couldn't get anywhere.

Those days survival of the club meant selling off our big names our choices were extremely limited.

[FrediKanoute]

Yes we sold many players to keep the club alive. Those days there were no TV rights, sponsorship or a large amount of members to help the finances. Attendances at home grounds were lucky to be 20,000, more like 15,000 and most clubs were happy to get 10,000 members. Unless we sold players, the administration at the time didn't know what else to do.

I was a double edged sword though. Club's had to "pay" transfer fees for players, so bringing someone from SA or WA or country Vic was risky as the guy may turn out to be a dud and the transfer fee was wasted. I remember we sold Hardie to the Bears for a then record transfer fee of $270k. This fee was later topped by what the Bears paid for Warwick Capper!

[Sockeye Salmon]

Also forgot to mention Ian 'Mocca' Dunstan. He won 3 or 4 B&Fs before he left for the Roos in the early 80's as well. I'd put him ahead of Eppa!

He's ruck-rover.

[Sockeye Salmon]

I just realised, it's 5 Brownlows, not 4.

Hardie, Dempsey, Templeton, Round, Quinlan, Wilson.

[The Coon Dog]

I just realised, it's 5 Brownlows, not 4.

Hardie, Dempsey, Templeton, Round, Quinlan, Wilson.

Try again SS, count with your fingers this time.

[Sockeye Salmon]

That's an illuminating if sobering exercise.

Changing tack slightly, while considering the inverse I thought it worth assembling a team of players we've brought in from other clubs.

Backs: Matty Dent - Trent Bartlett - Bernard Toohey
Half Backs: Steven Koops - Kingsley Hunter - Tim Gepp
Centre line: Nicky Winmar - Phil Maylin - Andrew Wills
Half Fowards: Jade Rawlings - Simon Minton-Connell - Adam Morgan
Forwards: Allen Jakovich - James Cook - Phil Krakouer
Followers: Daniel Bandy - Luke Beveridge - Tony Buhagiar
Interchange: Emmett Dunne - Bruce Duperouzel - Max Crow - Chris Hansen
Emergencies from: Travis Baird - Scott Bassett - Marcus Picken - Stephen Lunne - Marty Pask - Robert Klomp - Tom Davidson

Some of those named were quality players, but not during their time out west.

Needless to say I maintain our record of acquiring retreads to be a pretty forgettable one...Eagleton who's not without his foibles and Robbins aside, have we ever brought in a player from a rival who's made a significant contribution to the club over the past odd quarter century?

Paul Hudson is not a satisfactory answer either.

Edit: Just remembered a bloke named Liberatore...and some feller named Foster, but for every one of them there's a dozen Shannon Rusca's. My point still stands.

B: Gordon Casey, Tony Campbell, Chris Hansen
HB: Bernard Toohey, Peter Foster, Gary Cowton
C: Nathan Eagleton, Terry Wallace, Stewie Magee
HF: Paul Hudson, Galaxy Coleman, Nicky Winmar
F: Richard Osborne, James Cook, Gags Gallagher
R: Bluey Hampshire, Jose Romero, Tony Liberatore
I: Greg Parke, Matthew Robbins, Simon Garlick, Lally Bamblett

E: Ken Newland, Max Crow, Bruce Duperouzel, Tony Buhagiar, Phil Maylin, Steve Hoffman, Matthew Dent.

[Sockeye Salmon]

Try again SS, count with your fingers this time.

I don't believe I just typed that.

Oops.

[Sockeye Salmon]

We also missed out on Butch Edwards and Ronnie Wearmouth who were both eligible for father-son but didn't want to play for us.

Geoff Raines played U19's with us but we didn't want him.

[The Coon Dog]

Geoff Raines played U19's with us but we didn't want him.

We actually swapped him to Richmond for Marty McMillan!!

[Sockeye Salmon]

We actually swapped him to Richmond for Marty McMillan!!

I didn't know that. That ranks right up there with the McLeod/Groom trade.

[Cookie]

1. Quinlan
2. KT
3. Geoff Jennings

[LostDoggy]

1. Quinlan
2. KT
3. Geoff Jennings

Welcome cookie. I agree with Quinlan and to some extent KT but Jennings is one that slipped under my radar. Yes he was economical and an accurate kicking.

[Sockeye Salmon]

1. Quinlan
2. KT
3. Geoff Jennings

I reckon Ted Whitten Jr was a better kick than Jennings