Pick Ups

[merantau]

It looks like this is going to be a very long season so I thought I'd start this thread as a bit of a diversion from present day woes.
The intention is to go back through our history and develop a bank of info/opinion about players we have recruited from other clubs.
I'll start off from my early days which date from 1956.
Harvey Stevens. We picked him up from Collingwood in 1953 and he won our B&F in his first year. He played in the 1st ruck in our '54 Premiership. He retired in 1957 after 72 games and 71 goals. I reckon he was a pretty good pick up.

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

It looks like this is going to be a very long season so I thought I'd start this thread as a bit of a diversion from present day woes.
The intention is to go back through our history and develop a bank of info/opinion about players we have recruited from other clubs.
I'll start off from my early days which date from 1956.
Harvey Stevens. We picked him up from Collingwood in 1953 and he won our B&F in his first year. He played in the 1st ruck in our '54 Premiership. He retired in 1957 after 72 games and 71 goals. I reckon he was a pretty good pick up.

I knew Harvey very well and he and his wife Alva became regulars at Bulldogs games until his passing in 2016. A unique double with his Father also captaining Footscray. A thorough gentleman, Harvey Stevens was highly respected at the Club.

[Twodogs]

It looks like this is going to be a very long season so I thought I'd start this thread as a bit of a diversion from present day woes.
The intention is to go back through our history and develop a bank of info/opinion about players we have recruited from other clubs.
I'll start off from my early days which date from 1956.
Harvey Stevens. We picked him up from Collingwood in 1953 and he won our B&F in his first year. He played in the 1st ruck in our '54 Premiership. He retired in 1957 after 72 games and 71 goals. I reckon he was a pretty good pick up.

Harvey's dad Chidda (I think his real name was Arthur) also captained Footscray. I think I am right in thinking that Harvey and Chidda were the first father/son captains of a club.

[merantau]

Thanks for that. I didn't know about his Dad.

[Twodogs]

I have a special interest in Harvey Stevens. My son is named Harvey too.

[merantau]

We didn't pick up many players in the 60s. One I remember was Frank Johnson. It was 1964. Denis Marshall had been lured to Geelong by big money and was forced to stand aside for the first six games while the VFL invesigated a breach of the Coulter law which governed player payments. Marshall was a champion. There was huge publicity about him. My hopes for Frank Johnson were sky high. He was from the west TOO. He must be a champ like Marshall. Alas, he played just 6 games for us and kicked 4 goals. We off loaded him to Fitzroy in '65 where ho played 3 games and failed to trouble the scoreboard.
We weren't that good in 1964 either. I remember he played with his socks down.

[Twodogs]

All the best people were born in 1964.

[Bulldog4life]

All the best people were born in 1964.

Yes my wife was born then too Td. Her birthday is 6/4/64. Easy to remember.

[Twodogs]

Yes my wife was born then too Td. Her birthday is 6/4/64. Easy to remember.

Maybe it is but how many times have you forgotten?


I'm 16/3 myself, your wife was born inside a month of the significant event of my own birth. Anyone born that close to my DOB should get a commemorative medallian!

[LostDoggy]

Our best era for value pickups, out of necessity, was the early 80s. After we'd tragically sold of all of our stars in the late 70s/early 80s just to survive, we had a few years of hell. Over 83-84, we bought in a bunch of low ball outcasts who helped return us to competitiveness, among them Chris Hansen, Mark Kellett, Les Bamblett, Bruce Duperouzel, Stephen Lunn, Phil Maylin, Emmett Dunne and Con Gorizidis who all provided some value to varying degrees.

The best of them all was Peter Foster, who had played a handful of games over a few years at Fitzroy. He ended up being a champion CHB (and occassional CHF) for us for over a decade. As good a contested mark as I've seen at the Dogs, booming left footer and whole hearted competitor. He was a ripper.

[Bulldog4life]

Maybe it is but how many times have you forgotten?


I'm 16/3 myself, your wife was born inside a month of the significant event of my own birth. Anyone born that close to my DOB should get a commemorative medallian!

I'm not allowed to forget.

[Twodogs]

Our best era for value pickups, out of necessity, was the early 80s. After we'd tragically sold of all of our stars in the late 70s/early 80s just to survive, we had a few years of hell. Over 83-84, we bought in a bunch of low ball outcasts who helped return us to competitiveness, among them Chris Hansen, Mark Kellett, Les Bamblett, Bruce Duperouzel, Stephen Lunn, Phil Maylin, Emmett Dunne and Con Gorizidis who all provided some value to varying degrees.

The best of them all was Peter Foster, who had played a handful of games over a few years at Fitzroy. He ended up being a champion CHB (and occassional CHF) for us for over a decade. As good a contested mark as I've seen at the Dogs, booming left footer and whole hearted competitor. He was a ripper.

Looking back at the playing lists there were a few who couldn't get a game at other clubs that played with us. Allan McConnell (GWS coach) played in the twos at Fitzroy and played a few games for us, same with Brian O 'Keefe (Ryan's dad) he started out at Fitzroy too, Jeff Berry from Richmond and Bill Berry from Essendon both played good footy with us, John Moylan came from North as part of the Dempsey deal and held down a half back flank for a couple of years, Jim McAllester came as a tall forward from Essendon and played some good footy at fullback for us (good enough for Collingwood to poach him anyway) Peter Hickmott came from Essendon for nothing and played 20-30 games. Butch Edwards dragged his bad knees around for us for a year or two, Robbert Klomp, Greg Towns Tony Buhagiar and Emmett Dunne were all premiership players who came across and played for us at the end of their careers. Jon Bennett was a mystery. He always kicked goals in the reserves and kicked 8 goals in 3 games in the seniors but was shipped off back to st Kilda after one year. Max Crow was playing good footy for us after coming over from Essendon but lost a testicle in a contest and that was effectively the end of his career. Angelo Petraglia came over from North and played nearly 50 games (49, I didn't think it was that many) I once saw Russel Tweedale take a piss from the top level of the Whitten stand (he was running up and down the stairs as a punishment, he gets to the top and gets caught short) and finally Malthouse gave a few of his mates from Richmond an extra year or two of league footy but o wouldn't say that any of them had a huge influence on the club, Tim Gepp, Neil Peart (he wasn't a bad player), Andy Preston (THE biggest lunatic I have seen play for us. I think in his only game for us he was reported for bouncing his opponents head on the ground) and Michael Rolfe.

Phew!

[merantau]

Our best era for value pickups, out of necessity, was the early 80s. After we'd tragically sold of all of our stars in the late 70s/early 80s just to survive, we had a few years of hell. Over 83-84, we bought in a bunch of low ball outcasts who helped return us to competitiveness, among them Chris Hansen, Mark Kellett, Les Bamblett, Bruce Duperouzel, Stephen Lunn, Phil Maylin, Emmett Dunne and Con Gorizidis who all provided some value to varying degrees.

The best of them all was Peter Foster, who had played a handful of games over a few years at Fitzroy. He ended up being a champion CHB (and occassional CHF) for us for over a decade. As good a contested mark as I've seen at the Dogs, booming left footer and whole hearted competitor. He was a ripper.

There's some good memories associated with that list of names. Bruce Duperouzel played some cracking games for us as a loose man down back. The first time I saw him play he cut us to ribbons. He was a very good ball user, clever and could read the play well. Mark Kellett had the best "Don't argue of his era. Chris Hansen was a really solid defender. Stephen Lunn - an ordinary ordinary footballer. The Golden Greek specialised in the spectacular and shunned the mundane.
I didn't see much of the Phil the Shark as I was o/s at the time but I believe he was pretty handy.
I saw Les Bamblett intercept a handpass at the 'G' against the Pies and snap a goal. Fair dinkum, it happened that quick it was if he was psychic.
Emmett Dunne was in the Force. I once heard a wag at the Western Oval yell. "Dunne, you couldn't get a kick in an interview room."
Peter Foster was a terrific player. One of our best ever pick ups. Great mark, great kick. I wish we could find another like him

[merantau]

Looking back at the playing lists there were a few who couldn't get a game at other clubs that played with us. Allan McConnell (GWS coach) played in the twos at Fitzroy and played a few games for us, same with Brian O 'Keefe (Ryan's dad) he started out at Fitzroy too, Jeff Berry from Richmond and Bill Berry from Essendon both played good footy with us, John Moylan came from North as part of the Dempsey deal and held down a half back flank for a couple of years, Jim McAllester came as a tall forward from Essendon and played some good footy at fullback for us (good enough for Collingwood to poach him anyway) Peter Hickmott came from Essendon for nothing and played 20-30 games. Butch Edwards dragged his bad knees around for us for a year or two, Robbert Klomp, Greg Towns Tony Buhagiar and Emmett Dunne were all premiership players who came across and played for us at the end of their careers. Jon Bennett was a mystery. He always kicked goals in the reserves and kicked 8 goals in 3 games in the seniors but was shipped off back to st Kilda after one year. Max Crow was playing good footy for us after coming over from Essendon but lost a testicle in a contest and that was effectively the end of his career. Angelo Petraglia came over from North and played nearly 50 games (49, I didn't think it was that many) I once saw Russel Tweedale take a piss from the top level of the Whitten stand (he was running up and down the stairs as a punishment, he gets to the top and gets caught short) and finally Malthouse gave a few of his mates from Richmond an extra year or two of league footy but o wouldn't say that any of them had a huge influence on the club, Tim Gepp, Neil Peart (he wasn't a bad player), Andy Preston (THE biggest lunatic I have seen play for us. I think in his only game for us he was reported for bouncing his opponents head on the ground) and Michael Rolfe.

Phew!

I think you mean Jon Ballantyne not Jon Bennet.

[merantau]

In the early 70s we picked up a blond-headed ruckman from Melbourne - Phil Baker? He was pretty good for a while.
In 67 we got Ken Greenwood from Carlton. He came 2nd in our B&F in his first year and played over 70 games - a good pick up.