Your Top 5 best Bulldog players ever (in order)

[1eyedog]

The Brian Royal thread got me thinking about who would be in my top 5 list of best Bulldog players, and why. This is a tougher question than I thought. If you had to name your best 5 players who would they be? Can you put 5 in order? There's only two constraints.

1. You've seen them play.
2. Their career must be finished.

I'll start;

1. Kelvin Templeton - he was such a freak. I only really saw 78-80 as a young kid but they were obviously his best years. He had an aura about him and was that player that made you heart rate go up a notch when he got near the ball. That player that when he got it a loud murmur of expectation echoed around the ground. An excellent reader of the play who timed his leads to perfection. A magnificent jumper at the ball and was often double and triple teamed.. Was also one of the most fluid kicks I have ever seen. So graceful in the air or when kicking through the ball. Between 1978 and 1980 he was basically as good as anyone who ever played.

2. Chris Grant - had many of KT's traits but was also creative at ground level and should really be at number 1 if not for my childhood bias. Magnificiently hard at the ball and a great flyer through the air early in his career before going back and becoming the best CHB in the comp (and was one of the first CHB to have a genuine defensive forwards played on them).

3. Brad Johnson - a fantastic young wingman before moving into the midfield and then eventually playing as a FF. Did not have a weakness. His AA Captain year at FF says it all. I can't remember a more influential 180cm player at FF than that year. Out of all our past players I regret Johnno not getting a flag the most.


4. Doug Hawkins - supremely gifted on both sides of his body and basically played dry weather footy on muck heaps. Was super tough and highly charismatic both on-field and off it. Like Johnno was a fantastic mark for his size and while not quick more than made up for it with speed of mind, awareness and skill.

5. Brian Royal - the toughest choice to make I could easily have chosen Scott West over him but for me Chocco was so dangerous both as a rover and as a small forward. Was a fantastic contributor in State of Origin and was as tough as he was skillfull.

Interesting that everyones choice is Grant or a KP player and not a midfielder. I'm not exactly sure how I left West and Beasley out.