Bulldogs By the Numbers

[EasternWest]

Re: Bulldogs By the Numbers

So, just for a break, I thought I might pause for a while and open up discussion on who's been the best #1, #2 and so on down the line to number #15. It's limited to those players who've repesented us from 1954 onwards.
So for #1 I'll go for Andrew Purser.

Don't any of you dare.

[Grantysghost]

Re: Bulldogs By the Numbers

[merantau]

Re: Bulldogs By the Numbers

Thanks for all the great work Merantau. Really appreciate it.

It's been my pleasure. I've not been very active in starting threads so thought it was about time I contributed.
The Dogs have been a big part of my life; have given me a lot of joy and a lot of suffering - the emotional roller coaster has always been the ride that makes you feel most alive!
And the thing that I will always be in debt to the Club for is this: In 2016 I experienced the most wonderful finals campaign ever put together by any club ever!
I waited for 55 years to see us play in another Grand Final. I rode my motorbike back from Sumbawa to Lombok and flew home to watch the Grand Final with my beautiful daughter Melissa. The win was achieved in the most exciting way possible in a game that went down to the wire - a game that was jam packed with unforgettable passages of play and individual heroics.
To be a part of that emotional tsunami of joy is something that we will all treasure to our dying day. And I cannot wait for us to do it again -altough it is going to be a very tough gig to equal the emotional high I experienced in 2016!

[EasternWest]

Re: Bulldogs By the Numbers

Motion to have grantysghost temporarily banned from the forum for disrespecting this great thread.

[Grantysghost]

Re: Bulldogs By the Numbers

Motion to have grantysghost temporarily banned from the forum for disrespecting this great thread.

Seconded.

[HOSE B ROMERO]

Re: Bulldogs By the Numbers

So, just for a break, I thought I might pause for a while and open up discussion on who's been the best #1, #2 and so on down the line to number #15. It's limited to those players who've repesented us from 1954 onwards.
So for #1 I'll go for Andrew Purser.

Ok so i will just go from the time ive followed them circa 1970.

Yep would have to be Purser. So consistent and just a pity he didn't come over from WA sooner.
Minton-Connell was more than handy.
Justin Charles was probably the one that had so much potential and loved his enthusiasm.


1.

[Bornadog]

Re: Bulldogs By the Numbers

Purser number one for me too. Malthouse once said he was the best ruckman he had coached, and that is saying something considering who he coached at West Coast and Collingwood.

[Twodogs]

Re: Bulldogs By the Numbers

He got crunched a few times. One at Princes Park and had to be carried off.

Scotty was one of my favourite Ruckman.

I thought that he was dead. The way he lay in the middle of the ground and convulsed I really feared the worse. Barry Stanfield took over ruck duties and gave Justin Madden (who ran through the centre square and picked Wynd off) a hiding and helped to win us the game.

Absolute legend. Best ruckman since Dempsey. Had a knee reco before we recruited him. The story goes that North would have signed him on a 'form 4' but they turned up a day late.

Players walked tall when Scotty was out there and ex players have remarked over the years what a great leader he was.
Worth listening to Murp interviewing him on the barkly st podcast.

North had the sole option on him him up until he turned 17. The story goes that Gary Merrington who was our recruiting officer at the time had somehow worked out that North thought that Scott was a year younger than he was and as such had another year up their sleeve to make a move in him. Merrington signed Wynd to us at 12.01am on the day (night) he turned 17!

[merantau]

Re: Bulldogs By the Numbers

Gary Merrington - ex-Braybrook FC, ex-Tottenham Tech. Plenty of street smarts there!

[merantau]

Re: Bulldogs By the Numbers

Best #2? We've had some grand players in the #2. But for mine three stand out - Jack Collins, Bernie Quinlan and Bob Murphy. Best player overall was Quinlan but his best was not with us so I'm going to go with Bob.

[Bornadog]

Re: Bulldogs By the Numbers

Best #2? We've had some grand players in the #2. But for mine three stand out - Jack Collins, Bernie Quinlan and Bob Murphy. Best player overall was Quinlan but his best was not with us so I'm going to go with Bob.

Agree with you. Bernie was good but you have to look at him when he played with us.

[HOSE B ROMERO]

Re: Bulldogs By the Numbers

Yep Murphy. Jimmy Sewell was a very handy no. 2 as was Stevie Kolyniuk.

[GVGjr]

Re: Bulldogs By the Numbers

Best #2? We've had some grand players in the #2. But for mine three stand out - Jack Collins, Bernie Quinlan and Bob Murphy. Best player overall was Quinlan but his best was not with us so I'm going to go with Bob.

I get why Murphy is a popular player and you can't dismiss the way he got everyone to rally around him when Griffen left us but gee he doesn't get close to the caliber of Quinlan in my opinion and I'm measuring it for the games he played with us and not including Fitzroy
His durability was impressive and his ability to swing games our way should never be underestimated
Murphy was a neat player but Quinlan had that star quality

[merantau]

Re: Bulldogs By the Numbers

And so on to #3. For me Ted Whitten is the standout. He didn't just dominate games - he dominated the competition. It didn't seem to matter where we were on the ladder Ted and the Bulldogs were always in the news. He was one of a kind.

Not far behind him in skill, courage and commitment to the Bulldogs would be Chris Grant - certainly compares with the greats of any era for his complete mastery of all aspects of the game. Others may have kicked more goals but many of them were one dimensional mark and kick players. Chris could do it all and at either end of the ground - super player.

[HOSE B ROMERO]

Re: Bulldogs By the Numbers

Granty. He just played at such a high level for such a long time all over the ground. Emerging at the same time as Carey, who was probably the greatest CHF of all time meant that he may not have got the due accolades from opposition supporters. But he was a superstar.