Daniel Cross - Fast becoming my favourite Bulldog of all time

[Eastdog]

Re: Daniel Cross - Fast becoming my favourite Bulldog of all time

Great guy. Gives 100% every week. Probably the most courageous Bulldog player in my time. He puts his body on the line in every contest.

Agree. Never gives up and is a fighter.

[Scraggers]

Re: Daniel Cross - Fast becoming my favourite Bulldog of all time

Not having a go at Cross (love him ... Wish all our players played with his courage); but as he sat on the bench, head in hands, tears flowing down his cheeks, I wondered if that was it for him ... I wondered if he had been given a timeline (for want of a better word) by the coach, and that 2012 would be his last.

Just how I felt at the time... Hope it's not the case !!

[Chicago1]

Re: Daniel Cross - Fast becoming my favourite Bulldog of all time

Well, it seems I'm not the only one who transferred favoritism from Chris Grant after his retirement to Daniel Cross. He is a remarkably hard working player who goes over the line when it comes to giving his best for the club. And I completely agree with the sentiments offered about him being a friendly bloke. After every training session that I had attended during my last three visits, I talked to him and it seemed from the very first time like I had known him for years. At the final training that I attended last year, he called me over to say that he was happy I was able to stop by since he wanted to say goodbye. It might not seem like much, but he made this old guy feel like a million bucks.

I have an old Bulldogs calendar on my wall from 2010 that I have permanently open to December with Crossy's pic on top. The bottom part I just change every month with the monthly section from another calendar. I don't know who my favoritism will transfer to when Crossy's day comes, but he will have huge footy boots to fill.

I'm just hoping that the injury he sustained over the weekend has not ended his career and that if I fly out to Melbourne at the start of next season I'll see him out on Whitten Oval at training, hard at it, as usual.

[Hotdog60]

Re: Daniel Cross - Fast becoming my favourite Bulldog of all time

Not having a go at Cross (love him ... Wish all our players played with his courage); but as he sat on the bench, head in hands, tears flowing down his cheeks, I wondered if that was it for him ... I wondered if he had been given a timeline (for want of a better word) by the coach, and that 2012 would be his last.

Just how I felt at the time... Hope it's not the case !!

This thought crossed my mind also.

[Sockeye Salmon]

Re: Daniel Cross - Fast becoming my favourite Bulldog of all time

You're all bandwagoners

[Missing-Dog]

Re: Daniel Cross - Fast becoming my favourite Bulldog of all time

Love Cross always have! even when some were knocking him.. Never say die attitude hopefully rubs off on a few of the others.. I know it has to Picken Great role model for the younger guys and hope Cross gets 1 more season under his belt The younger guys need him!

[always right]

Re: Daniel Cross - Fast becoming my favourite Bulldog of all time

In the early years I openly declared he wouldn't make it. Now he is probably my favorite bulldogs player. I have no doubt he'll be back next season. He is the fabric of our club and there is no-one more inspiring.

[westdog54]

Re: Daniel Cross - Fast becoming my favourite Bulldog of all time

Thought this was a great read on the AFL Website.

Mr Invincible

Loved this bit:

Boyd recalled Cross defying medical opinion twice in the latter part of 2009.

After soldiering on through much of the season with fragments of floating bone causing enormous pain in his right ankle, Cross was forced to undergo late-season exploratory surgery, which revealed he would need a reconstruction at season's end.

Told his season might have been over, Cross cried (just as he did after realising the extent of his injury on Sunday) and then resorted to desperate measures. Overnight, he would hook up his ankle to an expensive ice-compression machine (which he'd bought on an overseas holiday), relegating his ever-supportive wife Sam to the couch.

It worked - he missed just two games before resuming where he left off in the finals.

That season, Cross still managed to finished runner-up in the Dogs' best and fairest to Boyd, who marveled at the time that his mate had "played with no ligaments in both ankles".

Poor Sam has the patience of a Saint. He owes her big time on retirement.

The man is an absolute freak, just won't take no for an answer.

[AndrewP6]

Re: Daniel Cross - Fast becoming my favourite Bulldog of all time

Just avoiding work...er, I mean, doing some research, and came across an interesting article on some Bulldog debutantes of a different era. Messrs Cross, Lake (Harris), Power, Saunders, Birss, Hargrave and McGuinness (Kieran) all debuted in season 2002.

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/08/23/1030052975024.html

[westdog54]

Re: Daniel Cross - Fast becoming my favourite Bulldog of all time

In the early years I openly declared he wouldn't make it. Now he is probably my favorite bulldogs player. I have no doubt he'll be back next season. He is the fabric of our club and there is no-one more inspiring.

The first time I saw Crossy play was against West Coast in 2003 in Round 1 (Rawlings, Koops and Street all played their first game for the club, *shudder*). He was assigned to tag Ben Cousins in the last quarter. I think there might have been one centre bounce that Michael Gardiner didn't palm down to him on the move for clearance.

Needless to say I wasn't convinced either.

[Maddog37]

Re: Daniel Cross - Fast becoming my favourite Bulldog of all time

After all of his ankle problems he is doing well to run at all.