Best Player to Never Play AFL/VFL

[Freomaniac]

Russell Ebert?

Played for North Melbourne for one season in 1979. A unique story was He only trained once a week. takes a flight to Melbourne on thursday, trains once a week. game played on saturday or sunday takes the plane back to adelaide on sunday night or monday morning.

 

[Freomaniac]

Barry Robran?

He would be up there... I would of Loved Robran to been in the VFL. His sons played AFL too. Matthew Robran played in the crows 1997-8 flags.

Theres Paul Bagshaw, 360 games for sturt from 1964-80. part of sturts 1966-70, 74 and 76 flags. Neil Kerley, Garry McIntosh too.

I am a South Adelaide fan. So my pick would be David Kantilla. Best on Ground in South Adelaide 1964 premiership win and a team mate of Neil Kerley.



If you wanna know What David Kantilla was like? He was essentially the SANFL version of a prime Graham Polly farmer.

 

[My Tilly]

He would be up there... I would of Loved Robran to been in the VFL. His sons played AFL too. Matthew Robran played in the crows 1997-8 flags.

Theres Paul Bagshaw, 360 games for sturt from 1964-80. part of sturts 1966-70, 74 and 76 flags. Neil Kerley, Garry McIntosh too.

I am a South Adelaide fan. So my pick would be David Kantilla. Best on Ground in South Adelaide 1964 premiership win and a team mate of Neil Kerley.



If you wanna know What David Kantilla was like? He was essentially the SANFL version of a prime Graham Polly farmer.

I have heard stories of Kantilla.
Shame there's not much information about his career.

Kerley I know a bit more about.

I had an inkling Matthew was related but didn't realize he was Barry's son. Matthew Robran was a talented footballer in his own right. A bit slow but a very good mark. Kind of reminded me of David Mensch who always dominated at VFL level but could never quite replicate it at senior level.

 

[Cyclops]

My uncle passed down stories from his grandpa about the great Ken Farmer.

He should be acknowledged as the greatest goalkicker and have legend status not plugger.

224 games for north in the sanfl 1417 goals
He kicked 100+ goals 11 seasons in a row.

In 17 state games against the best in Australia he kicked 81 goals

Yes theres an elite footy culture in SA that has produced (arguably over produced, there's been such a strong roll call) many a genius and the SOO supports that to a degree.

Not knocking him but SA historically Adelaide has had about a third the population of Melbourne, with a lower per capita income. SA vs Vic is an even bigger gap, so the numbers may be slightly "inflated" by outliers in quality.

It's likely Farmer (like the vaunted Doig) would've been a champ wherever he played, but he was definitely in a smaller pond than his VFL contemporaries.

VicBias is silly and annoying and some Champs have been overlooked, but there's no need to run down Plugger, who was a big fish in a big pond.

 

[Woolly Mammoth]

Toby Pink

 

[RightWingRoo]

Nick Sautner would be one in recent times. Kicked 800 odd goals in the VFL and never got the late career chance his contemporary in Pods did.

 

[King_Steele]

Perry Meka?

 

[JimmyBC]

Played for North Melbourne for one season in 1979. A unique story was He only trained once a week. takes a flight to Melbourne on thursday, trains once a week. game played on saturday or sunday takes the plane back to adelaide on sunday night or monday morning.

I was reading about this recently he still trained at Port during the week as well, he turned 30 that year & was North's highest possession winner for the year. Regardless of whether the Vics saw the best of him or not it's a fair effort at that age with all the travel.

 

[Mesc]

Me.

Beat me to it

 

[Sttew]

From everything I have read over the years - Stephen Michael

Does anyone know why he never made the leap from WAFL to VFL?

 

[ibd77]

Scott Hodges has played some AFL with only 38 games with the Crows, but he should have played at least 100 games in the AFL if given a chance. Very talented full forward but never really given a shot at AFL level.

 

[Jane Doe]

I have heard stories of Kantilla.
Shame there's not much information about his career.

Kerley I know a bit more about.

I had an inkling Matthew was related but didn't realize he was Barry's son. Matthew Robran was a talented footballer in his own right. A bit slow but a very good mark. Kind of reminded me of David Mensch who always dominated at VFL level but could never quite replicate it at senior level.

Had another son Jonathan who also played for Hawthorn & Essendon. Interesting story from back in the day. Matthew stood out of football in 1992 as Hawthorn refused to trade him to the crows. Eventually did the following year. With the pick they got they drafted Jonathan

 

[Freomaniac]

I have heard stories of Kantilla.
Shame there's not much information about his career.

Kerley I know a bit more about.

I had an inkling Matthew was related but didn't realize he was Barry's son. Matthew Robran was a talented footballer in his own right. A bit slow but a very good mark. Kind of reminded me of David Mensch who always dominated at VFL level but could never quite replicate it at senior level.

I remember David Mensch at Geelong. 150 games from 1991-2002.

He stood at around 191 cm. Played as a tall forward and tall defender. He even pinched hit in the ruck

 

[The Blueseum]

Some great names mentioned already.

While he might not be number one, I have a player who deserves recognition as one of the greatest to not play seniors.

Derrick Filo

Derrick Filo | Blueseum - History of the Carlton Football Club

Blueseum: History of the Carlton Football Club

www.blueseum.org

Went straight back home to the country before getting a chance at seniors.

Had the most incredible career in the Bendigo football league, one of the strongest around.

Over 450 games, four clubs, many premierships and best and fairests, records galore, medal named after him.

One of the special ones.

 

[Freomaniac]

Funny that Neil Craig had a chance to play VFL with footscray in the 1980s.

Played 300 games in the SANFL

 

[Yoda_]

Mitch Marsh was a skilled footballer in high school.

Couple of World Cups later and you'd say he made the right choice

he couldn't hit the side of a barn door. Good and safe career choice though he took

 

[Yoda_]

I maintain that Kyle Martin

Kyle Martin

Age

34

Ht

178cm

Wt

77kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

13.2

3star

K

6.3

2star

HB

6.8

4star

M

3.7

4star

T

3.0

5star

CL

1.5

4star

No current season stats available

D

15.8

4star

K

7.6

3star

HB

8.2

5star

M

4.4

4star

T

3.6

5star

CL

1.8

4star

is the best suburban footballer produced by Metro Melbourne.

Played at Frankston Dolphins (B&F), drafted to Collingwood (VFL club B&F) decided wasn't for him on a rookie wage (Electrician by trade) and went on to win something incredible like 13/14 best and fairest (ACL ruined his one off year)


Bloke should have played at least 100 AFL games but decided it just wasn't for him

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

According to many, the best player Tasmania has ever produced was Horrie Gorringe. Above Baldock, Hudson, etc but never played VFL/AFL.
He dominated interstate matches (uusally in losing causes) including being awarded best player at the 1924 carnival. Certainly a contender along with Robran and co.

 

[masai tu]

he couldn't hit the side of a barn door. Good and safe career choice though he took

Watched Marsh play in the state juniors, with NicNat & Rich + supporting caste.

Did b all and wouldn’t have noticed him, if his name was Mitch Pool.

As said, smart career choice.

 

[Lingsface]

Since there was an AFL, I would say Alister Pickett and Ian Richardson from the WAFL.

 

[Robroy22]

Since it seems people are nominating blokes who played only a few games and then went home I'll nominate Graham Shepherd who came to Collingwood from Cooee in Tasmania in the early 70's.
Shep was a brilliant small forward and would have played in the midfield except for the fact that the Pies had the Richardson brothers, Johnny Greening and Barry Price already starring in the midfield.

Shep could take hangers, kick impossible goals, he was very much in the Daryl Baldock / Peter Daicos mould.
Unfortunately he got a knee injury early which held him up a bit and when he asked for a payrise the club said no and he ended up going home to Tassie where he played on for many years and coached. His son Heath played a handful of games for the club also.