Congratulations Kelvin Templeton

[King Harold]

Sam Darcy.

No

 

[King Harold]

More like Bont.
He was graceful, agile a complete footballer.

Yeah Bontish , not quite the freakish ball handling.
But then again no one has !

 

[Mutt]

More like Bont.
He was graceful, agile a complete footballer.

This is also how I remember KT31.

 

[W W Biscuit]

I can only echo the sentiments of so many on here. He was my childhood idol in an era which was tough going for little doggy supporters (kids can be mean in the eastern suburbs). But following a team that rarely won, was rarely on TV (apart from the grainy footage on World of Sport) and whose matches were barely covered by racing radio 3DB and 3UZ, at least I could wear my number 31 proudly.

And....this is me, commentating to myself as I kicked the footy around the street outside my house:

"It's a ball up, the ruckmen go at it, Don Scott taps it to Matthews, he's tackled by Wheeler, the ball spillls free, Dunston picks it up, kicks it to centre wing, Whitten collects it, gives it over to Jennings who takes a bounce, pumps it long into full-forward....TEMPLETON!!!!!!!" Hhhhwoaaaaaaaaarrrrrr (crowd noise).

PS. This was only last week.

 

[Turtleman3]

If I remember correctly he played at full forward in 78/79 when he won the goal kicking (and kicked 15.9) and when Royce Hart became coach he was moved to centre half forward when he won the Brownlow Medal. He also became bigger in the upper body which some believe contributed to his eventual knee problems.

Others may have a clearer memory of all this than I do as I was just a kid at that time.

 

[geoffjennings79]

If I remember correctly he played at full forward in 78/79 when he won the goal kicking (and kicked 15.9) and when Royce Hart became coach he was moved to centre half forward when he won the Brownlow Medal. He also became bigger in the upper body which some believe contributed to his eventual knee problems.

Others may have a clearer memory of all this than I do as I was just a kid at that time.

Yeah, pretty spot on. His body had matured by 79 (he even had to pinch hit in the ruck in at least 2 games), but he built himself up for the 80 season in the gym. Think after the successful 80 season, Brownlow, etc, he hit the gym even harder preseason leading into 81, as he looked even bulkier in the arms and chest. There was certainly a view he became top heavy, very pronounced in the 82 season, esp if you see photos of him and Beasley in the same shot.

 

[DognBones]

Easily the most talented forward who wore our colours. Can't remember seeing Jack Collins play, Beasley was a lightning leading forward and accurate kick in the age of prolific full forwards, Whitten could turn a game in his stints as a key forward, Quinlan was brilliant in some of his games as a forward but became a star at Fitzroy, Johnson was a fast leading forward who despite being only 182cm, transitioned successfully from wing/midfield, even Danny Delre looked a star full forward for a season or two in the 90s.
So, we have certainly had our share of great forwards over the years, but Templeton, because of his incredible athleticism and marking ability set the game alight and left us awe-struck.
We had many great players emerge from our Latrobe Valley zone but for many reasons, about which someone should write a book someday, we could never deliver the on-field success that we should have. Templeton's story was just one component of these years of under achievement.

 

[Vinegar Mess]

There's been several mentions of KT's incredible 15 goals 9 behinds performance in a match at Whitten Oval in 1978. For those interested in reminiscing or learning more, I've compiled a collection of newspaper clippings pertaining to that game. It begins here.

 

[Al dente]

Many years too late, but still great to see.

My earliest footy memories are late 70s/early 80s.

The ability Templeton possessed was ridiculous.

still the best player ive seen live.

the way the ball came off his boot, the sound, was different to all other players on the ground, i was in awe of him as a kid.

bar the knee injuries he would have been unstoppable

 

[gordo2016]

There's been several mentions of KT's incredible 15 goals 9 behinds performance in a match at Whitten Oval in 1978. For those interested in reminiscing or learning more, I've compiled a collection of newspaper clippings pertaining to that game. It begins here.

Thanks Vinegar for posting those clippings. Enjoyed going through them all.