Favorite Fitzroy player, but you don't know why?

[lioness]

A lot of mine have already been mentioned, and I agree, this is a great topic, it's fun to look back!

Marty Warry
Matty Dundas
Jeff Hogg
Alastair Lynch (liked him from the first game I saw him play with the Roys)
Mark Zanotti (for a lesser known player, he sure did make an imapct huh!)
Brett Stephens

Brad Boyd has always been one of my favourites also, I don't know if he would be counted as a lesser known player but nonetheless, he's someone I always had a lot of time for. I guess he has a special place for us RoyBoys and Girls, but to the rest of the league he wasn't really known so I'll add him to my list on that basis!

That list could go on for ages though if I sat down and had a really good think!

 

[Stocka]

Overall, I'd find it pretty hard to pick a "favourite" Roys player (I generally liked most of them!), however, in terms of having time for a player for no particular reason, I was always a big wrap for Matthew Manfield, despite him never playing too many games.

 

[Thewlis Dish]

Hope you Roy boys don't mind me responding in this thread - thought I'd chip in with my favourite ex-Roy, John Blakey.

Gave North tremendous service, fittest bloke in football probably, and I don't know how many bad games he played in his 300+, but you could probably count them on one hand.

One of the most underrated players in the last 15 years IMO - would love him in a role at the Roos, but as a compensation it's good to see him up at the Lions.

 

[Stocka]

Originally posted by Petrie Dish
(Blakey) One of the most underrated players in the last 15 years

Interestingly enough, I reckon Blakey, along with another former Fitzroy/Kangaroos player in Martin Pike, would just about be the two most under-rated players in my time of watching the game.

Personally, I'd rate Pike as being a touch above Blakey as a footballer, and as being even more under-rated. Blakey was a tough, uncompromising player who had a touch of class and a good football brain to top it off. However, I think Pike has all of that, as well as the added dimension of being more flexible positionally, along with the fact that he is often a much un-heralded match-winner. Likewise, he has also proven capable of stepping up a notch to cover for the loss of more highly regarded team-mates.

In fact, since Pike has been at the Lions, off the top of my head, I'd suggest there would be 10-20 games in which he has had a significant individual impact in influencing the result of the match in favour of the Lions. Yet, most people seem to over-look his efforts and put him down as merely a fringe player.

 

[Thewlis Dish]

Originally posted by Stocka
Interestingly enough, I reckon Blakey, along with another former Fitzroy/Kangaroos player in Martin Pike, would just about be the two most under-rated players in my time of watching the game.

Personally, I'd rate Pike as being a touch above Blakey as a footballer, and as being even more under-rated. Blakey was a tough, uncompromising player who had a touch of class and a good football brain to top it off. However, I think Pike has all of that, as well as the added dimension of being more flexible positionally, along with the fact that he is often a much un-heralded match-winner. Likewise, he has also proven capable of stepping up a notch to cover for the loss of more highly regarded team-mates.

In fact, since Pike has been at the Lions, off the top of my head, I'd suggest there would be 10-20 games in which he has had a significant individual impact in influencing the result of the match in favour of the Lions. Yet, most people seem to over-look his efforts and put him down as merely a fringe player.

You'll get no arguments with me in regards to Pikey - you see him as merely a role player, then you actually look at his career and you see a best and fairest and four flags. He gave us three years of excellent service at Arden St, and unfortunately we had him at a time when he was i n a bad boy stage so to speak, whereas now he's settled down with a partner and kids which is great to see. Very talented footballer, and I actually still have my old North number 13 jumper from the 98 season

But of course, the only reason Brisbane have him is because they "rought the salary cap" system.

 

[Tim the Toolman]

Mind you, saw him (Pikey) take a swing at one of his own trainers at Pie Park in the magoos in '95!