Garry Lyon's playing career - your assesment

[Falchoon]

Lyon was a good solid player, as most have said one step below the very good/great players.

As for comparisons with Schwarz, Schwarz had more talent in his little finger than Lyon. You could argue that both had their best season in 1994 and Schwarz was easily the more impressive of the 2 despite being 21 to Lyons 27.

Unfortunately he had a terrible run with injuries and was one of those flawed genius', could have been anything. Richo size with Richo athleticism.

For a Saints comparison think a bigger Rod Owen. Natural talent in my time watching the Saints goes 1.Plugger, 2 Owen, 3 Daylight.

 

[Nankervis brothers]

Lyon was not a great or champion of the game. But he was a very good footballer, capable of seriously infleuencing the result of match when on song. From memory he was also a very consistent performer, even with injuries.

 

[TerryWallet]

Pavlich is slightly better than G.Lyon was.

I would put Lyon on the same level as D.Bradshaw.

Good to very good player.

But he was a Great leader and Captain.

 

[Macca19]

Threads like this really tell us a lot about your average BF poster.

Ox better than Lyon?

Please tell me people are kidding?

Could have been for sure. 60 goals and 173 marks in 1994 as a 21 year old. Simply dominated that year and in my opinion that year was every bit as good as what Carey had produced at that point. But, thems the breaks.

Lyon was an excellent footballer without a doubt. Highly influential. Its a pity the last 3-4 years of his career was a bit of a mess.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Very good player at the peak of his powers, a star, not a superstar, not a champion.

The comparison to Pavlich is off, Pav is a superior player.

Do people not understand the words 'of his era'.

 

[HAWKERS91]

posts regarding ox being better are not too far off the mark, pre knee injuries of course. can remember ox beating jackovich at subi one game fairly easy taking marks at will. had a huge leap before the injuries

 

[kelvin_sheedy]

A champion player that got cruelled by injuries. Better than Neita and Ox for me... miles better than both.

 

[demonfan9]

Lyon was a rung below the greats of the 90's. He was a sensational captain though, which gives him some extra points.

If we are comparing him with Schwarz and Neitz, this is my opinion.

Lyon was the better, most consistent player over a solid period of time.
Schwarz had the most talent/potential but it went unfulfilled due to injuries.
Neitz had the greatest longevity, but was not as talented as the other two.

 

[Burzum]

I bet Garry's reading this thread.

 

[Altum Volantes]

Do people not understand the words 'of his era'.

The comparison is inaccurate regardless..

 

[Cyclops]

After his broken leg he was never going to be considered a great.

Very very accomplished footballer with a great footy brain and effective skills. A really good mark for his height and could play any role aside from ruck and rover. Considered a leader, but has a mean side so not really an inspiring commander of men.

Suffered a bit from Hird/Brereton syndrome of being put in the way of heavy traffic (eg at CHF) because he was quite productive there, however even with injuries aside he was simply not in the same class as those two champions.

A bit over-rated but you can't be too hard on the unloved Dees, they had a brush with success in his time and they have to credit someone: no one wants to thank Northey for it.

Interesting point about Schwarz, he really was a game buster and tore my side up a couple of times in a way Lyon simply couldn't do. Ox had poor consistency and even worse injury runs, but his best was quite impressive. Overall not a patch on Lyon but his best was arguably better, or at least "winninger".

 

[SweetLeftFoot]

I've got his round 10 1994 game on tape.

19 kicks, 6 handballs (25 possies), 16 marks, 3 goals, 5 behinds.

All that as a 21 year old. Shame his knees completely ruined his next two seasons, and effectively his whole career.

Indeed. I remember that year. My best mate was a Melbourne supporter and he was fair jizzing his dacks over Ox.

But to give you an idea of the benchmark, in that same season Carey produced a 17 mark, 26 disposal, 7 goal performance against Hawthorn.

Could The Ox have been as good as The Duck? Maybe. Possibly.

On form, jeez they were both just awesome.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

The comparison is inaccurate regardless..

Pavlich is a great player who doesn't sit at the top of the pile, but is not far from it.
Wins his team games off his own boot, inspires his teammates. Captain.
Remained a one club man regardless of offers to go elsewhere.

Pretty similar to where Lyon sat when he was up and about.

He was never an Elite player of Dunstall or Locketts level, but he was quite comfortably one of the best forwards in the leauge.

Much the same as Pavlich right now.

Pavlich is possibly the better player, but that's not what my statement was regarding. It was referring to where Lyon sat in the competition when he was still playing. He was a gun and could take a great grab.

 

[Lord_Travis]

Ox could've been an absolute star if not for the injuries. Before he did his knee, he had tremendous leap and agility. Freakish. After his knees were wrecked he basically put on weight and became abit of a battering ram, and a shadow of his former self. It's a shame when freakish players like that get wrecked by injury and we are all robbed of seeing what they could've produced.

Lyon was a great player and leader. I'd place him on the rung below the Carey, Ablett, Plugger tier. He wouldnt have been in the top 5 players in the league, but always in the top 20. He was a 3 time All Australian as a forward in an era where the forwards ruled (Plugger, Carey, Ablett, Dunstal etc). He was consistently good, influenced alot of games, and often played perfect captains games where he would lift and drag the team over the line. I think the Pavlich comparison is a good one. Not similar players, but their impact on games was similar, and both are over-shadowed by other fantastic players for whatever reasons.

 

[Andrew Mc]

Lyons biggest problem was that he played in the era of the dominant power forward. Although he was very very good, it's hard to judge his overall status when there were blokes like Lockett, Ablett, Dunstall and Carey about the place.

 

[Power King]

He was an excellent player. Not quite Dunstall like but a star forward of the comp.

He was like a Pavlich of his era. Renowned as a gun forward, who could play in other spots, but was genuinely respected by all supporters and could win games off his own boot.

Position-wise I assume you're meaning.

I, like many others, consider Pavlich amongst the top handful of players this decade has seen, and it seems as though people aren't considering lyon as that in the 90's

 

[windyhill]

I`d say gun. Last years ruined by injury, fair effort to get out there for some of those games, he`d run around as stiff as a plank his back was that rooted.

 

[OneEyedHawk]

Was very, very good. Not quite a superstar, if you apply that tag conservatively, but definitely a star. The chronic back injuries he suffered were about as debilitating as it comes.

A fit Ox was better though, and could've been anything had his knees not crumbled. Was often spoke about talent-wise as potentially being ranked alongside Carey, but that would've taken some doing. The King was Ox at his absolute best (at minimum), week in week out for his entire career. Is all guesswork really arguing what they could've/should've been, but geez, would really have loved to see both Ox and Lyon have an uninterrupted run at it for an extended period.

 

[Trav 20]

I was 21 when Lyon debuted in 1986 and saw his entire career. He was a superbly balanced footballer with great kicking skills. He really was a beautiful mover for his height and he was a determined competitive captain. Unfortunately he was a very poor high contested mark. He marked overhead ok by himself and he marked well on a lead, but was terrible in a contested situation. And in the era he played it hurt him. He represented Victoria as a CHB and kicked 80 goals for the Dees a couple of times as a FF. So he was an excellent all round talent.

But he wasn't a star. Not the way I categorise stars. He was very very good, but a rung short of a bona fide star. He wasn't as good as Pavlich. Schwarz definately would have been the better player if it wasn't for his knees. But Schwarz did have his knees, so Lyon was better.

Btw, stop this crap about Schwarz being as good as Carey without the knees. Carey was still the superior player. By quite a bit.

 

[Moquo]

it's hard to judge his overall status when there were blokes like Lockett, Ablett, Dunstall and Carey about the place.

Lyon wasn't in the same league as those blokes as a player, and probably not as a commentator either.

And ox was a beauty until he did all four knees.

 

[Blight von Torp]

I remember how great it was watching Melbourne cause a massive upset against Carlton in the 1994 final series. Melbourne finished 7th and Carlton 2nd. The Ox played very well that day IIRC. It got even better the next week when Carlton went out in straight sets.

 

[JeffDunne]

Could have been for sure.

No doubt but give me did over could any day.

Lyon was actually a brilliant footballer IMO. Better than many that are labelled 'great' simply because they played in successful teams.

 

[chopper41]

JD, take the time to watch some games of Schwartz before his knee injuries

I loved Ox, but he wasn't in the same league as Garry. Garry was pure class. Awesome skills and leader, and what more, should be in the hall of fame.

 

[maryjames]

Due to him being a spineless arrogant prick, I really dont have anything good to say about him so i wont.
OVERRATED

ditto

 

[JeffDunne]

I loved Ox, but he wasn't in the same league as Garry. Garry was pure class. Awesome skills and leader, and what more, should be in the hall of fame.

If he was a South Australian he would have been nominated the moment he was eligible.

Staggering to think Bickley was put in ahead of Lyon.

I'd even have Lyon in there before Salmon.