Greatest Bulldog Forward?

[NagoyaDog]

Hi All!

I was looking through some stats and discovered that Brad Johnson is only four goals from joining Kelvin Templeton in third place, on the Bulldogs' list of goal kickers.

A great effort by Johnson considering he hasn't been a permanant forward throughout his career.

It got me thinking; Who has been our greatest forward?

Here are some stats of our all time top ten goals kickers to help out.


Player Games Goals Ave 5+ 10+


Simon Beasley 154 575 3.7 47 5

Chris Grant 341 554 1.6 14 0

Kelvin Templeton 143 494 3.5 46 1

Brad Johnson 313* 490 1.6 17 0

Jack Collins 154 385 2.5 35 0

Alby Morrison 224 369 1.6 24 1

Ted Whitten (snr) 321 360 1.1 7 0

Arthur Olliver 272 354 1.3 10 0

Brian Royal 199 299 1.5 14 0

Bill Wood 115 294 2.6 26 0


Most of these players were before my time. I remember Templeton towards the end of his career, when many supporters had the 31 on their duffle coats.

For mine, I really enjoyed watching Simon Beasley. I always sat behind the goals at the Geelong Rd end of the great Western Oval, and got to see Simon's full-forward skills up close.

Who is it for you?

p.s I apologise for the layout. I couldn't work out how to make it more presentable

 

[dogbyte]

Chris Grant.
The best forward and the best back!

 

[The Boy From Brasil]

Well, I only got to see the middle to end of Templetons career and he was absolutely awesome.

All the players listed above are champion players no doubt, but Templeton was freakish in how he played before he ripped his knee open on the AFL park sprinkler. He was Carey-esque with how he played. The year he won the brownlow was something out of the box.

So, even though he didn't play as many games as the other guys, I would pick Templeton ahead of the rest.

 

[TedDougChris]

Chris Grant.
The best forward and the best back!

While normally I'd agree, but I think EJ might be the best in both categories....

 

[hoianbulldog]

With respect to all the players on that list Kelvin Templeton is light years ahead of the others.

 

[gravitysrainbow]

Will Minson!

 

[gangsta deluxe]

Templeton was the best forward we ever had. That is all he was though.

Chris, E.J and Johnno were/are far superior footballers.

Templeton was a specialist. If we had a player like him now we would win the premiership without question.

The fact that he was the best forward sticks out. We have always been short(pun intended) on players like him. His goalkicking record in the late 70's speaks for itself. Also he won a brownlow. This may not always mean a lot for a midfielder but for a forward it most certainly does.

His injury issues were tragic and ruined his chance at being considered a truly great player. Such is the curse for all those "stars" that betray Footscray.

 

[TedDougChris]

Templeton was the best forward we ever had. That is all he was though.

Chris, E.J and Johnno were/are far superior footballers.

Templeton was a specialist. If we had a player like him now we would win the premiership without question.

Well put. I was trying to say the same thing, but couldn't make it come out right. Templeton was the best forward, even though his record isn't as good as Beasleys...

EJ and Grant are the two best KPP in the clubs history, and had either been able to stay in one position, would have been clearly the best forward the club has ever had.

 

[The Boy From Brasil]

Templeton was the best forward, even though his record isn't as good as Beasleys...

The thing you have to remember though is that Beasley played his whole career as a full forward whereas Templeton started as full forward and was moved to Centre Half forward when Royce Hart started coaching.

I am not sure how Templetons consistency compared to Grants, Johnnos etc but his best was miles better. Templeton at his best was like Carey at his best. The year he won the brownlow, he was unbelievable.

The thing to remember also is that he should have the goal kicking record. He kicked 15.8 against St Kilda but his kicking for the goal in the first half was sheisenheus. He had something like 6 or 7 goals 8 points to 3 quarter time and then went beserk in the last quarter, ending with 15.

A real football tragedy that

a)He did his knee

and

b)He went to Melbourne.

and

c)He wasn't seen by the football world as in those days Footscray was bottom of the ladder and might only get 5 games shown on replay a year. So non footscray supporters never really appreciated how brilliant he was.

 

[TedDougChris]

The thing you have to remember though is that Beasley played his whole career as a full forward whereas Templeton started as full forward and was moved to Centre Half forward when Royce Hart started coaching.

I am not sure how Templetons consistency compared to Grants, Johnnos etc but his best was miles better. Templeton at his best was like Carey at his best. The year he won the brownlow, he was unbelievable.

The thing to remember also is that he should have the goal kicking record. He kicked 15.8 against St Kilda but his kicking for the goal in the first half was sheisenheus. He had something like 6 or 7 goals 8 points to 3 quarter time and then went beserk in the last quarter, ending with 15.

I was only very young when Templeton was playing for us.

And yes, I was purely using stastics to look at the records of KT and SB.

But based upon your comments, KT spent all his time at one of the two key forward positions. EJ and Grant didn't have that luxury. Grant also should have one, possibly two brownlows as well....

 

[The Boy From Brasil]

I was only very young when Templeton was playing for us.

And yes, I was purely using stastics to look at the records of KT and SB.

But based upon your comments, KT spent all his time at one of the two key forward positions. EJ and Grant didn't have that luxury. Grant also should have one, possibly two brownlows as well....

Same here. I was born in the 70's so only saw Templeton mid career and end of career.

I know what you are saying. EJ and Grant were more flexible and could play at any position.

Grant and Templeton were completely different players. Templeton was the big key forward who played like Carey. Grant was a lot quicker and bit more versatile.

 

[WWWombat]

IMHO Kelvin Templeton wins this one by the length of the straight. I remember vividly he, Teddy junior and Ross Abbey staying back after training and drilling torpedoes at each other from about 25-30 metres. The objective was to mark the ball out in front of their face - something which was not common practise for forwards at the time. KT came to the dogs as a skinny forward (similar to a bloke from Daylesford years later) and spent one summer building his body into an absolute specimen. This turned him from an average forward into a gun. The day out against St Kilda he kicked 15.9, and as a previous poster said his kicking in the first half was shocking, but the doggies got on a roll in the last quarter when the highest score record became a focus and suddenly his day became more than respectable. I think even Kel would admit that a few of his goals in the last quarter were from charity free kicks as one of the field umpires seemed to get caught up in the excitement of the scoring frenzy. It was a magnificent trip home on the train that day though.

 

[Captain Sensible]

Templeton.





Next question.

 

[The Boy From Brasil]

I think even Kel would admit that a few of his goals in the last quarter were from charity free kicks as one of the field umpires seemed to get caught up in the excitement of the scoring frenzy.

Funny how you mention that, I have always thought the same thing.

I still don't know what his last free kick was for.


The thing that people forget that game was that it was sirengate. As Templeton is lining up for his 15th goal, this truckie crossing Geelong road blows his horn and the crowd run on to the field thinking it was the final siren. The St Kilda players can't get off the ground quick enough. So the umpires have to go into the St Kilda dressing rooms and tell them there is still two minutes left to play.

 

[54Dogs]

Saw number 31 kick 15 goals one day. Got the softest mark I've ever seen for number 15 but still the best forward I've ever seen play for us.

 

[beaser]

Templeton and i reckon he would have been a great player in this era.

 

[trubludoggie]

Templeton - Was cut down by injury in his prime. Imagine if he had stayed injury free as it would have been Beasly at FF and Templeton at CHF, this actually happened in 1982 the year before he was sold to Melbourne

What about Shane Loveless? I remember him kicking a few goals in 81 then he disappeared. Turned out to be a gun country FF kicked the ton about 8 or 9 times for a club up on the Vic border (cant remember which) I think he didn't have the dedication to be a VFL player and liked his food and drink a bit too much. I remember seeing him in the Herald Sun a few years back and he was huge!!!! about 25 stone

 

[Tempo]

The only reason you would not say Tempo is that you did not see him play prior to his knee he was unstoppable

 

[Fossie 32]

 

[barkly st.]

^^^if only he hit jarman just a little harder

Lally Bamblett was quite effective. Where did he go??

Kelvin Templeton was unstoppable at his best. I remember essendon double and triple teaming him one day (before that type of tactic was a normal thing).

 

[The Boy From Brasil]

Lally Bamblett was quite effective. Where did he go??

I always wondered that too. Even the club didn't know. He just left at seasons end and never turned up for the pre season the next year.

 

[Bulldogs Roar]

Not sure of the older blokes as i didn't see them play but Chris grant missed a season with his knee, handful of games with his neck and the AFL insurance saga and then in his later part of his career missed games consistently with injuries. Played alot of games in the back line to.

Just a thought but hypothetically he could have kicked over 700 goals had things gone right for him. Dont know if the most goals makes him the best though.

 

[memberforever]

Templeton 15 goals

 

[The Boy From Brasil]

Its a weird pose by the St Kilda player in the background. He looks like he is holding on and busting to have a pee.

 

[memberforever]

Its a weird pose by the St Kilda player in the background. He looks like he is holding on and busting to have a pee.

he is sh*tting himself with the number of goals kicked by Tempo in the last quarter.