Let's talk Ports! Part 3

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Are we becoming Southern Power by another name?



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Agreed, Jack Oatey invented the modern skills based game, and as you say `Barassi just copied it!'

Fos coached in the Victorian style in having weight of numbers at the fall of the ball and then forcing it forwards at all costs, and it was extremely successful.
He was also brilliant at making in game changes to get a better match up on a given day, eg the move of Geoff Motley from the centre to the half forward line in a GF when he kicked a match winning 7 goals.

His 1966 - 73 squads had nowhere near the skill level of the 1954-59 and early 1960's teams which was exposed in some of those GF's against Sturt but we still could have pinched the 1967 flag with an ounce of luck, and probably should have won the 1972 GF against the chooks when Randall Gerlach dominated the marking contests, but as we have discussed before couldn't kick straight.

Jack Cahill changed the game style from 1974 with much more run and carry and regular quick hand ball to the player in the best position to receive it, and once he coached his first flag he got the taste and then began another dynasty! :)
Did he??

Polly Farmer was using attacking handball as weapon at East Perth before he left to play for Geelong in 1962, which wasn't a great first season due to a knee injury, before he delivered in 1963 as a key part of their premiership.

Admittedly Farmer was a lone hand, great handballer and great left foot kick, whereas Jack introduced attacking handball and skills, club wide.
 

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Did he??

Polly Farmer was using attacking handball as weapon at East Perth before he left to play for Geelong in 1962, which wasn't a great first season due to a knee injury, before he delivered in 1963 as a key part of their premiership.

Admittedly Farmer was a lone hand, great handballer and great left foot kick, whereas Jack introduced attacking handball and skills, club wide.
I understand that Farmer practiced hand balling through a car window at some distance. Also not sure that Oatey can be given full credit for introducing the handball game. Watching some of Barrassi coaches Carlton teams in the mid sixties, they appeared to be playing a more fluid handball game than was the norm for that era.
 
I was accused of signing up to be the vanguard of a hostile Tingles takeover.

The old blue screen of death would have been familiar to you too then :D
 
Just on John Cahill, I'm not old enough to remember him as a player, only as coach, from late 70s onwards.

Disregarding his coaching record, how would he rate all up as a player? I know he was skillful and played quite a lot on the Wing.......was he equally tough?

Would he be seen as as being in the top group of players of his time, such as Eustice, Head, Sherman, Marker (obviously Robran too) etc?

I guess I'm curious because I know he is very highly rated as a player, but his coaching record is generally the main focus these days.

Did he do well in interstate football?

Did he ever come close to winning the Magarey?
Interesting that you mentioned Bob Shearman who is still the consistently best kick of a footy I have ever seen.

His immaculate and prodigious drop kicks were so accurate anyone could have played full forward and kicked multiple goals for Sturt in their golden era in the mid to late 1960's, eg Brian Martin (of legal fame) who was plucked from their magoos in from memory for one game in 1967 or 68, kicked 10 goals in what may have been his first league game and was then dropped the next week when the regular full forward was available for selection.

At Unley oval in particular Shearman's metronomic disposal would destroy oppo teams, as all the full forward had to do when he saw him coming out of the centre was to lead to the right and the ball would hit him on the chest lace out about 30 metres from goal and on a slight angle for what was a usually simple conversion.
 
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Just on John Cahill, I'm not old enough to remember him as a player, only as coach, from late 70s onwards.

Disregarding his coaching record, how would he rate all up as a player? I know he was skillful and played quite a lot on the Wing.......was he equally tough?

Would he be seen as as being in the top group of players of his time, such as Eustice, Head, Sherman, Marker (obviously Robran too) etc?

I guess I'm curious because I know he is very highly rated as a player, but his coaching record is generally the main focus these days.

Did he do well in interstate football?

Did he ever come close to winning the Magarey?
Great player on the wing, in the middle and at HFF.
Regarded by many as the best player never to win a Magarey medal (Bagshaw and Marker would also be in that category).
Ebert, Robran and Blight clearly were the top echelon guys in my days of watching footy. Jack was in those half dozen or so that were just below them.
 
I haven't listened to this podcast yet, but it sounds like he's talking about the aftermath of 119 in the preview...



Losing him to an achilles the week before, off the back of having to rush Wakelin in with his hammy, was such a double-blow.

The likes of Pettigrew and Chaplin, after holding up super well all year just completely melted down at the worst possible moment.

Steve Johnson doesn’t have nearly as much rein with Wilbur patrolling the MCG.
 

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Losing him to an achilles the week before, off the back of having to rush Wakelin in with his hammy, was such a double-blow.

The likes of Pettigrew and Chaplin, after holding up super well all year just completely melted down at the worst possible moment.

Steve Johnson doesn’t have nearly as much rein with Wilbur patrolling the MCG.
From memory Pettigrew never played an even half decent game again after the 2007 gf debacle, and `Charlie' just became a meme of the real Charlie Chaplin with his dropped chest marks, handballs along the ground to no-one in particular and non stop finger pointing, but the real lowlight was a game in Darwin when his hands missed the ball completely, he nutmegged himself in the jatz crackers and then spent the next 5 minutes doing an impression of the Hunchback of Notre Dame!
 
From memory Pettigrew never played an even half decent game again after the 2007 gf debacle, and `Charlie' just became a meme of the real Charlie Chaplin with his dropped chest marks, handballs along the ground to no-one in particular and non stop finger pointing, but the real lowlight was a game in Darwin when his hands missed the ball completely, he nutmegged himself in the jatz crackers and then spent the next 5 minutes doing an impression of the Hunchback of Notre Dame!

I think watching Brad Ottens run away from him in the grand final broke Pettigrew. The physical prowess of those Geelong players sure was something!
 
I never really rated the grew, but i thought Chaplin was pretty good for us contrary to popular belief. He was a bit of a whipping boy but holding up the defence during those dark days would've been a pretty shit job, i thought him and Bobby did pretty well for us all things considered. Chaplin was even runner up in the B n F in 2010.
 
thanks fox footy, for guiding me on how to be a good modern AFL fan. now i know what i should be happy with and what expectations to put on my club. without that graph, i might accidentally expect too much. they should start telling us what merch we should wear to games, how old can a scarf be before you should upgrade? how much should i buy at half time? where else can i put my money so it goes straight to you, oh sacred and magnificent AFL entertainment and sports league?!
 

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Let's talk Ports! Part 3

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