Most talented hawk of all time (not best or most decorated pure talent)

[Elhawko]

Huddo. A true freak.

I read his biography the other day as it happens. He really was incredible! 120-odd goals as a 22 year old and then again as a 23 year old; 146 goals as a 24 year old; 150 as a 25 year old; half way through first game of the next season when he should be at his peak does an ACL (with 8 goals on the board already); comes back near the end of the following season for the famous helicopter to Waverley Collingwood match after a few weeks training alone in Tassie and kicks 8; basically can't play again for three years then comes back as a 32 year old and kicks 110! Then retires from the VFL and kicks something like 190 and then two hundred goals playing in Tassie. It's an amazing record.

 

[grumbleguts]

I read his biography the other day as it happens. He really was incredible! 120-odd goals as a 22 year old and then again as a 23 year old; 146 goals as a 24 year old; 150 as a 25 year old; half way through first game of the next season when he should be at his peak does an ACL (with 8 goals on the board already); comes back near the end of the following season for the famous helicopter to Waverley Collingwood match after a few weeks training alone in Tassie and kicks 8; basically can't play again for three years then comes back as a 32 year old and kicks 110! Then retires from the VFL and kicks something like 190 and then two hundred goals playing in Tassie. It's an amazing record.

Kicked more than 3000 goals in senior representative footy over his career. Including that stint out with injury.

Another interesting fact about huddo, in a national veterans competition 50+ years old, Tasmania won the entire comp. Due largely to the fact that over the course of the comp, Tasmania kicked 56 goals. Hudson kicked 55 of them.

 

[Manila_Hawk]

Kicked more than 3000 goals in senior representative footy over his career. Including that stint out with injury.

Another interesting fact about huddo, in a national veterans competition 50+ years old, Tasmania won the entire comp. Due largely to the fact that over the course of the comp, Tasmania kicked 56 goals. Hudson kicked 55 of them.

Huddo is the reason that I support the Hawks.

26 is my lucky number.

Nuff said.

 

[Mississippi]

Another interesting fact about huddo, in a national veterans competition 50+ years old, Tasmania won the entire comp. Due largely to the fact that over the course of the comp, Tasmania kicked 56 goals. Hudson kicked 55 of them.

Are you serious ??
Of all the unbelievable stats about this extraordinary unassuming champion, that’s the most ridiculous.

 

[Roddy]

I read his biography the other day as it happens. He really was incredible! 120-odd goals as a 22 year old and then again as a 23 year old; 146 goals as a 24 year old; 150 as a 25 year old; half way through first game of the next season when he should be at his peak does an ACL (with 8 goals on the board already); comes back near the end of the following season for the famous helicopter to Waverley Collingwood match after a few weeks training alone in Tassie and kicks 8; basically can't play again for three years then comes back as a 32 year old and kicks 110! Then retires from the VFL and kicks something like 190 and then two hundred goals playing in Tassie. It's an amazing record.

It should be the ‘Hudson Medal’. Not saying Coleman wasn’t a freak too, he most certainly was. But Huddo was even more so. The goals per game average says it all.

 

[humid hawk]

Jamie Morrisey had talent flowing out of his ar$e.

Definitely this. Wasn't called the freak for nothing

 

[Glorin]

Votes are clearly biased by age of the voter.

I didn't see Hudson play in the flesh, but know he was special. Caught the end of Knights, so didn't see him at his best.
Those who didn't see Jarman wont realise how much talent he had and in a lot of ways, despite being so good, never really maximised his talent.
Buddy, Cyril and Mitchell in that order for the recent lads and they all used what they had 100%.

Jarman could have got to a different level altogether.

 

[BaliHawk]

On PURE talent.
Can’t go past L. Franklin, don’t think I’ve seen a player like him…maybe never will again.
Special mentions to D. Jarman & G. Buckenara. Match winning talent.
Could have a list of ten Hawks here.

 

[cyrilsez]

My first post
I might be biased
Cyril Huddo
Buddy Knights Jarman

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[StillAtLarge]

In my time I'll say Jarman, Everitt, Franklin, Rioli, Carl Peterson

 

[Notsoyabby]

Reading the other nominations, I think I have to agree with Jars on pure talent without delving into long forgotten childhood memories...ie Huddo y Lethal.

I also vaguely remember being at a game in which Crimmo played but then if you nominate him, Crawf comes into consideration also.

That all said, Derm was special. I remember a mark he took at Princess Park one Saturday and he seemed to take the ball whilst sitting horizontal above the pack.

The Freak also because he was the freak. Saw a heap of him in the reserves and was glad he could do his magic at the next level up. (On that Matthew Burke (no. 37 if I remember correctly) also was good for a speccy in the magoos and showed class but it never eventuated for him even after moving to Fitzroy.)

A young Rick Ladson also had something about him especially in those earlier (one?) games before he first got injured.

And yes, Carl Peterson had something special as well, but we didn't get to see the full show.

Let alone the Adrian Cox show....he had talent.

40 years of watching the Hawks there are many.

 

[play2win]

Cyril, jarman, buddy and hodge for me.

Although I idolised them at primary school I don’t think I saw the best of knights, lethal and Hudson.

Pretty much saw all the stars of the 80’s and loved them all but they were stacked for talent across the board so no stand out choices.

 

[Argy]

Hard to go past Lethal. He was tough as nails, could change direction like Sammy, was impossible to tackle, accurate kick, great mark.

 

[HigginsHawk]

Paul Salmon would warrant a mention in the conversation. One of the few players that truly known for being able to play 2 positions at the elite level. Sadly the elite full forward stuff came in his younger days at Essendon and we tend to forget (and rightly so) how good he was. We had never seen anything like him in his early days, he was unstoppable. Coming to Hawthorn he played well enough to be listed in our team of the century. We all know how well Lloyd played last year but go and add 10 marks a game and 30-50 goals a year as a ruckman and you are getting close. If you can find it, watch the 1993 Ablett Snr v Salmon clash where they each kicked a huge bag, one of the great all-time, non Hawks game, even though it is Geelong and Ess.

My personal choice would be Matthews. Did stuff that nobody else could do on a weekly basis. He was voted as the greatest player of the first 100 years for a pretty good reason.

Daicos Snr would probably be my choice for non-Hawk.

 

[QuietB]

This is not even close……. Daniel Harford of the Harford Hour Variety Show. His general entertainment chops were as least as good as Darryl Summers. I don’t know why he didn’t kick on?

Daniel Hartford gave us Rita Panahi - **** him

 

[Randy Campbell]

I miss Cyril.

 

[Matt Stevic]

Pure talent?

Peter Hudson gets my vote and it's not even close. Heck I'm struggling to think of a player from any other club that tops him.

 

[Kenyan]

Huddo was a freak. I regularly watched him on his return to Tassie during the early 80's playing for Glenorchy.
Cyril was also a freak.
Very hard to split them.

 

[the big luke breust]

Cyril was so talented, so i reckon it’d be him


On iPhone using ][emoji6]][emoji6][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]]]BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[QuietB]

I’m watching Cyril on Fox Footy right now - he has only had one kick since 3/4 time and is best on ground by so far it is silly

 

[Argy]

Pure talent?

Peter Hudson gets my vote and it's not even close. Heck I'm struggling to think of a player from any other club that tops him.

He ran like an uncoordinated puppy, looked like a dork, had a huge bum, kicked mongrel punts. But jeez, he made his opponents look worse! And boy, could he kick goals! Five for the day was a disappointment.

 

[Alite]

Pure footballing talent compared to his peers must go to Huddo.

Unqualified talent that includes fitness (which is a talent) then, IMO, Cyril in any team in the 1970s would kick / create 200+ goals per season.

 

[Tall Tales and True]

Hudson just kept on kicking goals - 100's & 100's of 'em ... it just didn't make sense; something 'out-of-this-world' about that - a unique gift.

But, jeez, Cyril was sublime.



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[Gazza Greatness]

I was a kid in rugby league territory in the 80s so followed from afar, I clearly never watched in person in the 70s so can't comment on Huddo, Lethal or players from that era also. Cyril and Buddy were freaks and watching both in person is something I am blessed to have been able to do. For mine, and granted the scope I have is limited compared to other posters here, Sam Mitchell is who I would put as the most talented. He didn't have anything remotely close to the natural gifts of a Buddy or Cyril but what he could do on the field was just as, or sometimes even more impactful. His ability to always have space despite his lack of pace was uncanny. His skill on both feet was just sublime. His vision on field was just brilliant and his footy IQ is off the charts. He was the kind of player that when the ball was in his hands you just felt instantly at ease. Consider the calibre of players he played with also and that he was still able to end up with the second-most Brownlow votes in history at the time of his retirement is a testament to just how good he was.

As good as a footballer Sam Mitchell was I still reckon he is the most underrated player I've seen play the game, such is my excessively high opinion of him as an outstanding and champion player with incredible talent, skill, toughness, elusiveness and a tremendous will to win. Below is a piece that I wrote on a BigFooty thread on the main board last year.

Sept, 2024 - With me personally in regards to Sam Mitchell, when as a player he was my very favourite non-Geelong player for sometime and it was Sam, not Buddy, Hodgy, Roughy or Cyril that was Geelong's constant danger vs Hawthorn games, even in that Hawks losing streak. He was such a great player and 'play-maker', underestimated by many, tough as nails, incredible skills on both sides of body and had wonderful footy brain and if ever, anyone player was going to make a 'great coach' then it was going to be Sam and even 'til this day I follow and support him, just because I love his footy brain and mind.

So yes Ned Ryerson: I'm in full agreeance with 'ALL your comments' in regards to Sam including being the Hawks most talented player this century, the guy was a superstar of the game and easily the Hawks best and most damaging player vs the Cats in so many of those great games. The best vs the best is when you really find out who the best really are and that was clearly Sam Mitchell vs Geelong from this Cats supporter prospective.

PS - Good luck with 2025 season and barring a poor injury run you guys will be right up there with the best.

Sam Mitchell Hawthorn Highlights - "what an outstanding player Sam was with skill levels on another hemisphere & also the ultimate 'team player' to boot!"

 

[Mississippi]

As good as a footballer Sam Mitchell was I still reckon he is the most underrated player I've seen play the game, such is my excessively high opinion of him as an outstanding and champion player with incredible talent, skill, toughness, elusiveness and a tremendous will to win. Below is a piece that I wrote on a BigFooty thread on the main board last year.

Sept, 2024 - With me personally in regards to Sam Mitchell, when as a player he was my very favourite non-Geelong player for sometime and it was Sam, not Buddy, Hodgy, Roughy or Cyril that was Geelong's constant danger vs Hawthorn games, even in that Hawks losing streak. He was such a great player and 'play-maker', underestimated by many, tough as nails, incredible skills on both sides of body and had wonderful footy brain and if ever, anyone player was going to make a 'great coach' then it was going to be Sam and even 'til this day I follow and support him, just because I love his footy brain and mind.

So yes Ned Ryerson: I'm in full agreeance with 'ALL your comments' in regards to Sam including being the Hawks most talented player this century, the guy was a superstar of the game and easily the Hawks best and most damaging player vs the Cats in so many of those great games. The best vs the best is when you really find out who the best really are and that was clearly Sam Mitchell vs Geelong from this Cats supporter prospective.

PS - Good luck with 2025 season and barring a poor injury run you guys will be right up there with the best.

Sam Mitchell Hawthorn Highlights - "what an outstanding player Sam was with skill levels on another hemisphere & also the ultimate 'team player' to boot!"

Thanks for that highlights package.
Made my morning.

You’d have no idea whether he was a natural right or left footer.