Opinion Tell me about your “Local Legend” who could/should have made it in the AFL VFL

Remove this Banner Ad

Espio

Espio

Team Captain
Jun 4, 2016
372
1,258
AFL Club
Carlton
Every town or area has them. The guy who was just way too good for local footy but didn’t make in the league for whatever reason. Maybe they couldn’t adjust to city life, didn’t have the discipline or application, maybe they had something more important at home.

Would love to hear your stories.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com
 
Not sure if this counts as a “local legend” but my uncle (who’s like 6”5) was playing a local footy final I think in the mid/late 80s and some people knew beforehand some Hawks recruiters were going to be there to scout for some talent.

I take this with a grain of salt but he reckons he was around BOG just before halftime before he broke his ankle and they lost interest in him.
 
Im sure my cousin Jarrod Bradley could have in the 90s. Had shelves and shelves of trophies for cricket and football as a junior. At 18 he was 6'5 ish and over 90kg. Jesse Hogan type build. Had the ability to turn and goal from outside 50. He wasn't interested in playing AFL then. Just liked to play footy and cricket with his mates at Brighton grammar old boys. Some people on here would know him.

Sent from my SM-F936B using Tapatalk
 

Log in to remove this ad.

Fred Sleeth. Won the JL Williams medal in 2005. Absolute gun.
 
Obviously very different in the current era but there were many back in the old days due to the VFL not being the financial draw that it later became. Many players would opt to stay in the VFA or even country footy because they had a good job and the footy paid just as well.

Likewise, plenty of VFL players left the league relatively young due to being offered more money to play or coach in the bush.

That was happening up until the 1970s.
 
Grant Weeks was one I saw late in my career in the bush. Loved the farm life, so didn't really have the drive to push himself for the chance at AFL, but he kicked 100 goals a season for fun.
 
2 Friends that chose a life of Marijuana and drugs instead of AFL.

They could have chose to smoke Marijuana and do drugs and play AFL. Maybe all at the same time?


I'll guess we'll never no. On with The Show.
 
Tony Hickey from the Sunraysia Football League could have and should have made it in the AFL/VFL.

Just a ridiculous player and the closest in terms of player comparison to Robert Harvey I’ve ever seen. Just had that incredible fitness base and ability to find the ball. 8 premierships as Captain coach, 12 B&F’s, 5 League B&F’s, 350+ games

Another is Robert ‘Sonny’ Liston who played in the mid 2000’s. Such a mercurial player, who kicked bags for fun and was a mercenary around different country footy leagues in Vic and SA. But was way too loose a unit and got into too much trouble to make it in the AFL (which I think Richmond cottoned onto quickly with his short trial there)
 
Last edited:
I didn't see him really myself (might have but can't really remember) but Aaron Mullet played 100 games in the AFL and everybody always said his brother Ryan was better. He won local B&Fs everywhere he played and league medals too. People couldn't seem to understand how he didn't make it but his brother did.
 
Played juniors in Alice Springs with Peter Rolfe, who absolutely carved up everyone whenever we played and took him the League MVP for our age group 5 years running.

Ended up playing 200 games for South Adelaide, with 80 BOGs among them. Still think he could have really come along as at least a serviceable AFL player.
 
Injury and illness stopped Chris "Stuhly" Stuhldreier from kicking on from the Footscray U19's, but he was a sight to behold as a kid in the country.
Still holds the record for most consecutive 100 goal seasons with 9, playing in some of the best leagues in Vic(Goulburn Valley and Ovens & Murray).
When Mick Gayfer retired from Collingwood, he lined up against Stuhly on a number of occasions in the GV comp and it was always a real heavyweight bout. Still holds the record for most goals in a year in the GV, with 170.

Finished his career kicking over 2000 goals.
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

Mitchell Thorp was from my area lol
 
Cleansweep17 said:
Not sure if this counts as a “local legend” but my uncle (who’s like 6”5) was playing a local footy final I think in the mid/late 80s and some people knew beforehand some Hawks recruiters were going to be there to scout for some talent.

I take this with a grain of salt but he reckons he was around BOG just before halftime before he broke his ankle and they lost interest in him.
Click to expand...
Definitely does not count as a local legend.
 
Strapping Young Lad said:
Injury and illness stopped Chris "Stuhly" Stuhldreier from kicking on from the Footscray U19's, but he was a sight to behold as a kid in the country.
Still holds the record for most consecutive 100 goal seasons with 9, playing in some of the best leagues in Vic(Goulburn Valley and Ovens & Murray).
When Mick Gayfer retired from Collingwood, he lined up against Stuhly on a number of occasions in the GV comp and it was always a real heavyweight bout. Still holds the record for most goals in a year in the GV, with 170.

Finished his career kicking over 2000 goals.
Click to expand...

Cracking name too
 
Rusty Beam said:
Tony Hickey from the Sunraysia Football League could have and should have made it in the AFL/VFL.

Just a ridiculous player and the closest in terms of player comparison to Robert Harvey I’ve ever seen. Just had that incredible fitness base and ability to find the ball. 8 premierships as Captain coach, 12 B&F’s, 5 League B&F’s, 350+ games

Another is Robert ‘Sonny’ Liston who played in the mid 2000’s. Such a mercurial player, who kicked bags for fun and was a mercenary around different country footy leagues in Vic and SA. But was way too loose a unit and got into too much trouble to make it in the AFL (which I think Richmond cottoned onto quickly with his short trial there)
Click to expand...
Tony Hickey was an absolute machine. I played 1st division cricket against him in the SCA. One 40 degree day at Chaffey Park he batted 4 and made a duck - he spent the next two hours running up and walking down pump hill. An absolute physical freak and probably the best footy player in the area for years. Great bloke too.

on your second name - think you meant Sonny Lindsay…
 
My bros played for Kew Rovers, bunch of blokes they played with went on to play in the VFL and ammos. There was this little bloke Pat, hard as nails, ran all day, should have played for Hawthorn.

Didn't waste his talent though as he went on to win Wimbledon.
 
satadaynitefeva said:
Tony Hickey was an absolute machine. I played 1st division cricket against him in the SCA. One 40 degree day at Chaffey Park he batted 4 and made a duck - he spent the next two hours running up and walking down pump hill. An absolute physical freak and probably the best footy player in the area for years. Great bloke too.

on your second name - think you meant Sonny Lindsay…
Click to expand...

Yeah that’s right. Lindsay.

Thought his nickname was because of his last name.

He was a freak player. Which is amazing given his off field antics.
 
Pla
Strapping Young Lad said:
Injury and illness stopped Chris "Stuhly" Stuhldreier from kicking on from the Footscray U19's, but he was a sight to behold as a kid in the country.
Still holds the record for most consecutive 100 goal seasons with 9, playing in some of the best leagues in Vic(Goulburn Valley and Ovens & Murray).
When Mick Gayfer retired from Collingwood, he lined up against Stuhly on a number of occasions in the GV comp and it was always a real heavyweight bout. Still holds the record for most goals in a year in the GV, with 170.

Finished his career kicking over 2000 goals.
Click to expand...
Played for Lavington in the O&M from memory? Old school full forward who probably never ventured out of the 50m arc. Great goal kicker
 
My childhood best friend.
Absolute talent. Strong, great kick, handball, fast. The all-round footballer.
Never applied himself, and went from looking like he would make it (got selected to sandy dragons based on a training session and not even a match), to doing the local-league circuit (didn't even get tapped on the shoulder for vfl all because of his application)
 
Dee Train said:
Played for Lavington in the O&M from memory? Old school full forward who probably never ventured out of the 50m arc. Great goal kicker
Click to expand...
Sure did. Kicked multiple centuries for Lavington.
 
The best two players I saw in the Ovens and Murray league who didn't play AFL were Robbie Walker, a centre half forward from Wangaratta Rovers who became a midfielder later in his career, and John Brunner, a rover who played for Yarrawonga and one or two seasons for Benalla. Both played in the late 80's and 90's.

Walker won five Morris Medals (league equivalent of Bronwlow) and is widely regarded as one of the best to non VFL/AFL players to have graced the comp. Brunner won 3 Morris Medals. He was a fantastic player at that level and a fitness freak. Brunner also won multiple medals in lesser leagues before and after his O&M days.

Both tried out at league clubs - Walker played Under 19's and - I think - a few reserves games for North in the late 1980's, and Brunner was drafted by Footscray as a 24 year old in the 1989 national draft. At league level both were probably too small relative to their positions, but also both were 'country boys' who didn't enjoy the city lifestyle. That was quite common in those times when the money on offer in AFL was nowhere near what it is today, but in reality not being able to adapt to the lifestyle required is as much of an impediment as not being able to mark or kick at AFL level.
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Opinion Tell me about your “Local Legend” who could/should have made it in the AFL VFL

Similar threads

Obeanie1
State AFL junior development. who funds it in your state?
Replies
21
Views
562
boncer34
boncer34
Chief
  • Poll
Video Highlights AFL Mark of the Year Finalists - Who wins it in 2024?
2
Replies
46
Views
2K
Blackhawk42
Blackhawk42
Chief
  • Poll
Video Highlights Goal of the Year 2024 - Who should win?
2 3 4
Replies
80
Views
3K
Do the Dew
Do the Dew
Eastdog
The Victorian suburbs where all 18 AFL clubs have their most members
Replies
9
Views
811
Falchoon
Falchoon
PowerfulPies2023
If you could draft one opposition player into your team, who would it be?
2 3 4
Replies
95
Views
5K
Milanista28
Milanista28
Lingsface
Aboriginal & TSI Indigenous All Stars - Who would your side be?
Replies
21
Views
674
LOLchie Schultz
L
J
Opinion Buckley: Sam Darcy could be the best player in the AFL next season
2 3
Replies
64
Views
3K
MightyHawks
MightyHawks

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top