Wayne Carey, indeed

[Paddy_Mac]

Only got to watch his sheer brilliance for roughly 4 years with the Kangas before he was kicked out. As a kid, all you care about is the forwards. Wayne Carey was the best forward at the time when I started watching footy. He had a big influence on me converting to becoming a North supporter. No doubt my favourite player of all time. I miss those days because as a kid you don't remember as much. You know he was awesome, but you forget what he actually did that made him awesome.

 

[XFactor1979]

glen jakovich always knew chopping his arms was a handy tactic to beat him in the one on one contests

 

[Geoffa32]

My favourite player. I kind of wish he didnt end his career with us. Played a few good games with us but was never the King that he was at North.

What made him great was his leadership. He took a group of players that were above average (I mean no offence) and made them champions.

 

[DarwinRoo]

that may or may not be true but in one of carey's most important games of his career "Peter Caven kicked the Roo boy's ass!"

but still Carey at his best was unstoppable! I use to to love watching him play! he was just Sen-bloody-sational!

13 kicks, 5 marks, 5 handpasses, 1 goal 4 behinds.

 

[SweetLeftFoot]

Was that the one at Subi where he turned him around on the boundary and dobbed it from about 45. That was the jizz.

Carey's 1998 was 2nd best to his 1993.

Yep, that was one. Just an amazing display of footy power and skill in that one passage of play.

 

[SweetLeftFoot]

My favourite player. I kind of wish he didnt end his career with us. Played a few good games with us but was never the King that he was at North.

What made him great was his leadership. He took a group of players that were above average (I mean no offence) and made them champions.

I think that's overstating it.

People forget the quality that was in that North side. McKernan in his pomp was nigh on unstoppable, guys like King, Abraham, Scwass, Grant, Simmo, Stevens, longmire were all top class.

But in terms of leadership of one sort, yeah, he was vital.

One of those blokes who just made his teammates feel an inch taller when they played with him.

 

[Angus1]

What a difference it was to watch the game from 1994 and then yesterdays match immediately after it.
The game back in the 90's was brilliant. Players who could kick straight to a man. Players who could jump and take a big mark. Handballs went to players out in front of them so they could run onto it. The ball moved around the ground very quickly. It was just fantastic football.

Then we see yesterdays match straight after it and it was like watching a game from some low standard league in Queensland. Just amazing how bad football has become in those 15 years. Kicking is at a new low. Dropped marks. The ball gets flicked around 10 times without actually going forward. Players can't kick goals from set shots anymore. Skill level of todays football is atrocious. It would appear that all players are interested in doing is negating the opposition with getting numbers back.

 

[Prem87]

The thing I miss more than Carey at his peak, is Bruce McAvaney's commentary of his great footballing feats. Not necessarily that game (I think I mainly heard Peter Landy and Ian Robertson there), but other times when Bruce commentated the 'Night Specialist' North teams of the mid-90s.

Bruce sometimes comes close with his appreciation of Buddy Franklin these days (you know he loves the action when the voice lowers a couple of octaves into that trademark throaty growl), but he'll never trully reach the heights of manlove for Buddy that he had for "KING CAREY!!!" in the mid-90s

That was the greatest era of football commentary IMO. Bruce, Dennis Commeti (usually only on West Coast and Fremantle games back then), Drew Morphett, Peter Landy, Ian Robertson, Sandy Roberts, sometimes Don Scott on special comments, and others. I might make a thread about those halcyon days sometime

A bit off topic, but yea, Bruce's commentary of Carey's feats always made them that much more "SPECIAL!!!" for me

Totally agree. I loved Sunday afternoons, Channel 7 always showed Westcoast games live from Subiaco. Nothing beat looking at the luscious green Subiaco ground bathed in sunlight; watching Matera, Jackovich, Worsfold, Kemp, Cousins play real contested football while listening to the awesome Channel 7 commentary. One of my greatest childhood memories.