Opinion Which players would have been the best if not for injury?

[Cleric]

Tex Walker. Single handedly won the Crows their 2012 semi final and looked like being unstoppable going into 2013.
Did his knee and whilst had some good years, including his AA year last year, never really became that player.

Yeah, he was on a run, then I think it was a Carlton game from memory?

 

[Cleric]

Fyfe by a country mile
Never played a full season, hit the 20 game mark only 6 times and still has
2x Brownlow 2x MVP 3x BNF 3x AA

Special mention Godra
Kicked his 400th goal in his 100th game back to back knees cooked him

Yeah, Mods got smashed with his knees.

 

[1990crow]

Yeah, he was on a run, then I think it was a Carlton game from memory?

Yep. Sad day.

 

[Cyclops]

Lee Walker was 6'6" and ran like the wind. I have a feeling he never completed a half of senior footy for the Pies, his knees went bung every time.

Just a terrifying prospect, he was brave skilled and a physical freak

 

[HairyO]

It's a common thing. Tony Modra and even Taylor Walker never came back the same after their knees. Also, Warren Tredrea.

Tony Hall did his knee in a State of Origin after a tackle by a Hawks teammate.

 

[Rabish Binney]

Lee Walker was 6'6" and ran like the wind. I have a feeling he never completed a half of senior footy for the Pies, his knees went bung every time.

Just a terrifying prospect, he was brave skilled and a physical freak

Didn't he have something like 4 or 5 reconstructions?

 

[Rabish Binney]

Tony Hall did his knee in a State of Origin after a tackle by a Hawks teammate.

Andy Collins as I recall?

 

[kickazz]

John Coleman

 

[kickazz]

In my time and watching my club, Barry Stoneham, Matt Egan, Daniel Menzel

Daniel Menzel

Age

33

Ht

190cm

Wt

90kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.3

3star

K

8.1

3star

HB

4.2

3star

M

4.3

4star

T

1.5

3star

G

1.8

5star

No current season stats available

D

10.2

3star

K

6.6

3star

HB

3.6

3star

M

4.0

4star

T

1.8

4star

G

1.4

5star

and Paul Lynch.

Jason Snell went alright too until he busted his leg.

 

[Mofra]

Adrian Campbell - mangled 3 out of the 4 ligaments in his knee. Horrific injury.

We had to throw his 17 year old understudy into the team to cover him. A kid called Chris Grant.

 

[Boxhead_31]

Gary Ablett Jnr with two good shoulders for his full career would have been something to see

 

[Bald]

Jake Stringer

25

Jake Stringer

Age

30

Ht

192cm

Wt

92kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.9

3star

K

8.5

3star

HB

4.4

3star

M

3.3

3star

T

2.5

4star

G

1.8

5star

D

8.5

2star

K

7.0

3star

HB

1.5

1star

M

2.8

3star

T

3.8

4star

G

2.5

5star

D

7.2

2star

K

4.8

2star

HB

2.4

3star

M

2.6

3star

T

1.4

4star

G

1.4

5star

had a broken leg before being drafted and developed a broken work ethic after the 2015 season.

Could’ve been anything.

 

[Andrewy]

John Greening

 

[Dee Train]

David Schwartz by a mile

 

[HairyO]

Andy Collins as I recall?

Was pretty much the injury which had coaches decide they just didnt want anything to do with SoO. Sheedy had already been keeping his "injured" stars out of SoO.

 

[FreoRicci]

Was always interested to see Morabito as well, that was a shame.

In an incredible debut year, he was drafted in same year as Dustin Martin and Nat Fyfe. Shame. Could’ve been anything

 

[iameviljez]

In my time and watching my club, Barry Stoneham, Matt Egan, Daniel Menzel and Paul Lynch.

Jason Snell went alright too until he busted his leg.

That whole Menzel draft was ridiculously unlucky for us. It was Nathan Vardy, Daniel Menzel, Allen Christensen, and Mitch Duncan. Arguably the least talented player of the whole lot was the one who will wind up with 2 flags (hopefully more), and probably 300 games.

But yeah, Coleman is the clubhouse leader by a long way for this thread.

 

[iameviljez]

Was pretty much the injury which had coaches decide they just didnt want anything to do with SoO. Sheedy had already been keeping his "injured" stars out of SoO.

I think that's slightly overblown to some degree - State of Origin still had massive star power in 1993. It was really the decline in crowds that killed it.

 

[Gunf]

I would have loved to see how Hawkins would have went if he never had the back problems that almost finished his career.

You look at him before that he was jumping through packs to take marks e.g 2011 GF and look at him after he barely got off the ground on the very rare occasion he tried.

 

[iameviljez]

Dunstall would have easily been the goal kicking record holder without his head injury and later body breaking down.

Mm, I think that's a bit much, given that he played good football well into his 30s and had his best-ever year post the injury. I don't think he lost that much compared to the median footy career.

 

[tiger_tough]

Mark Coughlan

Mark Coughlan

Age

42

Ht

186cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

19.6

5star

K

10.1

4star

HB

9.5

5star

M

4.3

4star

T

3.8

5star

No current season stats available

D

4.4

1star

K

1.8

1star

HB

2.6

3star

M

0.8

1star

T

0.4

3star

.

 

[My Tilly]

David Schwartz by a mile

Have to agree.
Think of Tom Hawkins in size & power but add in the athletic traits of Anthony Koutoufides and that was David Schwarz.

 

[Cleansweep17]

John Coleman and GAJ are the obvious ones.

One didn’t even play 100 games and GAJ would be in GOAT convos if he won 3 Brownlows. Alas it was not to be.

 

[Philth]

John Coleman and GAJ are the obvious ones.

One didn’t even play 100 games and GAJ would be in GOAT convos if he won 3 Brownlows. Alas it was not to be.

FFS mate stop stirring the Cats fans. It's boring now.

GAJ is the goat.

Anyway, from my mob it's Nathan Brown. He was tearing games apart before the broken leg.

 

[adamov13]

Allan Jakovich for mine.

Understand it was a different era for forwards kicking bags but still...

• For the dees he played 47 games for 201 goals, averaging more goals than Gary Ablett and and Gordon Coventry in his time there
• Kicked 50 goals in his first 9 games, breaking Colemans record for least amount of games to reach 50 goals
• Kicked 100 goals in his first 21 games, equaling a record from 1901
• Had the 10th most scoring shots in a game in AFL history in his 9th game of football, kicking 11.8
• In his 4th to 9th career games he kicked bags of 8.8, 6.2, 6.7, 8.5, 7.4 and 11.8= 80 scoring shots in 6 games of football in his debut season
• Obviously, if he could kick straight he would've been even more impressive, kicking 208.173 for his career including games of 4.9 and 4.10.
• Still ended up the overall 12th highest goals per game average in history despite only playing 54 games total and being injured

Back was stuffed, took a whole year off in 1995 after 47 games and was done after a mini stint at the dogs when he was cooked at 54 games.

Off topic so apologies.

Did anyone ever hear the story of Allan Jakovich placing some bets at a TAB near the Whitten Oval when he was at the Bulldogs? Apparently told the attendant he had left his wallet back at the club or something along those lines. The attendant in good faith put through all the bets for him, the ponies were all duds and he did a runner never to return. Such a ridiculous story but hilarious all the same if true. His name being mentioned happen to remind me about it.