Your favourite all time player from . . . Adelaide

[alex_is_on_fire]

Peter Vardy,

come on Vardy, let's go party.

Roo, mods, Macca, jars (both Andrew and Darren) and the big puss.

 

[RichoLedio]

Definitely McLeod for me

 

[Go the Guts]

some bloke called mcleod, then rehn - a real trier.

A dual premiership real trier, without Rehn's around the ground play and ruck work we wouldn't have won 2 flags, best ruckman we have ever had by a mile.

 

[MarcusP2]

Not much love for Ben Hart, criminally underrated footballer.

So many great players from a club that has been around for just over 20 years, Riciutto, Rehn, bickley, Edwards, McLeod and the Jarmans

Incredible that we have 7 250+ (Roo, Hart, Edwards, McLeod, Goodwin, Smart, Bickley) including 4 300+ game players, more than the Demons, Hawks, and Saints have managed in their entire histories.

Our 1990s recruiting was incredible.

 

[AngryLittleMan]

Ill never forget Darren Jarmans brilliance in the 97 finals series. Ricciutoo though is my favorite.

Not much love for Nigel Smart

 

[Cursed Cat]

Incredible that we have 7 250+ (Roo, Hart, Edwards, McLeod, Goodwin, Smart, Bickley) including 4 300+ game players, more than the Demons, Hawks, and Saints have managed in their entire histories.

Our 1990s recruiting was incredible.

very true.
Geelong also only has two 300+ players.

McLeod is my favourite Crow, his class in finals was admirable.

 

[Footypie32]

Between Modra, D. Jarman and McLeod. It's like picking a favourite child.

Just watched the AFL highlights package of Modra. He never took his eyes off the ball. Never gave up on the mark and sacrified his body in doing so. Was probably always a matter of time before he did his knee watching that. A lot of today's young forwards could learn plenty watching him.

Darren Jarman was probably 1 of the best users of the ball ever. Showed that you don't have to be an athletic freak to be a great Footballer. The fact that Hawthorn supporters still rate him so highly after leaving, just shows he was a cut above.

Andrew McLeod was a Rolls Royce. He didn't run, he glided. Always had time. Didn't kick has many goals as the other 2, but a lot of our forwards owed him big time for the way he used to serve it to them on a plate. I always relaxed a little when the ball was in his hands.

 

[Chewy]

Incredible that we have 7 250+ (Roo, Hart, Edwards, McLeod, Goodwin, Smart, Bickley) including 4 300+ game players, more than the Demons, Hawks, and Saints have managed in their entire histories.

Not sure where you're getting your info from, but Hawthorn have 10 players who reached 250 games (including 6 who reached 400)

426 Michael Tuck
332 Leigh Matthews
305 Shane Crawford
303 Chris Langford
302 Don Scott
300 Kelvin Moore
269 Gary Ayres
269 Jason Dunstall
264 Peter Knights
258 John Platten

Also:
304 Russell Greene (184 at Hawthorn + 120 at St Kilda)
254 Terry Wallace (174 at Hawthorn + 80 elsewhere)


I don't disagree with the gist of your post about Adelaide's good recruiting in the 90's, but it's also foolish to compare those numbers to the 'games played' totals of players from the "entire history" of the VFL era. There are three main reasons why:

1. For most of the VFL's history, teams played just 18 rounds of home & away matches, plus the Top 4 finals series. 66% of teams played 18 games per season and the top 4 played 19/20/21 games. Nowadays, 50% of teams play 22 games per season and the top 8 teams play 23/24/25/26 games. If you multiply 4 or 5 extra games by 10-15 years, it becomes pretty clear why many great VFL footballers played about 200-240 games.

2. The game only became fully professional around the same time that Adelaide joined the comp. Today's pro footballers earn big money and have no other work skills. There is a huge incentive for them to stay in shape and play for as long as they can. Life after football is a scary proposition for many. It was a much different story back in the old days when the game was semi-professional, or even verging on amateur status. Many former players retired in their mid twenties because of increasing work commitments, or to pursue "proper" careers. Fewer footballers played past the age of 30.

3. Improved medical science (technology, surgical and rehab) has meant that players who suffer terrible injuries can quickly regain their fitness. Serious injuries in the past often spelled the end of a player's career. Not just the infamous knee injuries suffered by John Coleman, Peter Hudson and John Todd, but even more commonplace dicky knees or ankles, or dodgy shoulders went untreated and led to many good players hanging up their boots and getting a real job.

 

[Scotland]

Adelaide have 4 300 gamers, 3 250 gamers and 3 200 gamers.

By comparison West Coast who started 4 seasons earlier have no 300 gamers, 4 250 gamers (excluding Cousins who passed 250 after joining Richmond) and 11 200 gamers.

Not sure if that's interesting or relevant, but Mcleod was my favourite Crow to watch. Considering how good he was after having a few injuries as a young player it's scary to think how good he might have been had he enjoyed an injury free career.

 

[Geoff Dickson]

Modra...I don't think anyone has been more spectacular in the air than what he was. A few at the same level, but none more so.

 

[The Karma Bus]

Adelaide have 4 300 gamers, 3 250 gamers and 3 200 gamers.

By comparison West Coast who started 4 seasons earlier have no 300 gamers, 4 250 gamers (excluding Cousins who passed 250 after joining Richmond) and 11 200 gamers.

Not sure if that's interesting or relevant, but Mcleod was my favourite Crow to watch. Considering how good he was after having a few injuries as a young player it's scary to think how good he might have been had he enjoyed an injury free career.

Only a few years into his career, McLeod's knees were in a bad state and had just bone on bone.. To be the player he was, miss as few a number of games that he did, and play for as long as he did was truly remarkable..

It is scary to think what he would have done without these problems..

 

[LC40]

Jarman best trade we will ever make.Big part in us winning us 2 GF's.
Modra say no more.
Porps now, turns a game, if only he hadn't had so many injuries.

 

[Life_Of_Agony]

I have 2 faves...
Darren Smith and Scott Hodges.

 

[Ancient Tiger]

Tony Modra.

 

[MarcusP2]

Not sure where you're getting your info from, but Hawthorn have 10 players who reached 250 games (including 6 who reached 400)

Yeah sorry mate, stats I had only went back to 1974 (which meant a fair few of your guys missed out.)

Amend my post to 'since 1974' then.

 

[Check-Raise !]

The "Scud Missile"

Eddie Hocking.

 

[vast]

Modra!!!!! The 90's were great

 

[moses]

Bump!

Congrats to Rory Sloane on his upcoming 50th game this weekend against Geelong. No doubt he will make a few people's lists as favourite player from Adelaide, if he is not there already

 

[candiehappy]

still McLeod for me

 

[Glorious couch life]

Stuart Wigney

 

[FAITH]

Modra easily.
No one comes close

 

[Morris Major]

Modra was so cool

 

[GreatBradScott]

McLeod. Absolute jet and a humble bloke.

 

[entourage]

Didn't like McLeod because he used to shred us, there was of course a great respect for him though. I was a big Goodwin fan though and these days I can't get enough of Scotty Thompson, just wish the umps wouldn't crucify him so much

 

[Hobbes]

Lots of favourites here, from McGuinness (I wore a gold 8 on the back of my duffel coat in 1982) to foundation players like McDermott, through Modra and Ricciuto to Sloane and Dangerfield, but it's really hard to go past McLeod - such grace, amazing to watch.