Best Rover over the past 50 years

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Best Rover over the past 50 years

Post: # 1708825Post BackFromUSA »

Ross Smith?

Maybe I should have called for the 2nd best?

Just my opinion but Smith was a gun.

Loved Super Duperouzel.

Callery. Super player for his size.

Nathan Burke gets another mention here.

Who else?


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Re: Best Rover over the past 50 years

Post: # 1708827Post Trev from the Bush »

Ross Smith. Genius, courageous, consistent, extremely skillful and would die for the team. A gentleman's gentlemen.

Any other suggestions a distant second.


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Re: Best Rover over the past 50 years

Post: # 1708828Post 8bloggs »

Ross Smith for me -won a Browlnlow so hard to beat.


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Re: Best Rover over the past 50 years

Post: # 1708830Post Linton Lodger »

Graham Gellie deserves an honourable mention here, he was amazing in his debut year 1978. His hands and hand passing were as good as Greg Williams'. He had a lot to do with us being a good side that should have played Finals that year. Alas, knee injuries cruelled his career.

I didn't see Ross Smith, a Premiership player and Brownlow Medallist, that speaks volumes.


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Re: Best Rover over the past 50 years

Post: # 1708833Post whiskers3614 »

So was Banger a rover, ruck rover or centreman?


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Re: Best Rover over the past 50 years

Post: # 1708835Post Trev from the Bush »

whiskers3614 wrote:So was Banger a rover, ruck rover or centreman?

For this thread, not a rover.

But a pretty handy player over 2 decades, eh?


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Re: Best Rover over the past 50 years

Post: # 1708841Post WellardSaint »

I was expecting a locked thread, that's what BFUSA normally posts- warnings etc :roll:


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Re: Best Rover over the past 50 years

Post: # 1708864Post older saint »

In my time Nathan burke, Although ross Smith by all accounts wins comfortably ( no memory of him)


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Re: Best Rover over the past 50 years

Post: # 1708883Post Dave McNamara »

Contrarian time again. Like my man John McIntosh, this bloke tragically played way way too few games before being cut down by a knee injury. :(

Graeme Gellie.

Why am I such a fan? Gellie was way way before his time. In the days of all too often get it, kick it, and hope... when Gellie got the ball, you just knew that the next possession would also be a St Kilda possession. He pretty much always put it to the advantage of a team mate.

He won the B&F in his debut year 1978. And we had an amazing team that year. Just check out some of the names running around. 1978, a season that was arguably the most bipolar in our history. :lol: :cry: Sadly, 1978 was pretty much Gellie's only year. (Tried to comeback in '81 and again in '83, but the knee wasn't up to it.) :(

Sadly, there's next to no footage available, but here's a little speck of gold. (Don't blink.) Check ~1:22 into this video... hard at it to win the footy. (Be inspired Nick Coffield. :idea: ) Then, despite a bloke hanging off him, the amazing 'check-side' handball to force Doug Booth to run to where Gellie wanted him to be, so that Booth could receive the ball safely. Your average player would just have offloaded it to Booth with an opponent ready to pounce. (And where does the footy end up...? Younnnngggggg!!!!!!!!!! 8-) )

There's also the tap to Rexy at ~1:10 to create a goal out of nothing.

Only the very very best put the footy to where they want their team mate to be, c/f the other way round. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0g0QIUMP8c





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Re: Best Rover over the past 50 years

Post: # 1708896Post George27 »

For me it is clearly Ross Smith, but I also endorse the love for Graeme Gellie. That 1978 season from him was superb. Brilliant handballer. Courageous.

Rossy however was all class for so many seasons. Better than GG and for longer. A standout.


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Re: Best Rover over the past 50 years

Post: # 1708911Post oh when the »

Ross Smith won Brownlow in 67
against other good rovers at other clubs

Signed autographs at Hunters Menswear in Bentleigh
Just days after winning Brownlow


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Re: Best Rover over the past 50 years

Post: # 1708912Post saynta »

1. Smith
2. Burke
3. Steven


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Re: Best Rover over the past 50 years

Post: # 1708927Post loris »

Trev from the Bush wrote:Ross Smith. Genius, courageous, consistent, extremely skillful and would die for the team. A gentleman's gentlemen.

Any other suggestions a distant second.
Spot on TftB in your summing up of Ross Smith.

Many in this site possibly wouldn’t know that terms like, ‘that would die for the team’ and ‘played for the guernsey’ were literally just that.

Ross Smith played for years at the Saints as an amateur.......... received zilch money, could not accept many awards that were tied up with commercial dealings. It was only in his Brownlow year he ended his amateur status.

Many youngies today, possibly cannot understand what an Amateur was. They have only been reared in today’s money at all cost eras. They would not be able to fathom that extreme loyalty an amateur had to a Club.

In them there days, after a players VFL career had finished, they could not go back and play for the Amateurs if they had been paid to play or received certain awards. Like all amateur sports, rules changed and Money is God now reigns supreme.

Like Smith there were a considerable number of amateurs playing in the VFL.


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Re: Best Rover over the past 50 years

Post: # 1708928Post loris »

WellardSaint wrote:I was expecting a locked thread, that's what BFUSA normally posts- warnings etc :roll:
Get a life WS. Why try to destroy an interesting thread? You seem to me to be one of life’s miserable losers.

Well done BfUSA - these threads you have been starting of ‘Best ? Over the past 50 years’ have been really interestingreading. I love all the different players being thrown up and the reasons posters nominate them.


Ooophs, I’d go for Ross Smith, then G. Gellie not far behind.


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Re: Best Rover over the past 50 years

Post: # 1709169Post saint64 »

Paul Callery was one of my faves growing up. Always hard at it from memory. Only 165cm. I note in 1974 he had a 41 possession game against South Melbourne, and kicked 4 goals.


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Re: Best Rover over the past 50 years

Post: # 1709436Post Dave McNamara »

loris wrote:... I’d go for Ross Smith, then G. Gellie not far behind.
Ok, I shall bow to Ross Smith. And at the same time draw much satisfaction from the above assessment. Not bad for a bloke who (effectively) only played one season(?) :)







But I'd still find places for GG (and GY) in my Team of the Century... along with John McIntosh. 8-)


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Re: Best Rover over the past 50 years

Post: # 1709488Post Superboot »

Others have it covered

Smith
Gellie
Duperouzel

Anyone else a very distant 4th


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Re: Best Rover over the past 50 years

Post: # 1709494Post Joffa Burns »

Yep Rosdy Smith was a hard working jet, and was physically fit in a time when many weren't.
I recall he was a PE teacher FT and a fitness fanatic.
I don't recall awesome skill but a great player.

Was also a huge Gellie fan, Greg Williams like handball, well before his time.

Super Duper was a gun, loved Paul Callery.
I thought Danny Craven (Eddie Munster) was handy and would classify Narkle as a rover as well.

Burke and now Steven very good players but Smith is the man.


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Re: Best Rover over the past 50 years

Post: # 1709495Post saynta »

Steven has 3 best and fairests .


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Re: Best Rover over the past 50 years

Post: # 1709661Post Con Gorozidis »

Mark Arceri


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Re: Best Rover over the past 50 years

Post: # 1709798Post Sainternist »

Silvio Foschini


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Re: Best Rover over the past 50 years

Post: # 1709800Post saynta »

Sainternist wrote:Silvio Foschini
Great little player. Injuries crueled him. He had to wear a wet suit under his jumper to stop his shoulder popping out.


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Re: Best Rover over the past 50 years

Post: # 1709803Post Drake Huggins »

saynta wrote:
Sainternist wrote:Silvio Foschini
Great little player. Injuries crueled him. He had to wear a wet suit under his jumper to stop his shoulder popping out.
And a bulletproof vest to protect his pea-sized heart.


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Re: Best Rover over the past 50 years

Post: # 1709804Post whiskers3614 »

Drake Huggins wrote:
saynta wrote:
Sainternist wrote:Silvio Foschini
Great little player. Injuries crueled him. He had to wear a wet suit under his jumper to stop his shoulder popping out.
And a bulletproof vest to protect his pea-sized heart.
You heard about Italian tanks in WW2?
1 forward gear and 6 reverse!
Believe Foschini to be Italian name. :oops:


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Re: Best Rover over the past 50 years

Post: # 1709805Post Drake Huggins »

Silvio was the archetypal wide receiver. My dad was in the Wehrmacht. Wasn't an advocate for Italian's courage and loyalty,.


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