Lonie...

[Ghost Like]

He's made his way to Seaford. Such a pity he could not bring Paddy...their ruck desperately needs a chop out.

[saint6709]

The kid could play- wiil be 50 possessions a week

[Ghost Like]

The kid could play- wiil be 50 possessions a week

No doubt but sadly the support of Ryder & Kent would have made some of those possessions worthwhile.

[bobmurray]

The kid could play- wiil be 50 possessions a week

A battler at AFL level, unless we are rewriting history.

[B.M]

Will dominate

[B.M]

Bagged 4 a few times - not bad for a small forward

Crafty and courageous

Far from an embarrassing career

Absolutely dominated VFL as a mid

[bobmurray]

He found his level at VFL.

[SinCitySainter]

Good ordinary player who had a decent career. Played 80 plus games at AFL level and kicked 70 odd goals.
Was one of those guys that was a star at VFL level but
his size and strength meant there AFL was always going to be difficult.
He should dominate at suburban footy.
Good luck to him.

[B.M]

Was it due to his size and strength

I don’t think so

If you’re good enough, you’re big enough!!!

Not even sure he wasn’t good enough, because his best was easily AFL level as a small forward

His issue was he never nailed his opportunities - his conversion was poor.

If he went at 60-65% his numbers would’ve been good enough. But he went at 45% and because of that only averaged 0.9 goals which isn’t quite good enough. If you average 1.2 goals it’s a different story.
His defensive pressure was very good.

Lonie played in the hardest position on the ground to be consistent, and when you get your lick of the ice cream you gotta make it count! He missed too much.

[SinCitySainter]

I think his strength and size were a critical element.
His defensive pressure was always there but when he came to tackle he got shrugged off too easily.
He was too small to win one on ones in the air and didn't have the physicality to win it when the ball hit the deck.
Caleb Daniel is short but he is really strong through his core and breaks tackles, Lonie simply couldn't do that.
He was good at getting separation from his defender but I agree his conversion rate wasn't great.
Twenty years ago he would have been a successful small forward but in the modern game where it is all about winning the ball in tight his lack of strength cost him.

[CQ SAINT]

Was it due to his size and strength

I don’t think so

If you’re good enough, you’re big enough!!!

Not even sure he wasn’t good enough, because his best was easily AFL level as a small forward

His issue was he never nailed his opportunities - his conversion was poor.

If he went at 60-65% his numbers would’ve been good enough. But he went at 45% and because of that only averaged 0.9 goals which isn’t quite good enough. If you average 1.2 goals it’s a different story.
His defensive pressure was very good.

Lonie played in the hardest position on the ground to be consistent, and when you get your lick of the ice cream you gotta make it count! He missed too much.

There was so much to work with, heaps of effort, lots of tricks, but when it came down to it, he just wasn't good enough. He started out very well and just went backwards from there.

[skeptic]

I think he also just didn’t have the right types of attributes for the role that he wanted to play.

He tended to play as more of a crumbing, inside the pack style as opposed to an outside, find space l, get on the end of it and convert player.

Well problem number one is that he was a bit slow which hampered his ability to get the ball and navigate through traffic to put himself in the best spot. Problem number two is that his size made it hard to compete one on one for the ball and win which he was somewhat inclined to try and do.
And problem three… as has been pointed out, when the stars aligned and he was able to get on the end of it and things worked out for him… he simply missed too often, with the bigger problem bring that he missed far too many “easy ones”.

If your attributes and style rely on you being the type of player that has limited opportunities but punishes the opposition when they get them… well then you need to more often than not you need to take those opportunities.

That freak Stephen Milne wasn’t exactly renowned for getting heaps of ball, being super fast with elite skills and always staying in the play.
One of the most highly rated small forwards of all had a reputation of being suspect with close checking under pressure when it mattered…
But, more often than not.. if he got a sniff, he punished the opposition for letting it happen

[B.M]

Still

He played 90 games
Kicked 80 goals
Played some really good games
Like all small forwards, had consistency issue

Conversation killed him
It’s funny, at Sandy, he was deadly around goal. In the big league, he struggled to convert consistently

His goal from the boundary a few years ago was unbelievable

[Bernard Shakey]

Still

He played 90 games
Kicked 80 goals
Played some really good games
Like all small forwards, had consistency issue

Conversation killed him
It’s funny, at Sandy, he was deadly around goal. In the big league, he struggled to convert consistently

His goal from the boundary a few years ago was unbelievable

I thought he spoke very well!

[shanegrambeau]

I wonder about those players that are shown the door around the middle of their twenties.

How they keep going and playing in lesser leagues, when they have tasted the big lights. Is it hard to get motivated and keep training hard those cold winter nights?

Maybe they figure on coaching or staying in the sport?

I think Brett Bowey was finished at about 24ish. Amazing isn’t it?

Show’s character and maturity to keep going. It is not like tennis, where you can stay in the lower rankings well into your thirties and hope for the odd quarter final. Ivan Lendyl-style.

[B.M]

Brett Bowey played local footy for Chelsea’s until he was 36

[D.B.Cooper]

Underrated AFL player IMO.
I believe he had more to offer than Kent who was preferred by Richo at the time.

If he had converted in AFL like he did at VFL level he'd never lost his place in the side.

I wonder how he would have gone if given the opportunity down back Caleb Daniel style.
Played a very good season in 2018 (memory) before he got that knee injury.

Had the heart of a lion but unfortunately the size of an under 12 schoolboy.

[The G Train Legacy]

Bagged 4 a few times - not bad for a small forward

Crafty and courageous

Far from an embarrassing career

Absolutely dominated VFL as a mid

He was a good player, just unfortunately a bit too small.

[B.M]

I don’t get the too small thing - size has zero to do with it?

Small forwards are generally small

Betts was 3cm shorter than Lonie
Daniel 6cm shorter
Boomer 6cm shorter
Milne was 1 cm taller

Size is not a pre requisite to being a good footy player

[Josh Battle]

You left out Jeff Farmer. Same size as Eddie Betts

There’s been a lot of small forwards with similar ‘hungry’ characteristics but they had other tricks.

Farmer could stick a tackle and was a brilliant high mark. The Wiz could also roost the footy 50+

Milney also was good overhead and just kept improving as a footballer. Two times All Australian. Had the ability to single handedly get the Saints a win.

Lonie was Small ….yes ….maybe brain size as well as body/strength wise (I lost count of how many times he was brushed off in his attempts to tackle)…but as already mentioned, that’s not the reason he was delisted.

His decision making let him down which led to too many wasted opportunities in our forward line

[B.M]

I thought he was a good pressure forward, his pressure numbers were more than acceptable

Absolutely courageous too

[asiu]

yes , a good mark

i always reckoned that Milney saw him self
as a lead up forward

[B.M]

Milney was strong in the body in a marking contest one on one

Amazing offensively, Horrible defensively, if he did tackle, generally he gave away a free kick

Thing is, he often made something out of nothing and kicked goals!

Lonie was a talented small forward, but didn’t capitalise enough

He was extremely courageous and was good defensively - pressure numbers were always good

[bangaulegend]

Milney was strong in the body in a marking contest one on one

Amazing offensively, Horrible defensively, if he did tackle, generally he gave away a free kick

Thing is, he often made something out of nothing and kicked goals!

Lonie was a talented small forward, but didn’t capitalise enough

He was extremely courageous and was good defensively - pressure numbers were always good

Lonie was a goer & gave it a crack but IMO he was never in the "Tip Rat's " league

[B.M]

No one is suggesting that, Milne is an ALL TIME great

Lonie was a 80 game small forward

A good small forward averages 1.2-1.5 goals per game, 3 tackles and 10-12 possessions

1.5-2.0 goals per game is elite

Milne at 2.1 goals was elite and then some!

Lonie was an average small forward, if he converted better he may have been good - but he didn’t

And that the job of a small forward - to take their opportunities