Your all time favourite "GOP" for the Saints?

[happy feet]

David Sierakowski was a GOP. My memory may be fading but I would also nominate Mordi Bromberg and Glen Elliott.

[On the Bench]

Happy Feet I agree with you on Mordi but Glen Elliot was an absolute gun. I saw him with 40 plus positions in a lot of games when we were how you say, not very good. Glan was a class above all the others.

[saint66au]

Heres a couple more..

Mick Malthouse

Allan Jeans (never saw him play but from all I read was a GOP? )

[onlooker]

Happy Feet I agree with you on Mordi but Glen Elliot was an absolute gun. I saw him with 40 plus positions in a lot of games when we were how you say, not very good. Glan was a class above all the others.

Agreed. Elliot was a gun player. His crowning performance in my memory was a StK v C'wood final at Waverly Park. Prior to the game all the scribes were talking about how Des Tuddenham was going to wreck the Saints. We supposedly had no one to play on the C'wood star. The coaching masterstroke was Elliot not playing in his usual position in the centre of the ground but playng on Tuddenham. He not only shut him down for the game but provided tremendous drive off half back all day. Sadly his career was cut short by a shocker of a knee injury and ultimately a dispute with the Club heirachy at the time which led him to Melbourne for one or two seasons. He never regained his pre injury form. His brother Robert who also played with the Saints and went with him to Melb was a GOP at StK.

[saintly_safes]

Travis Paize & Peter Mc Conville are another 2 that were handy players without being champions

[onlooker]

I agree. Both Payze and McConville were good solid players for Saints. The Club had a few ex Carlton players around that era with WOW Jones about the best of them and Michael Jez at the other end. Actually I had almost deleted Jez from my memory as that whole episode gave me nightmares and this Saintly safes post has given me a headache.

[saintly_safes]

I agree. Both Payze and McConville were good solid players for Saints. The Club had a few ex Carlton players around that era with WOW Jones about the best of them and Michael Jez at the other end. Actually I had almost deleted Jez from my memory as that whole episode gave me nightmares and this Saintly safes post has given me a headache.

Sorry didnt mean to jog your memory into overload but I know exacly what you are saying as it happens to me alot "cheers" &" go sainters"

[bigcarl]

The Club had a few ex Carlton players around that era with WOW Jones about the best of them.

peter mcconville, alex marcou, ken sheldon and spiro kourkoumelis were some of the others. there might have been more ... but those are the guys who come immediately to mind.

spiro was a GOP centreman/ruck rover. was good in close and had quick hands.

sheldon had been a very good premiership player for carlton and really gave us something. after he retired he coached st kilda into the finals for the first time in years.

marcou, likewise, was highly skilled. pace was his best asset, but he had lost a yard by the time he lobbed at moorabbin. despite it he was a handy contributor at times.

mcconville i would have rated above a GOP. very strong aerially for his size and read the play well.

wow made up for what he lacked in skill with plenty of heart and some aggression. became a bit of a folk hero on the members wing. a GOP ruckman.

[older saint]

Steven Sziller - good solid defender, went forward against Syd once and kicked 6 ( i think) in a mud heap.

Gordon Fode- 16 year old star built like a 25 year old, good solid player for a niumber of years but suffered the man child syndrome when everyone else caught up

[starsign]

SteveStevens66 wrote:
Stuart Trott, Ian Synman, Johnny Stephens, Wayne Judson, Andrew Thompson, Frankie Peckett.

As for Cowboy--ridiculous calling him a GOP. A champion pure and simple.

He kicked 5 in '66 How many players in the history of the game have kicked half the total number of their team's goals in a GF? There can't be too many. And George Topping's 2 goals out of Carlton's 4 in the 1909 GF doesn't count for two reasons: (1) the overall score is ridiculously low and (2) it's Carlton

I dont know much ...but over 60 years following the Mighties....sheee, there's peeps on here that wouldn't know if a tram was up em unless it rang its bell!

i'm only half way thru reading this thread , but hell L@@K at the topic for Baldocks sake...GOP ! there are only a few so far who are anywhere near the money!
Wayne Judson for starters was a State Back Pocket!! could hardly be classed as a GOP surely!
anyway I'll read on and give you a few snippets gleaned over time when i get to the end of it all , if I can handle it !
GOSAINTS!

[saintbob]

What about Stevie Lawerance?????

GOP or better ???

[yipper]

Boy there have been some strange nominations for GOP!! Jack Dyers description of a GOP seems to be different to some of you on here. Names like Trott, Judson, Glen Elliott to name a few are way way better then GOP!! Trotty was a premiership wingman, club captain and a super player, Wayne Judson was a Victorian representative Back Pocket player - widely regarded as the best in the league during his career. And Glen Elliott - well he was just an absolute gun in the Centre. One of the top players in the then VFL during his time with us. He actually won us quite a few games with his own performances playing in the middle. I think I saw even George Young's name thrown up!!?? Now he was an absolute star for us through the 70's - an amazing player, deadly accurate with his left foot super skills. He was one player the opposition simply had to stop if they were to beat us.

[bendigo bob]

Stephen Powell was a GOP verging on a VGOP who elevated himself to a new level with that bone crunching front on bump on Ling and then followed up with one of the best all time sledges.

Something along the lines of "You got what you f****** deserved you f****** red headed c***"

HAve yet to hear a better one.

[ctqs]

Stephen Powell was a GOP verging on a VGOP who elevated himself to a new level with that bone crunching front on bump on Ling and then followed up with one of the best all time sledges.

Something along the lines of "You got what you f****** deserved you f****** red headed c***"

HAve yet to hear a better one.

I think that was Guerra who cleaned him up then took off as Powell stood the mark. Great moment. We need more of it, even if it did cost Guerra three weeks. Made a statement.

[Saints94]

Brett Voss

[realdeal]

I always liked Seira, a few games there when fit and running off half back in the mid-late 90's was great.

Jack Daniels is really the definition of GOP. Great value.

And i agee with Stephen Powell being a real asset for us recently.

[saintly_safes]

I always liked Seira, a few games there when fit and running off half back in the mid-late 90's was great.

Jack Daniels is really the definition of GOP. Great value.

And i agee with Stephen Powell being a real asset for us recently.

Could never doubt Jacks courage or his ability to get the footy unfortunately his disposal was ordinary but he definately was a GOP

[stinger]

Heres a couple more..

Mick Malthouse

Allan Jeans (never saw him play but from all I read was a GOP? )

no he wasn't...just a tough half back flanker who could blanket a gop.....not many skills at all......great coach though....and a tough as nails copper.......but he was really just a footballer.........you guys are getting a bit carried away.. i think that just about anybody who every pulled on a jumper for the saints is getting a boost up on this thread......

[stinger]

Stephen Powell was a GOP verging on a VGOP who elevated himself to a new level with that bone crunching front on bump on Ling and then followed up with one of the best all time sledges.

Something along the lines of "You got what you f****** deserved you f****** red headed c***"

HAve yet to hear a better one.

right on the player who delivered the sledge...wrong on the player who delivered the bump

[onlooker]

For the older members of this forum what about Rod Galt. I think he played in excess of 50 games as a ruckman before he left the Club. I think he was cleared to Carlton. A GOP?

[Warren Farkovski]

Stephen Powell was a GOP verging on a VGOP who elevated himself to a new level with that bone crunching front on bump on Ling and then followed up with one of the best all time sledges.

Something along the lines of "You got what you f****** deserved you f****** red headed c***"

HAve yet to hear a better one.

gee what a witty and intelligent sledge.

BB what made you barrack for the Saints when 1/2 of Carlton's great teams of the 70's came from Bendigo??

You blokes got some pretty good players in this thread off us - reckon McConville was better than GOP (and a Bendigo boy to boot).

Anyway bye bye for now - catching up with my old mate Stevos at Centrelink.

[stinger]

David Sierakowski was a GOP. My memory may be fading but I would also nominate Mordi Bromberg and Glen Elliott.

glen elliott was a bit better than that ...victorian centreman

[st.byron]

[
Anyway bye bye for now - catching up with my old mate Stevos at Centrelink.

Poke him in the eye with a sharp stick from us would you.

[rodgerfox]

The term GOP is so often miused and misinterpreted.

It doesn't mean an 'average player'.

It means a player who is consistently good without standing out. Being 'ordinary' in a sense that there is nothing overly special about them - however they are good at it.

The reality is, GOPs aren't that common and are incredibly valuable.

The term is often incorrectly used to describe fringe players or guys that aren't quite up to scratch.


John Blakey.
Marcus Ashcroft.

Guys who you barely notice are playing, but do their job each week.

The closest we have currently, I'd say would be Max. I'd also say that this is one of current problems - we don't have enough guys who are good at being ordinary. We have guys who either stand out one week, and are woeful the next. Or guys that are simply woeful.

In modern footy, it's rare that anything other than a backman or a tagger could really be described as a GOP.

[Superboot]

Boy there have been some strange nominations for GOP!! Jack Dyers description of a GOP seems to be different to some of you on here. Names like Trott, Judson, Glen Elliott to name a few are way way better then GOP!! Trotty was a premiership wingman, club captain and a super player, Wayne Judson was a Victorian representative Back Pocket player - widely regarded as the best in the league during his career. And Glen Elliott - well he was just an absolute gun in the Centre. One of the top players in the then VFL during his time with us. He actually won us quite a few games with his own performances playing in the middle. I think I saw even George Young's name thrown up!!?? Now he was an absolute star for us through the 70's - an amazing player, deadly accurate with his left foot super skills. He was one player the opposition simply had to stop if they were to beat us.

Agree with all of this.

And George Young is in many people's best Saints team of all time.