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The Royal Sampler

The Royal Sampler

Floreat Pica, Bitch!
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Nov 26, 2006
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The down year we’ve just endured, and the hyperbole over Nicky D has gotten me thinking about who our best players have been over the time I’ve followed the Maggies. Not our “better” players, or even our Copeland winners necessarily (as it heavily rewards consistency, remaining injury-free etc.). I mean the best player at the club, who opposition would fear the most and who would be most influential in getting us a win.

As I was a teenager when Buckley came across, I’m not entirely sure when he became that player for us, but I suspect quickly. He was averaging 24 disposals and 1.4 goals per game by 1996, so he’d be making a pretty strong case for himself by then.

When did he pass the baton to (presumably) Jimmy Clement? 2005 was a bit of a down year in terms of availability and Clement was an All-Australian in a really poor team. Rocca might have taken that mantle through 2006 and 2007 kicking over 50 goals in each, but there would be a bit of competition.

Did Travis Cloke ever get there? Didak? I think Cloke’s best years overlapped with Swan and Pendlebury’s…

Dane Swan would be my nomination during 2010 and 2011 followed by Pendlebury until probably 2019. Grundy would have his admirers in 2018 for sure, but I’m trying not to overreact to one good year in terms of the club’s “best player” rather than “best season”.

These last couple of years I don’t think we really have a player for opponents to fear anymore. Our best talent IMHO is probably Darcy Moore, but we just don’t have a marquee player and that’s reflected in our AA and Brownlow finishes.

1996-2004 Nathan Buckley
2005 James Clement
2006-2007 Anthony Rocca
2008 ?
2009-2012 Dane Swan
2013-2019 Scott Pendlebury
2020 ?
2021 ?

What do people think? Help fill the blanks and flesh the list out.
 
Thanks mate, my memory for such things is not very good. I know Didak was talented through the roof and had a few stellar seasons, but I thought they were more in line with the team successes in 2010-11.
 

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Depends when you think the baton was first passed down - I believe it came along much earlier than either of us witnessed and failing to acknowledge those earlier giants is a slight on them and our club as it was forging the legend which made it the most feared and hated club in the land.

Where to start?

Leeter?

Dicky?

Syd?

Those early giants - had they been of any other club would have been revered competition wide.

Despite my reverence for Peter two titans stand before all else at this club and cast a long shadow even to this day on my perception of Collingwood greatness.

Leeter . . . . of whom Jack Dyer claimed to be a young god - quite possibly the hardest and most skillful man ever to play the game.

Dicky . . . . The first of the true superstar forward of our game - incomparable in his time.
 
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Oh wow, there’s a whole can of worms here which I am wholly unprepared to open. If anyone feels they are qualified to speak as to the earlier holders of the baton, please feel free to enlighten me but I am not that guy.

My Collingwood knowledge prior to the 1990 premiership is just one big, indistinct warm fuzzy.

After that I recall events and players but not really season-to-season who our best player might have been. Buckley, Swan and Pendles are the obvious exceptions because they were either Brownlow winning beasts or like Pendles just transcendent talents who you paid the price of admission to watch for over a decade.
 
The Royal Sampler said:
Oh wow, there’s a whole can of worms here which I am wholly unprepared to open. If anyone feels they are qualified to speak as to the earlier holders of the baton, please feel free to enlighten me but I am not that guy.

My Collingwood knowledge prior to the 1990 premiership is just one big, indistinct warm fuzzy.

After that I recall events and players but not really season-to-season who our best player might have been. Buckley, Swan and Pendles are the obvious exceptions because they were either Brownlow winning beasts or like Pendles just transcendent talents who you paid the price of admission to watch for over a decade.
Click to expand...
I have no argument on your observations TRS - all true, just that I come from an earlier era - I watched Peter and Bobby and saw the blinding promise of John live.

I remember Thommo and Moore, Macca and Waters as players I watched live.

Apart from Leeter and Dicky who I never saw live I would place Bobby and Daics snr at the top of the list and John 3rd - only because his career was cut short by and thug from a thug club.
 
The Royal Sampler said:
The down year we’ve just endured, and the hyperbole over Nicky D has gotten me thinking about who our best players have been over the time I’ve followed the Maggies. Not our “better” players, or even our Copeland winners necessarily (as it heavily rewards consistency, remaining injury-free etc.). I mean the best player at the club, who opposition would fear the most and who would be most influential in getting us a win.

As I was a teenager when Buckley came across, I’m not entirely sure when he became that player for us, but I suspect quickly. He was averaging 24 disposals and 1.4 goals per game by 1996, so he’d be making a pretty strong case for himself by then.

When did he pass the baton to (presumably) Jimmy Clement? 2005 was a bit of a down year in terms of availability and Clement was an All-Australian in a really poor team. Rocca might have taken that mantle through 2006 and 2007 kicking over 50 goals in each, but there would be a bit of competition.

Did Travis Cloke ever get there? Didak? I think Cloke’s best years overlapped with Swan and Pendlebury’s…

Dane Swan would be my nomination during 2010 and 2011 followed by Pendlebury until probably 2019. Grundy would have his admirers in 2018 for sure, but I’m trying not to overreact to one good year in terms of the club’s “best player” rather than “best season”.

These last couple of years I don’t think we really have a player for opponents to fear anymore. Our best talent IMHO is probably Darcy Moore, but we just don’t have a marquee player and that’s reflected in our AA and Brownlow finishes.

1996-2004 Nathan Buckley
2005 James Clement
2006-2007 Anthony Rocca
2008 ?
2009-2012 Dane Swan
2013-2019 Scott Pendlebury
2020 ?
2021 ?

What do people think? Help fill the blanks and flesh the list out.
Click to expand...
Considering his last two years and the responses to it, I don't think many will agree with me, but I think Pendles passed the baton to Grundy during 2018.
 
sr36 said:
Considering his last two years and the responses to it, I don't think many will agree with me, but I think Pendles passed the baton to Grundy during 2018.
Click to expand...

I suspect in 2018 he was the better player. 2019 I’m not as confident and didn’t want to think of this in a season-at-a-time manner, but you may be right anyway.
 
jonbe54 said:
I have no argument on your observations TRS - all true, just that I come from an earlier era - I watched Peter and Bobby and saw the blinding promise of John live.

I remember Thommo and Moore, Macca and Waters as players I watched live.

Apart from Leeter and Dicky who I never saw live I would place Bobby and Daics snr at the top of the list and John 3rd - only because his career was cut short by and thug from a thug club.
Click to expand...

As much as I admire your post the sad part for me is many left the mighty pies.
Len Thompson
Bob Rose
Peter Moore
Peter Mckenna Ughh I almost gave up on the pies when he went to Carlton,But kept my faith.
Des Tuddenham another that bled black and white and left.
 


Thorold Meritt
Murray Weideman
Barry Price
Len Thompson (dominated for a decade from 67 to 77)
Des Tuddenham
Wayne Richardson (tends to get forgotten)
Billy Picken
Peter Moore (till he left for a million dollars)
Choco Williams (briefly)
Mick McGaune (for a couple of brilliant seasons there)
 
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Rand I would have thought passing the baton required being in the race for a bit . . Choco hardly qualifies and Mick as you say only had a couple of top seasons.

Granted both deserving players - for a time - but not long enough to be baton carriers let alone passers IMHO.
 
jonbe54 said:
Rand I would have thought passing the baton required being in the race for a bit . . Choco hardly qualifies and Mick as you say only had a couple of top seasons.

Granted both deserving players - for a time - but not long enough to be baton carriers let alone passers IMHO.
Click to expand...

probably right, probably didn't grasp your concept well enough there.
 

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Oooooh snap!

Medhurst was never seriously the best player on our list though, and the one opposition clubs would have to gameplan around.

I’m thinking in eras, not seasons. :)
 
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The Royal Sampler said:
Thanks mate, my memory for such things is not very good. I know Didak was talented through the roof and had a few stellar seasons, but I thought they were more in line with the team successes in 2010-11.
Click to expand...
Turns out Didak only got 3 brownlow votes throughout 2007 and 8, very strange. 2007 we had no all australians and Cloke won the Copeland with 40 goals. I still recall Didak as our best, my main memory being his semi final goal against West Coast from 55 out.

His absolute peak was 2008-10 as a midfielder, fell off a cliff thereafter

Crisp was absolutely our best in 2021, but not clearly our best player going into 2022. That would arguably be Moore or De Goey

Also, Grundy definitely for 2019 and maybe 2018
 
The Royal Sampler said:
Oooooh snap!

Medhurst was never seriously the best player on our list though, and the one opposition clubs would have to gameplan around.

I’m thinking in eras, not seasons. :)
Click to expand...
He had a Blinder of a year though.
Anzac Day Medalist, (6 goals)
Leading goal kicker (50-27)
2nd behind Swan in the Copeland trophy (53 to 47),
If Swanny does not get it for the first of 3 consecutive Copelands, he would have to have been bloody close.....
 
If not Medders.....

1996-2004 Nathan Buckley
2005 James Clement
2006-2007 Anthony Rocca
2008-2012 Dane Swan
2013-2019 Scott Pendlebury
2020 ?
2021 ?
 
Baird said:
Turns out Didak only got 3 brownlow votes throughout 2007 and 8, very strange. 2007 we had no all australians and Cloke won the Copeland with 40 goals. I still recall Didak as our best, my main memory being his semi final goal against West Coast from 55 out.

His absolute peak was 2008-10 as a midfielder, fell off a cliff thereafter

Crisp was absolutely our best in 2021, but not clearly our best player going into 2022. That would arguably be Moore or De Goey

Also, Grundy definitely for 2019 and maybe 2018
Click to expand...

Dids 2009 and early 2010 were absolutely stunning.

I always felt he paid a price from 2011 on for the torn pec which was pretty severe and which he played through the 2010 finals with.
 
The Ghost of the KPF said:
Dids 2009 and early 2010 were absolutely stunning.

I always felt he paid a price from 2011 on for the torn pec which was pretty severe and which he played through the 2010 finals with.
Click to expand...
Didak was all joy and excitement on field.

I still watch his highlights video occasionally, to Iggy Pops "the passenger" fantastically crafted by one of our own.
 
jonbe54 said:
A fine player but pedestrian by Daicos standards.
Click to expand...
Love the pun.
I doubt you could call Didak pedestrian though.
Not Daicos but highly entertaining none the same.

3 goals in a minute got the noise level at the G into atmospheric numbers as I recall.

 
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