39 Tony Liberatore

[littlenails]

Counting Down by player jumper numbers

First match of pre-season cup
Friday February 20.
Western Bulldogs v Richmond.
Dogs and Tigers to open 2004. The first match of the pre-season competition.

First match for premiership points
Sunday 28th March.
Western Bulldogs v West Coast at Telstra Dome.

That's 39 days away

Tony Liberatore

Number 39
Height 166
Weight 72
Date of Birth 11 February 1966
Years played 1986 to 2002
Senior Games 283
Goals 95
Disposals ____xxxx
Recruited North Melbourne
Honours Brownlow Medal 1990, VFL Reserves Morrish 1984, Under 19's Gardiner 1986, Consistently topped the AFL's 'most tackles' list. Life member of the AFL in 2003. Twice member of the Victorian State of Origin, 283 VFL/AFL games, 23 pre-season games. Coach Box-Hill Hawks 2003. Assistant coach Carlton 2004. Member of Bulldogs Team of the Century. Club Best and Fairest 1991.

Affectionately known as 'Libba' What a little champion! He was often known as the heart and soul of the Bulldogs. Some foreign woman (maybe Maltese) didn't like the use of 'Libba, because in her language it sounded like a crude word for part of a woman's anatomy. Has as much passion for the game as any player ever had.

In 1997 with Terry Wallace as the newly appointed coach Libba was about to be delisted. He however managed to convince the coach that he would be a great tagger, and a great tagger he became. He re-invented himself as they say. He suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the late 1990's. Normally the leg is only 40% healed after 6 months and players now stay out for 1 year (eg Chris Grant), Libba however came back in 16 weeks. He played with his leg in some sort of 'device' but there you are, and there he was, the little champ.

Some examples of match winning and inspirational performances were in the 1997 final against Geelong he got gob-smacked by that red-headed dude. He got up and kicked a goal and won the game. In a different occasion he ran down a player with the ball, picked it up and ran towards goal delivering it perfectly for a Bulldogs goal.

In April 2001 Tony was given 5 weeks suspension for felling Richmond player and ex-captain Matthew Knights 100 metres off the ball. Knights emerged bleeding from the forehead. The most reasonable story that I heard was that Knights came over to whack him but Libba got him first. Knights wasn't the ripest banana in the bunch. The Richmond players all squealed like wooses.

He had a running duel with co-Brownlow Medallist and Sydney Captain Paul Kelly, being accused of scratching Kelly during a game in 1997 and afterwards saying that Kelly was 'no champion'. Libba didn't get the coaching job at Sydney when it came up a few years later.

Swept all before him as coach of the Box Hill Hawks. In Libba's first season the Hawks sat first on the ladder and won an unprecedented nine games in a row. Became runners-up in the Grand Final. He beat a high-class field to earn an assistant coaching position with Carlton for 2004.

A couple of sour notes were that he had a run-in with the club when he retired, claiming long-service leave entitlements and when he missed a coaching position late in 2003 he blamed the administration for the mess and vowed not to deal with them again.

Libba has dominated number 39 for a long time. Anybody know of any other #39's?

http://www.australianrules.com.au/2003stories/littlebig.html

Got any comments for Libba?

 

[desipura]

39 was also worn by Darren Saunders just before Libba. Darren was a quick midfielder with good skill who was at the doggies for what seemed an eternity. He did not quiet make with the doggies but when to Collingwood and played for a number of years with them.

 

[Bloody-Redhead]

smacked by that red-headed dude

Oops! Sorry.......
Haven't beaten geelong in a final, let alone played them in one in 97.

Libba/ Knights was coming from the moment we played a practice match at W-Oval.
Some player sent a hospital handball that Campbell had to jump to get. In comes Romero with a NFL tackle straight to the chest (while Campbell is in midair) Polaxed into ground.
-Campbell can't breath and mini-fight begins.
Wallace benches Romero for the rest of the day.
Week of game Frawley is on back page saying how we never respected them and they need to get 'even' after looking so bad in the practice match.
Rumors suggest payback on Wog squad
-Entire Wog Squad does not start at the first bounce (note a commentator said this) which is very different from how we had started the previous couple of weeks.
We tried to avoid this confrontation, yet they sent KNIGHTS (HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH)
Knights apparently got the first shot in, little did he expect someone half his height would still be standing to kick his @$$!

-Further: Campbell said he saw 'Nothing' when talking with Walls, unlike his Evidence.
A bit Bitter on the preseason game I guess.
(Anyone notice that Knights bled from the same wound that he had cut open accross his face numerious times before, does suggest that Libba may not have hit him as hard as you usually would to get such a wound)

 

[scooter600x]

Originally posted by Bloody-Redhead
smacked by that red-headed dude

Oops! Sorry.......
Haven't beaten geelong in a final, let alone played them in one in 97.

Libba/ Knights was coming from the moment we played a practice match at W-Oval.
Some player sent a hospital handball that Campbell had to jump to get. In comes Romero with a NFL tackle straight to the chest (while Campbell is in midair) Polaxed into ground.
-Campbell can't breath and mini-fight begins.
Wallace benches Romero for the rest of the day.
Week of game Frawley is on back page saying how we never respected them and they need to get 'even' after looking so bad in the practice match.
Rumors suggest payback on Wog squad
-Entire Wog Squad does not start at the first bounce (note a commentator said this) which is very different from how we had started the previous couple of weeks.
We tried to avoid this confrontation, yet they sent KNIGHTS (HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH)
Knights apparently got the first shot in, little did he expect someone half his height would still be standing to kick his @$$!

-Further: Campbell said he saw 'Nothing' when talking with Walls, unlike his Evidence.
A bit Bitter on the preseason game I guess.
(Anyone notice that Knights bled from the same wound that he had cut open accross his face numerious times before, does suggest that Libba may not have hit him as hard as you usually would to get such a wound)

At the time, the kid in front of me said that Knights was bumping Robbins and Libba came in and bumped Knights. Knights feigned as if he was going to throw a punch and Libba dropped him with a straight left. This is how the cut got above Knights' right eye.

Very different story to Campbell's "king hit with his right" story.

Why would a left-hander king hit someone with their right hand?

Because Campbell is a lying **** who didn't see a thing.

 

[Captain Sensible]

Originally posted by scooter600x


Why would a left-hander king hit someone with their right hand?

Because Campbell is a lying **** who didn't see a thing.

Amen to that.

 

[SonOfScray]

The Knights - Libba confrontation is something that will be remembered and debated on for many years to come. Regardless of how and why it happened, the way the media came out and absolutely crucified the man was a disgrace. Probably the biggest witch hunt I have ever seen!

Right from the moment Rex went beserk saying that Knights has been "assasinated!" You just knew that Libba was not going to be given a fair go, to top it all off you have other ********s in the media suggesting that he should give the game away! Amazing.

Aside from 2 major incidents where he got what he deserved, its a shame that Libba will forever be remembered by the general public as a rat bag. Fortunately Doggies supporters saw the best of a great footballer, who despite all the naysayers was able to achieve much more than most other footballers do throughout their career.

 

[dogman22]

I actually wrote a piece about Libba for my English Creative Writing Folio CAT back in 1998.

My teacher loved it (of course, he was a Bulldogs supporter as well, but he said it was great writing. I got an A for it, as well!!)

I have lots of great memories of Libba, probably too numerous to share. One of my all-time favourites

 

[SonOfScray]

Thats me at in the scarfe clapping Libba after his last game! It was sad day farewelling one of the last bastions of old school footy.

 

[littlenails]

Libba gets whacked in the face.

Thanks for the correction. Best to get things right. The following is what I had in mind when Libba got smacked in the gob.


ROUND 11 1997
The Bulldogs and the Cats were in a top of the ladder clash, at Optus Oval. After an even first term the Dogs pulled away late in the second term to lead by 3 goals at the main change. The Cats came back in the third term with the margin only 3 points the last change. They kicked two quick goals at the start of the last to lead by 9 points, it looked like a win for the Cats. But Libba was still in there fighting, he chased Cats defender Tim McGrath on the half-forward flank, McGrath threw his arm back and whacked Libba in the face so severely that Libba bled and had to go off the ground.

McGrath was reported. James Cook, took the free and kicked the goal from 60 metres out, all earned by Libba. This gave the Dogs momentum and we went on to win by 21 points.