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Whatever Happened to…

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Drummond

Drummond

Hall of Famer
30k Posts Veteran 10k Posts
Jun 13, 2005
32,432
18,699
Adelaide
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
Norwood, Red Wings
Barry Stanfield:

Stanfield came across from Footscray at the end of 1996 and according to the Crows 97 Yearbook he was, “one of the best recruiting moves by any club for the 1997 season”. Believe it or not he was probably my favourite player for some reason. He kicked 15 goals in the first 5 games, including two bags of 5, but not long after he lost form and lost his place in the side. He came back for a few weeks but struggled to get a kick. Did his “salute” at Waverley Park have anything to do with him being dropped, or did he suffer an injury? For a “gun” recruit and someone who got off to a great start, what the heck happened? He dropped of the face of the planet and seemingly was never heard of again. Can anyone shed some light on what exactly happened?

Brent Williams:

The tall utility was highly rated and played the first 7 games of the 1997 season before drifting off the scene. Had 14 possessions and a goal on debut as a 19 year-old, and followed that up with a 15 possession, 2 goal outing. I thought he showed some promise but sure enough, after his initial 7 games at AFL level he never played again. Was he retained for 1998 or was he cut?

Anyone else recall others who showed potential but seemed to just fade out?
 
Standfield showed the ball to an opponent early on in the 1997 season while running in to an open goal. If I remember correctly, we were leading at the time and playing well, then after he did that the opposition got a run on and we lost by a few goals. Needless to say, Blighty didn't like it and hardly saw him from then onwards.

Williams was a gun in his first few games. I remember him kicking a couple of pearlers at Victoria Park in 1997. I think after the start of the year Vardy, Sampson and Bond returned from injuries (?) and he was kicked out, never made it back.
 
Standfield had back trouble and retired at either the end of 1997 or 1998.

Williams was traded to Melbourne along with Matthew Collins for Nathan Bassett - didn't get a game for the Dees due to form and injury. Poor bastard was very much a tweener and couldn't break into a forward line featuring Lyon, Neitz and Farmer.

Was featured on TFS a while back cause he booted 18 (IIRC) in one game for his local team - is now quite overweight too.
 

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Capitalist said:
Andrew Eccles

I rated the guy - never made it
Click to expand...
Now Eccles WAS my favourite player and I thought he was going to be an abolsute gun. Showed great poise and football smarts, could take a good mark and was versatile. The knee injury he suffered against Richmond midway through 1999 was a massive blow. At the time he was playing terrific football and getting some great reviews. He recovered, but lost some speed and was never the same IMO.

Eccles was a future leader too so it’s a shame injury prevented him from reaching his potential. :(

pjcrows said:
Williams was a gun in his first few games. I remember him kicking a couple of pearlers at Victoria Park in 1997. I think after the start of the year Vardy, Sampson and Bond returned from injuries (?) and he was kicked out, never made it back.
Click to expand...
Pity as I liked the look of him.
 
Drummond said:
Now Eccles WAS my favourite player and I thought he was going to be an abolsute gun. Showed great poise and football smarts, could take a good mark and was versatile. The knee injury he suffered against Richmond midway through 1999 was a massive blow. At the time he was playing terrific football and getting some great reviews. He recovered, but lost some speed and was never the same IMO.
Click to expand...

See, I disagree. Gerard Healy used to rave about him, but I thought he was a tad soft, very inconsistent and often suffered from poor disposal.

And the thing is, it was after the knee that he registered his two career high disposal games.

By the time he was delisted by Carlton his career pattern was basically the same as it had been since debut - have a good game, follow up with 3 or 4 anonymous ones, have a solid one with a couple of goals, then go missing for a month. Repeat.
 
[Brent Williams:

The tall utility was highly rated and played the first 7 games of the 1997 season before drifting off the scene. Had 14 possessions and a goal on debut as a 19 year-old, and followed that up with a 15 possession, 2 goal outing. I thought he showed some promise but sure enough, after his initial 7 games at AFL level he never played again. Was he retained for 1998 or was he cut?

[/quote]
I was told a story a few years back about young Brent, he had been really homesick and so the AFC kindly organised/allowed his best mate to come over to help him adjust unfortunately for all involved his mate came to a tragic end and so to help Brents recovery they helped him get back home to Victoria. I was really pleased with AFC's actions with this, I hope I have the right Williams because from memory there were a couple, and there was also a Brent Collins??? well a sad story but one that does give the AFC some cred for looking after a young bloke.
 
WheresGroomgone said:
I was told a story a few years back about young Brent, he had been really homesick and so the AFC kindly organised/allowed his best mate to come over to help him adjust unfortunately for all involved his mate came to a tragic end and so to help Brents recovery they helped him get back home to Victoria. I was really pleased with AFC's actions with this, I hope I have the right Williams because from memory there were a couple, and there was also a Brent Collins??? well a sad story but one that does give the AFC some cred for looking after a young bloke.
Click to expand...

Matthew Collins.

They went home in the same trade for Nathan Bassett, as said above.
 

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Capitalist said:
Matt Golding (Glenelg?)

I honestly thought he was to be the next big thing

how wrong I was......
Click to expand...

He was captain of the U18 SA side in his year of eligibility, but was for some reason overlooked by everyone in the draft before eventually being rookied. Big start, but not much thereafter.

Did a knee playing for Glenelg after dropping off the Crows list and I think retired not long after.
 
amer said:
Tom Gilligan? Thought he looked the goods in the ruck.

What was the story there?
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Not sure what the exact story was, but massively homesick not long after being picked up.

Demanded to go home even before the 1997 season had finished from memory and like with Angwin, the club had no other option but to cut its losses and delist.

It's stories like this that make me wonder why Craig didnt take the local boy (Wood) over Meesen, I mean, there's a first time for everything, but the track record of long-term project players from over the border is an ongoing tale of woe.
 
The player I thought had the goods was Lance Picioane. Obviously I was wrong but I still don't understand how someone can play such a good first game as an 18 year old (in round 1 straight out of the draft), where he totally looked liek an experienced regular, and forever struggle from then on.
 
**** said:
The player I thought had the goods was Lance Picioane. Obviously I was wrong but I still don't understand how someone can play such a good first game as an 18 year old (in round 1 straight out of the draft), where he totally looked liek an experienced regular, and forever struggle from then on.
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Remember, he was completely frozen out by Blight at a certain point - not sure why, showed plenty at Glenelg at a time when we weren't exactly flushed with midfielders.

Was solid for the Hawks and Roos, but yeah, total waste.
 
pjcrows said:
Standfield showed the ball to an opponent early on in the 1997 season while running in to an open goal. If I remember correctly, we were leading at the time and playing well, then after he did that the opposition got a run on and we lost by a few goals. Needless to say, Blighty didn't like it and hardly saw him from then onwards.

Williams was a gun in his first few games. I remember him kicking a couple of pearlers at Victoria Park in 1997. I think after the start of the year Vardy, Sampson and Bond returned from injuries (?) and he was kicked out, never made it back.
Click to expand...


That was against Hawthorn at VFL park in 97. They didn't beat us but they did come back at us hard.
I don't think he played for the Crows again after that but IIRC he was emergency for the 97 GF side. He was spotted in the morning at a function having a "quiet ale" which put pay to any rumours that the Adelaide line up would have a last minute change:D
 

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dyertribe said:
Not sure what the exact story was, but massively homesick not long after being picked up.

Demanded to go home even before the 1997 season had finished from memory and like with Angwin, the club had no other option but to cut its losses and delist.

It's stories like this that make me wonder why Craig didnt take the local boy (Wood) over Meesen, I mean, there's a first time for everything, but the track record of long-term project players from over the border is an ongoing tale of woe.
Click to expand...


IIRC Gilligan got an earlier call up than planned due to injuries. I think he debuted in the first showdown. Then after one or two other games got dropped back to North in the SANFL.
The Crows wanted him played in the ruck to develop his game so North played him in the Reserves (as we already had Parker and Rosenboom) and either Gilligan or the Crows (think it may have been the Crows) cracked the s***ts and he ended up at the Port Magpies. Don't remember how he went at Port, but I seem to remember he was back in Victoria before the season ended.
 
WheresGroomgone said:
[Brent Williams:

The tall utility was highly rated and played the first 7 games of the 1997 season before drifting off the scene. Had 14 possessions and a goal on debut as a 19 year-old, and followed that up with a 15 possession, 2 goal outing. I thought he showed some promise but sure enough, after his initial 7 games at AFL level he never played again. Was he retained for 1998 or was he cut?

I was told a story a few years back about young Brent, he had been really homesick and so the AFC kindly organised/allowed his best mate to come over to help him adjust unfortunately for all involved his mate came to a tragic end and so to help Brents recovery they helped him get back home to Victoria. I was really pleased with AFC's actions with this, I hope I have the right Williams because from memory there were a couple, and there was also a Brent Collins??? well a sad story but one that does give the AFC some cred for looking after a young bloke.
Click to expand...

That makes sense as IIRC he was back in Victoria by the end of the 97 season but traded to melbourne in 98.
I seem to remember seeing him playing in the VFL (can't remember who with) in that show State Rules that the ABC use to have on late Friday Nights in 97.
His game at Vic Park in 97 was a ripper. Pity Osbourne kicked that goal "2 weeks" after the siren went to end the quarter or we would have won.
 
Leaping Lindner said:
That makes sense as IIRC he was back in Victoria by the end of the 97 season but traded to melbourne in 98.
I seem to remember seeing him playing in the VFL (can't remember who with) in that show State Rules that the ABC use to have on late Friday Nights in 97.
His game at Vic Park in 97 was a ripper. Pity Osbourne kicked that goal "2 weeks" after the siren went to end the quarter or we would have won.
Click to expand...

That game was a shamozzle.

What about Pitto's mark that wasn't paid in the goalsquare with 3 or 4 minutes left and Scott Burns being allowed to hold the ball and umm and ahh for about 30 seconds until the final siren went?

Just a sickener. I remember being so so confident after the 50-point destruction of the Doggies at Optus the previous week. To go down by a point in those circs was appalling.
 

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