Dirtiest Player in AFL history (not VFL Days)

[dee-luded 2,959]

I remember Peter Knights coming out to my school on behalf of the Commonwealth bank-teaching kids to save, giving out those elephant money boxes!!

I remember Ray Biffen coming out frequently to our school delivering Cheesles & Twisties etc.

Got a few freebie mini Twistie packets.

[The Chazz 4,077]

Dirtiest AFL player - easily Dustin Fletcher. Guerra = hard, tough. Stephen Baker = serial pest. I did once see Fraser Gherig kick Nathan Brown behind the goals one game, was never going to get caught on camera, but I saw it. Needless to say, a massive amount of abuse was thrown the G-Train's way!

In my time (30 years), Buddah Hocking was a filthy [censored], and his teammate that wore number 5 wasn't the cleanest blokes going around. I rate those 2 milers ahead of Grinter. Grinter was far from dirty, and the sh!t that happened over the Wallace incident was a disgrace. I almost vomit when I see Wallace on TV, and if he ever coached Melbourne, I would not follow the Dees until he left.

Worsfold wasn't dirty either, just hard. Will never forget the day that Jess Sinclair played his first game for the Dockers, and the first bloke he knocked out with a hip and shoulder, one Mr J Worsfold. Stupidity on Jess' behalf, but Woosha never hunted him down, he knew it was fair and got on with it.

Chris Lewis was just a pig.

[John Crow Batty 8,880]

Hi Billy, I agree with you about Wallace. A big hypocrite. He goes out and sues for getting a smack in the chops and needing some dental work. I was at that game and the ball was about six inches from his face after he fumbled it when he got hit. Grinter wasn't even reported. Then he coaches the Bulldogs and cultivates the filthy few namely Libba, Romero, Dimmatina and Co to do worse.

I recall that there were media reports in the papers and TV at the time mentioning an unnamed club and a certain unnamed so called hitman which was believed to be Grinter, well at least in my circles. There were several incidents earlier in the season where Grinter farewelled a few opponents off on stretchers. I think the AFL saw the Wallace incident as the last straw and took action against him. I think he got six weeks suspension but likely would have missed more from the hand infection he got from Wallaces filthy mouth.

[big tuna 0]

Two names spring to mind.....

DUSTIN FLETCHER

Don't even get me started....

Spot on. And I'll throw Didak in for good measure. Neither of these guys are tough but are certainly the 2 dirtiest current day players. They both love to trip and have seen both intentionally kick players... even when on their backs.

Dirtiest act by an AFL player had to be ex-Swans player Garlick when he "munched some nuts" and then tried to avoid suspension by saying he was suffocating. Come to think of it I think he was playing VFL at this stage... still amusing.

[RalphiusMaximus 6,102]

Libba and Long leap to mind for me. Libba was as dirty as they come, crowning his career with the king hit on Knights. Long was a scummy nasty player who likewise capped off his career with a monumental act of violence, in this case the potentially lethal hit on Troy Simmonds. Personally I think the game would have been far richer if neither of them had ever played.

On a slightly lighter note, for week-in-week-out dirty play, Stewy Lowe. His version of spoiling a mark was a fist to the back of the head. No way in hell was that not deliberate, given how consistently he landed it. I don't think I ever saw him called for it either.

[Bang Na Demon 168]

Dipper is a lovely charming bloke and I happen to know he gets along quite well with a lot of former umpires...

Its always the way.

When I played (suburban) footy the thugs in my team were the nicest guys off the field and the guys that used to do all the tough talk in the locker room were the softest on the field

[Guest 45 double agent]

Hi Billy, I agree with you about Wallace. A big hypocrite. He goes out and sues for getting a smack in the chops and needing some dental work. I was at that game and the ball was about six inches from his face after he fumbled it when he got hit. Grinter wasn't even reported. Then he coaches the Bulldogs and cultivates the filthy few namely Libba, Romero, Dimmatina and Co to do worse.

I recall that were media reports in the papers and TV at the time mentioning an unnamed club and a certain unnamed so called hitman which was believed to be Grinter, well at least in my circles. There were several incidents earlier in the season where Grinter farewelled a few opponents off in stetchers. I think the AFL saw the Wallace incident as the last straw and took action against him. I think he got six weeks suspension but likely would have missed more from the hand infection he got from Wallaces filthy mouth.

he sniped Wallace that day, my dad took me to the 87 prelim, i vwas only young and we had the privelige of sitting on the fence, Grinter that day hit C Mew with the shirt front iv ever seen, Grinter could hit you from any any angle, but his still a sniper.

[Hellaintabadplacetobe 4,297]

Very surprised nobody has mentioned Mad Dog Robbie Muir. Other mugs were Mark Lee from Tiges and going back even further Mal Brown. Stan Magro was a pr!@k too. Our own Carl Ditterich would be very high on the list. I doubt anyone has used their elbows as much as Big Carl

[John Crow Batty 8,880]

Hi Double and Hell. I was at that prelim and saw that hit on Mew too. Agree with you it was crunching. I didn't think Chris Mew would recover but he did. A couple of weeks before the Wallace incident, I saw Grinter clean up a Richmond player who I can't remember in a night game. It was the the most devastating front on brutal tackle I think I've ever seen. Looked like something out of pro wrestling. He didn't get reported or freed and the Richmond player was knocked out cold. I was sitting near the Richmond fans in the old Southern Grandstand and they went absolutely crazy.

One thing about Grinter and I also put Dustin Fletcher in the same category too is that they ply their trade at the contest and rarely if ever behind the play. In a way that makes them more dangerous as other players don't know what hits them.

Agree with Mal Brown and Carl Ditterich. They were first class butchers but perhaps a little early for this discussion. I saw Carl's last game against Collingwood. Melb got done and all Carl did was go around bashing every opponent he could. Not a memorable exit for him. As for Robbie Muir he was just an out of control psycho chicken. No method in his malice.

[biggestred 5,237]

im pretty sure leigh brown is not in the collingwood side for his football ability.....just there to smash guys?

[Chook 15,023]

im pretty sure leigh brown is not in the collingwood side for his football ability.....just there to smash guys?

I'm thinking that too.

[Hiram Cowfreak 78]

Barry Hall hands down!! Anyone remember that final against the Saints in 1998 when he had a 3 minute snap. Went after Mouse and Yze. Dropped a f...'n knee to a guy on the ground. Waas dragged by Alves and then punched the roof of the dugout. Cost the Saints the game and Alves huis coaching career in the process.

I was there that day and guy he kneed on the ground was Jimmy Stynes. Yze ran in and threw down another StKilda player and broke his shoulder.

Barry was out of control that day

[Sir Why You Little 37,302]

. As for Robbie Muir he was just an out of control psycho chicken. No method in his malice.

Last i heard Mad Dog was umpiring in a country league-what a classic!! B)

[Lost Highway 31]

I haven't read this thread with great care, so he might have got a mention somewhere already...

But can I just put in a word for Brereton, for the day he sort of accidentally-on-purpose stood on Graeme Yates' head during a game (might have been a final) out at Waverley in about 1990? Anyone remember that? Funny how Yater's head so rudely got in the way, between the ground and Dermie's boot, as Dermie was levering himself up from a melee which the ump had signalled to be a ball-up.

Maybe he wasn't the dirtiest, but he was among the nastiest, most offensive presences on any football field.

[Lost Highway 31]

Big Carl is king of the dirties, by a mile. In the days when the tribunal actually gave real punishments, he just kept coming back for more and bigger ones. A 4-week suspension would have no effect on him at all.

Matthews a distant second.

Sheedy not bad, either.

[Steamin Demon 401]

I haven't read this thread with great care, so he might have got a mention somewhere already...

But can I just put in a word for Brereton, for the day he sort of accidentally-on-purpose stood on Graeme Yates' head during a game (might have been a final) out at Waverley in about 1990? Anyone remember that? Funny how Yater's head so rudely got in the way, between the ground and Dermie's boot, as Dermie was levering himself up from a melee which the ump had signalled to be a ball-up.

Maybe he wasn't the dirtiest, but he was among the nastiest, most offensive presences on any football field.

I remember that Dermie incident too, I have never forgiven him and I reminded him of it late last year in the elevator at Jihad stadium. I also let him know how much he looked like a big poof in his big fluffy jacket.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

I remember that Dermie incident too, I have never forgiven him and I reminded him of it late last year in the elevator at Jihad stadium. I also let him know how much he looked like a big poof in his big fluffy jacket.

Brereton would have lost sleep at night over that dressing down. WOW.

[DirtyDees DDC 190]

Leign Matthews was hardly the sniper. Often he was front and centre with the "hard" stuff.

Leigh was hardly front and centre when he heaved into Royce Hart in the 70's. And Royce was standing over the boundary line! He also gonged Barry Cable in an interstate match. Two of the fairest players in the game!

Don't forget that Leigh played in an era when they didn't have 17 cameras at each game, so a lot of his stuff went unreported.

Someone else mentioned 'Delicate Des Dickson'. What a classic. Norm Bussell wasn't bad either. And don't forget Leigh's brother Kelvin. Vin Waite had a touch of the sun when Kelvin ran past him.

For post 1990, i'd pick Libba. He changed his game to become a full time scagger. He argued that he played within the letter of the law. He certainly didn't stay within the spirit of the game.

Honourable mention to McGlynn - now playing with the swans. He was blocking Davey to the ground last year when they were 60 metres off the ball.

Matthews, Dickson, Bussell, McGlynn. There's a common thread here.

[John Crow Batty 8,880]

Hi all, if we go back into history there were 100's of thugs in the game. All on their day as bad as each other. Every team had 3 or 4 of them and also fielded specialist hard men who were only selected for a few games a season. The ones we remember were the ones who had a bit more talent, avoided injury and managed to have long careers.

If they had loose heads or not much footy talent most eventually went back to the country or the VFA. Who can remember the rouges gallery at Port Melbounre in the 70's?

Today the modern version of these types would be taggers and hard man defenders who's job description will include applying negative tactics. As the rules on violence are so tough and with cameras everywhere they have to be more subtle and not so easily spotted. Their actions can never be as brutal as in the past. So it would be hard to compare them with the legendary hard men of the past. And every side has these types on their lists. Though in regards to Melbourne I think they've been [censored] in this aspect of the game for years.

I also agree that Dermie should be added on the list. He was another one like Wallis and Andrews who liked to do just a little bit more than the average thug on the field. I used to get the impression there were some players who actually liked to maim their opposition rather than just take them out of the game.

Another few that deserve mention from the end of the golden era for these types in the 70'/80's are Neil Balme, Cowboy Neale, Mick Malthouse, Ricky McLean, Rod Carter, Stewart Gull, John Nicholls. And Laurie Fowler, Gary Baker, Shane Zantuck and Ray Biffin from the Dee's. But I could easily name a dozen more.

[Prof 15]

My goodness! How far back do you want to go?

1960's

Carl Ditterich, Delicate Des Dickson, Ted Whitten, John Peck, Neil Balme, John Nicholls, Des Tuddenham

1970's

Lethal Leigh, Kevin Sheedy, Don McKenzie, Bob & Barry Pascoe

1980's

Robert Muir

At Melbourne, not that much to report:

Ray Biffen, Carl Ditterich, Rod Grinter.

I saw Greg Hutchinson iron out some bloke about 50m behind the play one day.

[gOLLy 401]

I remember that Dermie incident too, I have never forgiven him and I reminded him of it late last year in the elevator at Jihad stadium. I also let him know how much he looked like a big poof in his big fluffy jacket.

Tell the whole story

[45HG 1,559]

Dermie did the same thing to Rayden Tallis (sp?) didn't he?

[John Crow Batty 8,880]

I recall, Dermie ended Melbourne's Dean Chiron's career in 1988 with a well executed elbow. Broke his jaw, was severely concussed and never played again. Chiron was no angel himself. He was a mean tough dirty little tagger and well suited to John Northey's game plan.

[Guest 45 double agent]

I recall, Dermie ended Melbourne's Dean Chiron's career in 1988 with a well executed elbow. Broke his jaw, was severely concussed and never played again. Chiron was no angel himself. He was a mean tough dirty little tagger and well suited to John Northey's game plan.

was it dermie that king hit Tony Free, that was a cheap shot.

[John Crow Batty 8,880]

Hi 45. I don't recall the Free incident. Can you elaborate? In light of Wonnajurrah's initial post to identify the dirtiest player in the AFL and considering all the replies so far I would vote for Dermie as the dirtiest in the AFL history closely followed by Wallis. What weighs in his favor is that in the earlier years acts of extreme violence were still acceptable unlike in todays game. And he featured prominently in many.