Bring Back the Biff?

[Gippy Dee 48]

Came across this video on You Tube of some biffs and hard knocks in the AFL/VFL.

Couldn't help but notice a couple of clips in this video of Todd Viney losing it! Especailly the one where he jumps 'Harry' Madden.

So, to create some conversation what are some your your favourite Biff and Bash moments?

Gippy

Edited January 7, 2012 by Gippy Dee

[Bossdog 2,002]

Robbie MUIR hitting a carlton player... Met him a few years ago, still a very scary man with eyes that would made you cringe and would sooner fight you than shake your hand

[Go the Biff 3,414]

That was Dennis Collins that Muir poleaxed. One of many

[Sir Why You Little 36,954]

That was Dennis Collins that Muir poleaxed. One of many

Remember watching that game live in Queensland in '78. It was a classic.

[dee-luded 2,959]

That was Dennis Collins that Muir poleaxed. One of many

I was they're with my StKilda mates, opposite wing.

Glad Collins got it, saw it all. He was baiting him some how & Kapow.

Collins never seemed to come back from that through his career. Typical Carlton winhger.

Love the Mad dog. And Big Carl, & Biffo.

[The Song Formerly Known As 6,479]

i'm sure Tapscott will be involved in a few (more) "biff and bash" moments for his career is out!

[Range Rover 1,935]

I hated Dermott Brereton when he was winning premierships for fun and strutting around like the uber-bogan he was in the late 80's, but my word could the man lay on an exquisite hip and shoulder.

The one I remember most vividly was a beauty to prematurely end Paul Van Der Haar's afternoon in a Hawks-Bombers semi-final out at Waverley in about 1989. Both men were charging the footy down as it raced towards the boundary line, centre wing on the coache's box side of the ground. Dermie, ever the opportunist thug, senses the moment and with a nifty change of direction, dips the shoulder and sends Vanders on a 180 degree vertical mid-air spin. Perfect timing. Out cold.

And it was right in front of the Essendon dugout!

[Sir Why You Little 36,954]

I hated Dermott Brereton when he was winning premierships for fun and strutting around like the uber-bogan he was in the late 80's, but my word could the man lay on an exquisite hip and shoulder.

The one I remember most vividly was a beauty to prematurely end Paul Van Der Haar's afternoon in a Hawks-Bombers semi-final out at Waverley in about 1989. Both men were charging the footy down as it raced towards the boundary line, centre wing on the coache's box side of the ground. Dermie, ever the opportunist thug, senses the moment and with a nifty change of direction, dips the shoulder and sends Vanders on a 180 degree vertical mid-air spin. Perfect timing. Out cold.

And it was right in front of the Essendon dugout!

Pretty sure that was the same day Dermott walked straight through the Essendon huddle! Absolute classic theatre. Hope the Demons get that attitude!!

[hardtack 10,514]

I hated Dermott Brereton when he was winning premierships for fun and strutting around like the uber-bogan he was in the late 80's, but my word could the man lay on an exquisite hip and shoulder.

The one I remember most vividly was a beauty to prematurely end Paul Van Der Haar's afternoon in a Hawks-Bombers semi-final out at Waverley in about 1989. Both men were charging the footy down as it raced towards the boundary line, centre wing on the coache's box side of the ground. Dermie, ever the opportunist thug, senses the moment and with a nifty change of direction, dips the shoulder and sends Vanders on a 180 degree vertical mid-air spin. Perfect timing. Out cold.

And it was right in front of the Essendon dugout!

Don't care what anyone says, I like the Derm... sure we loved to hate him, but at least he could take just as much as he handed out. Who could forget the '89 GF when Geelong's Mark Yeates knocked him out... got up vomiting and then went on to put in an amazing game. We need inspirational players like him. Matthews was the Hawk I despised as a player.

[Sir Why You Little 36,954]

Don't care what anyone says, I like the Derm... sure we loved to hate him, but at least he could take just as much as he handed out. Who could forget the '89 GF when Geelong's Mark Yeates knocked him out... got up vomiting and then went on to put in an amazing game. We need inspirational players like him. Matthews was the Hawk I despised as a player.

'89 GF is the greatest game of footy i have seen. It's got the lot. Gave the DVD to my teenage nephew and said "this is how it used to be played" he was speechless watching it. But was smiling.

[Range Rover 1,935]

Don't care what anyone says, I like the Derm... sure we loved to hate him, but at least he could take just as much as he handed out. Who could forget the '89 GF when Geelong's Mark Yeates knocked him out... got up vomiting and then went on to put in an amazing game. We need inspirational players like him. Matthews was the Hawk I despised as a player.

Don't get me wrong, I thought Derm was a wonderful player too for the reasons you've stated. But wearing my red and blue cap, the arrogance with which he and his Hawk cohorts trod on sides like ours was truly loathsome.

'89 GF is the greatest game of footy i have seen. It's got the lot. Gave the DVD to my teenage nephew and said "this is how it used to be played" he was speechless watching it. But was smiling.

Agree. Almost forgotten in that match (because of Brereton's heroics) was the effort by Dipper to play out the game with a punctured lung after a frightful hit by Ablett Snr.

[Sir Why You Little 36,954]

Don't get me wrong, I thought Derm was a wonderful player too for the reasons you've stated. But wearing my red and blue cap, the arrogance with which he and his Hawk cohorts trod on sides like ours was truly loathsome.

Agree. Almost forgotten in that match (because of Brereton's heroics) was the effort by Dipper to play out the game with a punctured lung after a frightful hit by Ablett Snr.

Pritchard to Dunstall. How good was Pritchard for a forgotten player. Same with Dean Anderson. That's why i find it hard to call modern day demons champions, because they aern't sadly.

[Range Rover 1,935]

Found it! 0.55 secs in ...

[1 red eye 1 blue eye 771]

Not a favourite, Phil Carmen king hits a watching the ball Gary Hardeman, it was behind the play and at Victoria Park back in the 70s. Still fires me up.

[LuvMyDees 18]

I'm no fan of Dermies, but that tackle he mad when wearing the Sydney guernsey was almost perfect....reminiscent of one Jack Trengove on P Dangerfield

[alpha33 309]

The problem I have with many exponents of the big biff was the cowardly cheap shots on players behind the play and the errant fists and elbows thrown at unsuspecting opponents who only had eyes for the ball.

[3031 11]

The problem I have with many exponents of the big biff was the cowardly cheap shots on players behind the play and the errant fists and elbows thrown at unsuspecting opponents who only had eyes for the ball.

Agreed alpha33. Some great tackles to be celebrated but also some of these happenings are best described as cheap, opportunistic and irresponsible....and definitely not honouring the spirit of fair, honest competition on the basis of skill and effort.

The sadness to me is that some of the guilty parties could on other occasions show great personal courage..but seemed to give in to a personality weakness or poor thinking and decision making in the heat of the game.

This game can be a hard physical game and tackling and hard physicality are a wonderful part of it..some players (and supporters for that matter) just need to get the perspective right about healthy and fair physicality and cheap and dangerous opportunism.

FWIW, I thought the Trengove tackle was fair and in the spirit of the game and am still frustrated at the way this was treated.

[monoccular 17,411]

The problem I have with many exponents of the big biff was the cowardly cheap shots on players behind the play and the errant fists and elbows thrown at unsuspecting opponents who only had eyes for the ball.

Agree Alpha - thought that I had posted a reply last night to that effect but didn't get through. The likes of Dyer, Matthews and Sheedy off ball thuggery has no place at all.

The Trengove 'incident' though really p'ed me off - what had always been regarded as a part of the game instantly became, for one week, illegal...and the so called 'victim', Dunderfeild didn't help one bit by his ineptitude.

[dee-luded 2,959]

'89 GF is the greatest game of footy i have seen. It's got the lot. Gave the DVD to my teenage nephew and said "this is how it used to be played" he was speechless watching it. But was smiling.

Thats a good point WYL. As to how the game used to be played, and wasn't it Great.

And heres some Info as to whats changed since, & has that influenced things.

Historical interchange rules and tactics

In the VFL/AFL, the number of interchanges allowed has followed the following time-line:

• Prior to 1930 – there was no means for either substitution or interchange. A team played one man short if a player was injured.
  
• 1930 – the introduction of a single substitute
  
• 1946 – the introduction of a second substitute
  
• 1978 – the replacement of two substitutes with two interchanges
  
• 1994 – the introduction of a third interchange
  
• 1998 – the introduction of a fourth interchange
  
• 2011 – the replacement of four interchanges with three interchanges and a substitute
  

This time-line is for the VFL/AFL only, and there has not necessarily been uniformity between it and the other leagues in the country.

http://en.wikipedia....les_and_tactics

Remember we had players who could still get a game back then that would struggle now with the 'athletes' and the rotations and hard chasing the length of the ground. Players like Lockett, Diesel, GAblett snr, Van der Haar, Conlan, Brereton, TD,

'My', it was Good Footy.

Edited January 8, 2012 by dee-luded

[dee-luded 2,959]

Pritchard to Dunstall. How good was Pritchard for a forgotten player. Same with Dean Anderson. That's why i find it hard to call modern day demons champions, because they aern't sadly.

Thats good WYL, thats the way we'll raise the bar instead of lowering it, as has been our trait of the past.

To backslap those who aren't the real McCoy.

[dee-luded 2,959]

The problem I have with many exponents of the big biff was the cowardly cheap shots on players behind the play and the errant fists and elbows thrown at unsuspecting opponents who only had eyes for the ball.

Nobody wants to see cowards hanging out the wide elbow whilst their bodies and heads are well out of wayne harmes way.

But the real Biff of pure Mongrel strength of a Lockett wrestle or headlock, or a Dermie Hip & Shoulder or run through, or a GAblett crunching mark twist & turn, goal in one motion. Or a Micky Conlan, take the ball for a run and turn the tackler ass about on the way through.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

The problem I have with many exponents of the big biff was the cowardly cheap shots on players behind the play and the errant fists and elbows thrown at unsuspecting opponents who only had eyes for the ball.

Some great tackles to be celebrated but also some of these happenings are best described as cheap, opportunistic and irresponsible....and definitely not honouring the spirit of fair, honest competition on the basis of skill and effort.

The sadness to me is that some of the guilty parties could on other occasions show great personal courage..but seemed to give in to a personality weakness or poor thinking and decision making in the heat of the game.

I couldnt agree more with the sentiments. Some of the old style "tuff" players were some of the most gutless individuals on a football ground whose spineless attacks on other players with eyes on the ball were rightly rubbed out and eliminated from the game. Leigh Matthews is one of the best footballers to have played the game but some of the behind the scene hits place a blot on a great record.

The 1989 GF is indeed a great game. However some of the celebrated "phyisical" aspects of the game (eg Yeates on Dermie) were good examples of the cheap shot that thankfully has no part in modern football. In fact most of the 1980s GF would always start with a ridiculous pre mediated brawl which lowered and wrecked the football aspect of the game. Indeed the AFL have rightly determined that reportable offences committed on GF day are subject to stiffer penalties and rightly so.

[Sir Why You Little 36,954]

Thats good WYL, thats the way we'll raise the bar instead of lowering it, as has been our trait of the past.

To backslap those who aren't the real McCoy.

It has been going on for decades (Northey almost cracked it-Danniher made it worse) i hope and pray our new coach uses players tactically rather than on sentiment. The team structure and procedure. If a player is injured or dropped, another comes in seamlessly. That must be the aim of a great team.

[Carlos Danger 380]

Byron Pickett was easily the best hip & shoulder I've ever seen, the amount of pace he could get on his pigeon legs combined with all the strength from the upper body- it was perfect. Could lay a fair tackle too, best memory being the one he planted on Kane Cornes in I think the first game he played against Port since leaving.

Was stoked with getting him at the club but the timing was all wrong, it was when all the bumping stuff was being heavily scrutinised and unfortunately he was the guy who they really made an example out of. A little bit like what happened with Trengove and the sling-tackle last year.

Beau Waters would probably be my favourite for 'the biff' in the comp today, though Tapscott is looking solid with only a season under his belt. And Magner will be one to watch out for if he gets some senior opportunities, tackling with force is certainly something he excels at.

[My TD 156]

.

Heres my favorite Pickett on Biglands.

Biglands lined him up but come off second best.

Laughed watching him explaining what happened to the trainers at 3:10.