What was Chris Connolly like as a player?

[At Least I Saw a Flag 5,248]

i agree with the assessment of good ordinary player.

[Biffen 12,943]

Like Brett Lovett.

The mullets would confuse me.

He was above average -better than ordinary if I recall correctly.

In that team, the skills were top notch, better than todays teams.

Alan Johnson , Flower , G lyon ,Adrian Battiston,Yeats, Lovett , D.Hughes, Jeff Hilton, Stretch ,Lovett, Grinter etc.

Northey was old fashioned in that he expected players to actually hit a target with a kick.

[nutbean 8,838]

I think the big disclaimer is that just as he was starting to shine before he got cruelled by a knee injury.

I vaguely remember Brian Wilson being out injured and Connolly went into the centre - his form was so good that he relegated Brian Wilson from the centre to the HFF (Brian Wilson had won the Brownlow playing in the centre).

He shone only briefly so my comment following is only about the time just prior to his knee going on where he was looking the goods - he reminded me of a current Bartel ( except he was not a good overhead mark like Bartel) - not fast, not flashy but he constantly got in good positions and not only delivered well but opened up the game with his possessions.

I had really high hopes for him.

[Guest]

I remember talking to him with my family in 1989 at Carrara along with Billy Bennett. He was good enough to come have a chat to the fans waiting outside the 'changerooms' (the portable offices) at the end of the game. Some security monkeys hired by whomever wouldn't let us near the players but he and Bennett were good enough to step outside and sign some autographs. He seemed like a nice bloke.

I do hope that the club supports him through this as our track record in regards to loyalty post 1965 has been average. I have evolved on this. Originally, I thought he was a quince for saying what he did (and I still do to a large extent) when he had so many people out to get him in such a politically charged environment. I also thought taking such a bloody minded approach in regards to how the list was built was short sighted. However, he has given a lot to the club. He made some mistakes. We all do. It's time we back our people and support them through the choppy waters (Dean Bailey included though it sounds like he has his own team of lawyers that are separate to ours).

[corowa 216]

I'd have to take issue with your negative comments, Condemned 84.

I taught with Chris and found him to be a great bloke, a popular teacher and very good with the football teams in the school.

That he coached an AFL team would indicate some ability. Granted, he was dismissed from that role, but he did reach the level required to be appointed and he did have some success with what had been a poorly performing team.

Having watched MFC for more years than I can remember, I would also rate Chris as one of the best 'centres' that I have seen play for us.

[Grapeviney 9,722]

Alan Johnson , Flower , G lyon ,Adrian Battiston,Yeats, Lovett , D.Hughes, Jeff Hilton, Stretch ,Lovett, Grinter etc.

Is this a game of spot the odd one out ?

[gsmith12 491]

He shone only briefly so my comment following is only about the time just prior to his knee going on where he was looking the goods - he reminded me of a current Bartel

The fact that Chris finished in the top four in the Bluey count in '83, '84 & '86 indicates he may have shone a little more than briefly ?

[Hannibal 5,814]

Good player whose body let him down. Had a really good start to his career and was at a strong standard very early. Read the play well, made good decisions and had a crack.

[Tony Tea 2,809]

Chris Connolly's stats.

[Biffen 12,943]

Is this a game of spot the odd one out ?

Haha-yes it was in fact .

Jeff Hilton did have a mullet though .

[Whispering_Jack 30,173]

I have a tape at home of the 1981 Under 19's grand final and Chris was fantastic that day. Being true Demon fans we turned up with the sparrows and when the siren rang and we had our flag, I kind of lost interest in the rest of the day's activities (my policy these days is that I don't go to grand finals unless we're in them).

Anyhow, I think his record early on in his career was that he finished in a place in the Bluey for the next three seasons and I thought he was a vital member of the team right through to that debilitating knee injury which didn't end his career but severely curtailed it. I've always maintained that had he not suffered that injury and had we been able to get Darren Jarman (who we picked in one of the early drafts) to the club, we might well have been serious premiership contenders circa 1990/1.

Off the field, he's done really well in his coaching endeavours and he's been a fine ambassador for the club in his most recent role as attested by the letter from the Cranbourne Football Club in today's Herald Sun.

All that aside, although I don't know him well, he's always been good fun at club functions and had a great sense of humour which seems to have escaped some members of the media and even a few cretins who purport to be Melbourne supporters.

[Josh 1,420]

I can wait till I'm an old dude and some young blokes say "wow did you see Jack Viney play" and I'll say "sit down son and let me tell you about him"

Will be good...

[gsmith12 491]

I can wait till I'm an old dude and some young blokes say "wow did you see Jack Viney play" and I'll say "sit down son and let me tell you about him"

Will be good...

Don't wish your life away Josh, it goes all too quickly, I like your thinking though.

Despite our tough times of late I have many pleasant memories provided by my footy club.

[baysidedave 246]

i thought he was fairly average myself

well you don't know jackshyte, he was a bloody good player who only got to play about 60-70 games through injury. How many games did you play?