I heard a story (just can't remember who or when....age....grrrr) which came from a player at the time, that he was deliberately ostracised by the other players on game day for exactly those money reasons. It was the reason he never played to his potential, and why he left. I want to say it was via Brent Crosswell or Crackers Keenan. Crackers seems more logical cos he was just there at the time. I think? It's odd that we'd been so bereft of star 'big bags of goals' forwards for so long. Allen Jakovich broke that mould, but as we know, it ended up being too good to be true. Great while it lasted though.

Think this is correct. I thought he come over on $15,000 which was huge money back then.

A burst player. Prodigious kick of the torpedo. Played a lot towards the end as either 19th or 20th man. Would come on in the last quarter and kick a goal or two.

Looked like the original Chesty Bond

I still remember a goal that Tilbrook kicked playing for the reserves at Victoria Park. Kicked it from centre half back.

And who can forget the Jim Tilbrook scholarship squad.

I still remember a goal that Tilbrook kicked playing for the reserves at Victoria Park. Kicked it from centre half back.

And who can forget the Jim Tilbrook scholarship squad.

The Jim Tilbrook what??

I'll let myself out.

Ah memories.......J.T. was a thumping kick who looked like Tapscott on steroids but was more of a "finisher" than a hard-ball-get type . He came from a champion SANFL club to a team of battlers and despite incredible expectation , had little impact on the club's fortunes ( 53 games, 59 goals )

Lou Richards used to have a running joke on WOS with his moniker. He went from Diamond Jim to Topaz Tilbrook to Tillendrium Tilbrook.

Coincidence or what? I happened to be down at the Dunes Golf Club on Sunday and was talking to my bother and nephew about the Dees and somehow we got talking about Tilbrook, not sure why or how but my nephew said he knows him because he is a member at Peninsula Golf Club where Diamond Jim is club captain. Good golfer apparently.

I also remember he went off and played American Football as well, he was there a few years, not sure how well he went. Must have been a trail blazer back then.

Did anyone listen to Jim Tilbrook last night on SEN with Finey? It was great listening. On Robbie Flower's debut at Geelong, Jim kicked 6 and Glenn Swan kicked 8!

I wonder what happened to Swann - he only played one year for us. Does anyone know?

Tilbrook played in 5 premierships before coming to us. My vague and distant best memory is one day on the G before a game, he was having shots at goal and roosted one with a torpedo from a very long way out.

Certainly remember Jim Tilbrook and the hype about his signing. I cannot however remember the name Glenn Swan. Was he interstate too?

Glenn Swann. No one has mentioned his eight goals. Same as Cuthbertson and Cordner, all of whom faded to obscurity. What a let down from all three after high hopes.

Glenn Swann. No one has mentioned his eight goals. Same as Cuthbertson and Cordner, all of whom faded to obscurity. What a let down from all three after high hopes.

I heard David Coroner interviewed on the Coodabeens a few weeks back. Great interview, had some fun/scary things to say about Barass. He was a classic MFC tease, was Cordner. Big, blond, athletic, great Dees pedigree, and just a bit ho-hum.

I heard David Coroner interviewed on the Coodabeens a few weeks back. Great interview, had some fun/scary things to say about Barass. He was a classic MFC tease, was Cordner. Big, blond, athletic, great Dees pedigree, and just a bit ho-hum.

David Cordner used to get hands on plenty of marks but couldnt hold them. Would make Dawes look like super glue hands

Met Glen Swann at through work many years later. Gob smacked when I reminded him about 8 Goals against Geelong. It was in the wet too. He was working as are Recreation Officer or similar for City of Camberwell. That was mid 80s.

I heard David Coroner interviewed on the Coodabeens a few weeks back. Great interview, had some fun/scary things to say about Barass. He was a classic MFC tease, was Cordner. Big, blond, athletic, great Dees pedigree, and just a bit ho-hum.

He is still a big healthy unit. Had some back issues that he couldn't get right, went to Sydney bad back finished career. Has some young cousins that can play.

Diamond Jim's first kick was not a goal. Massive torp at Arctic Park in the wet. Against Bloods. Went 60 metres.

The abiding memory I have of Jim Tilbrook was in his first game at Waverley when he kicked a couple of long goals in the wet on a day made for low scoring.

When he ran out on the ground in his Melbourne jumper, I pictured an S on his barrel chest and a red cape flung over his back. He looked like Superman.

Unfortunately, like many who went after him, his career went downhill after game 1.

Not all that long after he retired he pulled on the jumper for Old Melbournians in the Ammos,

Anyway this day Im lining up and next thing this massive hulk jogs over and turns out I was his direct opponent, Big Diamond Jim himself.

The funniest thing of the day was when I threw myself at him as he crashed ( Yes that's right) crashed through a pack and I managed to get both my arms around his "Massive" arms but it made no difference so picture this John Tillbrook with one "Picket Fence" attached manfully trying to hang making not a scant of difference, as he launched into a Massive Torp from the wing HF and sailed a goal through the centre.

Hell of a nice fellow and off the ground very good company!

I remember Glen more as a cricketer and maybe that is why he quit footy. He opened the bowling for Melbourne in district cricket in 75/76 they won the flag. His late dad, Geoff was an absolute MCC legend.

David Cordner used to get hands on plenty of marks but couldnt hold them. Would make Dawes look like super glue hands

Cordner was fantastic in the U19s but this did not translate to the Seniors. Like many others, he seemed to have great potential in the early days but did not develop. Not sure the reasons but he was playing with an unsuccessful team when delivery to forwards was poor. Initially a big forward he did not have the mobility or football smarts to construct a game from nothing. He was not very mobile when the ball hit the ground. Despite his size he was not a physical player who could mix it with the tough defenders. He was a confidence player who never got enough of the ball. He seemed to be on the outer with Barassi and I suspect his qualities did not impress the great man who was never going to give him an easy game. I remember he had a BOG one day at centre half back against the Saints at Moorabbin. Alas his transfer to the Swans was unsuccessful and he was worse than he had been at Deeland.

Cordner was fantastic in the U19s but this did not translate to the Seniors. Like many others, he seemed to have great potential in the early days but did not develop. Not sure the reasons but he was playing with an unsuccessful team when delivery to forwards was poor. Initially a big forward he did not have the mobility or football smarts to construct a game from nothing. He was not very mobile when the ball hit the ground. Despite his size he was not a physical player who could mix it with the tough defenders. He was a confidence player who never got enough of the ball. He seemed to be on the outer with Barassi and I suspect his qualities did not impress the great man who was never going to give him an easy game. I remember he had a BOG one day at centre half back against the Saints at Moorabbin. Alas his transfer to the Swans was unsuccessful and he was worse than he had been at Deeland.

The son of Ted Cordner kicked 111 goals for the season in the 1981 Under 19's side, including 12 against Hawthorn in the Semi Final, and won a premiership before graduating to the seniors the next year.

His debut season was ruined by injury, and he was demoted to the supplementary list a month into the year. Knee surgery eventually ended his year on three senior matches. Cordner returned but continued to be a regular on the injury list across 1983 before finally playing a breakout season in 1984 where he booted 32 goals in 17 games.

Despite a career high seven goals in the Round 1, 1985 victory over Fitzroy, Cordner failed to kick a goal between round 9 and round 20 that year and Ron Barassi experimented with him as a defender later in the season.

A broken collarbone suffered during a 1986 practice match against Geelong delayed Cordner's start until Round 8 and he only booted three goals for the whole season.

Cordner played one game in 1987 before being dropped, and had his jaw broken in aReserves game. He didn't play another match for the season and crossed to Sydney in1988 as a replacement for Warwick Capper who had just defected to the Brisbane Bears. They paid $60,000 to beat out offers from Footscray and Geelong, but Cordner's stay was not successful as he kicked just three goals in five games before ending his VFL career.

From:- http://demonwiki.org/tiki-index.php?page=David+Cordner

I think it was Glenn Swan who helped my dad build the side fence of our Sandringham home in '73

No idea how it all happened but i do remember being very impressed!!

Robbie debuted in Swann's 8 goal Geelong game. Recall headline on sports pages how two "graceful names" like Swan and Flower tore the Cats a good one.

Cordner was fantastic in the U19s but this did not translate to the Seniors. Like many others, he seemed to have great potential in the early days but did not develop. Not sure the reasons but he was playing with an unsuccessful team when delivery to forwards was poor. Initially a big forward he did not have the mobility or football smarts to construct a game from nothing. He was not very mobile when the ball hit the ground. Despite his size he was not a physical player who could mix it with the tough defenders. He was a confidence player who never got enough of the ball. He seemed to be on the outer with Barassi and I suspect his qualities did not impress the great man who was never going to give him an easy game. I remember he had a BOG one day at centre half back against the Saints at Moorabbin. Alas his transfer to the Swans was unsuccessful and he was worse than he had been at Deeland.

Pretty much what he intimated about Barassi. Apparently he was too 'private school' for Ronald Dale. Not enough toothless uneducated mongrel about him.

Pretty much what he intimated about Barassi. Apparently he was too 'private school' for Ronald Dale. Not enough toothless uneducated mongrel about him.

Always suspected that an education at Melbourne Grammar and Geelong Grammar was way elitist for RDB, similar to Kevin Sheedy's view of those educated at private schools.

Agree.

He would be a sensation today as he was big, fast and had the biggest kick on the run I can recall. His first kick in the AFL, was a goal from the wing at Waverley, on a wet ground. I thought God had come to Melbourne.

Today's footy would suit him down to the ground. He was an outside receiver, who could run and carry and boot long goals. Steven Stretch would be even better than he was, in today's game as well.

I doubt it.

Had everyone sucked as the great white hope given the attributes you mentioned.

But provided to be an overhyped and costly bust because he got so little of the ball. He was indeed and outside receiver whose game would have struggled even more in the modern AFL world. He was a sensational kick of the ball but did not get enough of it.

A case of the longer it is since he played the better he was as a player.

David Cordner used to get hands on plenty of marks but couldnt hold them. Would make Dawes look like super glue hands

Cordner was fantastic in the U19s but this did not translate to the Seniors. Like many others, he seemed to have great potential in the early days but did not develop. Not sure the reasons but he was playing with an unsuccessful team when delivery to forwards was poor. Initially a big forward he did not have the mobility or football smarts to construct a game from nothing. He was not very mobile when the ball hit the ground. Despite his size he was not a physical player who could mix it with the tough defenders. He was a confidence player who never got enough of the ball. He seemed to be on the outer with Barassi and I suspect his qualities did not impress the great man who was never going to give him an easy game. I remember he had a BOG one day at centre half back against the Saints at Moorabbin. Alas his transfer to the Swans was unsuccessful and he was worse than he had been at Deeland.

A great white blueblood hope that was a fail...sadly.

Definitely not physical and ducked his head when going for a mark and opposition teams picked it and worked him over. RDB also picked it and lost faith in him

Robbie debuted in Swann's 8 goal Geelong game. Recall headline on sports pages how two "graceful names" like Swan and Flower tore the Cats a good one.

Nice get and spot on too.