Now this is mildly depressing. 

11 flags for ex-Dees since 91. The 1991 premiership won by Hawthorn was the last time a premiership team consisted solely of players who had not originally played for another club. Since then 118 flags have won been won by players who had left their original club. Melbourne lead this ladder with 11 flags won by 7 different individuals. They also hold the longest stretch of premiership years having ex players win the flag from 2001 to 2006 in Martin Pike Brisbane 2001-2003, Matthew Bishop Port Adelaide 2004, Darren Jolly Sydney 2005 and Steven Armstrong West Coast 2006. Pike previously won a flag with North Melbourne in 99 whilst Jolly won another flag for Collingwood in 2010. The others are Earl Spalding (Carlton 95), Clay Sampson (Adelaide 97) and James Frawley (Hawthorn 15). 
Collingwood, West Coast, Adelaide have also had four year stretches along with Sydney who are currently on a four year run with Shane Biggs (Bulldogs 2016), Toby Nankervis (Richmond 17&19) and Lewis Jetta (WCE 18). 

That’s just a huge kick in the Tea Bag

We have had the Players....

It’d also be mildly interesting to see how many very good players we’ve overlooked only for them to have been picked up by other clubs who’ve then gone on to win flags, (eg, Dustin Martin to Richmond with pick 3, the MFC having had the first two picks in that draft), and who wouldn’t otherwise have won anything had they played with us during that time.

As a club, we don’t get sufficient recognition for the charity work we’ve done for other clubs and players alike since 1991. Plainly this has been due to good naturedness and a concern for others on our part, rather than absolute incompetence as many not ‘in the know’ seem to think.

 

  On 12/02/2020 at 14:01, Sir Why You Little said:

That’s just a huge kick in the Tea Bag

We have had the Players....

Oh, what could have been in the 2000 grand final if only we'd held onto premiership great Clay Sampson . . . 

Finding new ways to beat yourselves up.

I still find it hard to comprehend Steven Armstrong is a premiership player 

  On 12/02/2020 at 19:13, loges said:

Finding new ways to beat yourselves up.

It's a sport in itself. 

Woewodin stiff to get traded to the team that holds the record for most losses in GFs.

Pike, Jolly and Frawley were key players in the premiership teams they moved to.  Spaulding was well last his best by 1995.

Others were role player.  This goes to show that you don’t need a team of superstars to win a flag.

Interesting that Hawthorn, who seemingly won flags at will for a few years there, are second on that list just one behind us.

Destroys any notion of a correlation between ex-players winning flags and being an unsuccessful club.

  On 12/02/2020 at 18:52, Skuit said:

Oh, what could have been in the 2000 grand final if only we'd held onto premiership great Clay Sampson . . . 

Mr Pike would have come in handy too, young man.

 

  On 12/02/2020 at 23:18, dieter said:

Mr Pike would have come in handy too, young man.

Is there some controversy about the circumstances in which we let him go (to Fitzroy initially I believe)

  On 12/02/2020 at 23:52, BillyBeane said:

 

Is there some controversy about the circumstances in which we let him go (to Fitzroy initially I believe)

Yes, he was a bad boy.

Edited February 12, 20205 yr by america de cali

  On 12/02/2020 at 23:52, BillyBeane said:

 

Is there some controversy about the circumstances in which we let him go (to Fitzroy initially I believe)

Every AFL club he has played for has given him the boot.

Great player - average bloke.

 

We've been poor at developing talent. We've had more high draft picks than nearly all other clubs, yet have butchered the development of the top young talent coming in. Some say we drafted poorly, I don't (for the most part). I believe the talent was fine, the development was poor.

If we weren't a basket case off-field and our development focus was stronger, young talent drafted like Watts, Scully, Trengove, Grimes, Morton, Blease would all still be in red and blue and would now be the core carrying this club to consistent finals now. Talents like Petracca would be superstars too.

We've definitely gotten better, but guys like Petracca, Brayshaw, Weideman all show that there's decent improvement still to be had with our development of young talent.

We've been poor at retaining talent too obviously, but I think if development was better, culture would be better, less players leave - it's all connected.

Edited February 13, 20205 yr by Lord Travis

  On 13/02/2020 at 00:24, TeamPlayedFine39 said:

Every AFL club he has played for has given him the boot.

Great player - average bloke.

 

I think he pulled his head in a fair bit when he got to Brisbane.

One of my favorite MFC players of that era.

Scully, Trengove, Grimes, Morton, Blease Alll those Players could have been better, maybe. 
I don’t think so. 
they had skills for sure, but not the right mindset 

Trengove almost did, but that sling tackle spooked him. He never was as good after that incident, then he got overplayed. 

  On 12/02/2020 at 21:10, Demonland said:

It's a sport in itself. 

Nah, It's just a form of masochism, that is given oxygen on here

Just the normal miseries posting, I read it for the sheer comedy

  On 13/02/2020 at 11:31, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

I think he pulled his head in a fair bit when he got to Brisbane.

One of my favorite MFC players of that era.

He needed a strong alpha male coach to guide him. He was lucky he ended up with Leigh Mathews. I have met him and he seemed decent enough though a little rough around the edges. I heard a story that he witnessed something not involving him quite shocking and unprintable whilst at Fitzroy.

Edited February 13, 20205 yr by america de cali

  On 12/02/2020 at 20:21, JV7 said:

I still find it hard to comprehend Steven Armstrong is a premiership player 

he was a role player

receive the handball from one star mid and give it off to another as they streamed forward.

Good luck to him

  On 13/02/2020 at 15:21, Diamond_Jim said:

he was a role player

received a handball from one star mid and gave it off to another. 

 

Fixed according to his 1997 grand final stats.

  On 13/02/2020 at 13:57, america de cali said:

He needed a strong alpha male coach to guide him. He was lucky he ended up with Leigh Mathews. I have met him and he seemed decent enough though a little rough around the edges. I heard a story that he witnessed something not involving him quite shocking and unprintable whilst at Fitzroy.

Involving two brothers?

  On 13/02/2020 at 15:21, Diamond_Jim said:

he was a role player

receive the handball from one star mid and give it off to another as they streamed forward.

Good luck to him

Exactly right, looking at his stats he kicked 4 & had 20 touches in round 22 so probably cemented his spot in the side.

It never sits well with me when people say “such an such is the worst premiership player of all time”.

There is always a back story to how hard these players work to firstly get to the AFL and then forge a career in the AFL, there is certainly  a case of right time right place and some get lucky but there is more to it then a lot of people think

  On 13/02/2020 at 19:47, binman said:

Involving two brothers?

Yep, something like the old Fitz-Patrick rhyme that used to go around in the old days.

Edited February 13, 20205 yr by america de cali

  On 12/02/2020 at 18:43, Ron Burgundy said:

Plainly this has been due to good naturedness and a concern for others on our part, rather than absolute incompetence as many not ‘in the know’ seem to think.

So eloquently posited, RB. It is almost 'nobles oblige' the way the MFC have handed out players to help others. Let's all hope that Whoreform plays mediocre football this year with Frosty onboard. He may well prove to be the spark that they needed.