Earl Hood

Yep, remember that game and winning the flag the week after. Alle was a good example of someone who gave everything to make it in the VFL and is a Hawthorn premiership player. We had a couple of great players at the Pioneers who had more class but not the drive to make it, that story gets told time and again at many clubs I guess. The only other kid that went on from there was Kevin Dyson and I knew Kev when he was a little bloke walking around home with a footy under his arm.

Yes remember that game as well. Played as a ruck rover and was instructed before the game to take out Alle, at all cost, failed miserably. At half time we were instructed to go wide to get around Alle. What do I do? Take a mark early on and ignore a wide lead and kick it straight to Alle. I was then banished to the back pocket for the final quarter. Not my best game. But managed to play in three flags in the seniors after that over 10 years. Good memories and a lot of cans consumed over the journey.

25s game over 3 seasons and eventual Captain of Box Hill Tech, 150+ games at Pioneers in ESCFA in A & B grade only and was DVC for a couple of seasons.

Vice captained U 17 Interleague side against West Gippsland League, had a few training runs at Hawthorn and a couple of years at the Zebra's in the EFL.

Played a bit of footy with Crozier and Marshall at Pioneers. Marshall was a freak but a touch undersized. I was always a full back, could kick it a bit.

Ross Tucker? I am guessing 200 meter runner as well. Played one game in under 17's agianst you at full forward. Kicked 1.2 if I remember.

Still see Dennis around from time to time. Rene was the skipper at Melbourne High at the time or so he tells me (ran into him a few years back, not literally), it was in the days where VFL kids could play mid week with the school and on the weekend with their club. We had Alan Goad at Box Hill so he had a few games with us. Melbourne had a lot of VFL level players so they crunched us at city oval, all I remember is the poor kid we had at full back giving it everything he had to punch the ball from Kink in a marking contest and the ball didn't move from his grip.

Unfortunately sport started running down in the high school system, we might have been at the tail end of it. I remember it being strong in my first few years and then just evaporating.

I think you could add Peter Welsh to that list of players as well. Very handy on baller. Played for the Hawks and the Tigers, premiership player? I think he has passed away since.

Some amazing stories, from blokes like me who gave up before they started, to kids who are dreaming big, to blokes in their early-mid 20s who had big dreams that weren't realised, to old guys who hung up the boots years ago who are able to give some insight in to how it was.

Giving myself a pat on the back for starting this thread To be honest, I wasn't really expecting this kind of response, I thought I'd get a few responses and it would die. Give people the chance to talk about themselves, I guess...

Nasher well done, this thread has been amazing. We should restart it every off season in the dead zone after the draft and before the first preseason games. After all we spend 9 months of the year going on about the Dees in every detail. Why should not we spend a few weeks reminiscing about our own careers in sport however mediocre they may have been. But what is fascinating is discovering that you actually played against people 40 years ago! And reading about kids who have just won their first flag off thir own boot!

Did you play when Kink was playing for Melbourne High?

I only remember was it Max Robertson tearing us apart for Melbourne High? Big forward/ruck unit who went on to play for the Swans. I only played one BHHS game as a reserve, I was an outsider, latecomer to the school. As I remember it the teachers didn't pick the side after any training sessions it was compiled by Dennis Crozier and a few mates instead. I could be wrong on that one. A long Time ago. But I do remember coming from another school and athletics being my strength but there were no school sports at all at BHHS.

And rjay I should add getting to the school and asking a kid if I could join in for a kick to kick at lunch time not long after I arrived. Strewth all I saw were the heels of his boots at my eye height from a standing start next to me! I never got a kick. How Gary Marshall never played VfL I will never know. But as you said it takes drive more than talent, perhaps.

Is this the mob that became Richmond Amateurs? nice bunch of gentlemen.

Yes I think you are right. Thankfully we were in C grade and B grade while they were climbing from E then D but I think they were chucked out of the league at that stage. It was Jack Dyers old club.

That said I played in a Grade C reserves game against Wattlepark I think when the brawls got out of control and the umpire was decked, got in his car and drove off! What do you do then? It was close to finals time and the league docked both teams points, that cost them a finals place. It ended up in court. They lost the case.

Another time we played a spitefull match in Chadstone, can't remember the side's name, we won, many on field fights but the crowd turned nasty and we had to leave the change rooms as a phalanx to stave off the mob. Even so a couple of our guys were king hit. That was really scary stuff. But hey those were the days! Thank God we have moved on.

Played with the Young Christians, a prayer before the game was our pre game routine, one of my fondest memories as was getting my regular massage from Father Peter, god bless him

What I heard about the Young Christian league was a prayer before the game then clock the first opposition player who looked sideways at you and the odd brawl with the crowd at half time.

I think it was St Ignatius Richmond that joined the the ESCFA after being booted out of the YCA league. they came into E Grade. They kept winning but every week you would notice one of their players getting six weeks for eye gouging or kicking. Scary stuff. A few years later a mate of mine playing for St Leo's Wattlepark took them on in a Grand Final D grade I think and the cops had to called in. The supporters assaulted a boundary umpire, king hits behind play you name the game had everything.

Ahh those were the days! I am talking the late 70's of course.

That's the one - behind the bowling club.

We won a flag as well ( beat East Bentleigh) and then proceeded to fold. Coincidentally, our social secretary took off with the funds too!

We came from fourth that year and unfortunately, yours truly tore a hammy in the prelim, missing out in the granny....spiteful game...

You guys were Swans colours, iirc? Elgar road? I think the most hated teams at the time were Collingwood District and Dandenong South - dirty bastards.

Gosh, memories! Part time job, girlfriend, uni, Dees, Prospect Hill hotel, HG Kinga and feeling bullet proof.....life was sweet.

Edit: Our ground was across the road from Blackburn High on Springfield Road, sorry about the mistake at the start of my post.

Yes I remember playing at the ground in seniors. Did you guys have Essendon colours? Did Nick Lyon play up forward for you guys or have I got the wrong Blackburn side?

Did you play with Brian Cook?

edit: not sure if you were there at the time but he played his junior football with St Andrews.

Did not know that one. He must have played under 15's. when I knew him he was playing for Box Hill colts I think.

I'm sure all will be glad that mine is up again.

Yes I am back and looking very stern!

Yep, would have played with you at Box Hill and played a lot of footy with the Pioneers.

Brian could certainly take care of himself, I think it was a game out Heidelberg way when his skills came in handy. I wouldn't want to be coming up against him and Balmy at Geelong.

Oh what a small world. Still remember the Pioneers in the under 17's we never could beat you guys. We played a prelim final where we were about 8 goals up at half time and still got beaten. It was hard to get a ball past Allen Dewold at centre half back that year. He went on to bigger things at the Hawks but he was not the most gifted player running around at BHHS and the Pioneers at that time as I remember it.

Handy player...

Yes a very handy player to have on your side. He had a great left jab and right hook if there was trouble as I remember it. Did you happen to play around the area at the time?

Did you play with Brian Cook?

Yes but it was school footy at Box Hill High!

Worked through St Peters, then North Blackburn in the eastern suburban churches league - not many 'churchy' types played there.

No teeth and home made tatts were the order of the day.

Played a couple of years in the Goulburn Valley for Echuca, earning about 300 dollars a game....pretty good paper for the 80s!

Gave up just before our first child was born......well over 250 games of suburban and country footy. Still have the mangled fingers

Hey Jumbo

I played 175 games for Saint Andrews Box Hill, next door to Saint Peters, I think. Are we talking Springfield Road Box Hill? We took over your oval in 78 and managed to win a flag in 79. You guys were in A grade I think, we were in C grade then up to B grade before we folded a year later after winning 2 flags. Our social secretary did a runner with all the social club proceeds as I remember

Worked through St Peters, then North Blackburn in the eastern suburban churches league - not many 'churchy' types played there.

No teeth and home made tatts were the order of the day.

Played a couple of years in the Goulburn Valley for Echuca, earning about 300 dollars a game....pretty good paper for the 80s!

Gave up just before our first child was born......well over 250 games of suburban and country footy. Still have the mangled fingers

Also port are getting 3 million extra every year over three years which started last year, so that's 9 million over three years, have heard not one of criticism of them, now that's a hell of a lot of money,without that money they would not had money to pay there 9 million debt

WTF? Are you serious, it just gets more absurd by the post. Everyone is on AFL drip feed but it seems it is only us that gets vilified for being leppers.

I can't have Dunn, still unsure of what he provides and in all honesty, no debating here will change that. Still I will always want the best for him when he lines up for us. He is definitely under the pump though with Grimes most likely returning to the HBF.

I have always had a soft spot for Tappy yet looking at his stats last year it's pretty much a given that this season may be his last to get his mojo back and I would not be surprised if he was used as trade bait. Clearly under the pump.

Tappy is a clear case of sh!thouse coaching over the last few years as like so many of our list has gone completely backwards.

His first half a dozen games he was getting a fair bit of the ball, laying his big tackles and I remember him jumping back in the whole once or twice getting crunched (yet to see Dunn do this). This is where the love for Tappy originated, thinking we had a genuine old school nugget with a thumping boot.

I think most were a little smitten.

Two years of "development" later he is half the player he was.

I am sure we haven't done Tappy any favours over the last few years but I struggle to see what he brings to the table. I like his hardness and the occasional hard hit but he has problems with speed and getting into the contests. If he was a ball magnet like Diesel it would all work. But he is this in between type to me. Average height, average speed, average smarts. Where does he have an advantage, a strength he can exploit this year to save his career?

Unfortunately we are regarded as the long term unemployed of the AFL community so we attract criticism at every turn for being lazy failures who have brought on our own problems and therefore deserve to be scorned at best, if not abused at every opportunity. A million here or there for us is rewarding failure however $100 million here or there for GWS and the SUNS is an investment. The proposed $2 poverty tax, sorry equalisation measure on next years price for a game is just another kick in the guts. Every mention of this surcharge today has made it plain it is welfare for MFC and the Dogs as if we are the drain on funds. Oh and the big clubs would love this option, they give up nothing for equalisation and we cop the wrath of the punters for another welfare tax. It must have been a great pissup equalisation junket tour to the US for Vlad and the Big End of Town presidents this year if this is all they can come up with.

Clark's good enough to win a Coleman.

If he plays 20 plus games next year and rediscovers his 2011 form I would back him in as well!

Bail contracted one more year unfortunately

We should pay him out and delist for his own good and ours. Too many concussions.

That's true. Any midfielder should be able to crumb as that is what they do at the centre bounce. Far too many people overrate small forwards. The only one I would consider is Mark LeCras and he's not even that small

I think Milne's stats say a good one is worth gold, if you can find one. Farmer, yes, Betts yes, Rioli, but they are rare.

Why does he have to be the next anyone ? How about just being the first Jack Fitzpatrick. He has a pretty unique set of attributes - height, speed and agility.

I am holding judgement. I am hopeful but we need to see another year of improvement to be sure.

I would give my other horse for a smart back pocket as well. A Matty Whelan would do us wonders as would a Paul Hopgood or a Yeatsy or Alan Johnston for that matter. An attacking smart player to extract the ball and set up an attack would be great.

Sorry old mate - I cannot unload

Unload or upload?

Clark is top 10, maybe top 5 at his very best.

Walker, Tippett, Pavlich, Nick Riewoldt, Franklin, Cloke and Josh Kennedy are all better. Clark plays some ripper matches but has a long way to go before he can be called anywhere near the best.

He will never be anyway because sadly for him, his career falls at a time when Jesse Hogan will be dominating the competition. He will be the best forward in the league.

Fingers crossed your right on that prediction!

We do need memberships so he will have to start selling the vision at some stage!!