I barracked for Geelong for many years, a long time ago, last century to be exact. I saw many fine players in the Blue and White hoops. I always like seeing players try to remain at one club throughout their career. The recent news of former Geelong premiership pair of James Kelly and Mathew Stokes going to Essendon saddens me. Sure football is part of the entertainment industry, yes the players play for their money, but you’d like to see players of that calibre be remembered as loyal servants of their original club .
So I’ve been thinking about Geelong players, who played many good years in the blue and white hoops and then had somewhat less than flattering endings elsewhere. There are blokes who did well after leaving Geelong, like Doug Wade, Garry Ablett Jnr, and Mario Bortolotto. But sadly others finished up as little more than also rans with their final club. So here’s a team of what may be called , Geelong has beens.
B: R Neal, (St.Kilda) J Hunt, (GWS) R Murrie, (Richmond)
H/B: J Kelly, (Essendon) M Mansfield, (Carlton) P Stevens, (St Kilda)
C: M Woolnough, (Collingwood) D Clarke Snr , (Carlton) R Burns, (Adelaide)
H/F: S Johnson, (GWS) J Podsiadly, (Adelaide) D Cameron, (Brisbane)
F: N Ablett, (Gold Coast), L Donohue, (Fitzroy) P Chapman (Essendon)
Followers: S King, (St Kilda) S Hamilton, (Brisbane) P Sarah, (Richmond)
Interchange: J Mossop, ( N Melbourne), G Exell, (Fitzroy), R Stokes, (Essendon), C Gardiner, (St Kilda)
Emergencies: D Clarke Jnr , (Carlton) C Mitchell, (Carlton), T Floyd, (Collingwood)
Coach: G Ayres, (Adelaide)
Yes, I might have been too harsh on some of these chaps. Possibly there are other show should be in this side. All correspondence will be accepted.
Glen!
It is sad to see great players go.
Some leave because they want to.
Some leave because they are pushed.
It is always strange to see our ex players wearing another team’s strip.
However … change happens and we need to change too.
We need to trust management to do right by the club.
We need to look to the future and not dwell on the past! It only brings angst and no peace of mind.
Yep, definitely a tad hard on JPod. He provided a valuable reinforcement to a struggling team in 2014. In 2015, he was a great mentor to players through tough times and came within a whisker of winning the Ken Farmer medal in the SANFL (amazing match – started off the last round 9 goals behind the leader and kicked 11. The winner got his three goals late in the same match). As a bloke recruited solely for backup, he more than fulfilled his contract at Adelaide.
Thought you might give Garry Sidebottom, Jacko & Paul Chapman a mention.
Does anyone give a toss if a carpenter works for builder A or B?
Why differentiate between professional footballers? As for Kelly and Stokes going to Ess; kinda extraordinary circumstances. If you could pick up an extra $250K (?) to pull on the booots for one more season somewhere else…….of course any one would.
Chill
Wheres the Bizz?Clint Bizzell..Was great at MFC
oh has beens..sorry didn’t read the fine print
Greg Williams went OK afterwards! What was it? Wanted 60k only got offered 50k
Dave, thanks for the Pod update. and more generally for keeping me Adelaide-informed. The Pod gave everything wherever he went.
For some unknown reason, I found Chappy to be the saddest recent departure. I’d loved the JPod old rookie story and The Cats were still great after Gary left so it wasn’t as hard to stomach. This must be the start of the latest 5 year plan hey JTH?
One could also be tempted to pick a team of Geelong players who maintained , or improved,their high standards at another club. Names like Ablett, Andrews, Denham, Hampshire, Scott, Toohey, Wade, Williams, all come to mind. Hmm a clash of these two potential teams would be interesting.
Glen!
TG, Hard to see any of them go. Chappy and Johnno especially though. We’ve spent a lot of time with those blokes. 18 clubs? 18 years? I wonder how long until it comes together at Corio. Maybe the father-son is the best bet. JTH
Hey Glen! I’d put Mummy in the list of did ok after leaving the cattery. It remains to be seen what value we get out of our newest back-up ruck, Dawson Simpson.
How can you call Stevie J an also-ran? He hasn’t played a game for the mighty Giants as yet. I am *so* looking forward to seeing him and Jeremy Cameron link together in real match situations, not just the match scenario training. The snippet the Giants posted was divine.
Interesting team, comprehensively compiled. I’d only contend there was one never-was. Sorry Tom (Floyd).
No room for Adrian Hickmott?
Good.
We all love the true-blues who stick by their club from start to finish and go out as one-club-players. Sadly, these days many footballers don’t have the choice. Glen, when you ‘left’ the Cats did you also become a has-been? Come back all is forgiven!
Exclamation Glen! I remember when Tom Hafey recruited Tom Floyd to the Pies in 1982 to help solve our roving woes. Hafey got sacked a few weeks later and Floyd faded into obscurity., as JD would not so fondly recall.
David Spriggs , Paul Sarah? I don’t think Andrew Bews was as good for the Bears as he was for the Cats.
Cheers !
Glen- I enjoyed that, and now anticipate a torrent of articles about other clubs.
Given this site’s dominant demographic one could possibly categorize your piece as clickbait.
I expect a companion story called “Bruce Springsteen’s most disposable songs.”
Careful Mr Randall, your suggestion is verging on sacrilege. Springsteen does not have disposable songs! Well maybe there’s a few on The Rising and Magic and there were those two albums from the early 90s that haven’t aged very well at all. Okay then, he does have one or two songs that might under the harsh light of scrutiny be called disposable. That’s all.
Cheers
Sad thing is this side would beat the bombers this year
G Ayres has done fairly well at the Borough though and been able to keep the. 1980’s hairstyle all the way through
Ta for all the feedback. A few quick comments.
Dennis i reckon Hickmott was a far better player with Carlton. I always believe his best game for geelong was his last, the 1995 GF v Carlton ;kismet
?Phil Tom Floyd didn’t help the post Ton Hafey Pies back on the track in the latter part of 1982. To my memory he was gone by the start of 83. I though Bews played well in Brisbane. He buggered his knee in the Mothers Day Massacre’ of 1990, never roved again, but became a tough back pocket.
Now, what is my next step. A side of former Ctas who did well with their new clubs, as i previously intimated. Maybe i could delve into the twilight zone of the worst players i saw in the Blue and White hoops. Names like Lindquist, Lewtas, Miles, McNish and Forssman are all there. Hmmmm, let me think about where to from here.
Glen!
Controversial conversation piece to say the least! Quite understandable and naturally upsetting with three of Geelong’s core champions from the last decade being moved on before they were ready to retire. In the chase for winning at all costs, the dignity of great players and the feelings of fans are so easily trampled. I feel that had the three had been given an additional year option on the proviso that they then retired as Geelong greats, they woul have all accepted it gratefully and I don’t think we would have been any worse off. But hey that’s the way our increasingly corporatized game is going, do we’ll only see more of it as years go by.
Perhaps there is room for a team of players that were good at other clubs and became has-beens at Geelong, couple of recent recruits come to mind.
Kevin Higgins in the coaching division for his year at Sturt
Shayne Breuer (Port Adelaide)