Greatest speccie of all time voting
Shaun Smith at the Gabba 45
Jezza 1970 GF 36
Gary Ablett over Pert 23
Ashley Sampi v Melb 20
Trevor Barker on the wing at teh Lake Oval 12
Gary Ablett (snr) v Melb 1989 10
Gary Moorcroft v Doggies 14
Chris Tarrant v Melbourne 2002 7
Brett Allison 7
Chris Johnson Bris 7
Stephen Silvagni v Collingwood 6
Dick Lee Collingwood 5
Nick Gill Adel v WB R22 2008 5
Phil Carman Norwood v Glenelg c70s 5
Bill Ryan Geel c1968 11
Alastair Lynch 5
Michael Tuck mid-80s 5
John Coleman 6
Brett Burton any 4
Brad Ottens v Sydney 4
Ken Whelan Sturt 4
Ray Button Glenelg c60s 4
Winston Abraham NM Manuka 9
Jeff Farmer 3
Billy Picken ’79 GF 3
Tony Modra Footy Park 1993 3
Chappy GF 2007 4
John Dugdale 3
Wayne Carey 3
Matthew Hardy on the cover of his book 2
Matthew Robbins WB v Bris 2
Peter Bosustow 2
Michael Roach 2
Snake baker (any) 2
Denis Banks v Footscray 2
Michael Mitchell v Subiaco 2
Roger Luders West Adel 2
Nick Riewoldt v Sydney 2
John Longmire 2
Brett Montgomery 2
Doug Wade 2
Anything from Plugger at Moorabbin 1
Stephen Michael 1
Adem Yze 1
Royce Hart 69 GF 1
MY votes on a 5-4-3-2-1- basis:
5: Ashley Sampi
4: Gary Moorcroft
3: Smithy from the Dees @the Gabbatoir
2: John Coleman (any)
1: Big Billy Ryan
I don’t reckon that high fly by Gazza sen. over Pert was an actual mark. He spilled it on the way down.Incidentally of all the VFL/AFL players I have seen, Coleman is the standout. Imagine if the technology of the noughties had been available to fix his knees way back then. He would have kicked 2000 goals.
Absolute best is Greg Broughton against East Perth 2007. Wait till he gets going at AFL level. Genius.
Best live grabs go to Darrel White and Chris Johnson. White sometimes took his upside down on his way back to the ground after clearing packs with his leap. I’m not exaggerating. He would then hold the ball up in one hand as if to say, “are we right, Can I play on or do we want to see the replay cuz?”
Was in the third row behind Sean Smith’s grab on G. Lion and Champion.
1. Winnie Abraham Manuka
2. Sean Smith
3. Wiz – again on Gary Lion
4. Montgomery
5. Gary Morecroft
No, You are all way off the mark. It was on the Leura Oval, at Camperdown, in June 1963, when Geoff Sharp, car salesman/captain-coach of the Magpies, with only seconds to go in the match against the imperious rabble from Warrnambool, launched himself aloft, using the shoulders of Dabba Lane and Cyril Empey, as well as the necks of Stan Noakes and Brad Wynd, to soar to a height of 20 feet (height of the behind posts) to seize the aggot and upon returning to land in the square, kicking it so far through the big-ones that it landed in Dicky Daw’s front yard some 200 yards away. The Magpie fans still talk about it and Sharpie’s photograph in full-flight is still on the walls of the Refreshment Rooms at the Camperdown Railway Station. Albert Lord (Magpie historian)
Sorry to take so long. I’ve been thinking about this.
1. The mark by John Gerovich for South Fremantle vs East Fremantle in the 1956 preliminary final at Subiaco Oval must be mentioned. there’s a statue of it outside Fremantle Oval. The photo by Maurie Hammond is beautiful, Gero looks a little like Saint Sebastian.
2. The best mark I’ve seen was taken by Allan Kennedy for Mines Rovers at Boulder Oval in 1972. The pack went up. Then Kennedy went up. There was daylight between him and the pack when he took the ball on his chest.
3. In 2005 I took my camera along to Fremantle Oval after hearing about the leap of South’s Paul Mugambwa. I was down near the forward pocket when I saw he had the run at a pack on the wing. Camera up, manual focus. Click. It was film camera so it took a couple of days to find the timing was perfect but the focus not. Classic mark, almost a classic pic.