Your all time favourite "GOP" for the Saints?

[Enrico_Misso]

Michael Roberts
John Bonney
Tony Brown


and of course

Grant Thomas

[stinger]

saw newport head off on a run immediately after a game on more than one occasion...seems he didn't leave all he had on the field......

[stinger]

Michael Roberts
John Bonney
Tony Brown


and of course

Grant Thomas

bonney was a class above the other three........saw him beat ian stewart in a game for tasmania against victoria...only time i ever saw stewart beaten by anybody.........

[saint66au]

and of course

Grant Thomas

He's gone...move on

[ctqs]

Andrew Thompson - started at 25 but became captain. I used to call him a poor man's Robert Harvey, which sounded like a sledge, even though it was intended as a compliment.
Jason Blake - probably the least skilled footballer in the big league a few years ago but works his tail off and has played 100 gutsy games.
Frank Coghlan - always found the ball, especially in the wet, but never got the credit.

[ctqs]

saw newport head off on a run immediately after a game on more than one occasion...seems he didn't leave all he had on the field......

You're right on the first bit. But he was one of the fittest blokes going around and was played off the bench a bit in some games. That's why he'd go for a run afterwards, to make sure he did the work one way or another.

[WayneJudson42]

[quote="sunsaint]Stephen Newport???

Was relieved when we delisted him.
Then we turned around and redrafted him

Stephen Newport was an interesting player in that I wasn't quite sure how to rate him. In some respects he was probably our original tagger in the development of the 'modern'game. He certainly had what many call today the football smarts in working out the better ways of closing down an opponent's effectiveness before it became a regular feature of the game, and when doing this he had the ability to withstand very heavy pressure (he took some big hits probably reportable today). My other memory of his time with the Saints is that he lacked consistency. (Hang On - I think I have heard that before)[/quote][/quote][/quote]

Much maligned, but did a job, and did it ok. GOP.

[Superboot]

Neil Besanko, Stephen Theodore, Barney Rae, Skeeter Coghlan, Tim Pekin, Peter Bell, Shane Grambeau

As for Grant, in 1991 we had about 6 players who were the best in the comp in their respective positions, and Dave was one of them.

shane grambeau was not...repeat not ..a gop......he was a jap........just a player.....

If he was in the current squad he'd get a game every week

[Shades]

is blake a gop?

[ctqs]

is blake a gop?

It's subjective, I know, but 10 seasons (I think, or close to it, anyway) and 100 games, on limited ability. He is a GOP.

[bigcarl]

is blake a gop?

It's subjective, I know, but 10 seasons (I think, or close to it, anyway) and 100 games, on limited ability. He is a GOP.

he's a VGOP.

[SteveStevens66]

Stuart Trott, Ian Synman, Johnny Stephens, Wayne Judson, Andrew Thompson, Frankie Peckett.

As for Cowboy--ridiculous calling him a GOP. A champion pure and simple.

to us he was a champion.....to football purists who don't have red white and black stardust in their eyes he was a good ordinary player.......would not be regarded in the elite of the elite.......as an aside....a player as fat as he was wouldn't even get picked today.......stuart dew could hide in cowboy's shorts.......

I agree with you that Cowboy wouldn't be in the "elite of the elite." I was perhaps being too protective of him. It's the stardust in my eyes. That's the '66 team for you. I'm sure you share my love of them. But surely there is a rank between that and GOP. It can't just be those two categories. How about Cowboy being at least VGOP? Can we agree on that?

Stinger, you know that its not valid to say: "....a player as fat as he was wouldn't even get picked today." Baldock wouldn't pass the fat-fold test or a BEEP test today either. You wouldn't justify leaving him out of a team today because he wasn't ripped, would you?

[bigcarl]

i would have called him more of a dud or a VOP .... a very ordinary player

[stinger]

Stuart Trott, Ian Synman, Johnny Stephens, Wayne Judson, Andrew Thompson, Frankie Peckett.

As for Cowboy--ridiculous calling him a GOP. A champion pure and simple.

to us he was a champion.....to football purists who don't have red white and black stardust in their eyes he was a good ordinary player.......would not be regarded in the elite of the elite.......as an aside....a player as fat as he was wouldn't even get picked today.......stuart dew could hide in cowboy's shorts.......

I agree with you that Cowboy wouldn't be in the "elite of the elite." I was perhaps being too protective of him. It's the stardust in my eyes. That's the '66 team for you. I'm sure you share my love of them. But surely there is a rank between that and GOP. It can't just be those two categories. How about Cowboy being at least VGOP? Can we agree on that?

Stinger, you know that its not valid to say: "....a player as fat as he was wouldn't even get picked today." Baldock wouldn't pass the fat-fold test or a BEEP test today either. You wouldn't justify leaving him out of a team today because he wasn't ripped, would you?

yep.......settled cowboy was indeed a vgop.......could still kick 15-20 goals in a game in the act when he was so fat he cast a shadow that covered the goal square....

i ran into the doc at the airport when we were both off to tassie following the 1965 grand final.....i tapped him in the stomach to say bad luck.......he nearly fell over........i was terribly surprised that his gut was as soft as it was....mine was rock hard as i did a lot of weights at the time and was playing in tassie......agree on the doc....but it goes to show that it's hard for a pure footballer to get drafted these days if they aren't an athlete as well.....

[fugazi]

Rod Keogh, and for some reason Daniel Healy....best kick in AFL as Sam Newman said every wek on footy show...I think he kicked 5 against WCE in Perth one day...always thought if we could only get the ball to hi anywhere within 60m he was a chance.

[SteveStevens66]

it goes to show that it's hard for a pure footballer to get drafted these days if they aren't an athlete as well.....

Hardly a truer and sadder statement can be made about the modern game.

[sunsaint]

saw newport head off on a run immediately after a game on more than one occasion...seems he didn't leave all he had on the field......

You're right on the first bit. But he was one of the fittest blokes going around and was played off the bench a bit in some games. That's why he'd go for a run afterwards, to make sure he did the work one way or another.

not only Newport, I remember Harvs being accused of exactly the same thing. Would think it nothing more than his warm down routine.

[stinger]

saw newport head off on a run immediately after a game on more than one occasion...seems he didn't leave all he had on the field......

You're right on the first bit. But he was one of the fittest blokes going around and was played off the bench a bit in some games. That's why he'd go for a run afterwards, to make sure he did the work one way or another.

not only Newport, I remember Harvs being accused of exactly the same thing. Would think it nothing more than his warm down routine.

no...would run for miles...can't remember the exact distances......

[Zed]

I cant go past Jayson Daniels

[onlooker]

The Cowboy IMO has to be regarded as a champion of the Club. He lacked height compared with the big ruckman of the day, his weight problems increased as his playing career progressed and when playing as a key forward his kicking accuracy occassionally deserted him. All that said what he did have was absolutely superb judgement to get the ball both in the air and when it was bouncing around at knee to waist level. Having that jugement, coupled with his natural aggression and being a proud StK player provided him with a long career as a champion of the Club. He definitely was NOT a GOP.

[St Fidelius]

There are so many...

I used to like Stephen Theodore #23 in the 70s

[markinUSA]

Just a question - In 1997 in particular, I really liked Jason Heatley. I remember him winning games for us from full forward. But it became apparent over time that he had trouble marking overhead, or at least that's the conventional wisdom... so his role in the team was phased out. Would you say he was a GOP? I thought much higher than that in 1997, but by the end of his time with us, it seemed he was a GOP. What do others think?

[onlooker]

Just a question - In 1997 in particular, I really liked Jason Heatley. I remember him winning games for us from full forward. But it became apparent over time that he had trouble marking overhead, or at least that's the conventional wisdom... so his role in the team was phased out. Would you say he was a GOP? I thought much higher than that in 1997, but by the end of his time with us, it seemed he was a GOP. What do others think?

I saw Heatley play some valuable games for the Saints. He wasn't a big overhead mark as he wasn't a big statured player. Most of his marks were taken on the lead as he did have some pace. His kicking for goal was first class. At the time I thought he was close to our best option as a FF but for some reason not evident to me Tim Watson thought otherwise. A GOP in my view who deserved greater opportunity in his final season. From memory I don't think he got an opportunity after about a third of the way through the season.

[MCG-Unit]

Michael Roberts #10

[WayneJudson42]

In the ruck division...

Paul Harding &

Jeff Sarau (some will disagree with pup, but he was a very honest toiler)