The Carlton Rejects of the 80's

[Sainternist]

Just reflecting back on the days when we used to draft some former Blues players. For whatever reason still eludes me. The Scumbagger supporters must have thought it was dreadfully funny, but of course we were the laughingstock of the league back then.

Ken Shelden, Wow Jones, Alex Marcou and Spiro Kourkoumelis all had their moments in a St Kilda guernsey.

The one I always thought was the best value was Peter McConville. Was solid down back for us, after being mainly a forward at Carlton. Even bagged a few goals for us. Must have been strange for the P-Mac to go from premiership glory to other end of the spectrum. Interesting career.

[saintsRrising]

And then was Jez....who never even played a game for us.

[BigMart]

McConville?

And didn't Jezza play for us?

[BigMart]

Yeah, you mentioned Peter... Oops

[plugger66]

McConville?

And didn't Jezza play for us?

He said Jez not Jezza. I think his first name was Michael. Greg Sharp was a real star and buckley was another. Pity it wasnt the right Buckley.

[PADDLEPOP1001]

Kourkameilus,Shaw,Jez,Jones,Mcconville,Marcou,Aitken,Sheld

[bobmurray]

And then was Jez....who never even played a game for us.

yes he did ..... he played 23 games.

In a deal managed by trucking millionaire and St Kilda club president, Lindsay Fox, Jesaulenko moved to the St Kilda Football Club in 1980. While initially appointed as an on-field player only Jesaulenko was then appointed playing coach when the incumbent St Kilda coach, Mike Patterson, was sacked by Fox after Round 2. He played 23 games and kicked 20 goals for the Saints in 1980–1981 and stayed on for a further season as coach. Jesaulenko retired as player after Round 8, 16 May 1981. He was the last person to serve as captain-coach in the VFL .

[plugger66]

And then was Jez....who never even played a game for us.

yes he did ..... he played 23 games.

In a deal managed by trucking millionaire and St Kilda club president, Lindsay Fox, Jesaulenko moved to the St Kilda Football Club in 1980. While initially appointed as an on-field player only Jesaulenko was then appointed playing coach when the incumbent St Kilda coach, Mike Patterson, was sacked by Fox after Round 2. He played 23 games and kicked 20 goals for the Saints in 1980–1981 and stayed on for a further season as coach. Jesaulenko retired as player after Round 8, 16 May 1981. He was the last person to serve as captain-coach in the VFL .

I dont think he means Jezza. My guess is he means michael jez.

[stinger]

ian muller was another....played 21 games between 88-91...injured all the time...could have been anything.....

[satchmo]

I love referring to Jezza as St Kilda champion Alex Jesaulenko. It drives some people mad.

[periosaint]

How about that gun Sharp and Mark Buckley?
We were stiff not to get Marchesani too.
Basically each club had 2 (or 3) form four contracts which could be used to sign interstate players. We generally could not afford to do so, hence we would give ours to Carlton for their fringe players.
Didn't matter as we ended using our form fours to sign such legends as Pathetic Faletic, Doug Cox, Darryl Hewitt, Wayne Slattery and Darryl Cowie.
Although I still stay up at night wondering about Goeff Linke. Showed tremendous promise for half a game before getting badly injured and never heard from again.
Ah the 80's. And to be the only saints fan in a school full of carlton f*$%wits!

[bobmurray]

How about that gun Sharp and Mark Buckley?
We were stiff not to get Marchesani too.
Basically each club had 2 (or 3) form four contracts which could be used to sign interstate players. We generally could not afford to do so, hence we would give ours to Carlton for their fringe players.
Didn't matter as we ended using our form fours to sign such legends as Pathetic Faletic, Doug Cox, Darryl Hewitt, Wayne Slattery and Darryl Cowie.
Although I still stay up at night wondering about Goeff Linke. Showed tremendous promise for half a game before getting badly injured and never heard from again.
Ah the 80's. And to be the only saints fan in a school full of carlton f*$%wits!

Yeah.......... Linke looked like a world beater for half a game..

Cox was never the same after he was "forced" to go to Richmond..

Hewitt, Slattery and Cowie...3 of our all time duds..

[whiskers3614]

Frank Marchesani was actually told by Carlton when they were getting rid of him that they could get him a spot at the Saints.
He chose to Go to VFA instead played less than a season and turned it pay because they couldn't pay him.

[oldie60]

There was also a Peter Brown who played in the early 80's.

[Sainternist]

Oh, and we forgot to mention...errr...gulp.... Ricky Nixon.

[HitTheBoundary]

Although I still stay up at night wondering about Goeff Linke. Showed tremendous promise for half a game before getting badly injured and never heard from again.

Yep, marked everything before half time. Looked to be a gun.....

[oldie60]

Peter Fitzpatrick was another.Went on to play at Sandy.

[avid]

Can I just point out that the OP should read: The Carlton Rejects of the '80s.
(Can't be too careful with those apostrophes.)

Loved having Wow Jones with us, especially, and Jezza.

[magnifisaint]

How bad were we n the 80s and how good was Lockett to come through all that s*** and impose himself.

[SaintPav]

Just reflecting back on the days when we used to draft some former Blues players. For whatever reason still eludes me. The Scumbagger supporters must have thought it was dreadfully funny, but of course we were the laughingstock of the league back then.

Ken Shelden, Wow Jones, Alex Marcou and Spiro Kourkoumelis all had their moments in a St Kilda guernsey.

The one I always thought was the best value was Peter McConville. Was solid down back for us, after being mainly a forward at Carlton. Even bagged a few goals for us. Must have been strange for the P-Mac to go from premiership glory to other end of the spectrum. Interesting career.

Sainternist I'm not sure how much of the Saints you watched back in the 1980s, but from about 1979 until 1986 but we were really, really terrible. The problem was not effort but poor skills and a real lack of talent. Our skills were absolutley shocking.

Joffa Cunningahm for instance was one of our best players but his skills were not that falsh. In fact, by today's standards they were terrible and when our new batch of young talent came through he would quite often get shown up.

Ok they were not the best that the Blues had to ofer but the Carlton boys added some skill, talent and probably some professionalism that the Saints that had been lacking for quite a while. Peter Mac was great. Wow Jones, while obviously not skillful was good for the young guys coming through. They were a bit of a bridge to the new era of Lockett, Burke, Harvey, Loewe etc..

Ken Sheldon was pretty good and went on to be quite a good coach for the time. Again, he probably brought something to the club that was clearly lacking at the time.

Anyway, that's how I remember it.

[saintsRrising]

And then was Jez....who never even played a game for us.

yes he did ..... he played 23 games.

In a deal managed by trucking millionaire and St Kilda club president, Lindsay Fox, Jesaulenko moved to the St Kilda Football Club in 1980. While initially appointed as an on-field player only Jesaulenko was then appointed playing coach when the incumbent St Kilda coach, Mike Patterson, was sacked by Fox after Round 2. He played 23 games and kicked 20 goals for the Saints in 1980–1981 and stayed on for a further season as coach. Jesaulenko retired as player after Round 8, 16 May 1981. He was the last person to serve as captain-coach in the VFL .

I dont think he means Jezza. My guess is he means michael jez.

Plugga is correct. Michael Jez. Never played a a game!!


On Jezza...his main game plan seemed to be to have as many players as possible in the team that were shorter than him as he tried to re-create the Carlton Mosquito Fleet...but we had no Mosquitos!

[Sainternist]

Can I just point out that the OP should read: The Carlton Rejects of the '80s.
(Can't be too careful with those apostrophes.)

Loved having Wow Jones with us, especially, and Jezza.

Thank you for pointing that out. I actually realised I had made an errant apostrophe just after I made the post. Unfortunately, by then, it was too late for me to edit it. The misplaced apostrophe is something of a bad habit for me when it comes to decades. A good thing the Grammar Nazi doesn't use this forum

Sainternist I'm not sure how much of the Saints you watched back in the 1980s, but from about 1979 until 1986 but we were really, really terrible. The problem was not effort but poor skills and a real lack of talent. Our skills were absolutley shocking.

Joffa Cunningahm for instance was one of our best players but his skills were not that falsh. In fact, by today's standards they were terrible and when our new batch of young talent came through he would quite often get shown up.

Ok they were not the best that the Blues had to ofer but the Carlton boys added some skill, talent and probably some professionalism that the Saints that had been lacking for quite a while. Peter Mac was great. Wow Jones, while obviously not skillful was good for the young guys coming through. They were a bit of a bridge to the new era of Lockett, Burke, Harvey, Loewe etc..

Ken Sheldon was pretty good and went on to be quite a good coach for the time. Again, he probably brought something to the club that was clearly lacking at the time.

Anyway, that's how I remember it.

My earliest memories of being a Saints fan come from the '80s. You're spot about the skill level (or lack there of) back in those days and the former Blues guys helping to bridge us to the next level. It annoys me that people think our club is a complete basketcase today. If you compare it to the '80s, we are in a far, far better position today than we were back then. I don't know about the rest of us, but I'm feeling quite optimistic for St Kilda FC right now.

[NextYear]

Did we balance the ledger in latter years by getting Hammel and trading Ackland to them?

[spert]

One of the big problems during that period was the party culture at the club amongst the Saints players, and lack of respect for the club and coach. The Carlton imports were clearly a cut above in skills and talent, and were dragged down to the Saints level. Just a sad period for the club, though out of it all Ken Sheldon had a crack at coaching and got us into the finals.

[Sainternist]

Just a sad period for the club, though out of it all Ken Sheldon had a crack at coaching and got us into the finals.

I look back with great fondness over the Sheldon coaching years. Maybe not so much 1993, but there was such an air of excitement and newfound optimism. Making the finals for the first time in almost 20 years (and in my lifetime) was exhilarating stuff. Perhaps we were stiff not to at least make a Grand Final with the team we had back then.