Six of the Hardest (violent) 10 men of AFL/VFL are saints!

[White Winmar]

As a teenager in the '60s, and young adult in the '70s, I firmly believed that the thugs played for other teams, that our guys were just retaliating, and that the Shadow was just awkward!

The opposing teams definitely deserved everything they got and then some.
Our players were Saints compared to their evil opponents.
If an opponent were hurt it was because they needed to taught not to be so bad.
Our boys never hurt anyone who did not deserve it.

Well said. Totally correct and beyond dispute. Serves the dirty bastards right. We're not known as the saints for nothing......

[Waltzing St Kilda]

Hey, WW, why is it BBBB Barry Hall?

I thought it was just "Big Bad Bustling", which would make three Bs.

First time I heard it was during Ian Robinson's commentary of the Melb-StK MCG game, second last match of 1997.

[Johnny Favier]

Joffa Cunningham was highly underrated for his toughness externally but certainly not within the club!!!!! Joffa was a hardarse!!!!#

He certainly was, but I reckon his team mate Greg Burns was one of the hardest, toughest players I've ever seen. Never took a backward step or ducked or dived.

Nobody ever back chatted Burnsy - and with good reason!

[White Winmar]

Hey, WW, why is it BBBB Barry Hall?

I thought it was just "Big Bad Bustling", which would make three Bs.

First time I heard it was during Ian Robinson's commentary of the Melb-StK MCG game, second last match of 1997.

WS, BBBBB, stands for Big, Bad, Bustling, Beany-Boy, Barry Hall. When he was first at the saints, he had fair, curly hair. He went the crew cut and Sandy Roberts (another great saints man), said on a telecast that he looked like one of the Beany Boys, who were comic characters who did robberies. The players adopted it, but only behind BBBBBB's back!

[White Winmar]

That should've read beagle, not Beany. Blood predicative test! Predictive text. The Beagle Boys were a gang of robbers who appeared in Disney comics with Goofy and Pluto. I just say, i'vealways seen the resemblance, with the other similarity being they were bullies and thugs.

http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/dis ... 0102061918

[barneyboyz]

I cant see how Lazar Vidovic got a mention and no Ken Boyd, Bluey Shelton, Jack Dyer, Charlie Sutton etc. To me it is as if the article was written with a bias towards the Saints.

Exactly. where's Mal brown, balme, Whitten , Mopsy Fraser etc. Or is it just of the modern era? From mid 70's?

Modern era, 1970 onwards, Stevie. Mal Brown got an "honourable" mention, as did Rhys-Jones. Author of the original footage and compilation of list is Unknown. As nasty as he was, surely Lazar wasn't as bad as Nicholls or Whitten?

Teddy would often go past the footy to get a player, but I reckon most blokes would have gone to war for him

[White Winmar]

I cant see how Lazar Vidovic got a mention and no Ken Boyd, Bluey Shelton, Jack Dyer, Charlie Sutton etc. To me it is as if the article was written with a bias towards the Saints.

Exactly. where's Mal brown, balme, Whitten , Mopsy Fraser etc. Or is it just of the modern era? From mid 70's?

Modern era, 1970 onwards, Stevie. Mal Brown got an "honourable" mention, as did Rhys-Jones. Author of the original footage and compilation of list is Unknown. As nasty as he was, surely Lazar wasn't as bad as Nicholls or Whitten?

Teddy would often go past the footy to get a player, but I reckon most blokes would have gone to war for him

The grandfather of a mate played for north in the 1950's. He said that Whitten was the best player he's ever seen. Full stop. And he is a typically biased kanga when it comes to Wayne Carey. He also said Whitten was the dirtiest as well. Elbows, ankle taps, even the squirrel grip was not beneath Ted, apparently.

Having said that, like Carl for us and Big Nick at the scum, Whitten made his team mates stand tall and play more fearlessly.

[barneyboyz]

I cant see how Lazar Vidovic got a mention and no Ken Boyd, Bluey Shelton, Jack Dyer, Charlie Sutton etc. To me it is as if the article was written with a bias towards the Saints.

Exactly. where's Mal brown, balme, Whitten , Mopsy Fraser etc. Or is it just of the modern era? From mid 70's?

Modern era, 1970 onwards, Stevie. Mal Brown got an "honourable" mention, as did Rhys-Jones. Author of the original footage and compilation of list is Unknown. As nasty as he was, surely Lazar wasn't as bad as Nicholls or Whitten?

Teddy would often go past the footy to get a player, but I reckon most blokes would have gone to war for him

The grandfather of a mate played for north in the 1950's. He said that Whitten was the best player he's ever seen. Full stop. And he is a typically biased kanga when it comes to Wayne Carey. He also said Whitten was the dirtiest as well. Elbows, ankle taps, even the squirrel grip was not beneath Ted, apparently.

Having said that, like Carl for us and Big Nick at the scum, Whitten made his team mates stand tall and play more fearlessly.

My Ex Father-in law came back from the war and played VFL Reserves in 46/7. His two boys who were very tough men wouldn't have taken him on in his late sixties. I don't know how he played, but I reckon most of those blokes of the era wouldn't have cared if there was a football involved or not, just loved a contest. In this context I reckon footy has become more civilised, and for the better