Silvio Foschini

[jaxons]

One of my favorites growing up.

[cwrcyn]

I recall someone telling me years ago that his career was ruined by Graham Gellie, his coach at the time. Not sure how true it was. The story was Foschini had a bad shoulder and Gellie was a hard arse and just kept pushing him to play when it was obvious he shouldn't have been on the park. Anyone else heard this story?

[samuraisaint]

Hard to believe that year we recruited the following players: Silvio Foschini, Tony Morwood, Max Crox. Alan Sidebottom, Mark 'Jacko' Jackson, Tony Lockett and Rod Owen. Then add in our centre half back, Trevor Barker! Quite a lineup and really unbelievable with that talent we couldn't win more than five games that season.
I remember one weekend we all got in the car and drove the 60 kilometres to Geelong for a match which was played in the rain - in torrential conditions we inexplicably turned it on against a very good side at a ground we never did any good at and were already in front by ten goals in the third quarter.
It was that game, and a match a few weeks later when we kicked 23 goals against another very good side - Fitzroy - again at an opponent's home ground - after they themselves had just kicked 35 goals against the top side North at the same venue - and beat them in a very high standard entertaining game, that showed what we could do when we were switched on.

[saynta]

I recall someone telling me years ago that his career was ruined by Graham Gellie, his coach at the time. Not sure how true it was. The story was Foschini had a bad shoulder and Gellie was a hard arse and just kept pushing him to play when it was obvious he shouldn't have been on the park. Anyone else heard this story?

Don't know about that but he certainly had a crook shoulder. Played in a wet suit top under his jumper in an attempt to stop it popping out.

[Bernard Shakey]

He had the shoulder problem before he came to us. It would pop out a couple of times just about every game, and he'd just pop it back in. They didn't tape everything up like they do now.
I remember talking to him in the rooms after a game against Fitzroy and he said it was no big deal. Tony Jewell was the coach at the time.

[SaintPav]

God, he loved the celebration.

In the mid-nineties, Alex Marcou told me one night at a place called the Snake Pit that Silvio's shoulder would pop out just by turning over in bed. He couldn't take a trick.

[SaintPav]

Hard to believe that year we recruited the following players: Silvio Foschini, Tony Morwood, Max Crox. Alan Sidebottom, Mark 'Jacko' Jackson, Tony Lockett and Rod Owen. Then add in our centre half back, Trevor Barker! Quite a lineup and really unbelievable with that talent we couldn't win more than five games that season.
I remember one weekend we all got in the car and drove the 60 kilometres to Geelong for a match which was played in the rain - in torrential conditions we inexplicably turned it on against a very good side at a ground we never did any good at and were already in front by ten goals in the third quarter.
It was that game, and a match a few weeks later when we kicked 23 goals against another very good side - Fitzroy - again at an opponent's home ground - after they themselves had just kicked 35 goals against the top side North at the same venue - and beat them in a very high standard entertaining game, that showed what we could do when we were switched on.

We'd turned it on every 4-five weeks or so. We were poorly skilled and not well coached; we weren't a very good side.

[SaintPav]

I recall someone telling me years ago that his career was ruined by Graham Gellie, his coach at the time. Not sure how true it was. The story was Foschini had a bad shoulder and Gellie was a hard arse and just kept pushing him to play when it was obvious he shouldn't have been on the park. Anyone else heard this story?

And people on here think Richo was bad. Probably the worst coach in the club's history.

He made Richo look like Clarko.

[B.M]

If games were decided by the coaches apparent ability

How did we beat Hawthorn in 2019?

[saynta]

If games were decided by the coaches apparent ability

How did we beat Hawthorn in 2019?

Good point.

[SaintPav]

So coaches ability decided on one game now.

It was supposed to be a joke.

Original point stands that I don't thing GG was a good coach. I heard a few stories on lame attempts to motivate the players.

[B.M]

Not sure whether Gellie could coach or not?

Doubt it, he was actually thrown to the wolves.

But really,

The team was terrible, and Allan Jeans wouldn’t have done a thing with them.

[samuraisaint]

Hard to believe that year we recruited the following players: Silvio Foschini, Tony Morwood, Max Crox. Alan Sidebottom, Mark 'Jacko' Jackson, Tony Lockett and Rod Owen. Then add in our centre half back, Trevor Barker! Quite a lineup and really unbelievable with that talent we couldn't win more than five games that season.
I remember one weekend we all got in the car and drove the 60 kilometres to Geelong for a match which was played in the rain - in torrential conditions we inexplicably turned it on against a very good side at a ground we never did any good at and were already in front by ten goals in the third quarter.
It was that game, and a match a few weeks later when we kicked 23 goals against another very good side - Fitzroy - again at an opponent's home ground - after they themselves had just kicked 35 goals against the top side North at the same venue - and beat them in a very high standard entertaining game, that showed what we could do when we were switched on.

We'd turned it on every 4-five weeks or so. We were poorly skilled and not well coached; we weren't a very good side.

You're right there - but you can't deny that is an almighty list of talent to pick up in just one off season. In one of the final matches of that season we played the grand finalist of the season before and beat them by 13 goals!
And in another match we played the Swans at the SCG with Lockett and Jacko in the forward line and Jacko kicked ten goals!

[Vazelos]

Foschini was a star a serious talent and I loved him. I wore his number on my back for a short time. A tragedy we didn’t see him play alongside Plugger in the late 80s he would have been a perfect ground forward roving to the great man Plugger. I had the privilege of spending quality time with Silvio last few years a real gentlemen he loves the Saints people forget he turned down Collingwood to come to us and why? He said to me” how could you turn down a guy like Trevor Barker when he asks you to come and play for his club!”
Absolute gold!!
Class Act!!

[oboe]

Bit of a reality check.

It was Tony Jewell who coached us through 1983, and most of 1984.

A guy who won a Premiership with Richmond in 1980, and then ended up with us,

At Richmond, he had Michael Roach, David Cloke, Jimmy Jess, Dale Weightman, Mark Lee, Maurice Rioli, and Robbie Wiley (not to mention a pensioner in the name of Kevin Bartlett.

What did we have - an idiot by the name of Jackson, an injury plagued player like Foschini, an overweight kid by the name of Lockett, another kid by the name of Owen (injury and attitude curtailed his career), and an extremely over-rated player by the name of Paul Morwood. Let's not forget Alan (Candles) Sidebottom. Saw him Round 1 1985 against another struggling club - Sydney. Greg Williams got him late in the first quarter - we lost by close to 100 points.

I can remember 35 years ago. We had very little talent (all of Barker, Cunningham, and Burns were getting to the end of their careers, and we had precious little else except for a fat kid who was lazy (Plugger).

However from 1987 to 1989, Harvey, Burke, and Loewe, with the guiding influences of Sheldon, Marcou, and McConville, and we turned it around - first under the Doc who gave us belief, and then secondly under Sheldon who gave us System. Did Foschini and P Morwood help our kids??? probably not. Yes, I remember the victories over Sydney, Geelong, and Fitzroy (the latter I believe was 19 goals got kicked in the second quarter - an all time record). What happened after that??? Melbourne wore us down, and then the Dogs beat us from being 45 points down in the third. We gave no yelp after that for another three years. Foschini, Morwood, Owen and Sidebottom sent us back rather than leading us forward.

[Vazelos]

Oboe your recollection on players especially Plugger is offensive and down right ridiculous.
Owen was an outstanding talent as well until injuries and poor lifestyle ruined his career.
Other than Jackson the players you picked on were not the issue more like the lack of a deep list and lack of money at the club.
Plugger is the greatest player I ever saw period.

[spert]

Bit of a reality check.

It was Tony Jewell who coached us through 1983, and most of 1984.

A guy who won a Premiership with Richmond in 1980, and then ended up with us,

At Richmond, he had Michael Roach, David Cloke, Jimmy Jess, Dale Weightman, Mark Lee, Maurice Rioli, and Robbie Wiley (not to mention a pensioner in the name of Kevin Bartlett.

What did we have - an idiot by the name of Jackson, an injury plagued player like Foschini, an overweight kid by the name of Lockett, another kid by the name of Owen (injury and attitude curtailed his career), and an extremely over-rated player by the name of Paul Morwood. Let's not forget Alan (Candles) Sidebottom. Saw him Round 1 1985 against another struggling club - Sydney. Greg Williams got him late in the first quarter - we lost by close to 100 points.

I can remember 35 years ago. We had very little talent (all of Barker, Cunningham, and Burns were getting to the end of their careers, and we had precious little else except for a fat kid who was lazy (Plugger).

However from 1987 to 1989, Harvey, Burke, and Loewe, with the guiding influences of Sheldon, Marcou, and McConville, and we turned it around - first under the Doc who gave us belief, and then secondly under Sheldon who gave us System. Did Foschini and P Morwood help our kids??? probably not. Yes, I remember the victories over Sydney, Geelong, and Fitzroy (the latter I believe was 19 goals got kicked in the second quarter - an all time record). What happened after that??? Melbourne wore us down, and then the Dogs beat us from being 45 points down in the third. We gave no yelp after that for another three years. Foschini, Morwood, Owen and Sidebottom sent us back rather than leading us forward.

Plus a culture around the group of pi*sing on and training poorly. I do remember going to some Essendon training sessions with mates around that time, and the attitude around their training session was very sharp and professional, yet our sessions looked like a run around the park with a few footys. A real lack of on-field leadership.

[CURLY]

Involved at Gembrook this year helping the Under 18's.

[Simon Templar]

I remember when he was drafted, at 16 wasn’t he(?) he was a prodigy at soccer as well As Aussie rules. As good as he was to watch playing footy with his agility, pace and high marking, he would possibly have had a longer career playing the round ball game and would have still been a superstar at it!! Can I add that graham Gellie was as brilliant a rover as ever I’ve seen but a super short career dashed by injury!!!!

[saynta]

I remember when he was drafted, at 16 wasn’t he(?) he was a prodigy at soccer as well As Aussie rules. As good as he was to watch playing footy with his agility, pace and high marking, he would possibly have had a longer career playing the round ball game and would have still been a superstar at it!! Can I add that graham Gellie was as brilliant a rover as ever I’ve seen but a super short career dashed by injury!!!!

Won a best and fairest in his one and only season..

Just another in a long line of elite saints whose careers were tragically cut short by injury.

[Viking3]

I remember a Tiger's game at Moorabbin when a brawl broke out early in the game, on the member's wing. The Tiger's a$$hole just grabbed Foschini by the suspect arm and yanked. Shoulder out, game over.

[Zed]

Oboe your recollection on players especially Plugger is offensive and down right ridiculous.
Owen was an outstanding talent as well until injuries and poor lifestyle ruined his career.
Other than Jackson the players you picked on were not the issue more like the lack of a deep list and lack of money at the club.
Plugger is the greatest player I ever saw period.

I moved to Melbourne in 1988 having grown up in Adelaide barracking for another VFL/AFL team.
I went to a few St Kilda games in 1988 with some workmates and just loved watching Lockett.

In 1989 I chose to switch allegiances to St Kilda mainly so I could watch Plugger.
Not quite the best player I have seen, but certainly the most exciting to watch

Ironically, his decision to leave at the end of 1993 whilst breaking my heart also prompted me to sign up for a membership because I figured I wanted to stay emotionally invested with the Saints.
Been a paid up member since 1994.

[ace]

I remember a Tiger's game at Moorabbin when a brawl broke out early in the game, on the member's wing. The Tiger's a$$hole just grabbed Foschini by the suspect arm and yanked. Shoulder out, game over.

Richmond player
0 weeks