Bernard Shakey wrote:Plugger, because he did it week in week out in a dud team. He would have been even better in a better team.
Harvey next, because he just keeps giving and he doesn't know any other way.
Baldock, would have rated him higher if he was around longer.
Stewart, sheer brilliance but jumped ship.
McIntosh, cruelly cut down in his prime.
Ditterich, because I was with East Brighton when he was there and he even frightened the s*** out of his teammates.
Not sure I agree with Lockett as no.1 due to "being in a dud team". Tony received plenty of excellent clear passage from legends like Nicky Winwar. and had a marvellous CHF working as a distraction for much of his time at St. Kilda.
My list is:
1 Harvey - class, skills, longevity, humility and team man who continued to develop in a game that has changed radically.
2 Doc Baldock - great skills in all conditions but second only because the game is faster now.
3 Ian Stewart - A marvel to watch. Its all said before. As a young teenager Stewart was my idol and I was "over the moon" to have him attend a footy club pie night (I was around 13 or 14).
4 T. Lockett - 1300 goals says it all.
5 Trevor Barker - A one man show with huge aerial skills that often played against all the odds.
6 Nicky Winmar - now here is a guy that delivered agains the might of opposition thrown against him (in several ways).
7 Stewart Loewe - Buckets was a fantastic mark nad hugely underrated player. In my opinion was a better mark than Lockett and had not fear in marking contests.
8 Carl Ditterich - The blonde BOMBshell who could win or lose a game at will.
9 Nathan Burke - Never underrate what this fellow did for the Saints then and now.
10 Cowboy Kevin Neale - played forward and back and took many telling marks that lead Saints to games they would never have won without him.
Roo is not far from this list but others have a lot of work to elevate themselves this far apart from maybe Ball, if he remains injury free.
Midfield clearances and clear winners are needed to make an effective forward line.
You need to protect the ball handler to increase posession efficiency