Toughest player you've seen

[spert]

Tough?? Anyone can go around belting or running through blokes when they least expect it, and that's not tough. I think tough is having no fear of being smashed in your attempt to get the ball, or help teammates by putting your body in danger.
Here's real tough, some from what I remember as a very young fella:
Old days..
Ian Stewart..no fear and massive skills, always backing into packs
Doc Baldock ..as above
Ross Smith ..a little rover with absolutely no fear
Recent..
Maxie ..puts his body where it shouldnt go against bigger opponents, but it's for the team
Roo..not afraid to take risks
Ball.. no fear, but doesn't have a good sixth sense and gets clobbered a bit too much
I was going to say Baker, but he does to many dumb un-teamlike things

[bergsone]

Tough?? Anyone can go around belting or running through blokes when they least expect it, and that's not tough. I think tough is having no fear of being smashed in your attempt to get the ball, or help teammates by putting your body in danger.
Here's real tough, some from what I remember as a very young fella:
Old days..
Ian Stewart..no fear and massive skills, always backing into packs
Doc Baldock ..as above
Ross Smith ..a little rover with absolutely no fear
Recent..
Maxie ..puts his body where it shouldnt go against bigger opponents, but it's for the team
Roo..not afraid to take risks
Ball.. no fear, but doesn't have a good sixth sense and gets clobbered a bit too much
I was going to say Baker, but he does to many dumb un-teamlike things

Good post .did you see T.Barker reckon he fits your list .Perfectly

[battye]

Nathan Burke never shirked a contest. He was in and under everything.
I never thought I'd see his standard again; until Luke Ball arrived.

Even in his last game against Richmond he went hard at it. Had blood pouring from his head and came back on the ground a minute or so later I believe?

[saint patrick]

Just scrolling through the list to see if anyone remembered Rod Keogh...certainly one of the toughest I've seen.

Another one I missed ...was a genuine hard nut...anyone remember Russell Reynolds in the 70's? ...was build like the preverbial outhouse and had real grunt

[jonesy]

Tony Lockett. Gave out plenty and copped nothing. Opposition were to scared.

Exactly.
Hurt a lot of players,yet none could bring it back on him. Essendon talked up this young tough fullback over the 92 pre season that was going to physically beat up Plugger in our Round 1 match. Sheedy thought he had the answer in Brad Fox,the day came,Plugger was ready and put him in a headlock,Fox stopped breathing on the ground.....

[jill]

Has not rated a mention yet - but what about the greatest ruckman of all time - 6ft. tall but held his own against the like of Farmer, Nicholls Leek, Gabelich,Schultz etc. etc - ALAN MORROW!!!!!!
Had knee problem so strapped a penny in the "weak spot". Played entire career with this plus being a short ruckman!
Never took a backward step!!! St.Kilda through and through!!!

[westy]

Eric Guy(ask Bobby Skilton)
Allan Morrow
Cowboy Neale
Ian Stewart ( If they could catch him)
Big Carl
Rocket Rodney Keogh
Wakelins
David Grant
Mr Lockett
Sir Robert Harvey
Luke Ball
I reckon you could pick out 2-3 Sainters out of every year since 1870 who were genuinely TOUGH unlike some of the other namby pamby woosy boys playing or having played for the other teams

[westy]

Strewth, how could I forget Nathan Burke. Tough as nails!

[happy feet]

I asked my dad who is 85 and has watched a hell of a lot of footy who was the toughest plater he has seen. He mentioned Lethal Leigh, Big Carl, but then he said Eric Guy was the toughest by far. Many others rated on this thread were cream puffs compared to Eric Guy. I grabbed my Talking footy book and Neil Roberts confirms this. Dad said Paul Kelly was a bit like Ecca, threw himself at the pack and at the ball fearlessly, only much harder than Kelly. Was at the junction oval the day he ironed out bobby skilton (who was a mate) in the hardest legal hit he has ever seen in watching footy. Killagrew was scared for Ecca's safety so he took him off at 3/4 time.

[jay young]

lenny hayes is the toughest now he played out a game with a knee that neaded a reconstruction came back from broken ribs after 3 weeks off thats tough. just belting blokes aint tough , Ablett would only line blokes up and hit them without warning. toe for toe brawls no one could beat rob muir

[bigcarl]

lockett, followed by leigh matthews.

they were similar in many ways but lockett was bigger, stronger and meaner. and he was even more lethal as a player.

no-one took plugger on, even when he was a kid. it didn't bear thinking about.

but, as others have said, it depends on your definition of tough: strongest and most intimidating; or most durable and able to take punishment.

[Saintgaz]

Just scrolling through the list to see if anyone remembered Rod Keogh...certainly one of the toughest I've seen.

A mate of mine played for the Dockers in their first year. Rod gave him this huge corkie in the thigh, then when my mate was writhing on the ground, gave him a huge spray for being soft.

[spert]

Whoops I forgot one T.Barker.. the man who put team before everything.

[Lenny = legend]

I loved it when burkey was bleeding down his face in his last game cos it summed up his career – tough as nails.

for a tough MOMENT, CJ's mark early in the yr is up there.But nothing beats rooeys mark in Sydney - best grab i've seen.

[Saint Mik]

Anyone remember a bloke that played in one of the toughest spots on the ground that would have blokes p!ssing down there legs as they were walking in to line up on him at the start of the game, I think his name was something like AARON HAMILL

[Sainternist]

2 words, one man - Wow Jones

[Stephen Theodore]

1. Carl Ditterich
2. Leigh Matthews
3. Take your pick

[Stephen Theodore]

Both Ditterich & Matthews played hard games in the toughest game I've ever seen by a long way, the 1971 Grand Final.

Special Mention to Cowboy for going a long way towards Hudson not breaking the goal kicking record.

[perfectionist]

Special Mention to Cowboy for going a long way towards Hudson not breaking the goal kicking record.

He ran through him and knocked him out, taking part of his ear. Unfortunately, he also knocked out Bob Murray.

And, how quickly we forget - Aaron Hamill was the toughest, and most feared, Saints player in the last decade. Had he been fit in either of the finals campaigns of '04 or '05, one or two flags would be flying. But he wasn't and they aren't.

[Hurricane]

Of the current Saints id agree that Luke Ball is our toughest. Of our past Saints its hard to go past Trevor Barker.

BANG BANG

[Saint Mik]

2 words, one man - Wow Jones

I was led to beleive it was 2 W's one a$$hole

[Stephen Theodore]

perfectionist wrote:
And, how quickly we forget - Aaron Hamill was the toughest, and most feared, Saints player in the last decade. Had he been fit in either of the finals campaigns of '04 or '05, one or two flags would be flying. But he wasn't and they aren't.

sad but true !

[Winmar7Fan]

Tony Lockett
Dermott Brereton
Greg Burns
David Rhys-Jones

[Con Gorozidis]

Tony Lockett. Gave out plenty and copped nothing. Opposition were to scared.

i remember whenn i was a kid i was at the game when plugger and rick kennedy spen an entire half wrestling in the goal square.

[Con Gorozidis]

My toughest ever saint was Russel Jeffrey. he was super tough. genuine boxer.

Dirtiest - Big Lazar, Tony Antrobus and Joffa Cunningham (in a good way!)