How Good Was Lockett

ace · Post: # 793172Post **ace** » Mon 10 Aug 2009 3:13pm

Buddy Franklin will be lucky to manage 70 goals this season, playing in a middle of the ladder side, but playing all 22 games.
He managed 113 goals playing in 25 games when spearheading a premiership team.

One can only dream of how many Lockett would have kicked had he the luxury of playing 25 games in front of a premiership team.
Lockett got his centuries of goals playing in front of a mediocre team, unlike Dunstall & Hudson.

Once Lockett got 70 goals in 9 games before having his season destroyed by injury.
Buddy wont achieve that this season with 22 games.

The eras may be diiferent but maybe now some of you youngsters, who had the misfortune never to see Lockett in his prime, can understand why Lockett's name sits above the cheer squad at Docklands.

matrix · Post: # 793192Post **matrix** » Mon 10 Aug 2009 3:36pm

if Lockett would have played these 19 past rounds he would be pretty close to the 100 i reckon....
not this 68 goals like the leaders are on now (brown and fev)

imagine the delivery to him today

hayes
dal
bj
joey
gram (50/50

)

in fact i deff reckon he woulda kicked the 100 by now
70 goals in 9 games lol
that wont even get close to being beaten in a long long time

samoht · Post: # 793193Post **samoht** » Mon 10 Aug 2009 3:37pm

Who knows Lockett may have struggled with today's flooding tactics and also dropping men in the space he would like to lead into.

Franklin's effort last year was a stand out effort.

We may think of Lockett as St kilda's son .. but does he reciprocate and value St kilda or the Swans as his progenitor ?
Actions speak louder than words in that regard.

Then again maybe he was a good son in luring Barry Hall away and giving us NDS.

Banger2Plugger · Mon 10 Aug 2009 3:39pm

Lockett kicked his goals carrying an extra 3-4 kilos than anyone today - at least a kilo or 2 of mud on his boots, and the football soddened / wet throu. His only downfall in today's footy would be the man running off him all the time from the backline - thou - with the team we have today, who in their right mind would leave him to roam the forward 50m free!!
A Man Mountain - a giant of the game forever!

perfectionist · Mon 10 Aug 2009 3:41pm

Darrel Baldock says Tony Lockett was the best footballer he had seen, an opinion I would respect. He certainly had every skill, not always seen in a game. Perhaps his flaw was his approach to a game which could be quite variable. Imagine Lenny's approach in Plugger.

Bernard Shakey · Mon 10 Aug 2009 3:44pm

Robert Harvey rates Plugger as the best player he has ever seen.

What more can you say?

The Saintsational Man · Mon 10 Aug 2009 3:46pm

samoht wrote:Who knows Lockett may have struggled with today's flooding tactics and also dropping men in the space he would like to lead into.

The flood was originaly invented to stop Lockett, I believe Adelaide was the first to try the tactic, although I don't believe it was the same flood we see today, that one was directed at stopping one player I think.....

Lockett would still be kicking bags in todays game, he was that good.

Dis Believer · Mon 10 Aug 2009 3:48pm

He kicked 34 in 3 games in 1991 !!! He kicked 117 in about 17 games that year including 9 in a final.

In front of this team would break the season record.

Simply the best I have ever seen. And damn scary too. Never mind BBBH, he was a schoolyard bully beside Plugger.

If Plugger was kept to only 4 goals in a game the fullback would get a brownlow vote.

He was the reason teams started playing extra men in the backline (Sheedy played an 8 man backline against us in that 91 season and kept Plugger to only a couple of goals, Essendon won the game). Your damn good when people chnage the way the game is played because of you.

Same as Banger. The original "rotations" started when teams started rotating taggers on him in order to keep up. Before that a tagger would go to a gun mid and run with him all day. Banger started running them int the ground beore half time and they started rotating them on him - and he ran a few pairs of taggers in to the ground in his prime as well!

suss · Post: # 793227Post **suss** » Mon 10 Aug 2009 4:06pm

They're the worst words you'd ever want to hear: "I need you to fill the hole in front of Lockett". Eek.

To think that the angry ant from Hawthorn was complaining that buddy doesn't get his share of free kicks. Pluggger played in the days when chopping the arm was a legitimate tactic.

Moods · Post: # 793238Post **Moods** » Mon 10 Aug 2009 4:19pm

On footy flasbacks the other week, they showed the 91 elimination final b/w saints and cats.

My 7 year daughter was watching in amazement. She called out to her sister. 'Come and watch this guy Lockett, he's incredible!.' They were both amazed that Robert Harvey was still running around in the 'olden days.'

Quite funny as I was explaining that Gary Ablett's dad was playing in this game - my 9 year old remarked,'He wasn't very good was he.'

bigcarl · Post: # 793240Post **bigcarl** » Mon 10 Aug 2009 4:22pm

a champion and the best i've seen. a 6' 4" version of leigh matthews.

guys would run off him at their own peril because who, in their right mind, would leave him unguarded inside 50 with the way it rebounds these days.

matrix · Post: # 793241Post **matrix** » Mon 10 Aug 2009 4:24pm

Moods wrote:Quite funny as I was explaining that Gary Ablett's dad was playing in this game - my 9 year old remarked,'He wasn't very good was he.'

lol
classic
those around in the plugger era and able to appreciate it for what it was are very lucky peeps.
theres some stars today, no doubt, but ablett and lockett are just as good if not better than most of todays forwards.

yipper · Post: # 793247Post **yipper** » Mon 10 Aug 2009 4:36pm

Lockett was just unbelievable. He was big, I mean really big and aggressive as well - that made him just plain dangerous.

But his skills as a footballer were just sublime. He could kick on both sides, powerful mark and he could read the game beautifully. I still vividly remember a praccy game at Moorabbin prior to the 1988 season, when we played against the Bears. Plugger kicked 12 that day - and one of his goals he collected a ground ball (one touch as always) then stood up to find all these Bears defenders around him. So he just crashed thru them - and he literally had 4 of them hanging off him as he ran into goal and kicked truely. They were being dragged along as he kept running towards the goal - and he appeared not to notice them as he just kicked gently into the goals. awesome presence at Moorabbin in particular where he just owned the forward 50 arcs.

Sainterman · Post: # 793248Post **Sainterman** » Mon 10 Aug 2009 4:36pm

Plugger was amazing. We used to follow him from end to end just to watch him back in the late 80's. Winmar to Lockett, was like Lillee to Marsh!

He did rip our hearts out when he left though, always remember that sick feeling seeing him in that Sydney jumper for the first time.

It would be nice if he showed a bit more interest in the Saints these days, after all he did kick 898 goals with us. He seems to have forgotten that in the time that has passed since.

The few times I met him though he was gruff and unfriendly. I don't think he ever did much for the young Saints supporters, certainly not like the players do now.

But for football ability, I am sure glad I was around to see him play!

Incidentally, he was better and more damaging with the Saints than he ever was in Sydney!

bigcarl · Post: # 793249Post **bigcarl** » Mon 10 Aug 2009 4:45pm

yipper wrote:Lockett was just unbelievable. He was big, I mean really big and aggressive as well - that made him just plain dangerous.

But his skills as a footballer were just sublime. He could kick on both sides, powerful mark and he could read the game beautifully. I still vividly remember a praccy game at Moorabbin prior to the 1988 season, when we played against the Bears. Plugger kicked 12 that day - and one of his goals he collected a ground ball (one touch as always) then stood up to find all these Bears defenders around him. So he just crashed thru them - and he literally had 4 of them hanging off him as he ran into goal and kicked truely. They were being dragged along as he kept running towards the goal - and he appeared not to notice them as he just kicked gently into the goals. awesome presence at Moorabbin in particular where he just owned the forward 50 arcs.

i saw that. it was unbelievable. i think he kicked 13 though.

st.byron · Post: # 793250Post **st.byron** » Mon 10 Aug 2009 4:45pm

Best player I've ever seen play in the flesh - then daylight.

Hard to assess how he would go today. Whether he would have been able to fit in with today's style of run, run, run and everyone's a defender when the other team has the pill, who knows?
My guess is that a player of his talent and quality would still be a superstar today.

yipper · Post: # 793251Post **yipper** » Mon 10 Aug 2009 4:51pm

bigcarl wrote:
yipper wrote:Lockett was just unbelievable. He was big, I mean really big and aggressive as well - that made him just plain dangerous.

But his skills as a footballer were just sublime. He could kick on both sides, powerful mark and he could read the game beautifully. I still vividly remember a praccy game at Moorabbin prior to the 1988 season, when we played against the Bears. Plugger kicked 12 that day - and one of his goals he collected a ground ball (one touch as always) then stood up to find all these Bears defenders around him. So he just crashed thru them - and he literally had 4 of them hanging off him as he ran into goal and kicked truely. They were being dragged along as he kept running towards the goal - and he appeared not to notice them as he just kicked gently into the goals. awesome presence at Moorabbin in particular where he just owned the forward 50 arcs.
i saw that. it was unbelievable. i think he kicked 13 though.

I lost count after 10!!!!

Owen · Post: # 793254Post **Owen** » Mon 10 Aug 2009 4:55pm

I remember the glorious days at Moorabbin & Waverley when he was unstoppable ..

I also remember the days he was well held either by a smart fullback (often SOS) or smart coaching (often Sheedy) ..

He also gave us so much joy .. winning the brownlow in '87 when I was just growing up having experienced so much ridicule and those terrible seasons in the early 80's .. it was just a high I'll never forget ..

So on the balance of things - greatest player ever ? I think one R.Harvey himself could vie for that honor - but on his good days nobody could touch plugger ..

stinger · Post: # 793256Post **stinger** » Mon 10 Aug 2009 4:57pm

Bernard Shakey wrote:Robert Harvey rates Plugger as the best player he has ever seen.

What more can you say?

plugger rates banger the best player he has seen......

bigcarl · Post: # 793259Post **bigcarl** » Mon 10 Aug 2009 4:59pm

yipper wrote:
bigcarl wrote:i saw that. it was unbelievable. i think he kicked 13 though.
I lost count after 10!!!!

13.8 from memory (but don't quote me). might have been 13.11 ... i do remember that his kicking wasn't up to his usual standard.

LovedLintonStreet · Mon 10 Aug 2009 5:11pm

He was the best, does anyone remember his game against collingwood in late 87. He kicked 7 I think, dragged us back into the game in the second quarter, and kicked a beauty after he lead out but didn't mark, gathered the ball in general play and kicked a torp from a long way out that went through post high!! The moorabbin grandstand was rocking!! That may have been the 3 votes that clinched his Brownlow, but it was 22 years ago, and only one of many amazing games!
I also seem to recall someone tackling Plugger and the point post breaking, a trainer or the emergency umpire had to hold it up for the rest of that quarter!!!

bigcarl · Post: # 793280Post **bigcarl** » Mon 10 Aug 2009 5:16pm

LovedLintonStreet wrote:He was the best, does anyone remember his game against collingwood in late 87. He kicked 7 I think, dragged us back into the game in the second quarter, and kicked a beauty after he lead out but didn't mark, gathered the ball in general play and kicked a torp from a long way out that went through post high!! The moorabbin grandstand was rocking!! That may have been the 3 votes that clinched his Brownlow, but it was 22 years ago, and only one of many amazing games!
I also seem to recall someone tackling Plugger and the point post breaking, a trainer or the emergency umpire had to hold it up for the rest of that quarter!!!

that collingwood game was amazing. we were gone at quarter time. they led by six or seven goals, but after that he just throttled them.

that was his breakout game in his breakout season.

Mr Magic · Post: # 793283Post **Mr Magic** » Mon 10 Aug 2009 5:17pm

Quite simply the most awesome player ever to pull on a Saints jumper.

If you ever get the chance to speak to SOS, ask him about the day at Moorabbin when Plugger took him apart, kicking his 10th to win the game.

He was virtually unstoppable.

He would never survive having to apply 'frontal pressure' like we are playing today, but he probably wouldn't need to do it as he would mark anything that came near him!

I recall onw time he was playing for the Big V adn they threw him into the ruck at 3/4 time. He turned the game and won it for Victoria.

But there were dark sides of his character.
He was basically an introvert and easily lost his temper.
Who knows how many goals he would have eventually kicked had he not missed so many games through suspension?

markp · Post: # 793286Post **markp** » Mon 10 Aug 2009 5:27pm

Mr Magic wrote: He would never survive having to apply 'frontal pressure'

He may have demonstrated a more primal interpretation of that concept.

Milton66 · Post: # 793287Post **Milton66** » Mon 10 Aug 2009 5:28pm

Mr Magic wrote:Quite simply the most awesome player ever to pull on a Saints jumper.

If you ever get the chance to speak to SOS, ask him about the day at Moorabbin when Plugger took him apart, kicking his 10th to win the game.

He was virtually unstoppable.

He would never survive having to apply 'frontal pressure' like we are playing today, but he probably wouldn't need to do it as he would mark anything that came near him!

I recall onw time he was playing for the Big V adn they threw him into the ruck at 3/4 time. He turned the game and won it for Victoria.

But there were dark sides of his character.
He was basically an introvert and easily lost his temper.
Who knows how many goals he would have eventually kicked had he not missed so many games through suspension?

Too true. MM.

Baldock always thought that he could one of the best ever CHF's if he controlled his weight.

Stood next to him one day, and I swear his fore arm was the size of my thigh.

I doubt he'd survive in the modern game due to the emphasis on athleticism.

Ian Stewart, although, would probably still slot in nicely.