Your favourite Tony Lockett memories

[Sainternist]

April, 1987 @ MCG, versus Melbourne

Easter Holidays, and I was a 10 year kid taking myself to a game, knowing that the chances of seeing a St.Kilda win were somewhat slim. But I didn't care. We hardly ever won games back then and we had a man mountain and a goal kicking machine at Full Forward. I was expecting his usual 6 or 7 goals, but I witnessed an absolute treat of a goal kicking clinic. I think Melbourne's full back was one of the best in the comp. Danny White(?)

Melbourne had the likes of Flower, Moore and Wilson carve us up, but big Plugger stood tall and kicked an incredible 12 goals out of the 14 the team kicked. I think we lost by about 8 goals as well. After that, he was unstoppable that season.

The following week, The Doc got his first win as coach of St.Kilda and it turned out to be one of the first times the Saints were competetive in my lifetime. I felt really proud to be a St.Kilda supporter that year.

WELCOME HOME, PLUGGER!

edit: The Melbourne full back in question was Danny Hughes. I got the name confused with Sean White, who coincidentally played on Plugger the second time we played them that year. In that encounter, Plugger bagged 8 goals and we belted the Dees. 20 goals in two games against Melbourne in 1987. Wow!

[rodgerfox]

Where do I start....

As the biggest Plugger fan in history, it's tough to pick out just a few special moments.

But I'll try....

Having kick to kick with him at training when I was a kid and he wasn't taking part in regular training.

Having a mate who owned a Milk Bar in Brighton, that Plugger went to every Saturday morning before the game to buy Freddo Frogs. I'd get on my BMX and ride down there and we'd both wait patiently for him to arrive. We'd get him to sign something different every time.

His comeback against Adelaide at Moorabbin. Has to be the best half of football by any player, ever in the history of the game. Maybe Alan Jakovich in the final against Essendon at Waverley may pip him.

The night he kicked his tonne in Adelaide on a Friday night.

That final against Geelong. That day really set him apart from many other champion players. To completely dominate a final like that was amazing.
As McAvaney said on the replay at one point - it was a celebration.
It's a shame he had to share the limelight with a guy like Brownless.

Call me treacherous, but I also loved Sunday arvos when he played for the Swans.



I just loved watching that dude play.

[Bowey Boy]

1987 was the year the the Saints got out of their hole and despite some bad years since, we have never plunged the depths of that mid 1970s to 1987 period.

I think my favourite Plugger memory will be many others, the mark and goal over SOS at Moorabbin (Round 2, 1989?). A mate of mine had actually left. Gotta have faith.

I would also add the Plugger's return has been cleansing for me. I have hated the way he had become a "Sydney" man even after football. However, the recent return visit to us goes a long way to my emotional repair.

[rodgerfox]

I think my favourite Plugger memory will be many others, the mark and goal over SOS at Moorabbin (Round 2, 1989?). A mate of mine had actually left. Gotta have faith.

I was such a Plugger maniac as a kid, that the hype surrounding that match and the build-up around the 'Plugger vs. Silvagni' contest sent me into a frenzy. I was so excited by it all, that about an hour before the game I got a migraine and had to go home!

I missed the whole thing.


Of course special mention must go to his first tonne at Moorabbin against the Dogs. My old man took me down at 3/4 time and we stood in the outer and watched it all happen.

[saintspremiers]

Plugger kicking his 100th goal at Moorabbin for the first time vs Footscray the crowd went nuts.

Also Plugger Caven his head in (although he got about 8 weeks for a what was just a shrug off, bloody corrupt tribunal!).

[Superboot]

August 8, 1991, against Carlton at Waverley.

We'd been travelling pretty well but came into this game against our bogey team after having lost 4 of the previous 5 games. Really needed to win it to get back on track, and secure a place in the finals for the first time since 1974.

Plugger kicked 13.3.

Saints by 54 points.

Dean Greig 39 disposals!

Won all the remaining games by a mile except for THAT game against Geelong.

[longtimesaint]

My favourite memory was a match against West Coast about 1989.
Plugger had had a quiet first quarter and I don't think he had kicked a goal when Guy McKenna tackled and held on.
Plugger swung the elbow and was reported (he got 4 weeks.)
That really stirred him and he kicked I think 12.6 for the last 3 quarters and West Coast had no answer.

[Thinline]

The Caven/Swans game.

The incident itself was awful, but to see a bloke just completely turn a game on its head like that was once in a lifetime stuff...

Especially when you were sitting at his end of the ground in the last quarter.

He was terrifying.

[Stephen Theodore]

Second quarter display against Geelong in that final still ranks as the most dominant individual display in a quarter.

[jonesy]

The first time I met him was in 91. I was just 11. To say I was awe struck by Lockett through my entire childhood would be an understatement. I was infatuated with the man. I thought he was a messiah,literally greater than every other human being. I'd be up at sunrise each morning before school kicking the footy out on the street pretending I was him,all through junior footy I played full forward,was given number 14,then 4 when he switched. I tried to kick like him,lead like him,walk like him,limp like him. Unfortunatly I couldn't play like him....

So it's fair to say the first time I got to meet him one on one the situation got to me. A family friend knew him and organised the meeting after training one night. I was kicking the footy in the squash courts as i used to do as dad would play on the next court. Dad came in and got me and said hurry up come outside Plugger wants to meet you.

I got outside and plugger was sitting on the bonnet of the car waiting for me,he got up and shook my hand and said "g'day Benny how you mate?".
I went to answer,and nothing came out....no noise...I was dumbstruck,and just stood there and stared at him....Dad had to do the talking. That saturday was the Adelaide return game that RF mentioned...

I have many similarities to RF. I loved watching him play,even with the swans. When he went to Sydney I then followed to two teams. Stkilda,and Lockett. Quite a few times I'd get the train out to the Sydney game in Mebourne during the day,and rush back out to Waverley to catch the saints on the saturday night. I wasn't the only Stkilda supporter to do that. I reckon those first two years Sydney games had about 20% of Stkilda supporters at the ground,walking end to end each quarter...great times!

Was kind of inevitable when he left at the end of 94. We knew it was coming,so wasn't a total shock,was dissapointing,but knew it was coming....very similar to the GAJ situation atm.
It's fitting that pluggers last kick was the sealer against Collingwood out at Waverley for his 8th. He missed the final game of the year against Fitzroy with the flu.....inside sources say though he wanted to go out on a high with the saints kicking that last goal against Collingwood,and not the following week out at Whitten oval

[bigcarl]

Call me treacherous, but I also loved Sunday arvos when he played for the Swans.

I'll admit it. I had the same failing and they were my second team while Plugger was with them. When we played them I used to hope he'd kick six in a losing side.

My favorite memory of him was a pre-season practice game against the Brisbane Bears at Moorabbin. He had four defenders hanging off him in the goal square and carried them to the line before putting it through.

His kicking was off that day. He had 13.7 from memory. Or was it 13.9?

[maverick]

Agree with RF, that day against Adelaide in 1991 was as electric as I have seen Moorabbin, although I am not an old timer...It took 6 seconds for Harvs to kick it to him for his first that day....

So many memories, definitely the best I have seen...

I just miss the anticipation of watching the race at Moorabbin to see if he would run out or not and breathing a huge sigh of relief when he did....

As much as I loved him, when he left, that was the single moment in our recent history that has shaped us to be the club we are now...it was the wake up call the STKFC needed....

[Thinline]

Agree with RF, that day against Adelaide in 1991 was as electric as I have seen Moorabbin, although I am not an old timer...It took 6 seconds for Harvs to kick it to him for his first that day....

So many memories, definitely the best I have seen...

I just miss the anticipation of watching the race at Moorabbin to see if he would run out or not and breathing a huge sigh of relief when he did....

As much as I loved him, when he left, that was the single moment in our recent history that has shaped us to be the club we are now...it was the wake up call the STKFC needed....

How was the 'Rabbin Roar...

[Halo]

One of my best memories of Plugger was at Moorabbin in the early 90s against the Brisbane bears, he kicked about 12 goals & the crowd followed him to what ever end we were kicking to !! I think we won by over 100 points.

[plugger66]

The Carlton game was his best ever game. 17 shots at goal on the FB of the century. That just shouldnt happen. I also liked the Dogs game when he got his 100 in 1987. A great memory of mine was after he won the brownlow and came back to Moorabbin and at one stage I had his brownlow around my neck. That was a great thrill.

[bigcarl]

There was a game against Hawthorn at the MCG in the late 80s or early 90s when i thought Plugger was at the height of his powers.

He kicked 9.7 in a losing side on Langford (I think) and was simply awesome.

We were strugglers at the time and the Hawks were perennial grand finalists. We would have won, but Dermie kinghit Frawley, who had kept him to just a few touches until three quarter time.

Dermott then kicked a few goals in the last quarter getting Hawthorn home narrowly.

Anyone else remember this game?

[ashjam]

I saw every game Plugger played for us.

The best football he ever played was the game against Hawthorn in 1988 at the MCG.....maybe Round 9 for memory?

He kicked 9.7 on Chris Langford.

It was the same game that Danny Frawley was knocked out by Dermott Brereton, and Nicky Winmar kicked an 80 metre torpedo goal in the second quarter.

The marks and goals he kicked that day had to be seen to be believed.

He had won the Brownlow the previous year.

He played so may great games for us, this one still gives me goosebumps.

We should have won that game, Hawthorn were a powerhouse at the time, and we were emerging, but we were so reliant on Lockett, that when he went down the following week against Footscray at Waverley, and broke his ankle, we only won 1 more game for the year.

[bigcarl]

I saw every game Plugger played for us.

The best football he ever played was the game against Hawthorn in 1988 at the MCG.....maybe Round 9 for memory?

He kicked 9.7 on Chris Langford.

It was the same game that Danny Frawley was knocked out by Dermott Brereton, and Nicky Winmar kicked an 80 metre torpedo goal in the second quarter.

The marks and goals he kicked that day had to be seen to be believed.

He had won the Brownlow the previous year.

He played so may great games for us, this one still gives me goosebumps.

We should have won that game, Hawthorn were a powerhouse at the time, and we were emerging, but we were so reliant on Lockett, that when he went down the following week against Footscray at Waverley, and broke his ankle, we only won 1 more game for the year.

How about that. The same game I was talking about.

[plugger66]

I saw every game Plugger played for us.

The best football he ever played was the game against Hawthorn in 1988 at the MCG.....maybe Round 9 for memory?

He kicked 9.7 on Chris Langford.

It was the same game that Danny Frawley was knocked out by Dermott Brereton, and Nicky Winmar kicked an 80 metre torpedo goal in the second quarter.

The marks and goals he kicked that day had to be seen to be believed.

He had won the Brownlow the previous year.

He played so may great games for us, this one still gives me goosebumps.

We should have won that game, Hawthorn were a powerhouse at the time, and we were emerging, but we were so reliant on Lockett, that when he went down the following week against Footscray at Waverley, and broke his ankle, we only won 1 more game for the year.

That Dogs game really summed up how little money we had back then. Plugger had a broken ankle and our medical staff put magic spray on it about 4 times in what was one of the coldest days at Waverley and had him constantly running along the boundary trying to get him back on the ground. And Plugger being a weak prick couldnt even come back on.

[mullet]

The night he went off at the disco and whacked Rick Watt.

He was actually having a good time that night, was behind the bar serving and laughing.

Watt got in his face and well the rest is history

[Verdun66]

The Saints v Dogs game at Moorabbin in 87. He was playing on Rick Kennedy, and the dogs were a good outfit. It just seemed scripted. He gets his 100, and then leads to Winmar a few minutes later with the game in the balance. He marks and goals and we win.

I was thinking that it was great if he gets the ton, but not if we lose. The great man rose again. Just fantastic. We had the core of a very good side, but various circumstances saw us slide back again with Pluggers injuries and suspensions.

It was great following the Saints with Plugger firing. That Geelong Elimination final in 91 would have been the crowning moment, but we went down, and there was another chance lost.

Great to see him back.

[Toy Saint]

So many outstanding memories. Plugger is the very best player I have ever seen - easily.

The time he kicked a bag on Silvagni. Or the time he belted Rick Kennedy with the best combination of left & right after being squirel'd.

One time he was playing for Sydney against Brisbane and was on track to kick +20 goals, but the asshole Barassi dragged him, and he only ended up with 16.

[splud]

One of my fave memories of Plugger was his magnificent kicking action.

Class personified.

Almost every kick was a masterly work of art.

[Winmar]

For me I think it has to be his 12 goal return game against Adelaide in 1991. He had a few opponents and made look Rodney Maynard look like a goose. Watching him at Winmar at Moorabbin day was a pleasure we'll never know the likes of again.

The final later that year v Geelong was another highlight. As was his 13 goal haul against Carlton in 1993.

[Bardon Saint]

One of my best memories of Plugger was at Moorabbin in the early 90s against the Brisbane bears, he kicked about 12 goals & the crowd followed him to what ever end we were kicking to !! I think we won by over 100 points.

I was about 10 years old. It was my first H&A game. One of my best memories too.