Happy 51st Birthday to Plugger!

[Sainternist]

Firstly, this thread is about the great Tony Lockett, not the outspoken (and blacklisted) former Saintsational forum member.

I always found it curious that no one reflects on the day he kicked 12 goals against Melbourne, at the MCG, early in the 1987 season. I think we lost the game by about 7 goals and we only had 14 goals for the game. Absolutely phenomenal. I was a young lad of ten years old and I knew he was going to win the Coleman after I witnessed that, sitting behind the goals (Punt Road end) with the Saints cheer squad. Would love to see highlights of goal haul that day, but this was during the days when certain games weren't televised, back in the day when the Saints hardly got any coverage.

Please share some of your fondest memories (on or even off the field) of the great man!

[bigcarl]

I was there that day. It rained, I think, but at least was gloomy and overcast.

The only interest for a Saints fan was how many he would kick. Was it 12 straight or do I have that confused with 12 out of 14?

12.1?

Any case, the greatest there's ever been.

[saynta]

I sat next to him once at a dinner.

Very nice young man, and polite too.

Told me that banger was the best footballer he had seen.

[bigcarl]

I sat next to him once at a dinner.

Very nice young man, and polite too.

Told me that banger was the best footballer he had seen.

You'd expect him to say that. Harvey, of course, is on record as saying the same of Plugger.

I'd be interested in the views of Winmar - or anyone who played with Plugger at his peak - as to where he stands among the greats.

I heard former coach Ken Sheldon describe Lockett as the best he'd seen ... by a long margin.

[saynta]

I sat next to him once at a dinner.

Very nice young man, and polite too.

Told me that banger was the best footballer he had seen.

You'd expect him to say that. Harvey, of course, is on record as saying the same of Plugger.

Bit disappointed to hear him say some years later that the swans kelly was the best player he had played with.

[prwilkinson]

Happy birthday Plugger!! 1991, 127 goals in 17 games...pretty handy footballer. The link above is his comeback game against the Crows.

[Sainternist]

I was there that day. It rained, I think, but at least was gloomy and overcast.

No, it didn't rain and it wasn't gloomy or overcast. It was a perfect Autumn day in April, with not a cloud in the sky. Perhaps around 20 degrees. From memory it was on a Saturday before Easter Day.

Big Tony ended up with 12 goals and 3 behinds that day. Our only other goal scorers were Brad Gotch and Kenny Sheldon (both with singles)

http://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/19 ... 70418.html

Happy birthday Plugger!! 1991, 127 goals in 17 games...pretty handy footballer. The link above is his comeback game against the Crows.

Yes. A wonderful day at Moorabbin. Will never forget that game.

[st.byron]

Happy birthday Plugger!! 1991, 127 goals in 17 games...pretty handy footballer. The link above is his comeback game against the Crows.

Ah Moorabbin. The outer. People standing. Bits of paper on the ground behind the goals. Jumping the fence at the final siren and the players having to run through a massive crush with drunk people hanging off them.

[stevie]

I remember after that game in 1987 reading that the Doc said it was one of the best games he had ever seen anyone play

[prwilkinson]

Happy birthday Plugger!! 1991, 127 goals in 17 games...pretty handy footballer. The link above is his comeback game against the Crows.

Ah Moorabbin. The outer. People standing. Bits of paper on the ground behind the goals. Jumping the fence at the final siren and the players having to run through a massive crush with drunk people hanging off them.

Yeah... good old Moorabbin. I remember the last match, getting there super early so I could sit down on the fence and watch the reserves play against Fitzroy.

[bigcarl]

I was there that day. It rained, I think, but at least was gloomy and overcast.

No, it didn't rain and it wasn't gloomy or overcast. It was a perfect Autumn day in April, with not a cloud in the sky. Perhaps around 20 degrees. From memory it was on a Saturday before Easter Day.

Well you remember it differently than I do.

It was nearly 30 years ago. But I was there, alright, in the old MCC members pavilion.

My other great memories of that season - Lockett's Brownlow year - are of games at Moorabbin.

He kicked 8.6 against Collingwood after they were five goals up at quarter time to get us home comfortably. An amazing display.

Also the Bulldogs game In which he notched his first 100 in a season. He kicked eight that day, too.

[prwilkinson]

Going to the ground... knowing Plugger was in the team... it was so exciting... "How many is he going to kick today??!!"

[Jonesy32]

Happy 51st for yesterday big fella. Loved the bags he used to kick for us week in week out. Tough to pick a highlight- hate to say it- but I can't forget that point after the siren when he played for the Swans that knocked Essendon out of the finals.

[White Winmar]

I was there that day. It rained, I think, but at least was gloomy and overcast.

No, it didn't rain and it wasn't gloomy or overcast. It was a perfect Autumn day in April, with not a cloud in the sky. Perhaps around 20 degrees. From memory it was on a Saturday before Easter Day.

Big Tony ended up with 12 goals and 3 behinds that day. Our only other goal scorers were Brad Gotch and Kenny Sheldon (both with singles)

http://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/19 ... 70418.html

Happy birthday Plugger!! 1991, 127 goals in 17 games...pretty handy footballer. The link above is his comeback game against the Crows.

Yes. A wonderful day at Moorabbin. Will never forget that game.

Your memory is spot on, Sainternist. The bride and I had just returned from our honeymoon and had a day basking in the autumn sunshine, watching, "that big fat kid" (her words, not mine. she was a Carlscum supporter!) put on a masterclass. Not only did he kick the twelve of fourteen, but Sheldon's snap goal came from a plugger knockout from a boundary throw in that went straight down Bomba's throat. Gotch's goal in the first quarter was shepherded through in the goal square by the great man. Today, they would say he had 14 score involvements. I doubt anyone in the modern game could claim a record like that. I still rank it the best individual effort I ever witnessed because we were ordinary at the time and the ball hardly got down there.

I rate it even higher than his other greatest hits, including the 10.7 against Silvagni at Moorabbin in 1989, his 15 against the Swines and his comeback game in 1991 against the Crows, not forgetting his lazy 13 against Carlton at Waverley in 1991. How good was he? To quote Tina Turner, "Simply the best!"

[stevie]

Plugger 'broke' the record in that game for the most ever goals in a losing team. He held it till Ablett snr kicked 14 and they lost in, i think, 1993

[The Fireman]

still dirty to this day he went to the Swines, what an alltime club legend he would have been had he stayed .


one of the biggest kick in the guts I have experienced following the Saints..close second being beaten by the skunks in the GF

[prwilkinson]

Kicking his 100 against Hawthorn.

[st.byron]

Kicking his 100 against Hawthorn.

He was just so big and strong. The first goal in that clip he backs back and Langford, who was no midget and no slouch as a full back, could do nothing. Just couldn't get around him.
Who was the last player to kick a ton? For anyone?
Am wondering if it ever happens again if there'll be a crowd stampede onto the ground.

[George27]

My favourite of so many highlights was the day at Moorabbin he topped the ton for the first time , in 1987. He started the day with 93, his 100th put us in front, the opposition ( NM or Dogs, I think ) kicked one to snatch back the lead, and then his 8th won us the game.

A very close second was the 10.7 he kicked on Silvagni at Moorabbin in 1989, when he absolutely destroyed the "full back of the century ". Again his last goal ( Winmar to Lockett) won us the game.

[stonecold]

My favourite of so many highlights was the day at Moorabbin he topped the ton for the first time , in 1987. He started the day with 93, his 100th put us in front, the opposition ( NM or Dogs, I think ) kicked one to snatch back the lead, and then his 8th won us the game.

A very close second was the 10.7 he kicked on Silvagni at Moorabbin in 1989, when he absolutely destroyed the "full back of the century ". Again his last goal ( Winmar to Lockett) won us the game.

Yeap, and Rob Walls was asked after the game, 'why did you not move Silvani off him? He's response was, cause he would have.kicked at least 20 on anyone else!'

[robsaint]

What about the game against the Swans in 1992, 15 goals. Loewe kicked 4.

[bigcarl]

Leigh Matthews is No.1 as Herald Sun experts choose their top 25 players of the past 50 years.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/l ... 596f826036


Lockett comes in at No. 3 in this list, published today, which seems heavily weighted towards premiership players. Robert Harvey doesn't make it, amazingly.

I saw Lethal play many times. He was a wonderful player, strong, physical, aggressive and lethal near the goals ... sort of a Shetland pony version of Plugger.

[prwilkinson]

What about the game against the Swans in 1992, 15 goals. Loewe kicked 4.

Yeah I remember that one. That was a good day.

[saintbrat]

Wayne Ludbey Retweeted
Neil Cordy‏Verified account @neilcordy 3m3 minutes ago

Plugger is back
After 15 yrs out of footy Tony Lockett will work for Swans as a forwards/goalkicking coach @dailytelegraph @superfooty

[saintbrat]

has he been unwell? or to jenny CRaig