SA Footy

Ian McKay
Bob Hammond
Owen Martin
Adrian Sutter
Paul Arnold

Abley, Elleway, Hughes and Delaney weren't too bad either. Throw in part-timers James and Phillips and it's not a bad bunch.

Yeah, McKay and Hammond are obviously up there with the best ever but I think Delaney is right up there, at least on a par with Arnold, as one of the leading full backs since the mid 80's. Who would be North's leading CHBs? I imagine Clisby would be up there. Greg Phillips is comfortably the best CHB I have seen in the SANFL since I started following footy as a kid in the mid/late 70's).

GWW wrote:Who would be North's leading CHBs?

A couple I can think of is Snowy Hamilton and Bohdan Jaworskyj.

None of em compare to Jarrod Hocking or Big Benny Roerich

MatteeG wrote:None of em compare to Jarrod Hocking or Big Benny Roerich

Oh please.

NO-MERCY wrote:

MatteeG wrote:None of em compare to Jarrod Hocking or Big Benny Roerich

Oh please.

MagareyLegend wrote:Ian McKay
Bob Hammond
Adrian Sutter
Paul Arnold

Owen Martin went alright as well.

Ray Ebel! Great club man too!

I wasnt a huge wrap for Arnold, acknowledging he was good, just didn't think he was great which is how I would rate Delaney .. From memory both started out as forwards?

Happy to concede that could be my memory though on Arnold.

I agree CP. Arnold was good but I have never thought of him as one of the great full backs of all time. Well, I rate Delaney as better. Delaney played at Fitzroy for 1 year in 1990 or so and played state of origin in the "Teddy Whitten" game at the MCG in 1989. Not that those last two factors automatically make Delaney superior to Arnold. It's just background to where Delaney was at.

I agree with just about everything written on this thread. North's 3 greatest full backs were McKay, Hammond and Martin. In fact I was talking to an old timer from the Bay who reckon that the above three were all better full backs than the AFL fullback of the century, but then again the AFL full back of the century had to have come from the VFL. I also agree that Port's trio of Abley, Elleway and Delaney weren't a bad trio either. Although the first two were more dour and defensive than the rest. I would also add Trevor Sorrell into that group. He was a most creative footballer, and probably the most creative full back that I have seen. Delaney was a better full back than Arnold. Arnold had one weakness, a chronic lack of pace which occasionally found him out. I probably didn't realise though how good Arnold was, though until Grenville Dietrich went to Torrens. Grenville could not get a kick on Arnold in any of the games they played.

As for North's Centre Half Backs, Ron Phillips won a Magarey Medal there before moving to Centre Half Forward and winning another one. Neil Sachse wasn't bad either, although he had a poor 1973 finals series culninating in him getting 6 goals kicked on him in the 1973 Grand Final by Peter Carey.

Ken Obst.

Craig Williams was All Australian full back.

For those who are old enough to remember - how did Hammond (and some of the other pre 1970's full backs) go in state games, particularly against Victoria. From memory Abley was an All Australian (maybe even more than once?) so he presumably shone in a few state games/carnivals, although in saying that I think he may have been named in a pocket and not full back.

GWW wrote:From memory Abley was an All Australian (maybe even more than once?) so he presumably shone in a few state games/carnivals, although in saying that I think he may have been named in a pocket and not full back.

All-Australian 1956, 1958, 1961...

nickname wrote:Craig Williams was All Australian full back.

What was Craig Williams' background? I'm presuming he was recruited locally and went through the juniors, and wasn't one of the players recruited with Herbert, Conlon etc (i guess he had to be a local as he played state of origin)? Is it fair to say he only had 2 or so really good seasons, and didn't sustain his form over the majority of his career? I'm presuming he had a really good game against Victoria in the year he was named all australian (was it perhaps 83 or 84?), would be interesting to know who he stood, perhaps Quinlan, or Salmon?

Craig Williams was recruited from Vic.
Had played VFL for Fitzroy & St Kilda in late 70's early 80's.
Dont think he was recruited as a full back, played there majority of '83 and was sensational. But if memory serves me correctly, late in the year he played 2nd ruck behind Dirk DeJong after Mickan went down. Definitely played that role in GF as Tony Burgess played full back on Rick Davies.
Williams was extremely athletic and '83 by far was his best year.
Probably never realised his full potential, but gave Westies pretty good service over 7 or 8 years playing a variety of positions.
As to him playing State of Origin, I think if the Vics didnt want to pick him he was there for SA to pick.
Mark Dreher who also was recruited from Vic after playing with Collingwood was one of the best CHB's I have seen, although he really only had one good year in '83, but he was awesome. He also played State of Origin for SA in '84,.

GWW wrote:For those who are old enough to remember - how did Hammond (and some of the other pre 1970's full backs) go in state games, particularly against Victoria. From memory Abley was an All Australian (maybe even more than once?) so he presumably shone in a few state games/carnivals, although in saying that I think he may have been named in a pocket and not full back.

McKay had a wonderful record on John Coleman, considered by many to be Victoria's greatest ever full forward. Peter Hudson is quoted as saying he never had a full back play him as closely as Hammond. Abley was named each time as an All Australian at full back. I did see Abley play but was too young to appreciate him. I never saw McKay, but the difference I have been told was than McKay was a brilliant footballer who could play in many positions whereas Abley as I said before was very dour and defensive, but hardly ever beaten. When rating the greatest SA full backs, most judges who have seen every full back since the war rate them as 1. McKay 2 : Abley and 3 : Hammond. It has to be remembered that Hammond only played full back for about the first 3 or 4 seasons of his career and the last 3 or 4 season. The rest of the time he played Centre Half Back, on ball and even Centre Half Forward. I saw him turn a game against Glenelg at the Adelaide Oval on the holiday Monday of 1968 from Centre Half Forward. He must have kicked 4 or 5 goals in the last quarter.

Legend has it John Coleman was dropped from the Victorian state team due to his "record" on McKay. This may well be myth though.