Hits and Misses

[Hondo]

The Crows entry in to the AFL gave an opportunity for several established SANFL players that may have been otherwise overlooked. Got me thinking about those SANFL players who had far more successful AFL careers than most people at the time (or maybe just me) expected. My top 5 would be:

Rodney Maynard (Norwood to Crows) - wonderful player, enough said
Mark Bickley (South to Crows) - think he was one of the last players selected in the first squad of 52
David Marshall (Glenelg to Crows) - silky smooth player ignored by the VFL talent scouts
Darryl Poole (Magpies to Power) - his impact with the Power genuinely surprised me
Stephen Stretch (Torrens to Melbourne) - sort of slipped over to Victoria in the background when Motley, Kernahan, Platten, Bradley and co went over, great State of Origin rep

Then the 'misses'. Those SANFL players (champions in their own right so this is not a criticism) who looked like they would be great at the next level, but who ultimately didn't have long-term AFL careers, for whatever reason. My top 5 would be:

Brett Chalmers (Port Magpies to Crows and Power)
David Robertson (North to Collingwood and Essendon)
Scott Hodges (Port Magpies to Crows and Power)
Chris Groom (South to Crows and Fremantle)
Paul Rouvray (Glenelg to Crows and Sydney)

What do people think? Anyone I missed or been too harsh on?

[Stevie_K]

There would have to be someone "worse" to take Rouvrays spot...maybe i am biased.

[sturt1]

alan bartlett

[Adelaide Hawk]

David Marshall (Glenelg to Crows) - silky smooth player ignored by the VFL talent scouts

I don't have the records in front of me, but I can't recall David Marshall playing a lot of Crows matches. My memories are of him being in and out of the side. I would think there would be many SANFL players who perfromed better at AFL level than Marshall.

[am Bays]

He played every game in 1991, fielke and Maynard were the others IIRC,

1992 he played the first 1/3rd of the season and then was in and out of the side, after he came back.... as age caught up with him having first played league footy in 1978....

[Adelaide Hawk]

Just looked it up Tassie. 15 games in 1991, 11 in 1992.

[McAlmanac]

I've always thought of David Marshall as having been successful at AFL level. I've always thought he would have been successful in the "pre-Crows" days.

[smac]

There would have to be someone "worse" to take Rouvrays spot...maybe i am biased.

Have to agree with you Stevie, I always rated his style of play and wondered why he never got more opportunities than he did.

I also reckon Scott Lee played a lot of good footy at the Crows, wasn't expected to do much at all.

[Footy Chick]

alan bartlett

BUGGER! Beat me to it... but anyone who thinks he had an ounce of talent in the first place needs their head read...

[am Bays]

alan bartlett

BUGGER! Beat me to it... but anyone who thinks he had an ounce of talent in the first place needs their head read...

I dunno, at least Bob was prepared to have a crack and find out where he was at as a footballer,.....what Bob lacked in talent he made up in effort

Arguably others on the list had more ability but weren't prepared to push themselves and so we never saw how "good" they were...Jonathon Ross, Darren Bartsch, Trevor Clisby, Damien Mellow, Peter Turner, Jarrod Hocking....

that to me is a far worse crime than being a poor footballer, nothing is more common that wasted talent

[Leaping Lindner]

alan bartlett

BUGGER! Beat me to it... but anyone who thinks he had an ounce of talent in the first place needs their head read...

I dunno, at least Bob was prepared to have a crack and find out where he was at as a footballer,.....what Bob lacked in talent he made up in effort

Arguably others on the list had more ability but weren't prepared to push themselves and so we never saw how "good" they were...Jonathon Ross, Darren Bartsch, Trevor Clisby, Damien Mellow, Peter Turner, Jarrod Hocking....

that to me is a far worse crime than being a poor footballer, nothing is more common that wasted talent

Bartlett's inclusion in the Crows initial squad was nepotism at it's best.

[am Bays]

Hate to disappoint LL, but Cornes and Bartlett aren't related....

[Leaping Lindner]

Hate to disappoint LL, but Cornes and Bartlett aren't related....

You know what I mean. Do you honestly believe he would have got a spot if he had played for Woodville, West Torrens, Norwood, West Adelaide....?

[am Bays]

Well playing for lesser clubs didn't stop the crows recruiting Michael DiBiase, Damien McCarthy, Chris Groom, Peter Schwarz and Darren Bartsch....

Bob was also one of the first delisted.....So I hardly think he got any favours......

Maybe he wouldn't have survived the cut of 42 (i.e the spot 43-52 were reserved for juniors Bone, Rehn, Saliba, Hart.....) if Peter Bennett decided to stay....

[Leaping Lindner]

Well playing for lesser clubs didn't stop the crows recruiting Michael DiBiase, Damien McCarthy, Chris Groom, Peter Schwarz and Darren Bartsch....

Bob was also one of the first delisted.....So I hardly think he got any favours......

Maybe he wouldn't have survived the cut of 42 (i.e the spot 43-52 were reserved for juniors Bone, Rehn, Saliba, Hart.....) if Peter Bennett decided to stay....

Oh! it's all Peter Bennett's fault. It's so clear now.

[am Bays]

No its not Peter Bennetts fault per se but It would have been great as one of the better big men in the comp in 1990 if he had had given the Crows a decent crack.....

All i'm saying this whole arguement might have been redundant if all the best available players put their hand up.

Bob was never a first choice player, but when Mcintyre, Klug, Smith etc in the first choice side got injured he got a game....

It s all very well to say Bartlett was crap, and I haven't said he was a great player, but in that first squad once their first choice talls got injured there wasn't a lot of depth in that department.

And the one thing about Bob is that he would at least have a go, his best might not have been good enough, but he always had a go....

[leftlegger]

Hits- David Marshall, John Klug, Grant Fielke
Miss'- Clayton Lamb, Scott Hodges, Adam Saliba

[SimonH]

Hits- David Marshall, John Klug, Grant Fielke
Miss'- Clayton Lamb, Scott Hodges, Adam Saliba

John Klug was a player I loved to watch, but wasn't a hit at AFL level. Actually, all 3 of the 'hits' you mention had a pretty similar and unremarkable number of AFL games: Marshall 26, Klug 26, Fielke 24. Hodges as a 'miss' did better than any of them with 38 games (although he was certainly a 'miss' compared with expectations).

Of the Norwood blokes in the original side, both Matthew Kelly and Tom Warhurst played a meagre 2 games for the Crows. Both of them went in with very high expectations, but were cruelled by injuries. 'Misses', but not their fault.

There was actually a very good proportion of hits:misses in the first Adelaide Crows squad. Certainly better than in the first 52 players drafted in any given year; but that was to be expected with seasoned, experienced players. Those who should have stepped up but didn't were largely due to either lack of commitment or injuries. There were actually comparatively few honest triers who were good SANFL players but just weren't up to AFL standard; which just reinforces that the gap between the two leagues was far less back then, than many people had anticipated.

And what comedian made Romano Negri the first #1 jumper-wearer for the Crows?

[am Bays]

Yep I rated Matthew Kelly he was burning the first few games, was a gun and then suffered that knee injury.....

his reading of the play and run off half back was sensational....

[Hondo]

The games tally for Klug, Fielke and Marshall may not be high but I don't reckon that alone prevents them for being a "hit". Marshall and Fielke were at the end of great careers and I think age just caught up with them after the 1992 season. Fielke had previously had an unsuccessful stint with Collingwood in around 87-88 or so. So the fact that both guys were around 30 and managed to spend 2 years at AFL level qualifies them I reckon. Especially for David Marshall who had never attracted any VFL interest it seemed. John Klug's games tally was cut short at the end of 1992 by injuries from memory.

I remember being so disappointed for Matthew Kelly at the time because he was burning in the pre-season games for the Crows until his knee injury. I kept hoping he would come back at some stage - very cruel luck.