There is often a strange symbiosis between natural talent and unacceptable behaviour when it comes to some of the greatest male athletes of the past.
Maradona and George Best in soccer, John McEnroe in tennis and John Daley in golf are but a few that immediately spring to mind. All had extraordinary gifts but were equally capable of self-destruction both on and off the playing field.
Aussie rules is no different. Arguably two of the best players of all time, Gary Ablett Senior and Wayne Carey were both charged with criminal offences. Carey was the extremely confident leader who put his team on his back whereas Ablett was frankly in a stratosphere of his own. I’m not sure he knew where he was, what he was doing or who he was with. It didn’t matter.
Ben Cousins and Dane Swan were a couple of Brownlow Medal recipients in the 2000’s who tended to dominate the headlines for different reasons. For all their brilliance and hard running I wouldn’t class them as geniuses. Nonetheless they were always entertaining and thankfully in Cousin’s case, alive and clean.
Dustin Martin certainly has the X factor and has seen his share of controversy off the field especially early in his career. Internally Richmond have done a terrific job to enable him to do what he does best. Although 2023 he looked a little on the slide with his form, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if he returns to his devastating best in 2024.
At St Kilda we had the eternally annoying Stephen ‘Tip Rat’ Milne. Confronted with a long running court case off the field that ended up with no conviction, Milne seemed to play even better over that two year period, racking up 574 often freaky goals over a 275 game career.
David Rhys Jones was a sublimely skilled Norm Smith Medallist who was reported twenty five times and missed twenty two weeks suspended. This is a man who as a child would have had “David is easily distracted in class” stamped on every school report.
One of the most decorated players in history, Greg Williams was a sheer perfectionist who didn’t suffer fools. It made him susceptible at times to those game enough to ‘tag’ him with vigour. He was reported nineteen times for a total suspended period of twelve weeks.
The flamboyant ‘Fabulous’ Phil Carman came to Melbourne from South Australia and played for four VFL clubs in the seventies, mostly with Collingwood. I wasn’t fortunate enough to see him play live but friends have said he was ‘Ablett-like’. He was also tightly wound, and was responsible for two utter acts of madness. The 1980 head butting of boundary umpire Graham Carberry and the 1977 second semi final senseless whacking of Hawthorn champion Michael Tuck. For all intents and purposes, his two week suspension cost Collingwood the 1977 grand final.
Tony ‘Plugger’ Lockett is the greatest goalkicker of all time and still the scariest player who ever lived. A gentle giant off the ground who treasured his time away from the spotlight, Plugger unfortunately found himself at the tribunal sixteen times for twenty three weeks suspended, a record for a Brownlow Medallist. A few opposition players to feel his wrath were Peter Caven who received a broken jaw and Brad Fox and Mick Martyn who were both nearly strangled to death. My former coach Donald McDonald remembers seeing Plugger’s arm around Martyn’s neck like a boa constrictor. When Donald, a big man himself, pulled Plugger’s jumper to drag him off a purple-faced Martyn, only the jumper moved.
So as season 2024 approaches who can we rely on to stand apart as a flawed genius in what has become a pretty homogenised game? The reckless acts of the past may have gone but there are still plenty of edgy players worth the price of admission.
Jordan De Goey (Collingwood) – In the 2018 grand final it was De Goey in the last couple of minutes who left the West Coast’s McGovern to take an intercept mark. It would lead to a string of possessions that handed West Coast the premiership. In 2023 he received a clever handball from Nick Daicos and thumped home a sixty metre goal in the final minutes that almost spontaneously combusted Pies fans. The 2023 season also saw the arrival of one of the most gifted and powerful players in the AFL. The potential was always there but the maturity wasn’t. He’s now a genuine match winner.
Toby Greene (GWS) – If anyone had said a few years ago that the All Australian captain would be one T. Greene, you would keel over laughing, but it’s true. Whether its eye gauging, bumping into umpires or a kung fu kick, Toby’s repertoire was as diverse as his understanding of the game. Like another exponent of the Kung Fu kick, Eric Cantona, Greene has changed his attitude exponentially since being given the captaincy of GWS. Toby is a clutch player of the highest order. If he was playing in the 80s or 90s it would be a case of ‘Greene’s Paddock’, clear out the 50 and let him go to work one on one.
Willie Rioli (Port Adelaide) – Having decided not to construct the regulation AFL body starting with his abdominals and choosing PK chewing gum over a professional mouth guard, this diminutive premiership player continues to do things his way on the field. Banned for two years after smoking marijuana he is one of those artists that can slow the game down when all around is chaos.
Tom Liberatore (Western Bulldogs)- Now a veteran of 216 games, Libba just seems to be getting better at 31 years of age. Always quirky with tatts to match, he’s a classic case of an apple that hasn’t fallen too far from the tree. His will and ability to scratch and scrounge for his team is second to none. He has taken a while to mature from some early reckless behaviour but is now settled off field and is a true leader at the Bulldogs.
Mattaes Phillipou (St Kilda) – Yes I may be a bit bias but this 19YO from Adelaide played all 24 matches in his first year so hear me out! He was thrown around by Coach Lyon but he is expected to become a midfielder in the same vein as Bontempelli. He hasn’t the litany of flaws yet but he has the potential. Reason being is that he is a perfectionist and extremely hard on himself, a bit like McEnroe. What I love about him is his sheer joy and love of the game. Apparently a natural pest in the locker room and with an insatiable desire to improve, keep your eye on him as his body grows into his 190cm frame. He is the type that will make mistakes, occasionally grand ones but will suddenly do something that will take your breath away. Keep your eye on ‘The Pou’ and Go Saints!
