TOPIC:

oolllry: I would go along with most of that on Parkin at Fitzroy; keep in mind that Walls made the finals with them in the 1980s; at that time, as you know, there were no where near as weak as Melbourne or St.Kilda, or for that matter, the fast declinning Richmond.

gtrxuone wrote:

ooollllrrrrrry2 wrote:

ArkRoyal wrote: Jeans was the best because he made St.Kilda win
Malthouse would not get into my top ten
Sheedy is a little bit over-ratted but he would make my top 10
Malcolm Blight had a state side at Adelaide -- doubtful that he would make the list
Parkin-- good coach but never caoched a bad side once he left Subiaco
Bunton failled in 1964 and in 1970-72
Todd was bootted out of EF; 1980 has to be regarded as a failure

My top ten would be:
Jeans
Todd
Norm Smith
Kennedy
Bunton the great
Barassi -- he had a good side at NM so one should not over-rate him
Leigh Matthews
David Parkin
Ken Armstrong

Parkin did his time at Fitzroy and his win/loss ratio was in the negative but he did get them into a prelim in one of his years which would have constituted quite a successful season for them in that era.

From memory Fitzroy and Carlton done a coach swap 1986-87.Robert Walls to Carlton and Parko to Fitzroy.Do you ever watch on ABC Jack Irish.The show is set in Fitzroy and there all Eoyboy fans.

Royboys

Fitzroy were not a bad side in the early to mid 80s under Walls and then Parkin with players like Quinlan, Conlan, Roos, Pert, Osborne, Serafini, Lynch etc and nearly the most under rated player of all time the great rover Gary Wilson but they fell away badly by the mid 90s when most of them deserted due to having no money.

BH -- correct mate, which is why I don't over-rate what Parkin did at the club. Similarly, Mallthouse did pretty well at Footscray, but again, he had a good side -- meaning that is not really top ten stuff.

Beasley Hutton wrote: Fitzroy were not a bad side in the early to mid 80s under Walls and then Parkin with players like Quinlan, Conlan, Roos, Pert, Osborne, Serafini, Lynch etc and nearly the most under rated player of all time the great rover Gary Wilson but they fell away badly by the mid 90s when most of them deserted due to having no money.

I'd say the Mighty Royboys were a pretty good side under Robert Walls' coaching, BH, and probably should've won a premiership in 1983.
But for some controversial umpiring decisions in the qualifying final against Hawthorn - a game the Lions lost by four points despite Bernie Quinlan's five last-quarter goals - they would've been facing North Melbourne in the second semi-final a week later.
And the Roys had beaten the Roos by 25 goals - 34.16 (220) to 10.10 (70) - less than three months earlier.
Of course, this is all "shoulda, woulda, coulda", but for a Royboy fan it's disappointing that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time in 1996.
Back to the coaching theme, I think Walls was a fine coach given he took Fitzroy from 12th in 1980 (his last year as a player) to 4th in 1981 (his first year as a coach).
That said, the Roys were 4th in 1979, a year they thrashed Melbourne by a still-record 190 points, 36.22 (238) to 6.12 (48).
The talent was certainly there, but Fitzroy couldn't quite experience the ultimate success.

Archie I am pretty sure your beloved Royboys may have won the old nfl night series GF in 1978 under former WP Premiership coach Graham Campbell?
How did you rate Gary Wilson as I thought he was a genuine champion footballer but doesn’t seem to get anywhere near the accolades of some of his Victorian contemporaries like Matthews, Bartlett, Shaw & co.

Spot on, BH, 1978 was a great year for a Roys (and also Royals) supporter.
I think 1978 was the catalyst for Fitzroy being competitive in the 1980s.
Pound-for-pound, Garry "the Flea" Wilson has to be one of the best to play the game, but frequent concussion ended his career prematurely IMO.
Speaking of 1978, here's a scorecard with a strong Swan Districts flavour, involving the South Melbourne Swans.
Bob Beecroft, who I wish had stayed at Fitzroy longer, booted 10 goals and Wilson 7 of Fitzroy's 21 goals in one of my favourite VFL games.
afltables.com/afl/stats/games/1978/061619780422.html

Goal kicking rovers who rested in the Forward pocket ( Wilson, Walker, Cable, Otway, Fong, Taylor, Matthews, Bartlett, Carter, Wiley, J & P.Krakouer, Mitchell, Weightman, Royal, Platten, Naley, Duperouzel etc) are another casualty along with the 100 goal a year Full Forward in this supposed “elite” modern era....the game is all the poorer for it in my books.
Fitzroy had a SD flavour of key forwards through the late 70s & 80s Bob Beecroft, Max George, Garry Sidebottom even Kevin Caton & Peter Sartori had brief spells at Brunswick St Oval.

I agree with you both, that given, the key position players Fitzroy had they should have won a flag. Roos, Pert, Wilson, Quinlin plus Alexander Rendall and Conlan among others. IN their case, which is a wee bit sad, it might have changed history too.

Perhaps so, Ark, in terms of a premiership in 1983, say, attracting a lot more members.
I believe the then VFL shafted Fitzroy when they forced them away from the Junction Oval at the end of 1984 ("ground rationalisation" was the supposed reason).
From Victoria Park (1985-86) to Princes Park (1987-93) to the Western Oval (1994-96) to oblivion (1997-).