TOPIC:

one of the most brilliant footballers to ever pull on a WANFL boot
in the top 10 best ever in this state
it is a tie with the equally brilliant Maurice Rioli as the best players I have seen at South Fremantle
and a humble bloke down to earth
some of the finest memories in footy being there to see TI in action

A Great footballer, who after all these years, to me is still synonymous with the SFFC.

As a Swans fan I will never forget the 1980 Grand Final. We weren't a bad team that year but on the day we were absolutely smashed by Steven Michael, Maurice Rioli and the rest of that champion Bulldogs team. They were just too good.

mikeh wrote: As a Swans fan I will never forget the 1980 Grand Final. We weren't a bad team that year but on the day we were absolutely smashed by Steven Michael, Maurice Rioli and the rest of that champion Bulldogs team. They were just too good.

Statistically Mike I think it is the best season we have ever had for Wins (19-5) but like you say SF were too good for us when it counted in the 2nd Semi Final & GF and that was in large part due to Stephen Michael, Maurice Rioli & Noel Carter 3 absolute guns in the greatest era of football (late 70s-mid 80s) I have ever witnessed.

yep, there were four genuinely brilliant players in that side, the other being Hardie, whom was only young.

the greatness of that side was that South managed to win the flag while carrying around a lot of injuries. If you make the standard players whom played 21 games or more in the season, South had the least in comparison to SD and CL. In 1980, only half a dozen or so red and whites played the full season, comparred to over half the side for SD.

In 1981, Cl 13
SF 6

This fact also puts Brown's coaching record into a much better light, winning as he did, nearly two flags with the weaker side on each occasion.

SF, SD and Claremont were 3 unbelievably talented teams back then. I’d put my hard earned on it if you picked a best 22 out of those 3 teams they would have slaughtered the best 22 out of the top 3 Victorian and SA teams back then.

I was more disappointed when Souths belted us in the 1981 Preliminary final because I felt Swans were the best team in 1981 but just lost momentum in the finals. Then again they learnt from that and peaked at the right time in 82/83/84!

PS sorry to hijack the TI thread Southerner, he was indeed a great player. I recall his 200th game which was at Bassendean when thousands of doggies supporters came up on the train. Swans did spoil the party that day though.....

mikeh wrote: I was more disappointed when Souths belted us in the 1981 Preliminary final because I felt Swans were the best team in 1981 but just lost momentum in the finals. Then again they learnt from that and peaked at the right time in 82/83/84!

PS sorry to hijack the TI thread Southerner, he was indeed a great player. I recall his 200th game which was at Bassendean when thousands of doggies supporters came up on the train. Swans did spoil the party that day though.....

The "Stephen Michael Express" organised exclusively for SF players and fans from Fremantle station to Bassendean and back.
What a cracking day and atmosphere that game was Mike.
Despite all the hoo haa over the afl from the wet behind the ears local media these days you will never see or feel anything like that experience again!

just on the comparison between us and the Victorians

in 1979 CL were beating Haw in that cup game away from home at night, we never played night football remember so that should have been a big advantage to the Victorians -
in 1981, had Cl and Carlt played each other, Carl may have got over the line with the help of Fitzpatrick. But that is the point the Victorian lovers on here forget.

ArkRoyal wrote: just on the comparison between us and the Victorians

in 1979 CL were beating Haw in that cup game away from home at night, we never played night football remember so that should have been a big advantage to the Victorians -
in 1981, had Cl and Carlt played each other, Carl may have got over the line with the help of Fitzpatrick. But that is the point the Victorian lovers on here forget.

AR the most telling of all those Escort Cup results of that time was when SD wearing our traditional Black & White striped jumper pantsed Collingwood (who had played in 5 of the previous 6 VFL GFs and a Prelim Final in the other) at a cold and wet VFL Park Melbourne in 1982!
Collingwood also wore a predominately white jumper in that match (remember that one Eddie)!!