TOPIC:

I was reading through some of the stuff on here comparing recent players to the 1986 side and I started thinking how blessed we've been with full backs over the years. My first memory as a kid was the great Brian Sarre. Then Col Williams, Crutchfield, Clint Brown and of course the incomparable Darren Rumble.. I'm not sure who I'd rate as the best as they're all absolute champions in their own right....maybe the big red fireman Col Williams would be slightly ahead...dunno. I'd really like the opinions of other diehards like bensti. Ark Royal, Singha, SS, DG and so on.

Brad Lohoar
Mitch Fussell
Bill Monaghan

Glen Durnthaler.......surely???

Rod Brown.A former Swans player who went to Subi.A full back and a decent footballer.

BC, like with most comparisons, it's hard to compare different eras. Sarre & Williams were FB's when there were dedicated full forwards like Robertson, Gorman and the like and players played in positions, mostly 1 on 1. Sarre had without doubt the best kick in to play, his consistent 60-70m dropkicks were a delight to watch and his occasional barrel would reach the centre with ease straight onto Cam Blakemores chest. Williams was an unrelenting tough as nails fullback who stuck to his man like a leach but also could create when the time came. He was the grumpiest bloke in the world if his FF got a bag, archetypal red head. Of the more recent era FB's it's hard to go past Rumba just for sheer consistency of performance. He read the game so well and always knew when to stick close and spoil (best spoiler I have seen) and when to leave his man and make a contest or run off. Never blessed with speed but his strength and reading of the game more than made up for it. Currently young Dec Jackson is developing nicely. Big strong lad but has plenty of pace, I think he will become the premier FB in the next couple of years.

I would go for Rumba from the players I've seen in my time. Clint Brown was effective as both a forward and a back, but as far as I know Rumble was pretty much the dedicated full back for all his illustrious career

BC: good thread. I think everyone has named them all. I will make a few general comments and see what people think. Williams was a constant, won a flag, but as a full-back never played against the best full-forward, whom, as a rule, stood up the other end of the ground. Brad Lohoar had to play full-back in 1980, in the worst side I have seen at Subiaco at barely 18 years of age. Mitch Fussell broke his leg after playing some good football. Clint Brown had a touch of class full stop, which I think Bunton might have resented so he put him at full-back; Crutchfield was a solid player against some good full forwards; Bill Monahan always did a servicable job at full-back; Rumble was a professional of the highest order, although he did play in an era where key positions -- unfortunately -- are less important; Rod Brown was a great player whom played in every key position under four different coaches.

I have got a couple of questions for people: Whom were the key forwards which each player did well against? Whom did each player struggle against?

yep...I forgot about Fussell AR. Cut down in his prime when he badly broke his leg. Was it against Souths at Freo? He could have been anything given the chance.

Ken Screech was also a handy FB during those dark days. Prodigious kick who could lob a torp in the centre square

Can't really remember Williams, a bit too young. I'll have Rumble as by best, closely followed by Crutchfield who held his own against some of the best ff's of all time. In saying that I think Fussell would have probably been better than both if not for the injury. He was another who started of as a ff, a mediocre one at that! Hell of a fb though. On that note this one will test you fella's, who remembers Shane McGowan? He would probably have gone on to top them all. He came into our league side rnd 5 1993 as a 17yo after dominating in the colts for the early part of the year and being named in the WA teal cup side (I think that's what it was called then). He was impressive in his debut vs perth and the following week vs ef he was even more impressive (similar to what young naughton has done in the past couple of weeks with peel). He played on a pretty good player that day I think it was Jeff Davidson or Lockyer. Not much got past him. Off to the teal cup after that and we never saw him again. A big strapping country lad he was, he wore a head band. Unfortunately he had a serious traffic accident in the country in the off season that year which finished his football career