Has there ever?

[Twodogs]

Been a more significant recruit to the Bulldogs than Tom Boyd?

The influence he has had on our game style has been pretty apparant. He has straightened us up and giving us a target to kick to.

But suddenly we are a realistic option for players wanting out. Proper players too, not cast offs or ex champs looking to extend ether career. The Tom Boyd trade has made us relevant again.

Then there's the million dollar thing. Smart bit of marketing by the club there. It's bound to become one of those trick questions "which club payed the first million dollar wage" "Tom Boyd, Western Bulldogs?" "Nah Buddy Franklyn got one from Sydney the year before, but Boyd was such a champ that everyone forgets"

[Happy Days]

Been a more significant recruit to the Bulldogs than Tom Boyd?

The influence he has had on our game style has been pretty apparant. He has straightened us up and giving us a target to kick to.

But suddenly we are a realistic option for players wanting out. Proper players too, not cast offs or ex champs looking to extend ether career. The Tom Boyd trade has made us relevant again.

Then there's the million dollar thing. Smart bit of marketing by the club there. It's bound to become one of those trick questions "which club payed the first million dollar wage" "Tom Boyd, Western Bulldogs?" "Nah Buddy Franklyn got one from Sydney the year before, but Boyd was such a champ that everyone forgets"

He's the biggest coup for the club ever undoubtedly?

Historically on field, we've crafted and developed one (two if you count Jack Collins) genuine dominant tall forward who could dominate games right from the jump of their career (and he only lasted 5 years). Our cupboard is filled with the skeletons of weak-willed top up options and it has created a stereotype of our footballing brand that works to our detriment - small, fast, but ultimately not big enough.

Historically off field, we are the club that not only would no player want to come to, if you happen to be at for any amount of time you will be forced out for a better offer. The squabbles between the social club and football club that forced out players in a bygone era is long dead, but when you look at the other teams in the league I would venture to say that none have more ex-players in other jumpers than us. We are a recruiting dead zone.

Tom Boyd shatters both of these narratives. In Boyd exists everything you could want in an AFL player; taller and bigger than everyone else he shares the field with, chiseled jaw and good looks, polished media performer, a kicking action as smooth as silk and the nous and confidence to put all of it together, as if he were created in a lab from the sperm of a footballer and the egg of a marketing genius.

Not only has he made us relevant, he is the antithesis of everything that has cultivated struggle at our poor club for the last century.

[Bulldog4life]

He's the biggest coup for the club ever undoubtedly?

Historically on field, we've crafted and developed one (two if you count Jack Collins) genuine dominant tall forward who could dominate games right from the jump of their career (and he only lasted 5 years). Our cupboard is filled with the skeletons of weak-willed top up options and it has created a stereotype of our footballing brand that works to our detriment - small, fast, but ultimately not big enough.

Historically off field, we are the club that not only would no player want to come to, if you happen to be at for any amount of time you will be forced out for a better offer. The squabbles between the social club and football club that forced out players in a bygone era is long dead, but when you look at the other teams in the league I would venture to say that none have more ex-players in other jumpers than us. We are a recruiting dead zone.

Tom Boyd shatters both of these narratives. In Boyd exists everything you could want in an AFL player; taller and bigger than everyone else he shares the field with, chiseled jaw and good looks, polished media performer, a kicking action as smooth as silk and the nous and confidence to put all of it together, as if he were created in a lab from the sperm of a footballer and the egg of a marketing genius.

Not only has he made us relevant, he is the antithesis of everything that has cultivated struggle at our poor club for the last century.

I like what you have written HD although Jack Collins played from 1950-1958 with us. Played 154 games and kicked 385 goals

[Happy Days]

I like what you have written HD although Jack Collins played from 1950-1958 with us. Played 154 games and kicked 385 goals

I meant Templeton. I'm still wrong but the "5 years" happened when I was -15.

[Twodogs]

I meant Templeton. I'm still wrong but the "5 years" happened when I was -15.


Templeton kicked quite a few goals in 1976 and played in the 1976 EF. I'd say 76-80 were his prime years and he did his knee preseason in 81 so he effectively ceased to be be an effective player in 1980. That's 5 years.

What about Simon Beasley? He was a big name and was pretty good from the get go with 82 goals for the wooden spooners in his first year. I wouldn't say he had the impact as prising the contracted reigning #1 draft pick from another club.

The only other recruit I can think that had a similar positive effect was Terry Wallace. Plough built that effect over a long term involvement with the club over 15 years though.

Or going back even further Con McCarthy when he came over from Collingwood immediately coaching us to two VFA flags and into the VFL and winning the competition B&F. They paid big money to get McCarthy but he proved value and took the club exactly where they wanted to get to.

[mjp]

Big recruits I can remember:

- Beasley
- Wallace
- Winmar
- Akermanis
- Hall

...and that's about it. Obvious apologies to Peter Street.

[ledge]

Wasn't it Beasley who kicked the most goals in the league over a ten year period ?

[Twodogs]

Wasn't it Beasley who kicked the most goals in the league over a ten year period ?


He did. He kicked more goals in the '80s than anyone else.

[always right]

Big recruits I can remember:

- Beasley
- Wallace
- Winmar
- Akermanis
- Hall

...and that's about it. Obvious apologies to Peter Street.

Add:
Purser
Hardie
Crameri
Buhagier
Maylin
Duperouzel
McGuinness
Crow

[Mofra]

I like what you have written HD although Jack Collins played from 1950-1958 with us. Played 154 games and kicked 385 goals
Often ran through the ruck too which kept his goal numbers down. Legitimate champion.

[LostDoggy]

Add:
Purser
Hardie
Crameri
Buhagier
Maylin
Duperouzel
McGuinness
Crow

Jimmy Sewell :o

[Remi Moses]

Aker and Barry Hall were the two biggest I can remember .
I think the Tom Boyd recruitment made a statement, in that we're not here to make up the numbers.
Beasley was huge, but the problem was he came to late.
He actually gets underrated by opposition fans and the media in general .

[Rocket Science]

He's the biggest coup for the club ever undoubtedly?

Not only has he made us relevant, he is the antithesis of everything that has cultivated struggle at our poor club for the last century.

And doesn't it just irk the hell out of certain talking heads in the footy media.

May the burn linger for many a season yet.

[GVGjr]

I liken it to the way teams and their supporters must have salivated getting the likes of Quinlan and Dempsey etc from us.

Lets hope he has a long and successful career with us

[Jeanette54]

Going back a few years;

Ken Greenwood
John Reilly
Stewie Magee
Robert McGhie

All gave us great service over a fair time.

And then there was "Crazy Horse".

[Hotdog60]

No bigger than Libba from North Melbourne.
:)

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

I think the premise of the thread has somewhat gotten off track.
Twodogs is talking about the relative impact a recruit has had on our clubs structure on field and in terms of how that recruit has influenced the perception of the club on both the broader AFL playing community as a destination and the wider footballing community about its relevance.
In this regard the recruiting of Boyd, for mine, stands alone in its potential significance against this criteria.
Max Crowe, Duper or an ageing Winmar signing hardly signalled to the world we were a rising force!
In this regard only maybe Hall's signing was the other recruit that signalled we thought we were about to seriously challenge - given many scribes thought a genuine tall forward was our only lacking piece in our search for a flag.
Hardie in terms of how his addition briefly changed the dynamic of our gameplan could also be considered.

[SonofScray]

To answer the OP, no there hasn't. Not in my lifetime anyway. Barry Hall comes close but he came a bit too late in the piece to have the sort of influence on how we play the game that Toyd has and will have. We're not going to be a team that plays one way and has to adjust to a recruit coming in as a target man when our forward line keeps getting found out. We are going to be a balanced team, with a level of comfort playing a particular way that exploits the talent and height that is there from the get go.

[F'scary]

Been a more significant recruit to the Bulldogs than Tom Boyd?

The influence he has had on our game style has been pretty apparant. He has straightened us up and giving us a target to kick to.

But suddenly we are a realistic option for players wanting out. Proper players too, not cast offs or ex champs looking to extend ether career. The Tom Boyd trade has made us relevant again.

Then there's the million dollar thing. Smart bit of marketing by the club there. It's bound to become one of those trick questions "which club payed the first million dollar wage" "Tom Boyd, Western Bulldogs?" "Nah Buddy Franklyn got one from Sydney the year before, but Boyd was such a champ that everyone forgets"

I don't know about ever but otherwise I agree with you 100%. He has been playing well and has shown he can clunk the hardest marks of them all, the contested pack mark in the goal square.

[Twodogs]

I think the premise of the thread has somewhat gotten off track.
Twodogs is talking about the relative impact a recruit has had on our clubs structure on field and in terms of how that recruit has influenced the perception of the club on both the broader AFL playing community as a destination and the wider footballing community about its relevance.
In this regard the recruiting of Boyd, for mine, stands alone in its potential significance against this criteria.
Max Crowe, Duper or an ageing Winmar signing hardly signalled to the world we were a rising force!
In this regard only maybe Hall's signing was the other recruit that signalled we thought we were about to seriously challenge - given many scribes thought a genuine tall forward was our only lacking piece in our search for a flag.
Hardie in terms of how his addition briefly changed the dynamic of our gameplan could also be considered.

Actually Brad Hardie's influence on the whole game in his first season was pretty huge. Running off his man, even leaving his man standing alone while he went and stood in spots that he noticed the ball continuinly being sucked into. Back pockets never did stuff like that.

[BornInDroopSt'54]

Nicky Winmar and Phil Krakouer.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Actually Brad Hardie's influence on the whole game in his first season was pretty huge. Running off his man, even leaving his man standing alone while he went and stood in spots that he noticed the ball continuinly being sucked into. Back pockets never did stuff like that.
Sorry if i did not articulate clearly. This is precisely why i nominated Hardie for consideration. I just meant briefly in that he was only with us for a short time.
His recruitment and what he brought to our gameplan was a large factor in our emergence in 85.
Somewhat ironic though that his run off style contributed though to Matthews getting off the chain in the last 10 mins or so of that Prelim.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Nicky Winmar and Phil Krakouer.
Champions to be sure, but they were bit players for us and their signing with us hardly shook up the world.

[mjp]

Add:
Purser
Hardie
Crameri
Buhagier
Maylin
Duperouzel
McGuinness
Crow

Sure - but were they really well known/ big name players BEFORE the trade? Purser was a ruckman from East Freo - good player I agree but not even a state player in WA (or at least not that I can remember) pre trade...the big name rucks over here were Moss, Michael and Boucher in that era.

[bulldogtragic]

Rawlings for a while.

[Bulldog4life]

Rawlings for a while.

First game 7 goals

[bulldogtragic]

First game 7 goals

Should've won that game too. The non free that Koops should've been paid was criminal. The photo from the Herald Sun on that back page showed it perfect. Oh how we thought Brown made the wrong call and that Rawlings & Koops (which cost first rounders each) were going to be major parts of our next finals campaign...

History better not be repeating...

[Twodogs]

Sorry if i did not articulate clearly. This is precisely why i nominated Hardie for consideration. I just meant briefly in that he was only with us for a short time.
His recruitment and what he brought to our gameplan was a large factor in our emergence in 85.
Somewhat ironic though that his run off style contributed though to Matthews getting off the chain in the last 10 mins or so of that Prelim.

I was agreeing. It didn't occur to me until I'd posted that Hardie only played 2 seasons with us. In a way Hardie had a huge influence on the modern game because all of a sudden every team wanted an attacking back pocket player.


Sure - but were they really well known/ big name players BEFORE the trade? Purser was a ruckman from East Freo - good player I agree but not even a state player in WA (or at least not that I can remember) pre trade...the big name rucks over here were Moss, Michael and Boucher in that era.

Purser was good enough to be the number one draft pick in that year's draft. But he wasn't a huge name before he came over.

[Lukewarm Beveridge]

Should've won that game too. The non free that Koops should've been paid was criminal. The photo from the Herald Sun on that back page showed it perfect. Oh how we thought Brown made the wrong call and that Rawlings & Koops (which cost first rounders each) were going to be major parts of our next finals campaign...

History better not be repeating...

Pick we traded for Koops was used on Mundy too if my memory serves me well

[BornInDroopSt'54]

Champions to be sure, but they were bit players for us and their signing with us hardly shook up the world.

Fair enough but it's only our world that counts. Bruce Duperouzel then.

[bulldogtragic]

Pick we traded for Koops was used on Mundy too if my memory serves me well

Certainly was. I wouldn't mind him in the team right now. Talk abouts inmates running the asylum that trade period.

[Sedat]

Big recruits I can remember:

- Beasley
- Wallace
- Winmar
- Akermanis
- Hall

...and that's about it. Obvious apologies to Peter Street.
Akermanis choosing to come to the kennel over 3-4 other suitors was very important for us at the time and helped make us a destination of choice for other players in the late 00's. Before this we had absolute potatoes like Ben Holland rejecting our overtures.

[ledge]

Bruce duperouzel, Greg towns, Gary Cowton , minton connell , jakovich and the bloke who came from WA played one game and starred but some rule we had to give him back.