The official Sam Reid/Daniel Currie Memorial Eker Thread

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/eke

eke
2 to manage with difficulty to make (a living, livelihood etc) The artist could scarcely eke out a living from his painting.

'Ekers' is a term I use for players who are great at eking out a career. Please don't confuse my ekers with list cloggers though.

List cloggers include players who once were guns that are no longer worth their spot on the list. The term relates to their value here and now.

Being an Eker is based on:
- Whole career: Never being a gun/All-Australian/Best and Fairest winner etc.
- Just doing enough to survive.
- Unlike the term 'list clogger', Eker does not imply you should be delisted (however it does help). You can actually be an Eker and a valuable member of your side.
- Pure ekers survive by finding playing a role that their side really struggles to fill.
- The longer the survive, the great an Eker you are.
- Special bonus points for being able to survive despite being delisted/traded away for nothing.

The delistings that come with list lodgements are the worst time of the year for these Ekers. Many has fallen but that means even more eker respect for those who survived.

Anyways, after my super laborious explanations, here are my nominations for each club's greatest current Eker.

Adelaide: Michael Doughty
Brisbane: Brent Staker
Carlton: Simon Wiggins
Collingwood: Leigh Brown
Essendon: Nathan Lovett-Murray
Fremantle: Antoni Grover
Geelong: Josh Hunt
Hawthorn: Simon Taylor
Melbourne: Mark Jamar
North Melbourne: Leigh Harding
Port Adelaide: Jay Schulz
Richmond: Jordan McMahon
St.Kilda: Sean Dempster
Sydney: Henry Playfair
West Coast: Ashely Hansen
Western Bulldogs: Nathan Eagleton

lol....


girlfriend busy 2nite Rocco?

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Originally Posted by Throughandthrough

lol....


girlfriend busy 2nite Rocco?

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Watching Sopranos DVD.

If, as expected, he runs around again in 2010, Eagleton will have 'eked' out a career spanning near enough to 300 matches. That's a longer career than such luminaries as Carey, Buckley, Brereton, Flower and Skilton amongst others.

Simon Wiggins has indeed done a good job of being able to sustain a career spanning 9 seasons so far and 100+ matches with the talent he has been given.

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Originally Posted by Sedat

If, as expected, he runs around again in 2010, Eagleton will have 'eked' out a career spanning near enough to 300 matches. That's a longer career than such luminaries as Carey, Buckley, Brereton, Flower and Skilton amongst others.

Simon Wiggins has done a good job of being able to sustain a career spanning 9 seasons so far and 100+ matches with the talent he has been given.

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Yep. I find players who keep on finding ways to extend their careers very interesting. Simon Wiggins is an Eker in it's purest form.

Doughty is as good as a footballer as you can be and still be an Eker at the moment. I was suprised to hear he is 30. 166 games for 3 Brownlow votes. Crows delisting Nick Gill was very harsh on this exercise.

All hail the great Eker of all time!

http://www.blueseum.org/img/wiki_up/losullivan.jpg

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Originally Posted by Rocco Jones

Anyways, after my super laborious explanations, here are my nominations for each club's greatest current Eker.

Adelaide: Michael Doughty
Brisbane: Brent Staker
Carlton: Simon Wiggins
Collingwood: Leigh Brown
Essendon: Nathan Lovett-Murray
Fremantle: Antoni Grover
Geelong: Josh Hunt
Hawthorn: Simon Taylor
Melbourne: Mark Jamar
North Melbourne: Leigh Harding
Port Adelaide: Jay Schulz
Richmond: Jordan McMahon
St.Kilda: Sean Dempster
Sydney: Henry Playfair
West Coast: Ashely Hansen
Western Bulldogs: Nathan Eagleton

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IIRC, at least half of those are playing with at least their second club. Coincidence or part of your theory?

If you're at a loose end, a list of Ekers who are premiership players over the last 15 years would be interesting - I'd bet most flag winning clubs had one.

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Originally Posted by Dry Rot

IIRC, at least half of those are playing with at least their second club. Coincidence or part of your theory?

If you're at a loose end, a list of Ekers who are premiership players over the last 15 years would be interesting - I'd bet most flag winning clubs had one.

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Part of my theory DR, it's a sign of being able to barely survive. I must not that there are many more Ekers running around, they are just the best at their club. Crows are rather bereft of them. There are a few up and coming Ekers too. I like the look of our very own Steven Tiller.

Shane Ellen is part of the Eker Alumni.

My first thought when I saw this thread was of the multitude of Kevin Sheedy 'special projects' to have eked out 8+ season careers for the Bombers - the likes of Kevin Walsh, David Flood, Dean Wallis, David Grenvold, Mark Bolton and Aaron Henneman.

Of past Dogs, I would think that the likes of Nigel Kellett, Greg Eppulstun and Todd Curley all fit the 'eker' criteria quite well. Luke O'Sullivan is 'eker' royalty.

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Originally Posted by Sedat

My first thought when I saw this thread was of the multitude of Kevin Sheedy 'special projects' to have eked out 8+ season careers for the Bombers - the likes of Kevin Walsh, David Flood, Dean Wallis, David Grenvold, Mark Bolton and Aaron Henneman spring to mind.

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Listing some of the greats. Daniel McAllister is another one. Mark Bolton is vintage Eker.

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Originally Posted by Rocco Jones

Part of my theory DR, it's a sign of being able to barely survive. I must not that there are many more Ekers running around, they are just the best at their club. Crows are rather bereft of them. There are a few up and coming Ekers too. I like the look of our very own Steven Tiller.

Shane Ellen is part of the Eker Alumni.

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Looking from their draft year onwards, perhaps they're a little better than they are given credit for.

IIRC, only 30-50% of first round draft picks are successful and that figure gets a lot worse very quickly round by round. But 5 or 10 years on, the Ekers are still listed, battling on.

In this sense, they should be celebrated - they've done a lot better than most of their draft peers.

I suppose another factor is the salary cap - it would be great for a team to have a list of stars, but no club can afford them. Ekers are essential!

Bred Miller is ekeing out a pretty long career relative to his limited ability and the one trick he has in his repertoire of leading hard to present - a bit of a modern day (and a poor man's it must be said) 'Galaxy' Glenn Coleman

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Originally Posted by Sedat

Bred Miller is ekeing out a pretty long career relative to his limited ability and the one trick he has in his repertoire of leading hard to present - a bit of a modern day (and a poor man's it must be said) 'Galaxy' Glenn Coleman

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Yeah Miller is an Eker. Jamar and Johnson vs Campbell and Taylor in the ruck this year was Eker bliss (not sure they even played in the same game but it suits the thread).

For those playing at home; Eagleton, Callan and Tiller are the Bulldog Ekers.

Ekers that spring to mind

Sam Power - amazed (and good on him) he played over 100 games of senior footy
Josh Mahoney - traded & delisted by 2 seperate clubs, played in a flag with club 3

Tom Williams currently ekeing out a career on potential - and I say that being a massive fan of his

Skipper must be a certainty, not many games at all but stayed on the list for what seems an eternity.

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Originally Posted by ledge

Skipper must be a certainty, not many games at all but stayed on the list for what seems an eternity.

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He would have been our Eker but it's only including currently listed players. As I mentioned, list lodgement time to Ekers is akin to duck season for ducks.

Good topic Rocco.


If I'm reading the Eker rules correctly I reckon that the post '96 version of Libba would be one of the great ekers of all time as well. He's won a Brownlow and been a gun through the early to mid '90s and was all washed up at the end of '96 but managed to eke out another six years by taking the 'in your face tagger' to another level.

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Originally Posted by Twodogs

Good topic Rocco.


If I'm reading the Eker rules correctly I reckon that the post '96 version of Libba would be one of the great ekers of all time as well. He's won a Brownlow and been a gun through the early to mid '90s and was all washed up at the end of '96 but managed to eke out another six years by taking the 'in your face tagger' to another level.

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Libba is an interesting one. As I mentioned in my OP, Ekerism is based on a player's whole career and being a gun means you're ineligible. As you point out, Libba's career from 1996 on is pure Eker.

Baker's career is an Eker. His whole career is like Libba's career post Round 21, 1996.

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Originally Posted by Rocco Jones

Libba is an interesting one. As I mentioned in my OP, Ekerism is based on a player's whole career and being a gun means you're ineligible. As you point out, Libba's career from 1996 on is pure Eker.

Baker's career is an Eker. His whole career is like Libba's career post Round 21, 1996.

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I wonder if there's another player in AFL history who went from gun to Eker (or tried to) that's managed to get more eker time than gun time? For Libba I make it 1990-1995 gun period, 1996 meh! period then 96-2002 eker period which gives him 6 years as a gun, 1 year list clogging and 7 years ekerering.


I reckon Steve Wallis had an eker conversion too. He went from a high possession winning centreman in his early years to a hardasnails half back flanker toward the end of his career. Doug Hawkins spent his last couple of years playing as a forward pocket away from the wing where he made his legend, does he count as an eker.

Jayson Daniels the red head from St.Kilda and Swans surely was an eker? Played nearly 200

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Originally Posted by Twodogs

I wonder if there's another player in AFL history who went from gun to Eker (or tried to) that's managed to get more eker time than gun time? For Libba I make it 1990-1995 gun period, 1996 meh! period then 96-2002 eker period which gives him 6 years as a gun, 1 year list clogging and 7 years ekerering.


I reckon Steve Wallis had an eker conversion too. He went from a high possession winning centreman in his early years to a hardasnails half back flanker toward the end of his career. Doug Hawkins spent his last couple of years playing as a forward pocket away from the wing where he made his legend, does he count as an eker.

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I love your thinking and agree that all 3 players are great examples of guns that had eker ends to their careers but true Ekers are ekers all the way through.

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Originally Posted by bobmurphy

Jayson Daniels the red head from St.Kilda and Swans surely was an eker? Played nearly 200

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Perfect Eker, well done.

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Originally Posted by bobmurphy

Jayson Daniels the red head from St.Kilda and Swans surely was an eker? Played nearly 200

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Jack fits perfectly.


I work with Jack - so I didn't really write that did I? He will think I am at him again. :rolleyes:

Here's my 2009 All-Eker Side (featuring some fallen Ekers :()

B: Grover, Watt, D.Johnson
HB: Wheatley, Thurstans, L.Harding
C: Eagleton, Doughty, Notting
HF: Wiggins, Staker, Hansen
F: L.Brown, Playfair, Lovett-Murray
R: Jamar, S.Power, Baker
I/C: Skipper, Gill, Wight, Gilmore

Captain: Simon Wiggins
Vice Captain: Nathan Eagleton
Coach: Mark Harvey

Steven Sziller would be in the Eker hall of fame, played 150+ games at 2 clubs.

Here's the current CEO of the Australia Eker's League (AEL)

http://startupblog.files.wordpress.c...-demetriou.jpg

SS post has reminded me to start my...

EKER HALL OF FAME

Luke O'Sullivan
http://www.blueseum.org/img/wiki_up/losullivan.jpg

Jayson Daniels
http://members.pcug.org.au/~mos/daniels.jpg

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Originally Posted by AndrewP6

Here's the current CEO of the Australia Eker's League (AEL)

http://startupblog.files.wordpress.c...-demetriou.jpg

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Yep, there are some powerful Ekers going around. A couple of senior coaches were once Ekers.

Sheedy and Eade??

simon garlic?

Ben Harrison would have to be an Eker.

And what about Chris Newman, captaining an AFL side.

Dean Wallis?

Did Peter Quill & Michael Martin play enough games to be considered ekers?

Damien Peverill is a true Eker, got the best out of his limited talent by spirit & hardness.

What about Glen Coleman?

Paul Roos loves Ekers.

He's even done the unthinkable and turned some genuine Ekers into bona-fide premiership stars, turning Rocco's entire thesis on its head: Brett Kirk comes to mind.

Other Ekers at the Swans: LRT (110+ games), Rhyce Shaw (120+ games), Luke Ablett (126 games) etc.

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Originally Posted by Dry Rot

IIRC, at least half of those are playing with at least their second club. Coincidence or part of your theory?

If you're at a loose end, a list of Ekers who are premiership players over the last 15 years would be interesting - I'd bet most flag winning clubs had one.

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Jason Ekermanis played in 3 premiership sides.

Shane O'bree 240 games one of the longest lasting ekers, Jared Couch 223 games , a classic eker

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Originally Posted by Running Dog

Jason Ekermanis played in 3 premiership sides.

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Aker, noted similarity in his surname aside, is about as far from an Eker as you would find.

Ekers don't win Brownlow medals as part of a Fab Four widely acknowledged as one of the best midfield quartets of all time, play 16 years of top-class football and kick countless magical goals, and be remembered as one of the greatest and most influential half-back flankers turned midfielders turned goalsneaks of the modern era.

Even in '09 he was still in the top 5 for all key indicators at the Dogs (and our top goalscorer!), so he's not even 'eke'ing out his final years.

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Originally Posted by Rocco Jones

Here's my 2009 All-Eker Side (featuring some fallen Ekers :()

B: Grover, Watt, D.Johnson
HB: Wheatley, Thurstans, L.Harding
C: Eagleton, Doughty, Notting
HF: Wiggins, Staker, Hansen
F: L.Brown, Playfair, Lovett-Murray
R: Jamar, S.Power, Baker
I/C: Skipper, Gill, Wight, Gilmore

Captain: Simon Wiggins
Vice Captain: Nathan Eagleton
Coach: Mark Harvey

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No room in this side for the greatest Eker of all time.....Jordan McMahon?