I got thinking this the other day and was wondering what fellow posters might think.

I think he would certainly be in the top handful without a doubt.
Not only is his goalkicking amongst the best to ever play afl, but his field kicking is extraordinary for a player of his size..

If you lined up a handful of the best kicks to have been blessed with a navy blue guernsey and played them off in a contest, I think Fev would win, bordeline comfortably too...

So who are the best kicks the club has had??

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Circumstance has no value. It is how one relates to a situation that has value. All true meaning resides in the personal relationship to a phenomenon, what it means to you.

There have been many Firearm and I agree - Fev would have to be up there.

As time has gone on - kicking skill has disappeared. I started primary school in 1979 where drop kicks were practiced...however by the time I reached high school that art had all but died. Not much of a time difference there for a kick to disappear. Much like the torpedo today - a kick that I have seen Fev attempt many times at training - yet never master, most probably because he wasn't taught properly as a kid. (Any talk of Brendan going to the States and following in the footsteps of Darren Bennett, Sav Rocca & Ben Graham should be considered as an absolute long shot or a free trip to Vegas for the Fevola family).

Horrie Clover was noted as a master kick - excelling in the place, torpedo, flat punt, drop kick and screw kick.

Harry 'Soapy' Vallence without a doubt was a sensational kick; the footage and records are enough for me.

Keith Shea did something in 1937 that made his kicking at Carlton newsworthy in the US. He represented Carlton (and Victoria) in a kicking contest against the kickers and punters from Stanhope University. Shea's drop kicks were recorded during half-time in the '37 Grand Final and exceeded 64 yards.

I've heard stories of John Goold's beautiful, long, effortless kicking...

Geoff Southby was a lovely kick out of full-back.

Craig Bradley I rate very highly in kicking technique and excellent executioner of all kicks.

..and then there's Fev. A magnificent leg who still has room for improvement - but outside 50m I've not seen many better.

Ian Roberston was one of the best exponents of the drop kick you could ever hope to see.

As forwards go Warren Ralph could match Fev.

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Hey Rocky; there are too many rabbits ... in China.

Strange as it may seem the straightest and most accurate kick for goal I have ever seen play for Carlton was Peter McKenna - who played 11 games for Carlton in 1977 - he was certainly washed up and well past his prime - however in the games I saw that season every time he lined up for goal from within 40 to 45 metres he rarely missed with his straight as a dye drop punts.

Ross Ditchburn and Warren Ralph were great kicks for goal also - Kernahan apart from a few notable exceptions was pretty reliable.

But certainly Fev would have to be the most accurate kick for goal I have seen from outside the 50 metre arc.

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Winston Churchill

The excellence in execution if there ever was one. Greg Williams was the best passer of the ball we had though IMO.

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You want the flame? Give us the marbles!!

Bradley could actually kick torpedoes on the run. I remember him kicking 2 long torpedo goals against Geelong at the G in 93...one from a set shot & the other while running with the ball.

But Williams was the best footpasser (on both sides) I've seen.

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#DonTheStash

Diesel never missed a target 40m or under.

I can't think of a better kick from 55m on the boundary I've ever seen, any club, than Fev.

Plugger was the best set shot I've ever seen though, over a prolonger period.

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Congratulations CK95

Though granted, that's a big target.

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Congratulations CK95

Bradles was no Tony Lynn who dobbed a goal from the centre square.

Bradley running down the ground bouncing the ball before kicking long to Sticks with a torp was a set play.

One of my favourite memories as a Carlton supporter.

Classic Bradley torp - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua1drGWBLcI

Bradles was that good, he could kick a banana on the run from 50 under pressure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1ORKx__q0Y

Suffer Sheedy...

Diesel stated that he didn't have a preferred side.

Diesel the best by hand or foot in terms of pure skill I have ever seen.

What made Williams scary was that his decision making was even better than his skill execution.

There will never be another Williams. He was a freak, cannot understand why he coaches, he could not possibly teach what he did.

Suck eggs geelong.

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Robbo immediately came to my mind as an exponent of the drop kick. Also Bryan Quirk was a great drop kick as was Syd Jackson, even with Wayne walsh hanging off his jumper.
In terms of long distance kicking for goal, I remember watching David Mackay kick lots of goals from a long way out, almost always with the torp.
Funnily enough, Big John was a great kick for goal with his flat torpedo punts, even from a pocket. I don't think he ever kicked a drop punt in his life but his flat punts are on exhibition in the '72 GF where he kicked them from all angles.
In the modern era, Fev has few peers and would certainly be in the best few of all time. One of the training reports from last week highlights his field kicking skills.

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Let slip the Blues of war (with apologies to William Shakespeare) (and Sir Francis Bacon, just in case)

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=sYxHkayZurg&feature=related

Braddles was a great kick.... this one was a classic...... somehow didn't win goal of the week.

remember clearly the sunday morning footy panel on channel 7.. can't remember who had the decision that week, but remember the panel asking "are you serious???"

diesel was an amazing field kick, and didn't miss too many shots at goal either,

fev is the best kick at goal i have seen (I'm 31), though he misses some soda's at times.

I agree that his field kicking is excellent, though you only get glimpses of it in games... gotta get down to training to see how good he can be

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Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.

During 1972 and 1973 it was fantastic to watch Geoff Southby kick the ball in from full-back. When we played against Richmond it was a competition between him and Dick Clay (Tigers full-back) as to who could kick in the furthest.

Southby was a marvel at kicking the torpedo and he rarely missed. It was not unusual to see his torps hit the centre of Princes Park (no short kickins then!).

Those 2 years saw Southby at his best. Unfortunately, Neil Balme fixed him in the GF of 73 - but that's another story

Have to agree Agro, McKenna was probably the best kick for goal I have seen, and for field kicking another bloke who only played a handful of games for us was Billy Barrot, his dropkicks had to be seen to be believed

I really can't think of anyone who's a better allround kick than Fev.

Southby was a beautiful kick but Fev is an awesome kick.

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There's so much I could say...

I remember Bryan Quirk kicking many a long torpedo goal from the wing on the run.

He would have to be one of the best.

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Cheats never prosper (except in the AFL)

Pretty hard to go past Michael Mansfield

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It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to paint it

What about that game against Footscray towards the end of Southby's carrer when he played forward (sorry..."The Great Geoff Southby" or simply "Sir Southby")...he kicked 2 torps and goaled; one against the wing which was about 65m and the other with the wind about the same distance.

I wouldn't ever say Fev is a better kick than Southby.

I was having the discussion the other day after I gave one employee (a Yarran), a Ross Fawkner and the other a Sherrin for xmas, and we commented on how much easier the Ross Fawlkner was to kick torpedoes with over the Sherrin.

Maybe the ball has changed to suit the game, and perhaps the reason the torp is so difficult to execute. Interested in your thoughts.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Interesting thoughts on our greatest kickers, with some names I have never heard of..


I can't see how anyone from our rich past could outdo the Fev, I just can't. Football has come a long way and as a result even our kicking has evolved into something that the past players would be envious of.

I think even blokes like Simmo would be a fair way ahead of blokes from say the 40's etc....

No doubt the balls are a lot better, and they are full time athletes, so players these days have a greater advantage over past players.




Bondi: I haven't kicked a Ross Falkner for a while, and avoid them as they are (by a long way IMHO) inferior to the T.W.Sherrin. I don't have a problem kicking torps with the sherrin either....

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Circumstance has no value. It is how one relates to a situation that has value. All true meaning resides in the personal relationship to a phenomenon, what it means to you.

I reckon you might be surprised. Besides - you can only do in your era what is presented in front of you. Don Bradman played his entire career in 2 countries...he still would have been a champion - but 99.94? Perhaps not. How many of our blokes could connect with a torp 5 times out of ten? I'd say none - and Southby and Bradley would show them all up. The only thing you can ascertain in comparing era's is that footballers today exclusively practice variations of one kick, whereas in days gone by - footballers had to practice variations of 3 or 4.

As for past players being envious - I can just picture 'Soapy' Vallence and Horrie Clover looking down from heaven at Brendan Fevola.

HC: Can you believe how much this bloke is paid?
'S'V: I can't believe for all he's paid, how many he misses!