Is he still playing? I got this from w w w . c o u n t r y f o o t y s c o r e s . c o m
It never ceases to amaze me the number of champion players we got from the Bendigo Football League. Steven Oliver would have been a star for us, but he chose the bush instead. In many ways, what a waste.
Stephen Oliver - Goal kicking legend
CASTLEMAINE’S great full-forward Steven Oliver took his career BFL goal tally to 969 last weekend with two majors, booted against Kangaroo Flat.
Oliver has topped the BFL goal-kicking table three times during his time at the Camp Reserve and is listed in the league’s all-time greatest home and away goalkickers.
Eaglehawk’s 1930s star Frank Crapper heads the two lists: for most goals in the home and away matches and highest season overall total, including finals.
But when Oliver gets to the 100-major mark in a season he makes it a big total.
In 1992 he finished the minor rounds with 136 goals and with his second semi-final and grand final tallies finished the year with 147.
Season 2000 was notable for goal-kicking feats. It was only the third time three full forwards had topped 100 goals, finals included.
Oliver finished with 135, Kangaroo Flat’s David Lancaster 111 and Gisborne’s Stephen Reaper snared 104.
In 1980 the legendary Ron Best nailed a staggering 161 goals for Golden Square, Eaglehawk’s premiership-winning spearhead John Price booted 122 while Sandhurst’s Steve McKerrow finished with 109.
And back in 1933 on the first occasion the feat was recorded Frank Crapper landed 163 goals for the Two Blues, Roy Moore got 125 for Sandhurst and Sam Slater slotted through 111 for Maryborough.
Five years ago Reaper reached the 100-goal mark for the third consecutive year (but his first in Gisborne colours) with a four-goal performance in Round 18 against Eaglehawk.
On 97 goals going into the final home-and-away game on September 3rd, he got his third of the match and 100th of the season in the second quarter.
Fans raced onto the ground at the pavilion end of the Gardiner Reserve to congratulate the big spearhead. It took a few minutes before order was restored as Eaglehawk marched on to a 33-point victory.
Oliver had actually reached 121 goals by the conclusion of Round 16 in 2000. There was much press speculation that the big Camp Reserve sharpshooter could top Crapper’s all-time BFL home and away record of 154 goals.
Oliver finished the 18 rounds with 132, however, with tallies of four against Lockington-Bamawm United in Round 17 -- the Cats’ second last game in the BFL -- and seven against South Bendigo in the last game before the finals started.
There was still a chance for Oliver to slip past Eaglehawk great Greg Kennedy’s 151 goals and his own 1992 total of 147 majors, and move into third place overall with the second semi-final, and perhaps a preliminary final and grand final to come.
But Olly managed only three in the Maine’s 18.9 to 16.11 second semi-final win over Kangaroo Flat.
And he was held goalless in the grand final that year when Castlemaine triumphed by two goals over an inaccurate Roos: 12.11 (83) to 9.17 (71).
So Oliver finished 2000 with an overall total of 135 goals.
Meanwhile Roo spearhead David Lancaster eased past Gisborne’s Stephen Reaper’s 2000 figure of 104 goals in total with eight in the preliminary final win over South Bendigo.
That gave Lancaster 109 goals overall in 2000 with the grand final to come.
“Hollywood Dave”, like Oliver, had a quiet day in the grand final and nailed only two of Kangaroo Flat’s nine goals in the season’s showpiece match for a final total of 111.
Incidentally Oliver had won the BFL goal-kicking award in 1996 when he booted 84 goals during the home-and-away rounds.
Greatest BFL home and away totals
154: F. Crapper (Eaglehawk), 1933
145: F. Crapper (Eh) 1932; R. Best (GS) 1980.
139: G. Kennedy (Eaglehawk) 1971
136: S. Oliver (Castlemaine) 1992
132: S. Oliver (Cm) 2000; R. Best (S’hurst) 1975
129: R. Best (G Square) 1969.
126: R. Best (Golden Square) 1979
120: D. Gilmore (Eaglehawk) 1984.
Greatest BFL totals, including finals
163: F. Crapper (Eaglehawk) 1933
161: R. Best (Golden Square) 1980
151: G. Kennedy (Eaglehawk) 1971
147: S. Oliver (Castlemaine) 1992
145: F. Crapper (Eh) 1932; R. Best (Sh) 1975.
137: R. Best (GS) 1969; R. Best (GS) 1979.
135: S. Oliver (Castlemaine) 2000.
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