Who Do You Think Should Have Won the '79 Norm Smith?

Graeme · **Posted:** Thu Feb 02, 2006 2:51 pm

After watching the '79 Granny last night I'm not sure if Harmesy was the right man for the Norm Smith. Obviously history cannot be changed now, but who do you think was BOG?
Harmsey did do well after 1/4 time.
Peter Francis played well all day, with lots of clean possessions on a muddy wet day.
Mark Maclure presented well all day, his battle with Billy Picken was a cracker.
Swan Mackay played well both down back and up forward when required.
Barry Armstrong got heaps of hard balls, he kept pumping the ball forward.
Bruce Doull was just Bruce Doull.
And the Dominator just dominated.

Jarusa · **Joined:** Sat Feb 26, 2005 9:00 am **Posts:** 23123

Have to think about that, might have to watch it a few more times to work it out. :-D

Reckon Jimmy Buckley did well until 3 quarter time.

Deano Supremo · **Posted:** Thu Feb 02, 2006 3:00 pm

Francis was everywhere.

Dominator had a shiteload of meaningful possessions.

Harmesy was great too.

The tap got harmesy over the line in a three way dead heat I reckon.

Graeme · **Posted:** Thu Feb 02, 2006 3:05 pm

Yeah I reckon the tap may have been the difference to the judges on th eday. Still Francis for mine.

Mickstar · **Joined:** Mon Feb 28, 2005 7:40 pm **Posts:** 7478

Was there that day and the rain never let up.I reckon you could put a damn good case for every one of the players nominated.Maclure was a extremely underated player.A guy that plays CHF,the hardest gig in the caper,in 3 flags is a great player.Harmes was at his willfull mercurial best.Imposed his will on the game.But i settled for Bazza Armstrong.Got the pill all day,and the hard ball at that.It was the likes of Barrie Armstrong that made us so strong back then.Bazza was not a champion.But he was very,very good,week in week out.We had so many that were a smidgin under top notchers,but were extraordinarily consistant.

Electric Blue · **Joined:** Tue Mar 01, 2005 8:12 am **Posts:** 10076

I also reckon the tap may have been the difference to the judges on the day. Still Dominator

AGRO · **Posted:** Thu Feb 02, 2006 8:43 pm

In my view "The Dominator" is extremely unlucky not to have been a Triple Norm Smith Medallist ( 79, 81 & 82) - in particular 1982 when Maurice Rioili somehow was awarded the medal ahead of Wayne Johnston was a travesty of justice.

camel · **Posted:** Thu Feb 02, 2006 8:46 pm

I thought being related to Norm Smith got Harmes over the line.

Bort · **Joined:** Tue Mar 01, 2005 9:38 pm **Posts:** 101

I voted for Johnston. However the move of Harmes to the centre was what turned the game around for us.

AGRO wrote:

In my view "The Dominator" is extremely unlucky not to have been a Triple Norm Smith Medallist ( 79, 81 & 82) - in particular 1982 when Maurice Rioili somehow was awarded the medal ahead of Wayne Johnston was a travesty of justice.

In 81 I would've given the medal to Fitzpatrick, just ahead of Doull.

I reckon Perovic should have gotten the 82 Smith, and was looking forward to the largest ever "Woof!", only to have Roili announced as the winner. (The Dominator was the best player in that first 10 minutes, just like he was the best player in the opening few minutes of the 87 GF.)

AGRO · **Posted:** Thu Feb 02, 2006 9:33 pm

Bort wrote:

In 81 I would've given the medal to Fitzpatrick, just ahead of Doull.

I thought that Fitzy's effort in 1982 to play most of the game at a Centre Half Forward (a position quite foreign to him) allowed us to use Wow Jones in the Ruck who intimidated Richmond's Mark Lee right out of the game. This was a master stroke by Parkin - and only allowable by Fitzy's willingness and character to do what he had to do at CHF. :wink:

thehalford · **Joined:** Tue Mar 08, 2005 10:52 am **Posts:** 12809

Tough call. I watched it again a few weeks back - I still reckon moving Harmes into the centre won the game. Dom, Francis et al were all good players, but they didn't 'impact' the team like Harmes did when he was moved. Plus the tap, of course.

AIRCAV · **Posted:** Fri Feb 03, 2006 10:02 am

You may want to check this, but I have a suspicion that the Norm Smith is actually voted on early in the last quarter. Thus, before the Harmesy tap.

AGRO · **Posted:** Fri Feb 03, 2006 11:12 am

AIRCAV wrote:

You may want to check this, but I have a suspicion that the Norm Smith is actually voted on early in the last quarter. Thus, before the Harmesy tap.

This had been the case from the time the award was established in 1979 to up until recently.

You may well be correct that the votes were tallied and cast in 1979 prior to "Harmes Tap". But as somebody correctly pointed out earlier I think Harmes' win was more due to the fact that judges were influenced by the romance of awarding the first "Norm Smith Medal" to the honoured man's Great Nephew. :wink:

tap in 79 · **Joined:** Fri Mar 04, 2005 10:58 am **Posts:** 2143

I voted for Harmesy - of course!!

i love the dominator but Harmesy's tap was out of this world. I still haven't seen anything better than that on a football field.

Based on number of possessions then the Dom. deserved the norm smith - but i like the fact that they give the award to players that do inspirational things - more so than just number of possessions.

Rhys-Jones didn't get many possessions in 87... probably about 16/17 possessions.. but the manner in which he destroyed Dermie's and Hawthorn's morale was enough.

Deano Supremo · **Posted:** Fri Feb 03, 2006 12:00 pm

Ray Shaw

*ducks*

thehalford · **Joined:** Tue Mar 08, 2005 10:52 am **Posts:** 12809

Deano Supremo wrote:

Ray Shaw

*ducks*

His brother Derek did so much better though...

Duck eggs all through the game :lol:

What about mandy's lovechild? No, not him, the other one, Denis Banks? He did SFA as well...

Warby · **Posted:** Fri Feb 03, 2006 3:34 pm

I reckon Harmsey's over the line got him over the line.

Dom should have bolted it in in '82.

AIRCAV · **Posted:** Sat Feb 04, 2006 2:52 am

Yeah, Johnno was simply robbed in '82. I think even rioli was embarrassed.

Next time we whinge about umpiring, watch the 79 GF. Talk about 'tiggy touch wood' free kicks! I estimate Billy Picken got about 10 Frees For and 8 against. And no whinging by the players. They just got on with it.

keogh · **Joined:** Fri Jul 29, 2005 6:36 am **Posts:** 6471

Trev of course.His rather sharp foreman to Russell Ohlsen's head turned the game in the second quarter.Had it not been this act of bravery we would have lost by 10 goals and Russ would have been the first Normie.

The Shag · **Posted:** Sun Feb 05, 2006 11:56 am

Johnston was robbed!

Who Do You Think Should Have Won the '79 Norm Smith?

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