There are a host of others that left soon after, not as big names, but a lot of them were younger and i guess you'd expect the types that would have filled the gaps left behind. When you look at the 1980 - to 1982 sides, we were to loose the above mentioned along with Francis Bourke who was holding down full back, Mick Malthouse after the 82 season, Bruce Monteath who a lot of people remember as having done stuff all in the 1980 Gf then ran around with the cup. In reality this guy was champion mid fielder who ran low to the ground and had a booming kick and good pace. Played all of 1980 in a forward pocket with a stuffed ankle and still kicked over 50 goals (i'm pretty sure).
Rober Wiley was gone at the end of 83, Terry Smith left around this time though he did come back for a while. Bruce Tempany called it a day i think after 82 or 83. Steve Mount who was very important to our structure didn't go on beyond 82 or 83.
But of the young guys coming up, guys like an up and coming Ruckman in Michaelk Nugent i think nicked off to become an umpire in the mid murray region. Freame and Vernon both didn't kick on, but were basically our understudy mids of the time. Jeff Martin a skinny but skilled wingman gave it away. Colin Waterson, a promising CHF left the club. Steve Pirrie was probably the form full back of the comp when he went down with a knee in 82. He missed all of the next year, ended up at Essendon where i remember him punching Steve James right in the gob during an Army REserves Cup game. James shaped up to him again, but from almost the other side od the Nullabor where Pirrie couldn't smash him again!
There were othes who seemed to have promise at the time, play some good senior footy for about 10 games, then were gone when the next season started. Guys like Greg Conlan who looked like a lanky version of Barry Rowlings, Wayne Shand, a nuggety blonde kid, Michael Rolfe and Tom Crebbin who both were nippy and seemed to like selling the dummy a lot. They definitely sold the dummy to me because they didn't last long and no other club picked them up, but as a young kid, i thought they were both going to be guns!
But you just have to look at the loss of Wood, Cloke, Raines, Monteath, Wiley, Malthouse in quick succession to see why we collapsed so quickly. Lee also broke his wrist in 82 and didnt seem to take another overhead mark for his whole career.
And Collingwood's banner when we first played them after the raid of our stars.............
Richmond's Luck
Caught In The Woods
Without a Cloke
And it Raines
I so hope the loose Pendlebury
PS - Morris left way earlier, i think in 76. From memory i think he was a real Hafey man and wanted to follow him to the Pies but we wouldn't clear him. I think he may have even stood out of football for a year before playing with the Pies.
