On a global scale, Australian sport is renowned for many things. Having almost as many football codes as states. Fans throwing inflatable marsupials. A fairly limited and repetitive list of chants.
Australian players though are widely recognised for one thing: intimidation.
Perhaps it’s the effect of an eternal chip on our convict shoulder, however, per head of population Australian sport has done a great job of producing athletes that by and large leave our opponents pre-emptively reaching for the magic spray.
Whilst we would never like to big note ourselves and claim to be the biggest, the most technical or the most patient players on the field, there is a part of our psych that wants so bad to be the tough little bastard sitting in the dressing shed covered in betadine.
This is reflected in the sport stars we choose to worship for being tough, and the ones we like to pay out for being, well, ‘a bit of a cat’.
But what makes your average pro-athlete an intimidator? Is it Goliath like size? Brute strength? A face with more stiches than Frankenstein? In contact sports, in particular the football codes, quite possibly.
No doubt in any sport where Newton’s second law comes into play being a big rooster is going to gain you some cred in the pecking order. This not necessarily the case though.
Quite simply an intimidator is someone an opponent doesn’t like coming up against.
This means there’s room for the smart, the skilful and the, err, scumbag to take on the principal position of putting off the opposition.
Thus we can discern footy’s intimidators come in many shapes and sizes.
But enough fence sitting. Let’s crown these scary bastards.
With a love of big hits, your rugby league intimidator looks something like you used to think lived in your cupboard as a little kid, only now thanks to sports science he can also run like the wind. Blokes like Manu Vatuvei, Fui Fui Moi Moi… but since they don’t qualify on residential grounds, I’m going to nominate Paul Gallen.
Scary for the fact that like the Terminator he can seemingly be bashed and belted and blown up with uzis all night ’till you think he’s going to give up, only to score the winning try with a skilful play in the last minute of the match.
An unstoppable rugby league machine with an Easter Island type noggin and a taste for niggle.
In rugby union, David Pocock intimidates people just switching from his suit to his jersey in the sheds. However unlike some players who look like bodybuilders and play like bankers Pocock, like Gallen above, manages to back up brawn with brains. So much so that he’s one of the few current Australian players that the All Blacks would be happy to see sipping a Steinlager.
Australian Rules, with its large amount of off the ball time to ‘acquaint’ yourself with your opposite number, is ripe for some good old fashioned intimidation. Jonathon Brown, the man with the iron face and half brother of Andre the Giant, gets the nod here.
While he comes across as a lovely chap off the field, this only makes you think that he saves up every tiny little annoyance from during the week to take it out on the poor schmuck standing in his shadow on Saturday.
And as for the beautiful game, well, there’s many a local lad plying his trade in the A-league or overseas who you’d hate to see as your opposite. For pure skill a bloke like Tim Cahill is a class above, however I would still rather mark him than Kevin Muscat.
Sure, the bloke’s been retired for a couple of years now, but do you really think that would stop him from jumping the fence and scything you down on the spot just to see you cry? Your tears are what keeps him young!
So that’s my list sports fans-anyone game to name their own list of footy intimidators?
Go on, promise I won’t tell them you did.
@Vic_Arious
BigAl
Guest
Is this fighting just a part of NHL or is it also accepted at the Olympics ?
Micko
Guest
whos scared of pocock?? goes alright but hes no thug
amazonfan
Roar Guru
I can think of quite a few intimidating keepers, Kahn for instance.
Jaredsbro
Roar Guru
Some of you have an almost delusional optimism when it comes to human nature, when it comes to sport! Why should a 'kid' not surrender meekly, if that is how they feel, in agame which doesn't matter in the long run. Maybe when it comes to grand finals, you expect more not surrendering kind of logic...then again there should have been a surrender by Port Adelaide in their last visit to the grand final, and that's pretty much what we got anyway. So in some situations there's just no point, considering you need to build towards a position where you can claim the title in the next season or in the future. Only those who are retiring need to be held to this principle. When it doesn't matter it really doesn't matter how you lose. Not when you're still building towards the games which matter!
Jaredsbro
Roar Guru
But what is the advantage doing that? Human nature seems to dictate that people ought to feign weakness and lull people in with a excellent cover drive or something. That old gentleman's rule of never showing a slight is actually a liability oftentimes! And yet if the rules are designed for there to be an advantage (a la pro boxing) for being strong, by all means. But then you may get an Ice Hockey scenario where everyone knows there are certain pretenses, but once the metaphorical bow to the rules are over, you get little adherence to any spirit of the rules (there may not even be any!) Basically you can't have it both ways: entertainment in strength/chivalry or entertainment in rule-bending. People should really be warned against these false pretenses.
Jaredsbro
Roar Guru
See this second half of the article is getting closer to the money. Intimidation is about psyching-out, not riling up one's opponents. None of this B>S mentioned earlier about taking people out. That's the problem with Ice Hockey as a sport, it's about the thuggery, it's not just a means to achieving one's ends if one is not as talented as the stars. I think of the scrum as a perfect tool in this 'good' intimidation. In Rugby Union it is a means to quite literally challenging the awesome foursome that is the key positions in the backs by taking them out of the equation, but not beyond what is necessary to get the ball closer to where you want to take it. Ice Hockey unfortunately is just about finding a pretense to take someone out of the game (ideally for the entire match) not just out of the equation. And some of you guys wonder why Ice Hockey doesn't have the same Pan American appeal as its 3 rival codes, it's simply because brains do not come into it. And unfortunately that should mean people like me should deride it for just that reason!
Jaredsbro
Roar Guru
Right now that an Amazon has made comment I think I should play devil's advocate a little. What about those who have the skills but their skills are expressed on the field because those around them are trying to dive etc. Soccers a good case in point in this regard...but it happens in all footballs. Now you could say that it's because Soccer's the mother of all politically correct (and the author of all things wrong with sport these days and you'd be right at least in terms of the Universal Church that is FIFA's dealings with those of us who were never converted). But just consider for a moment: why is that thuggery should be tolerated, just because it's in the rules? The rules are only guidelines after all, and those who are truly talented usually bend them anyway. So why should thugs be allowed to suddenly start playing by the rules if it means they can take out the stars say. I'll always remember my cousin, who doesn't like sport saying that the most logical option on the 'field' is to get one of the plebs to take out one of the stars because any penalty is worth the advantage. This is the ultimate outcome if we follow all of your logic to its conclusion. Worse there's just too much money riding on the outcome for this to be allowed to happen. All of what you're saying sounds very amateurish. However much libertarian utopia you desire in your sport...dollar signs are too important to actually allow this in sport.
The Barry
Roar Guru
YES ! Well said Lucan. On the occassion of Viv's recent 60th birthday one of the sports shows showed some old footage of Rodney Hogg steaming in during a test in the early 80s and hitting Richards in the jaw with a full paced, vicious bouncer. Viv, who as you've said never wore a helmet, didn't even flicnh or rub the spot, let alone drop to the ground. The cameras went back to Hogg who visibly deflated as if thinking "how do I get this guy?". Next ball Hogg steams in drops another bouncer aimed straight at Viv's chin. Viv steps inside the line and hooks it for six. Hogg was completely intimidated by a batsmen he'd just clocked in the face with a bouncer. Amazing stuff. As a kid I used to think Viv was like Darth Vader, how could the good guys ever beat him ?
Lucan
Fuss', you'd be surprised at how skilled they are as hockey players. The "goon" era has come and gone. With only 5 skaters on the rink at the one time, you can't afford to carry a fighter who can't skate, shoot, pass, defend. Nathan, just to clarify "Roughing" and "Fighting" are actually different penalties. "Roughing" can be a 2 minute minor or a 5 minute major, and is usually applied when one player commits an offence, not for a back-and-forth fight. The fact the teams don't play short is due to the fact no team is advantaged by matching penalties, same deal if one team is nabbed for "tripping" and the other for "holding" when the penalties are applied at the same time. You'll hear referees and commentators refer to these as "Matching minors", or in the case of fighting "Matching majors". Back to the fighting aspect. As the lasting effects of concussions are becoming better understood we'll continue to see reductions in stand-up fighting, the downside of that is snipers will be able to head-hunt stars without worrying about reprisals. Nathan, Perth Thunder have joined the AIHL this year. See if you can take in a game or two, it is a fun arvo/night out. Season starts the last weekend of April.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
heh, heh - what about the mad Albanian!
amazonfan
Roar Guru
If I'm not mistaken, the West Indies once sent the entire Indian batting lineup to hospital. :D
amazonfan
Roar Guru
I don't think any stranger should be regarded as role models. There are plenty of sportspeople who would make great role models, and more so than quite a few politicians for instance, however the only people whom should be role models IMO are friends & family (as well as teachers and others who may be involved in the child's life such as religious leaders.) With my niece and nephew, part of my job is to be a role model. It's not the job of strangers.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Coincidentally, they're interviewing Sheeds right now, and Healy asked him about it first thing, about the club refusing to be intimidated, and Sheeds pretty much agreed - it's important not to be.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Funnily enoug, I was just watching On the couch on foxfooty, a great footy talk show, and Brownlow medallist, Gerard Healy said the same thing as I've just posted twice, in the terms of: it was a statement to the rest of the competition that we will not be bullied. Both Mike Sheehan and Paul Roos disagreed with him. Mike said: who are they being bullied by? they've only been around for half an hour!
The Cattery
Roar Guru
The first message he is sending his team mates is not to do a sloppy handball like Goodes gave Parker, because you can sell your team mate into the same trouble - a very good lesson to learn, preferably by the opposition taking the pain for the lesson. But for that point in the game, with the Swans having already got 3 goals on the board, it was absolutely perfect timing: don't lie down, make sure they earn it, don't forget Sheeds' message about not getting dominated, it's ok to give a bit back, etc.
Titus
Guest
Pascal Bosschaart from Sydney FC? Whatever he is saying to opponents on the field is obviously getting under their skin, enough for Beschart and Hutchinson to invite him down the tunnel after the match. Not afraid to launch into a two footed diving tackle either.
Football United
Guest
idk watching vinnie jones rampage round a field trying to literally stamp his authority on the pitch was entertaining in it's own way.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
100% agree. My "perfect role model for kids." comment was in relation to McDonald - as one of the few experienced players - needing to be a perfect role model for the kids in the GWS team.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
Not-quite on topic but I've come to the opinion that any parent who seriously suggests a sportsperson as a role model really ought to be visited by Child Welfare.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
So, an experienced GWS player broke an opponent's jaw because he didn't know how to execute a fair tackle, he got himself suspended for 10% of the season & his team lost the game. Sounds like he's a perfect role model for kids. Too many people think "mock bravado" is tough. I'd rather have kids looking up to a player (e.g. Hird, Buckley, Jarman) who knew how to execute a fair tackle, played just about every minute of every game &, more often than not, led his team to victory rather than humiliating defeats.