The biggest certainty of a change in a club’s top-100 game-players list is at the Western Bulldogs, where Ian Salmon currently sits in the hot seat at No. 100.
Salmon, who retired from league football at 23 years old to pursue his career as an animal technologist in his home town of Leongatha, is facing a stampede of current Bulldogs who would all be expected to pass his total of 113 games during season 2019.
Three of the club’s current champions – South African born ex-East Fremantle speedster Jason Johannisen, who has played 106 games and won the 2016 Norm Smith Medal; left-footer Lachie Hunter on 105 games; and 2016 premiership player Marcus Bontempelli on 104 games – should all pass Salmon in the first half of the season assuming fitness and form.
On the other hand, Tory Dickson, who needs to play at least 17 games to make the cut, is much more circumspect considering he has played only that many games in total in the last two years!
Salmon started his career in 1970 while still 17 years old, debuting in Round 9 against Fitzroy wearing jumper No. 9 and earning nine kicks. A blond-haired, left-footer who could kick a long distance, he was a good-sized player in the 1970s at 192-centimetres tall and weighing 92 kilograms. He played five games in a row from Round 9 until Round 13 but was then out of the team for the remainder of the season.
In the following year he changed his jumper to No. 18 and remained with that number until the premature end to his career after the 1976 elimination final loss to Geelong, having earlier in his time at the Bulldogs played in the 1974 elimination final loss to Collingwood as well. These were the only two VFL/AFL finals that he got to play and, with the exception of the 1974-75 seasons in which he played 44 games out of a possible 45, he averaged fewer than 14 games for the five other seasons.
Not a noted goal kicker, in his first two seasons at the club he managed to score three goals in a game, twice against Richmond and once against Essendon. He never repeated this feat again and failed to score a goal for the entirety of 1972 and 1975. His final AFL/VFL goal tally was a meagre 36 goals, 11 of which came against Richmond.
He returned to his original club of Leongatha and to the farm, serving the club well over the remainder of his footballing days.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
Yes, that's it, I was scratching my head trying to recall his nick name.
Stephen Shortis
Roar Guru
Not Salmon, Sockeye!
Stephen Shortis
Roar Guru
Thanks Mr Football. That is handy extra information on a player who has very little coverage in my usual sources. One thing I forgot to include in the profile was that his nickname was salmon. It's a pity he wasn't more committed to a long term career as he seemed to have a bit of ability? I guess the two goal less years could have bee when he was down back.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
I remember Ian Salmon. My memory is that he used to commute from his dairy farm in Gippsland to West Footscray (at the time, much of Gippsland was zoned to Footscray). Let us say he was a big strong lad. He could play either CHF or CHB, and from memory, played mostly the latter. At the time, he would have had competition for either position from Bernie "superboot" Quinlan and Peter Welsh. He had a booming left foot. He had curly blond hair, and his complexion was not too dissimilar to his surname. There was one season where I recall he earned two best on grounds in the Brownlow, for the sum of six votes.