Wade Chapman

[DST]

I was just browsing the Bigfooty.com site and noticed that someone had added Wade Chapman to a list of the worst ever football players roll call.

I can't tell you how incensed that makes me

Wade could have been anything for us, while not looking like you likely type of footballer he had great hands and footy smarts.

I have no doubt that if Wade had remained injury free, he would be lining up for Sydney this weekend.

All you have to do is watch the 96 Prelim to see what he could have been.

What do you think?

DST

[Nico]

Will always be a favourite with Swans fans. He was the one who kicked it to Plugger.

[TheHood]

100% agree. Wade was brilliant, I mean a serious good contributor. That astounds me. Wade was the Jude Bolton type.

[gloveski]

Injuries ruined what would have been a great career

[Charlie]

Could have been a champion. Told my sister a few weeks before he left the Swans that his injury had been caused by a player running into the back of his foot... a fairly innocuous type thing, but it happened. Anyway, he refused to say to ANYBODY who the player was, because he believed that the player would not recover from the guilt. Now to do that, off your own bat... that's a sign of a champion bloke, whether he was a champion player or not.

[liz]

Originally posted by Charlie
Could have been a champion. Told my sister a few weeks before he left the Swans that his injury had been caused by a player running into the back of his foot... a fairly innocuous type thing, but it happened. Anyway, he refused to say to ANYBODY who the player was, because he believed that the player would not recover from the guilt. Now to do that, off your own bat... that's a sign of a champion bloke, whether he was a champion player or not.

Thing with Wade, though, is that if it hadn't been that, some other injury would probably have ended his career. He just seemed to be that type of player that attracted the bad knocks.

But he was a truly skilful and creative player. If you pull out pretty much any tape of a game from 1996 you will see his class shining through, and it's very sad that we got to see so little of him.

[Bart]

Re: Wade Chapman

Originally posted by DST
I was just browsing the Bigfooty.com site and noticed that someone had added Wade Chapman to a list of the worst ever football players roll call.

I can't tell you how incensed that makes me

I don't know why this upsets you. Its bigfooty after all.

Why don't you go back and post Mark McGough and Josh Fraser, let simmer for 5 minutes and check back to see the reaction

[Ajn]

Wade was unlucky, but extremely quick to get a kick off, which made him a good onballer. He is in the Ryan Fitzgerald class of poor body type for the toughness of AFL.

Wade wasn't picked up by Port Adelaide because he was a hack! He left Sydney in the same way Ryan left, wanted, but knowledgable of his physical limitations. They both knew that and still took the chance.

[sharpie]

Originally posted by Ajn
knowledgable of his physical limitations. They both knew that and still took the chance.

I hardly think Wade knew his physical limitations. Anyone who saw him attack the ball ferociously before getting knocked out by the oncoming traffic would know that. But that was his problem I think.

He was one of my 2 favourites in 96, along with Stuey.

[swan_song]

There's only a few words to explain the mentality of someone who would post such a thing..."What an a***ho*le". Wade Chapman was a gun player. and could have easily been a champion..courageous and talented but with a body that was not up to the demands of AFL football...
Hitting plugger on the chest over 40 to get us into the 96 GF is almost what every football kid dreams of...

[GoBloods]

was a extremely gutsy player who's career was only curtailed by injury. he put 100% effort into every appearnce in the red and white

[Bleed Red Blood]

My memories of him are all great can't remember him making a clanger ever.

[Rob-bloods]

That is a disgrace, Chapman was a great little footballer and would have become a bit of a legend with the Swans. When he started he looked like he had wandered onto the pitch from Auskick, he looked like a little school boy, but never ever took a backward step. His body was not built to withstand his own style of play and that was a great shame. As early post-er said, the kick in the prelim will always be dear to Bloods hearts..