Past players - what are they up to?

[KTigers]

Clarko’s arrival at North has swiftly resulted in the departure of two former Swans. General manager of football performance Daniel McPherson, as well as assistant coach Anthony Rocca,

Rocca was leaving anyway. His mum had called because his dinner was getting cold on the table.

[Ruck'n'Roll]

Sorry for those guys, especially McPherson. It sounds like Blakey is safe.

Rocca was leaving anyway. His mum had called because his dinner was getting cold on the table.

Thanks for generating my first ROFL of the day KTigers.

I hope Frosty gets utilised somewhere, it'd be a pity to waste his experience under Barass and Rocket, and his coaching apprenticeship under Roosy.

[Sandridge]

Rocca was leaving anyway. His mum had called because his dinner was getting cold on the table.

Well played sir, well played.

[Mel_C]

Clarko’s arrival at North has swiftly resulted in the departure of two former Swans. General manager of football performance Daniel McPherson, as well as assistant coach Anthony Rocca,

I heard the end of a conversation on SEN this morning and it was mentioned that North are after Dalrymple. I'm sure they will be offering him big bucks.

[Aprilbr]

I heard the end of a conversation on SEN this morning and it was mentioned that North are after Dalrymple. I'm sure they will be offering him big bucks.

When you're performing well, other Clubs will chase your talent. Hopefully, Dalrymple is happy in Sydney and will choose to stay. If not, I'm confident we have a succession plan in place.

[Velour&Ruffles]

Rocca was leaving anyway. His mum had called because his dinner was getting cold on the table.

Uunthoneeeeeeeee!!

[bloodspirit]

Superstar Villain - Warwick Capper - The Mongrel Punt

[Faunac8]

Superstar Villain - Warwick Capper - The Mongrel Punt

Absolute gun player and extremely underrated by many Warwick could take a hanger and unlike many of todays players could kick straight.
Unfortunately there was a perception however that he was an absolute tosser off the field.
I can say that was not the case and that he was very much a player who appreciated his fans and usually had time for a photo or an autograph.
I saw him on a few occasions outside the game and he was always accommodating.
He was one of the reasons I started watching Aussie Rules when I arrived here from NZ in 1985 .
There are not too many payers who had his aerial expertise and the game is poorer for the loss of the one on one contests that used to allow players to fly.

[bloodspirit]

I remember footy hitting our tv screens thanks to Capper. Is chronologically the next contact I had with footy after my first contact came when a kid called Dylan moved to our school from Melbourne in Year 3 and started talking about this other, supposedly superior football code and his beloved Pies. From all that I've seen and heard Capper was a brilliant footballer and not just a glamour boy. He also has an impressive ability to make fun at his own expense!

[KTigers]

Wazza kicked 195 goals over the 1986 (92) & 1987 (103) seasons. It's pretty impressive. I saw him play many times, he was great to watch.

[goswannies]

Superstar Villain - Warwick Capper - The Mongrel Punt

After reading that article, I’d like to put my two cents. I don’t have to say anything about Capper the player. His highlight reel speaks for itself … and it speaks loud. Modra, Ablett Snr, Shaun Smith. There are dozens of players who could mark and mark spectacularly. But as Capper rightfully asserts, he would take those sort of marks a dozen times at training and back it up with several of them during a game … each game. Reliably. Every week. Multiple times a week. Very few other forwards since Pratt have done that.

The article is right in that his goal kicking and ground play is underrated - and that he was very effective within range, despite his kicking style being somewhat unorthodox. But you don’t kick 103 goals in a season by luck, so who cares about the style as long as he was effective. Barry Round’s kicking style was no less aesthetically displeasing, but a Brownlow medal isn’t a fluke either.

And correct me if I’m wrong, but unlike the Mongrel Punt assertion of Capper being lured north by big money - I seem to recall that Capper was actually sold to Brisbane for transfer fee of $475,000 to help raise much needed funds for the Swans. Sure, he was offered a big contract but the Swans needed the money. Hafey certainly didn’t want him to go, nor did his Swans teammates. Nor, to a degree, did Capper. But when your club doesn’t want you and another club is willing to pay you well, I ca understand why you’d go.

But Capper, the man outside the game. He doesn’t take himself too seriously and is affable toward the vast majority of people who interact with him (regardless of their intent). He knows he was good. He’ll tell you - but unlike the great Laurie Nash - Capper has his tongue-somewhere-in-cheek and a twinkle in his eye as he says it … there is some joking humbleness, for mine. Some people just don’t want to see the lighter side of his comments.

My first encounter with Capper was in 1987 before a Carlton preseason game at Princess Park. I remember he was very friendly and patient and happy to pose for a photo with a young fan.

My second meeting with Warwick the year he moved to the Bears. I was young and on holidays at Surfers Paradise and he was working at a Christoper Skase owned clothing store called Umano at the Marina Mirage.

Dad and and I walked in (dad looking at clothing) and I noticed Warwick. I do recall not actually initially recognising him, well dressed in a suit. He walked up to me and in his fast voice said “Hi! Do you want my autograph?” He signed a Brisbane Bears flyer (long since lost ). Once I recognised him I told him I was a Swans supporter and asked if he’d mind singing some posters if I mailed them to him. Waz told me he’d be happy to. When I got home, I put a few posters in a post tube, a letter and mailed them off. I realised after mailing them that I forgot to include return postage stamps! I remember being very despondent that my posters (one of which was color print of his “Mark of the Century” on Langford) might be gone. After a few months, I got a tube in the mail with “Return to Sender” on it. The very tube I posted to Warwick. I was heartened that at least I got my posters back. When I opened it, out spilled a couple of photos of Waz as well as all 3 posters signed (the Langford one is now in a frame). Warwick wasn’t dumb - just economical and didn’t want to pay the return postage! But he looked after a young fan.

Since then, I’ve met him once in Adelaide when he and Jacko were being interviewed at a radio station. He signed a footy card of his mark over Langers and I remember him happily signing it but not before showing it to anyone and everyone nearby proudly telling them this this was the Mark of the Century.

He later signed a bookplate for my copy of his autobiography Fool Forward with a dedication that I should have expected “To goswannies, Kick arse! Warwick Capper xx”

And, typically of Capper, he always takes the time to reply to a message if contacted (eg via social media).

The Mongrel Punt article might be right, that Waz is a bit more overt when amongst those he’s not familiar with. But to me, he always has a great heart and good intentions and is kind and generous with his time (and not just for money as the article suggests).

Capper could be classified as many things. But, in my opinion, a villain should not be one of them.

[bloodspirit]

Great post, goswannies! Thanks for sharing your illuminating experiences with the great Warwick Capper.

[goswannies]

Great post, goswannies! Thanks for sharing your illuminating experiences with the great Warwick Capper.

Pleasure. Fond memories. Sorry about the spelling mistakes in my post (he signed the posters, didn’t sing them! - though I only take what’s mine was an 80s classic!).

gocygnet has kept me awake too long and my ability to self-check is impaired!

[KTigers]

Yes, I think there's always been a bit of a pile-on re Capper. It's been popular to focus on the clownish aspects of his life off the field
rather than what he did on it. The former has always been a bit of a put-on. Post playing career it's mostly been his way of continuing
to make a living. He played his last game for us in 1991, was only 28 at the time and didn't walk away from the game with a
decent nest egg. Like I said before, 195 goals in two seasons! It's pretty amazing.

[KSAS]

Great post Goswannies. I was there at VFL Park that day when the Wizz took that Mark of the Century in the 1987 QF against Hawthorn. He took it right in front of me from where I was sitting and was truly breathing taking, hanging in the air like a kite perpendicular over Langford's head. So much so, he even got standing ovation from some of the Hawthorn supporters around me. Only thing missing was Superman's cape as he flew over Langford in a single bound.

Sadly that was the only highlight for the day as we got absolutely smashed by the tune of about 80 points. Even when the Wizz kicked his 100th late in the game, there was little fanfare (light applause) such was the drubbing. No ground invasion which it truly deserved.

I recall flying to Sydney in 1991 to see a returning Capper at the SCG. Very small crowd, which we won against Melbourne. Wizz kicked a couple but nothing spectacular. It was the pre-cursor to our dark years which nearly saw club go out of existence.

The Wizz is one of my all time favourite Swan. One of many who we recruited from our Noble Park zone with the likes of the Wright and Morwood brothers. His high marking & goal kicking gave me insight what it must've been like to watch Pratt in his hey day at the next level!