Denis Banks on Open Mike

[SteveH67]

Banksy never got over his best mates death in 1991.

He struggled to keep it together tonight. But, he got there like the champ he was.

I knew the bus incident was all blown out of proportions by the media of the day.



RIP Dazza Millane

[malteaser]

I need another box of tissues. The heartbreak

[Morrigu]

As brave as you always were Banksy - great guy, great footballer, great responses - so honest and such raw emotion!!

Couldn't dance but 😏😀😀😀

[Damien]

great interview with one of my favourites.

[sixpoints]

Fascinating interview. You don't realise the extent that some players go through to get themselves up to play. Banksy quoted his full knee reconstruction, countless shoulder operations, horrible osteitis pubis (including horrendous pre game injections to his groin) plus a broken wrist.
Mike Shehan got it right, when he told Banksy he was a truly loved Pies player.

[themonk]

My favourite player from 79 to 91

[stui magpie]

Always liked banksy, particularly so when he belted Rhys Jones.

Very good interview, some raw emotion there.

One thing that struck me was that he's whelped late, he would be in his mid/late 50's and his kids are all primary school age.

Guess he took a while to settle down.

[themonk]

[uncanny]

A great contributor as a forward then as a defender was Denis Banks. Gave his all.
Fond memories of watching his career pan out. Especially after the siren in 90 as he and Darren Millane lay on the ground together, knowing it was all worth it.

[qldmagpie67]

[qldmagpie67]

[simon tonna]

the most memorable player for me growing up.

[thompsoc]

The guy was a true tough nut.
You generally need a few tough nuts to win a flag.

[Pies4shaw]

For the younger supporters who might not have seen these things:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3yCiG8YcpU

You had to have watched a lot of Rhys-Jones playing over the years to understand why that was, at the time, more or less universally applauded by independent supporters.

And here's that mark from 1984 (courtesy of a link John Wren posted in another thread): http://ken-cdn220-is-12.se.bponlinewoc2264.ngcdn.telstra.com/platform_release/675/789/WEB_BANKS_MOTY_RD13_WEB_S_1009957064__100912.mp4

Here's a link to the CFC site with (I think) the same footage and a detailed article from June 2014 for the 30th anniversary of the mark: http://www.collingwoodfc.com.au/news/2014-06-12/banks-screamer-30-years-on

Like a lot of brilliant marks over the years (Carman's against North Melbourne in the forward pocket at the Yarra Falls End, right underneath the TV cameras is another), the film footage really doesn't capture how high he was - at the Western Oval, from behind the goals, it was quite startling.

One of the things that's been lost in history about that mark, largely because Collingwood lost the game on the last kick, is that Banksy's first half, playing at CHF, was absolutely breathtaking - he was unstoppable for 60 minutes (the mark was taken in that period). Unfortunately, because he was brilliant, fearless but also so slight (he was probably small for a HFF), he spent years playing in key positions for which his body just wasn't built (to put that in context, he was the same height as Dane Swan and 4 kgs lighter). Unsurprisingly, he ran out of petrol that day.

[partypie]

Dennis Banks was an inspiration to anyone trying to overcome injury. I met him once, not long after the 1990 win, and he seemed surprised that people were aware of his battles with injury. I remember thinking that he was super polite and friendly for a tough footballer.