Best Collingwood players you have personally seen.

[ThePieMind]

only 3 players in my opinion were good enough to win the game off their own boot.

Daics
Greening
Carmen


Only One Player could SAVE a game on his own

Billy Picken - not sure I will ever see a more courageous backman, reader of the play with exceptional ability to intercept mark.

[jimmmy01]

never sure if they're the best or just my favs but I always loved watching

Daicos
G. Brown
Swanny
Bucks
Billy Picken

shout out to P Moore, D Banks and D Millaine

[duke750]

Greening because he was so balanced and talented, and could do everything.
Daicos because he was so skilful and invented kicking goals from ridiculous positions and angles.
Fabulous Phil, because even though he was a moron, he was so talented.

And...

Peter Moore
Peter McKenna
Tony Shaw
Bucks
Len Thompson
Terry Waters (he was so good, nice to see that Piesnchess mentioned him)
Swannie
Pendles
Billy Picken

And lots more...

[5 from the wing on debut]

[droversdog65]

If you add John Greening (debut 1968) to any Pies side up til 78 (10 year career is reasonable to assume for such a player) and we would have won at least 3 more flags in that time.

YES

He was THAT good, we went so close so often in that period.

Add a fabulous Phil that someone had somehow got to think properly to that mix and the flag tally could easilly have grown to 4 - 5.

YES

Fab was THAT good too.

We had some mighty teams in that period and those two would have made us a powerhouse to make the modern day Bears/Eagles/Cats/Hawks look like schoolyard teams.

[RudeBoy]

[jackcass]

[Piesnchess]

[droversdog65]

Imagine if you will a forward line with McKenna, Greening and Carmen in it. Absolutely unstoppable, the VFL would have had to start tampering with the rules much earlier than Bartletts interchange bullshit to keep us anywhere near under control.

Anyway off topic Billy (cotton) Picken would have to be one of the most effective (and annoying) backman of his era.

[jatsad]

I've been watching footy since 1966 and have seen many outstanding players so my five are in order of out and out raw football ability.

1. John Greening - Could do anything on the field. Had 14 Brownlow votes in only 7 games when butchered by O'Dea. One of football's greatest tragedies. Would have been a legend of the game .
2. Phil Carmen - Not far behind Greening. Could mark, kick, run with the best of them. Sadly was a hot head which cost the Pies flags.
3. Peter Daicos - Supremely skilled and the greatest knack for the impossible I've ever seen. Cyril would have been his bitch.
4. Nathan Buckley - The supreme professional and easily the best kick of a ball I've seen, Darren Jarman included.
5. Len Thompson - Changed the way ruckmen played. When somebody changes a genre, so to speak, they're special.

Apologies to modern day greats Scott Penldebury and Dane Swan, also greats.

[Darkstranger]

Started watching the game around 1972, toss up between Carmen or Millane.

[stui magpie]

I only moved to Melbourne in 85, so prior to that my perceptions were from the highlights on TV going back to the mid 70's.

I only had the opportunity to go to regular games from roughly 10 years ago, so again, my perceptions are mostly from TV.

Daics and Moore I loved from when they started. Daics was the magician, Moore the prototype.

Carmen was the second most talented footballer I've ever seen from any team any time.

[Coxie29]

Was born with B&W blood in the 70's, watching since the mid 80's. Best players that I've seen & best matches.

Daics - 13 goals vs the Bears at Carrara, poor Johnny Gastev
Bucks - 2002 GF
Pendles - 2010 GF replay

[Mountains Magpie]

[Pacino]

All the players mentioned are worthy contenders. One thing that has always irked me is that Peter McKenna, the best exponent of the drop kick for goal that has ever played the game gets so little recognition as one of the greatest full forwards. He regularly kicked over 100 goals and in two successive years kicked 136 and 146 goals as I recall. The year he kicked 146 goals he played state football and missed the opportunity of kicking 150 goals as a result. Yet whenever great full forwards are mentioned John Coleman and Peter Hudson get the acknowledgement. It is as though he never played the game.