t took extreme cunning for the Sydney Swans to snare brilliant youngster Mark Bayes.
The teenage Bayes lived in the outer eastern Melbourne suburb of Dandenong and was tied residentially to Footscray (now the Western Bulldogs), but Swans? recruiting manager Greg Miller was reluctant to let the hugely talented youth slip his grasp.
Swan Songs - with Mark Bayes - Official AFL Website of the Sydney Swans Football Club
What on earth is his 13 yr old son doing playing soccer. Roosy, on the phone immediately, potential Academy member and father son selection.
I only started watching AFL a year or two before Bayes retired, and I've never kicked a Sherrin, but that looks like a copybook kicking action to me.
He reminds him of the guys, close-set, slow, and never rattled, who were play-makers on the team. (John Updike, seeing Josh Kennedy in a crystal ball)
He was one of the best kicks i've ever seen.Originally Posted by dimelb
Sublime!!
Best player in a crappy era.
Scott - you need to realise he was part of 3 era's give him more credit
the "smokescreen" golden days of Doc edelsten in the mid 80's when he first began
the bad old days of the early 90's when him and kel, dunks, lewie and a few others held us together
then finished off his great career in the mid/late 90's - he retired with Roosy after the 98 semi against adelaide
a great player and one of the best kicks ever to play for the club since relocation
September 24th, 2005 5.14pm
What a great moment in all of our lives
Our ONLY player... one of the great Swan heroes as he continually saved us from more humiliating scores as he patrolled our halfback line. When he swung into attack his kicking on the run was something that you would go to the footy just to watch. *sigh* As for his marking... what a star! Not to mention that wonderful toothless smile...
One of our greats thru that era and if we had more team success would be regarded as one of AFL's elite. Equally at home at CHF or CHB and as noted above, just a glorious boot.
His career did finish a bit Tadhg'esque, which is a shame as I think a few that jumped on the Swans at the start of our resurgence from '96 onwards probably remember him as that guy who really struggled at times towards the end...
Driver of the Dan Hannebery bandwagon....all aboard. 4th April 09
One of those players that seemed to have so much time to do things (Rhys-jones and occasionally Nick Davis spring to mind as others). It was like time would suddenly slow to watch him stride up to a wing and gently place it on his left boot and directly to where he wanted. It was a pity the players he shot it too weren't always of the same class, but he was a joy to watch for a long time. Thanks Mark.
Can anyone confirm that it was Bayes who in a milestone match (I want to say his 200th) bombed a ball from on or just outside 50 for what looked like a certain goal only for Troy Luff who was shepherding to slip over his own feet and have the ball bounce off his shoulders/back and through for a behind? I was thinking about this the other day and thought it was Bayes but can't be sure.
Even better does anyone have footage?
I thought maybe Luffy kicked it? The player who slipped and stuffed up was John Stevens...
EDIT: Google tells me it was kicked by Willo. Methinks google is correct...
Last edited by Triple B; 30th August 2011 at 02:47 PM.
Driver of the Dan Hannebery bandwagon....all aboard. 4th April 09
Well played google - explains why I couldn't find it when searching for Bayes. This is from an interview with Ben Mathews on his retirement.
"What was your funniest moment in football?
It was Paul Williams' 250th game and 'Willo' was making one of his trademark runs down the wing bouncing the ball. We were way in front and 'Willo' had a shot from about 50 metres out and it looked as though it was heading for a goal. John Stevens was in the goal square and tried to shepherd it through but he turned his back on the ball and it hit him in the back and bounced through for a point, ruining Willo's chance of kicking a good running goal in his 250th game. We laughed then and still laugh at Stevens when we see him."
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