In a debate that is usually dominated by midfielders, it is hard to ignore some of the premier forwards who have dominated games during their careers. In the 1980s and 1990s, the AFL was full of incredible forwards who seemed to kick large amounts of goals every week.
In the era of big, full, bustling full forwards, one name stood head and shoulders above the rest. That man was Tony ‘Plugger’ Lockett, the champion full forward who plied his trade at the Saints before moving north in a blockbuster transfer to play for the Sydney Swans ahead of the 1995 season. Lockett continued to play until retiring from football in 1999, before changing his mind several years later, playing for the Swans for one season (or at least a few uneventful games) in 2002, before retiring for good.
After a slow first season, where Lockett only kicked 19 goals, his productivity quickly increased in the following seasons. Lockett would win the first of his four Coleman medals in 1987, where he kicked 117 goals. Not only did Lockett win the Coleman, but he also finished first in the Brownlow Medal alongside Hawks midfielder John Platten.
Lockett only managed to play 31 games over three seasons between 1988 and 1990 due to injuries and suspension, but still managed to kick 178 goals, averaging over seven goals a game in 1989.
At the start of the 1990s, Lockett was approached by league heavyweights Carlton, Hawthorn, and Collingwood, who all looked to poach the legendary forward. However, Lockett remained faithful to the Saints until 1994 when he signed for the struggling Sydney Swans.
Lockett, an intensely private person, chose Sydney largely because of their smaller fanbase and the chance to play under the team’s legendary coach, Ron Barassi. Lockett would kick over 100 goals in his first two seasons in Sydney, taking them to the 1996 Grand Final after famously kicking the winning point in the Preliminary Final against Essendon. Lockett would kick six goals in his only Grand Final appearance as the Swans lost to North Melbourne by 43 points.
Plugger then missed large parts of the 1997 season as he struggled through a groin injury. Lockett would recover, winning his fourth Coleman medal in 1998, but failed to regain the potency that he had in his prime.
In 1999, Lockett bypassed Gordon Coventry’s goal-kicking record in a game against Coventry’s former side, Collingwood. He finished the 1999 season with a career goal tally of 1357, announcing his retirement from the game.
However, Lockett would shock the football world a few years later and return to play for the Swans again in 2002. In his first game back, Lockett was held to just one goal by the reigning premiers, the Brisbane Lions. Lockett suffered a thigh injury and was then brought back through the reserves before making his second and third appearances in Rounds 10 and 12, respectively.
Over those two games, Lockett failed to kick more than one goal a piece, taking his career goal tally to 1360. Lockett then retired a second time before Sydney’s Round 12 game against Fremantle, acknowledging that the return had been a failure.
Even though Lockett never won a premiership, he did end his career with four Coleman Medals, a Brownlow Medal, and 1360 goals over 281 games, averaging just under 5 goals a game. It also looks as though Lockett’s career goal record will stand the test of time, with the closest current player being Jeremy Cameron, who has 652 goals as of writing.
Performances of Note:
Sydney versus Fitzroy, Round 19, 1995
It goes without saying that before they merged with the Brisbane Bears, Fitzroy was a shell of itself. That still doesn’t take away from Lockett’s monster performance against the Lions at the end of the 1995 season. Lockett kicked 16 goals straight from 18 kicks during the game, earning him the 3 Brownlow votes and putting him behind Fred Fanning, Jason Dunstall, and Gordon Coventry for the most goals in a single game.
St Kilda versus Sydney, Round 13, 1992
Coming up against the Swans that he would soon play alongside, Lockett kicked 15 goals and 4 behinds in a single game in this match-up in 1992. Had Lockett kicked straighter, he could have eclipsed the record currently held by Fred Fanning. Fanning’s record was set in 1947, and very few have come close to breaking the mark.
Sydney versus Carlton, Round 8, 1995
If Lockett’s game against Fitzroy could be explained by Fitzroy being a poor team, the same cannot be said for Lockett’s performance against Carlton in Round 8. Lockett kicked eight goals against the Blues, who only managed eight goals for the entire game. Before that game, Carlton was undefeated and on top of the ladder while Lockett’s Swans had only won two of their previous seven games. Carlton would lose only one more game for the rest of the season before winning the premiership that year.
