Anyone remember Cement Gillespie?

[Munnuz 1]

He was in the 1988 Grand Final. I wasn't born when he went around but I've seen alot of footage of him, I'd to be on the end of one of his hits lol

 

[OTTO]

Welcome Dave G !!

 

[Hog]

Cement looks more like an ex-boxer then footy player, man he put some shots on.

 

[Scooby doooo]

I loved that whole team, i have an old book entitled "berries to Bulldogs" I got all their autographs in it when i was about 9 just before the Bulldogs Stgeorge GF at Mortimers shop in Roselands (well i think it was Steves shop) He and Gillispe were there, meeting them at that age was awesome, what was even better is that they told me to come back a week later to get my book and they got the whole team to sign it.
Great players, great people... Doubt many would do that these days.

 

[Bargache]

Yep cement was a machine. I remember him ripping someone head off with a high shot at belmore. The guy did a full flip when Gillespie hit him. SCored a try bludging on the wing in the 88 gf. Great dive in the corner though.

 

[Dave G]

Welcome Dave G !!

Thanks Punter!

 

[Dave G]

Well it's nice to know Cement is remembered so well - shouldn't really have expected anything less on a doggies forum eh?

I've got the '88 GF on DVD which was a great game, if not that 'pretty'. The Hanley knock-out, the brawl (bloody Folkesy threw some uppercuts at Elias - but who wouldn't!) and some great hits courtesy of Cement and Joey Thomas - it had a bit of everything.

I think I might have to take a punt and buy some ol' DVD's of origin history and see what old footage I can find.

 

[the Coyote]

Right on Coyote. I think 1988 grand final was a great game from him. Look for DVD of that game. We had a great pack that day - I think it was Tunks, Joe Thomas, Dunn, Gillespie, Folkes, Langmack. Creative and powerful.

We were awesome that year - even when Turvey got injured late in the season. Of course, we did have Michael Hagan as back up half!

Yeah, that's the pack..... Dunn was good in those days, I think he ended up
at the Eels might have played a season with the Panthers too.

I liked Joey Thomas, he was a pretty strong defender too..... My favourite
from 88 was Jason Alchin, he played fullback in defense, and was the
dummy half in attack, kind of what Gidley does these days... so Joey was
like an extra second rower.....

 

[Shanghai Dog]

Coyote, its funny you mention Jason Alchin. He was fantastic at full back that year - a stroke of genius from Gould to put him there. I think he replaced someone who got injured but I can't remember who.

What a luxury in halves depth then - Steve Mortimer backed up by Alchin or Hagan to play alongside Terry Lamb.

We also had a funny three quarter line with 2 no name wingers - Glen Nissen and Robin Thorne - who were great in the finals but disappeared afterwards. I think Farrar and Tony Currie were the centres - Currie was a gun but already on his way to Brisbane.

 

[Chicharito]

i wouldnt wanna run at him rofl

 

[the Coyote]

Coyote, its funny you mention Jason Alchin. He was fantastic at full back that year - a stroke of genius from Gould to put him there. I think he replaced someone who got injured but I can't remember who.

What a luxury in halves depth then - Steve Mortimer backed up by Alchin or Hagan to play alongside Terry Lamb.

We also had a funny three quarter line with 2 no name wingers - Glen Nissen and Robin Thorne - who were great in the finals but disappeared afterwards. I think Farrar and Tony Currie were the centres - Currie was a gun but already on his way to Brisbane.

Yeah, Alchin was originally a half back, I think he got a game for City seconds
one year, racking the brain if that was when city v country went to
the origin format..... City 1sts & 2nds played a full on country team back
then, nearly everybody got a rep jumper....

geez, trying to think who was the starting fullback that year as
Potter had long gone to the Dragons?????

Alchin ended up over at the Magpies too.... geez, we lost a few to them
when Ryan coached Western Suburbs

 

[Özil]

i have watched the 85 and 88 gf on vhs... and fark cement knew how to hit players real hard... and does it with accuracy unlike some players trying to do that ...

to read that cement gillespie missed the 86 gf through injury makes me wonder what could have happened if cement played against the scums

 

[Dave G]

i have watched the 85 and 88 gf on vhs... and fark cement knew how to hit players real hard... and does it with accuracy unlike some players trying to do that ...

to read that cement gillespie missed the 86 gf through injury makes me wonder what could have happened if cement played against the scums

I agree - he was having an awesome season in '86 and played in his first state of origin series - so missing him in the '86 grand final was a massive blow.

 

[Bargache]

Yeah, Alchin was originally a half back, I think he got a game for City seconds
one year, racking the brain if that was when city v country went to
the origin format..... City 1sts & 2nds played a full on country team back
then, nearly everybody got a rep jumper....

geez, trying to think who was the starting fullback that year as
Potter had long gone to the Dragons?????

Alchin ended up over at the Magpies too.... geez, we lost a few to them
when Ryan coached Western Suburbs

1988 Team looked something like this....

1. Alchin / Potter
2. O'Brian / Thorne
3. Currie
4. Farrar
5. Nissen
6. Lamb
7. Mortimer
8. Tunks
9. Thomas
10.Gillespie
11.Dunn
12.Langmack
13.Folkes

14.Bugden
15.Sargent
16.Hagan
17. ?

Not bad.

 

[Shanghai Dog]

Bargache, good research/memory. Dunn actually played at No.10 even though he was skinny for a front row forward.

This team started to have problems in 1989 after Steve Mortimer retired and we lost Hagan and Sargent to Newcastle and Currie left. Sargent was a big loss. We got a guy called Greg Mackey from Illawarra to play half and he couldn't replace Turvey. Then the team started to self-destruct.

The best new Player in 1989 was Kyle White from memory. He played some great games in a role similar to Eastwood actually. I always wondered why he didn't have a longer and more successful career.

 

[Guardog]

I can't remember the year, but we played Parra at Belmore. They kicked off, Bulldogs moved the ball downfield, up went the bomb on the sixth, and there was Cement, leaping high to gather the ball to score....... first set of six, and we score.
.
I think it was the same game Stan Judd played the ball right in front of his goal posts. He didn't pick up the ball to play it, he just rolled it back with his foot. A penalty to the Dogs right in front to win the game with minutes to spare.
.
PS: The last person to tackle Peter Sterling, which injured his neck (again) to force his retirement, was David "Cement" Gillespie.

 

[Bargache]

PS: The last person to tackle Peter Sterling, which injured his neck (again) to force his retirement, was David "Cement" Gillespie.

That's great!

 

[Dave G]

I can't remember the year, but we played Parra at Belmore. They kicked off, Bulldogs moved the ball downfield, up went the bomb on the sixth, and there was Cement, leaping high to gather the ball to score....... first set of six, and we score.
.
I think it was the same game Stan Judd played the ball right in front of his goal posts. He didn't pick up the ball to play it, he just rolled it back with his foot. A penalty to the Dogs right in front to win the game with minutes to spare.
.
PS: The last person to tackle Peter Sterling, which injured his neck (again) to force his retirement, was David "Cement" Gillespie.

They actually had that story in a '40 years' special publication of one of the league magazines - it talked about how Cement was feeling really bad that his tackle ended Sterlo's career cos Sterlo as a legend. What's even funnier was that Cement reckoned he didn't hit him that hard - it was just the way he fell (as if the way Sterlo fell had nothing to do with being hit by 'cement'!).

I also remember Sterlo talking on one of the channel 9 footy shows years & years ago - about that tackle that ended his career and he said something along the lines of ' well if my career had to be ended by one tackle I'm glad it was David Gillespie cos there's no one that hits harder than him!'.

 

[Dave G]

The best new Player in 1989 was Kyle White from memory. He played some great games in a role similar to Eastwood actually. I always wondered why he didn't have a longer and more successful career.

Yes! I remember Kyle - almost built similar to Cement, not tall but really solid. And I think it was his second season, he put on a stack of weight and other players/clubs were suggesting he was on roids. And Kyle was like 'come and test me'.

He used to hit real hard too, he even knocked some cronulla forward out cold, while he (White) was hitting the ball up!

Then I think he buggered off to Wests, not long after Cement went.

 

[Bargache]

Speaking of past players what about Ewan McGrady.... Went from hero to zero in a very short time.