During the 2001 season, Nathan Brown was one of the premier midfielder/forwards in the competition.
By the final home and away game, the classy Western Bulldog was well and truly in All-Australian calculations having averaged 22 disposals and 1.5 goals per game.
But in Round 22 at the Docklands the clamps had been placed on Brown by Melbourne stopper Simon Godfrey, resulting in a forgettable display which returned just one kick and two handballs.
Brown was unable to feature on SEN Drive’s Splish Splash segment because of “legalities” but managed to send a text to Bob Murphy regarding the day he found himself in a deep hole against the Demons.
The text allegedly read: “I had three touches, gave away about six free-kicks and three 50-metre penalties.
“It was easily the most undisciplined game of my career and I was not proud of it.”
Brown would weeks later be named on the bench in the All-Australian side but Godfrey claimed a major scalp by taking him to the absolute cleaners on a day he remembers vividly.
“Obviously he was in good form,” Godfrey said on SEN’s Bob and Andy.
“He probably would have been on the ground in the All-Australian side if he had got a few more kicks that day.
“It was funny. In the first quarter he took a mark inside 50 and was about to get his first kick and he pushed the ball into my face and the umpire reversed is. He ended up getting his first kick in the last quarter.”
One of the main agendas for a stopper such as Godfrey was to get into the head of his direct opponent, something he felt he achieved with Brown on this particular day.
“As a tagger, you’ve got to find a way of getting their mindset off their game,” he added.
“Throwing a few different ideas, trying to have a chat to them, or there’s some people you are really quiet because you don’t want to fire them up.
“He would have agreed with it that he probably wasn’t thinking about what he was there for after the first quarter. I had him where I wanted him.”
From Godfrey’s recollection, the usually chirpy and cocksure former Bulldog and Tiger remained as such even on a dirty day.
“We were coming on and off the bench and his coach put him back on so he was standing at the line and he’s looked over to me and said, ‘C’mon Godders, we’re going back on’,” he recalls.
“That was quite funny. He was averaging 20-odd possessions so to keep him to three, those kind of days don’t happen too often.”
As is the case with Splish Splash, the bath-giver must nominate the player that returned the favour and Godfrey, who played 105 games with the Dees, recalls a certain star Crow towelling him up in 2003.
He said: “Where do I start?
“I played on a few good players over the journey.
“One that I was a bit disappointed after the game was when we played Adelaide over there and I was lucky enough to play on Mark Ricciuto.
“I don’t think anyone else wanted him. I believe I had him under control through the midfield but as soon as they went with the old Pagan’s Paddock and I’m sitting 25 out with a bloke that’s got muscles like David Neitz.
“He was too strong. I think he kicked three on me in a quarter.”
Listen to Godfrey’s chat with Bob and Andy below: