NBL legend Mark Dalton returns to the Aussie Hoopa podcast to share his list of true 'Hard Men' of the NBL's early days.

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With a career spanning 1984 to 2000 'Tang' (as he is affectionately known) went head to head against some of the greats of NBL history, including Andrew Vlahov, Mark Davis, Scott Fisher, and many more, giving him the perfect vantage point, and experience, to know who was a true 'Hard Man' and who was just a thug.

He takes us through what he feels a true 'Hard Man' is and shares his top 10 'Hard Men' of NBL history, sharing stories of the times he faced them on the court.

Elbows, ejections and dirty plays are littered through this episode, as Dalton runs through his list with the host of Aussie Hoopla, Dan Boyce.

Topics include...

• How Mark got the nickname “Tang” (2:00)
• The criteria Mark used to determine his all-time “Hard Men” of the NBL (4:00) What venues were the hardest to play in during the 1980s and 1990s (7:00)
• Mark shares his list of the top 10 NBL hard men during his 16-year NBL career (9:00)

Mark Dalton played seventeen seasons across five NBL teams. This included the Canberra Cannons, Geelong Cats, Sydney Kings, Brisbane Bullets and Wollongong Hawks. He averaged 9.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2 assists in 421 NBL games.

CAREER RANKINGS:
– 39th in total games played.
– 32nd in total rebounds
– 24th in total steals
– 17th in total blocks

Listen to our previous interviews with the biggest stars in Australian Basketball.

Head to Aussie Hoopla to check out previous podcasts featuring; Australian Basketball Legends - Luc Longley, Andrew Gaze, Shane Heal, Mark Bradtke, Leroy Loggins, David Andersen, Andrew Vlahov, Phil Smyth, CJ Bruton, Chris Anstey, Brett Maher, John Rillie, Tony Ronaldson, Damian Martin, Brad Newley

Current NBL Stars - Bryce Cotton, Chris Goulding, Tyler Harvey, Dejan Vasiljevic, Thomas Abercrombie, Daniel Johnson, Jason Cadee, Mitch McCarron, Anthony Drmic, Luke Travers

Our Finest Coaching Minds - Brian Goorjian, Barry Barnes, Joey Wright, Adrian Hurley, Aaron Fearne, Rob Beveridge, Ian Stacker, Shawn Dennis, Dean Vickerman, Trevor Gleeson, Lindsey Gaze, Ken Cole, Will Weaver, Bruce Palmer

NBA Stars Past & Present - Andrew Bogut, Matthew Dellavedova, Stephen Jackson, Randy Livingston, Torrey Craig, Jack White, Acie Earl, Josh Childress, Reggie Smith, Todd Lichti, Ryan Broekhoff, Doug Overton

The NBL's Greatest Imports - Darryl McDonald, Ricky Grace, Derek Rucker, Leon Trimmingham, Scott Fisher, Lanard Copeland, Dwayne McClain, Darnell Mee, Shawn Redhage, Al Green, Steve Woodberry, Doug Overton, Kevin Lisch

And the men who run things - Larry Kestelman, Mal Speed, Paul Maley, Vince Crivelli, Jeremy Loeliger, Chris Pongrass, Jeff Van Groningen, Bob Turner, Danny Mills

All that and much more.

Follow @AussieHoopla on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or email us at info@aussiehoopla.com

Craig Moller grew up playing both basketball and football in Sydney, signing a scholarship with the Fremantle Dockers at 14 years of age. In December 2012, he was officially drafted by Fremantle in the 2013 rookie draft and spent two years in the AFL system before being delisted and returned to playing state league basketball, a pathway that led him to the NBL.

Moller entered the league with the Sydney Kings under coach Andrew Gaze before moving to Melbourne United where he won an NBL championship in 2018.

He returned to Sydney in 2020 and was a part of the Sydney Kings team that was forced to withdraw from the Grand Final series as a result of COVID-19, handing the title to the Perth Wildcats.

After spending a year playing in Germany, and rehabbing from a severe leg injury, he joins us to discuss a wide range of topics with the host of Aussie Hoopla, Dan Boyce.

Topics include...

• Craig fills us in on his basketball journey since signing a deal to play in Germany in 2021 (2:00)
• The different coaching styles of Andrew Gaze, Will Weaver and Dean Vickerman (4:00)
• The ups and downs of euro basketball and his first season playing in Germany’s Bundesliga (6:30)
• Dealing with injuries and his mental approach to adversity (12:00)
• Currently a free agent, Craig takes us through how he's currently making a decision on where to play in Germany or Australia (14:00)
• The differences in play between Germany and the NBL (16:30)
• Playing for the Australian Boomers during the team’s FIBA qualifying games (24:00)
• His desire to play 3x3 for Australia (26:00)
• Looking back on how he made his decisions when decided to play AFL or NBL as a teenager (27:00)
• What he likes about playing in regional towns like Hobart and Ballarat (34:00)
• Being able to get back into basketball at a national level after his AFL career (38:00) 
• Signing a developmental deal with the Sydney Kings (41:00)
• The King's dominant 2019/20 season which was derailed by Covid and what really went down during the Kings meeting that saw them forfeit the Grand Final (48:00)
• The biggest hurdles and highlights from his career (57:00)

Visit dunk.com.au for your next set of basketball uniforms.

Listen to our previous interviews with the biggest stars in Australian Basketball.

Head to Aussie Hoopla to check out previous podcasts featuring; Australian Basketball Legends - Luc Longley, Andrew Gaze, Shane Heal, Mark Bradtke, Leroy Loggins, David Andersen, Andrew Vlahov, Phil Smyth, CJ Bruton, Chris Anstey, Brett Maher, John Rillie, Tony Ronaldson, Damian Martin, Brad Newley

Current NBL Stars - Bryce Cotton, Chris Goulding, Tyler Harvey, Dejan Vasiljevic, Thomas Abercrombie, Daniel Johnson, Jason Cadee, Mitch McCarron, Anthony Drmic, Luke Travers

Our Finest Coaching Minds - Brian Goorjian, Barry Barnes, Joey Wright, Adrian Hurley, Aaron Fearne, Rob Beveridge, Ian Stacker, Shawn Dennis, Dean Vickerman, Trevor Gleeson, Lindsey Gaze, Ken Cole, Will Weaver, Bruce Palmer

NBA Stars Past & Present - Andrew Bogut, Matthew Dellavedova, Stephen Jackson, Randy Livingston, Torrey Craig, Jack White, Acie Earl, Josh Childress, Reggie Smith, Todd Lichti, Ryan Broekhoff, Doug Overton

The NBL's Greatest Imports - Darryl McDonald, Ricky Grace, Derek Rucker, Leon Trimmingham, Scott Fisher, Lanard Copeland, Dwayne McClain, Darnell Mee, Shawn Redhage, Al Green, Steve Woodberry, Doug Overton, Kevin Lisch

And the men who run things - Larry Kestelman, Mal Speed, Paul Maley, Vince Crivelli, Jeremy Loeliger, Chris Pongrass, Jeff Van Groningen, Bob Turner, Danny Mills

All that and much more.

Follow @AussieHoopla on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or email us at info@aussiehoopla.com