Gavin Wanganeen
An elusive defender with great skills who took the game on. Every backline needs a small defender like Wanganeen who can cut out a small forward as well as hurt the opposition going the other way.
Stephen Silvagni
A champion full back and someone I really look up to. Selected as the full-back of the century in 1996, Silvagni consistently boxed out of his weight division. His amazing ability to spoil the ball meant he was rarely beaten.
Matthew Scarlett
Definitely the modern day Silvagni, in my opinion. In his 12th season at Geelong, he is by far the best full-back in the competition at the moment. Another defender I admire because he consistently plays on the best forwards and beats them week-in, week-out.
HALF-BACKS
Bruce Doull
A bit before my era, but I know he was a champion of the game. A reliable half-back flanker who played over 350 games for the Blues. This four-time premiership player definitely earns a spot in my best 22, plus I thought I should include some old guys in my side.
Ted Whitten Snr
One of the best players to ever play Australian football and the way he was judged is the way most footballers of this era would want to be seen. An iconic figure, his contributions to football off-field were just as important as what he gave on-field.
Andrew McLeod
Quick and fast, McLeod kills the opposition by foot. Having played over 300 games for the Crows, he is a great reader of the game. His ball use and delivery into the forward 50 is great and his skills are silky off both sides. I love him, he is a gun.
CENTRES
Nathan Buckley
A true Collingwood leader on and off the field, he led by example with awesome performances each week. A solid, consistent performer, teammates would never need to worry about his form.
Chris Judd
Strong and quick, the 2004 Brownlow medallist cuts teams apart. Every week he gets tagged but still manages to take the game on and beat his opponents with ease. But I don’t want to pump him up too much because he’s still playing!
Keith Greig
Well I had to include some North Melbourne players in my 22. But back in that era, Keith just stood out as an absolutely fantastic player. He won the Brownlow two years running back in 1973 and ’74. Great player- I’m not biased of course.
HALF-FORWARDS
Gary Ablett Snr
Played most of his football at half-forward. For a guy his height he could take a really good pack mark, which made him hard to match up on. A great player who consistently kicked goals from anywhere.
Wayne Carey
Looking back when Wayne used to play, defenders got away with so much more in terms of holding and pulling. That didn’t bother Wayne; he consistently took strong pack marks despite all the attention and could single-handedly take teams apart. As a centre-half forward he had this presence on-field and just intimidated his opponent.
Alex Jesaulenko
We’ve all seen his famous mark, but he’s just another big forward in my team. I haven’t got many small forwards or crummers. I went for big players like Jesaulenko and Carey, the big strong targets who were very hard for defenders to shut out of the game.
FULL-FORWARDS
Tony Lockett
Plugger was a strong full-forward with a reliable mark and a great kick. He was an amazing shot on goal. He had the ability to get a lot of the ball and hurt the opposition going forward.
Jason Dunstall
I grew up barracking for Hawthorn and I used to love watching Dunstall play. Teammates like John Platten would deliver the ball into the safety of his hands and he could kick 10 goals or more in a game. It didn’t matter how many defenders were on him, he just got on with the job.
Leigh Matthews
I wanted to use Lethal as a small forward in my best 22, but that’s not really fair to Leigh! Another Hawthorn man who worked hard and was extremely courageous. Played at a time where defenders could get away with a lot, and to his credit, still managed to kick plenty of goals.
FOLLOWERS
Graham Farmer
I have to admit I didn’t get the chance to watch him play a lot so I spoke to some of the club historians and older guys around the club about him. Standing at over 190 cm tall, Farmer was a strong, skilled ruckman with a great vertical leap, the club historians insisted I add him to my team.
Michael Voss
The three-time premiership captain was an important part of that fantastic Brisbane Lions team back in 2001 to 2003. Strong bodied and hard at the ball, Voss managed to stand up in tackles. A smart footballer who definitely adds to my 22.
Bob Skilton
Back in his era, I don’t think players had the best technique in terms of kicking, but Bob had one of the best kicks the game has ever seen. Not the tallest player but his lack of height meant he was quick and managed to find a lot of the football.
INTERCHANGE
James Hird
A classy midfielder and true Essendon champion. Clean by foot, he had the ability to turn nothing into something. A great user of the football, Jimmy could deliver the ball perfectly to the forwards, as well as kicking a few goals himself.
Simon Madden
One of the best ruckman to play the game. This premiership star had an off-hand ability to tap either side, giving his midfielders first use of the ball. He dominated the ruck contests with his clean ruckwork cutting the opposition apart.
Greg Williams
There are not many footballers around like him these days. Short and stocky, his in-and-under work was great. He always got the hard ball gets and his massive handball allowed his teammates to have first use of the ball. Every team needs a nuggetty midfielder like him in the team. A hard nut who gets down and dirty every week.
Dick Reynolds
Unfortunately I didn’t get to see Dick Reynolds play, but the club historians assured me I needed to have him in my team. A lot of people regard him as the greatest player to play the game, and Essendon have him listed as the number one champion of the club. Anyone named Essendon captain and coach of their team of the century is good enough for my 22.
COACH
Norm Smith
I haven’t seen a lot of the coaches from that era, but I have heard that tactically Norm was a great coach. He had the ability to get the most out of his players each week so he must have had some magic tricks up his sleeve. Anyone that has a medal named after him must have done something right!
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
