BACKS
Steven Febey
Steve's from my hometown of Devonport. He was right at the end of his career when I started out. A rock solid defender that never gave his opponent anything. Played 258 games at Melbourne and is a pretty big name back home.

Jamie Shanahan
A good defender who played on the big guns like Jason Dunstall and Gary Ablett senior during the mid '90s. I used to barrack for the Saints so I had a lot of respect for him when he played there.

Chris Bond
Bondy actually played on me in my first year at North Melbourne. He used to belt the crap out of you - he was very antagonistic. He was always good at picking up the small forwards and was a tagger as well. He added a bit of a hard edge to the backline.

HALF-BACKS
Ben Harrison
Another one from Devonport. Harro played on me in my first year of senior footy and I actually knew him quite well then. He started elbowing me and turned around and said, 'Sorry Brady, the coach told me to do it'.

Jade Rawlings
I had to put my brother in the side - blood's thicker than water. I put him down back because I thought he played his best footy at Hawthorn at centre half-back, even though he went forward later in his career.

Grant Birchall
The young Hawthorn premiership player from Devonport has made a name for himself in the last few years. He's a good rebounding defender and a great kick. Part of the new brigade of players coming out of Tassie.

CENTRES
Paul Williams
I had a few run-ins with Paul Williams over the years. I used to tag him a bit. He played 189 games for the Pies, kicked 223 goals and then went on to win a premiership at Sydney in 2005.I just really respected the way he played. One of my only regrets in footy is I got suspended for three weeks for whacking him. I probably shouldn't go around hitting my fellow Tasmanians.

Adrian Fletcher
A tremendous midfielder, Fletcher was one of those guys I really looked up to. From Glenorchy Football Club, he won the William Leitch Medal for best player in the Tassie league in 1988. I reckon he's a bit underrated in terms of the rest of Tasmanians who have come through the system, but I really think he's one of the best Tasmanians to have played.

Matthew Febey
Twin brother of Steven who had a massive engine and could run all day. He used to play out on the wing and just rack up the possessions against North Melbourne. I've seen him play extremely well first-hand more than once.

HALF-FORWARDS
Paul Hudson
Huddo had just moved to Richmond when I started out but obviously made his name at the Hawks kicking over 200 goals. I got to know him reasonably well through my brother and he just added a bit of class to the forward line.

Matthew Richardson
I could have put the big guy anywhere, on a wing or at full-forward, but he's probably played his best footy as a centre half-forward. He is the best Tasmanian out of the group and an absolute icon in Tassie and in Melbourne. I got to know him pretty well because he's Jade's brother-in-law. Us Devonport boys have to stick together.

Russell Robertson
It's a pretty exciting forward line in my side. Russell is capable of anything with his marking and goal-scoring ability. I had to have him in my best 22, and he's probably up in the country taking hangers every week.

FORWARDS
Brad Green
I've actually played on Greeny a couple of times throughout my career. He played some of his best footy in the midfield, but I didn't have room for him there so he's found a spot in my forward line. He's an excellent goal kicker, an absolute gun. He could have played cricket or soccer but it's a good thing he chose football because he's had a great career to date.

Alastair Lynch
I grew up watching Alastair Lynch as a defender at Fitzroy, but by the time I was playing against him he was at full-forward at the Brisbane Lions. He was an unbelievable talent and if he didn't have those years where he was sick, he probably would have had an even better career. An awesome player.

Justin Sherman
Sherman, along with Birchall, is probably the best of the new brigade of young Tasmanians playing AFL today. A talented player who's had a great last couple of years. He can play in the midfield or move up forward, so he's become a pretty important player for the Lions.

FOLLOWERS
Brendon Gale
You can’t go past Brendon Gale. Recruited from the Burnie Hawks Football Club, he played 244 games for the Tigers. He was a hard man and a very important part of the Richmond side.

Daryn Cresswell
Another guy I used to have a fair few run-ins with out on the field. I used to have to tag Cresswell a fair bit before Paul Williams moved to Sydney. He liked to throw a stray elbow or two, so he's in my best 22 for his hardness. I really respect him as a player because he taught me how to be physical out on the ground and how you can intimidate your opponents.

Brodie Holland
I grew up playing at the Tassie Mariners with Brodie and back then he was an absolute freak. He was the best thing to come out of Tassie for a long time. He got cut down with injuries towards the end of his career but on his day, he was a damaging midfielder who could go forward and kick goals as well. I've always rated Brodie really highly.

INTERCHANGE
Jack Riewoldt
Jack's a pretty talented young player and I think he's going to have a really good career. He got off to a good start and was a bit stiff not to get a spot in my forward line, but I think he'll be pretty happy with a place on the bench.

Simon Wiggins
I've always had a lot of time for Simon as a player. He's tough and a hard runner. A 100-gamer for Carlton who can play in a range of positions. He's had a pretty good career so far.

Nathan Grima
I've got to have my old mate in the team. I line up with him every week in the backline. He's a very reliable person - you could ask him to do anything and he'd get the job done. I'd back him in my side any day.

Ryan O'Connor
The big rock that played with the Bombers and Sydney. I didn't play too much against him but you always knew when he was out on the field. He was a big man with a huge presence. I've put him in the team for a bit of intimidation factor.

The views in this article are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.