Matthew Whelan
If there’s one word to describe him, it’s ‘tough’. He’s probably one of the hardest players I’ve played with, but also when he was fit he was just a super backman. He’d do his job each week and shut down the best small forward.
Alistair Nicholson
When I first got to the club he controlled the backline and he played on the big forwards week-in and week-out and did a good job.
Sean Wight
Sean was Scottish but came from Ireland and played in the late ‘80s, early ‘90s. He was a good solid defender who played on guys like Gary Ablett snr and Tony Lockett each week.
HALF BACKS
Steven Febey
From Tasmania, Steven played 258 games for the red and blue. He was a hard-nosed half-back and was as tough as they come.
Anthony Ingerson
You ask players who have been around for a while about great Melbourne centre-half backs and they say Anthony Ingerson. I didn’t actually play with him, but he played on Wayne Carey and quality forwards like that and was just a good solid defender.
Cameron Bruce
I don’t think he plays his best footy at half-back - I think he plays best at half-forward - but I had to fit him into my best 22 somewhere. He’s a utility who can play at both ends of the ground. Cam is a complete professional and has been a consistent player over the last 10 years.
CENTRES
Stephen Tingay
Stinger was just a classy player and someone I looked up to as a kid. He played some really good games for Melbourne over the years as a great attacking wingman.
Todd Viney
Todd was as hard as nails. He always led by example and was another player I looked up to as a kid. As a midfielder I looked up to guys like Stinger and Todd as well. He played no-nonsense football and always had his head over the ball.
Brad Green
Brad is just a true wingman. He’s a bit like Cam Bruce in that he is a complete professional. They’re best mates too, so they’re exactly the same - they love each other. He’s just a consistent performer and can be a match-winner at times.
HALF FORWARDS
Adem Yze
Yze was just a freak footballer. He’s probably the best kick I’ve ever seen and another match-winner, who could turn a game in a few minutes. He was a very versatile player, swinging forward and back as well as playing in the midfield.
David Schwarz
In 1994, when I was 10-years-old, Schwarz was my favourite player and I had his number five on my back as a kid. In ’94 he set the world on fire and then he did his knee and it pretty much ended his career. Before the injury he was up there with the best players in the league.
Gary Lyon
I had Gary’s number three on my back as well. Gary’s leadership is still talked about around the locker rooms today. He was an inspirational leader and an out-and-out true footballer. It was a joy to watch him play each week.
FORWARDS
Jeff Farmer
In the ’98 finals series Jeff kicked 11 goals in three games. He was just electrifying and a magician in the forward line. He just sat at the feet of Schwarz and Lyon and just crumbed off them. He was a favourite of all Melbourne supporters.
David Neitz
David Neitz was leading goal kicker at the club and Melbourne’s games and goals record holder. He was another great leader at the Demons. An all-over champion who always led by example.
Allen Jakovich
He is my all-time favourite Melbourne player. You never knew what he was going to do, he was just electrifying. He’d get the crowd going, took amazing grabs and kicked great goals. He did the impossible and I just loved him. I tried to ring him one day, I looked him up in the phone book but I didn’t get to speak to him as there were a lot of Jakovichs in the book. It’d be good to meet him one day though.
FOLLOWERS
Jim Stynes
To come from Ireland and become a Brownlow medallist was just unheard of. He pretty much played as a ruck rover and was fitter than everyone else. If anyone’s going to beat the cancer it’s going to be him. There’s just something about Jim that’s inspirational to us all.
Shane Woewodin
Another Brownlow medallist, Woewodin came over from Western Australian and made it onto the senior list in 1997. He started at half-back and then moved into the midfield and won a Brownlow. He was a ball magnet with silky skills and a great left footer. When I was about 15, I wore his number on my back. I had four different numbers on my jumper over the years.
James McDonald
James is our captain now and another inspirational leader. He’s probably not the most well-known captain in the league but he works the hardest. He does the job every week for the team and is a real team player.
INTERCHANGE
Jeff White
Jeff’s my back-up ruckman. I played under him for a few years and he was a real athlete. He had amazing skills for his height and was a good kick and a great mark.
Russell Robertson
Robbo was an excitement machine. It was hard to fit him into my already big forward line but Robbo could do anything on the field. He could take a great mark, kick amazing goals and is probably a great player to have on my bench.
Aaron Davey
He changed the way the game is played now with his pressure. When Aaron Davey came onto the scene he was running guys down and nobody had ever seen it before. Most clubs have a couple of indigenous players in their team that are applying that frontal pressure now, but Aaron changed the way the game was played.
Brett Lovett
It was pretty hard to pick between Brett and his brother Glenn, but a few people still talk about Brett at the club. He was a great handballer and a terrific in-and-under player. He’s probably not well recognised, but he was a real hard worker. He had great football vision and was just an all-rounder.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs
