Article 1982-1990 Teams of the Year

[Gibbsy]

Hey all,

Doing a bit of digging on the Wayback Machine (Internet Archive) and came across these "teams of the year" on the AFL website circa 2001. There was a little thread about this already on the lists board a few years back but nothing substantial so thought I would repost here. Obviously they are a pre-cursor to the All-Australian teams of 1991 and beyond, but nothing much seems to be made of them in comparison to the official carnival AA teams and so forth...

What do you guys think? Besides the fact that the website erroneously refers to them as "AFL" teams of the year.

AFL Teams of the Year 1982-1990

In 1982, the first AFL team of the year was chosen by
the Victorian selectors.

With the development of the national competition, the
concept was changed slightly in 1991.

1982
B: D. Ackerly, K. Moore, D. O’Halloran.
HB: K. Hunter, R. Glendinning, S. Icke.
C: J. Buckley, B. Wilson, R. Flower.
HF: P. Daicos, P. Van Der Haar, Gerard Healy.
F: G. Dempsey, M. Blight, L. Matthews.
Foll: M. Fitzpatrick, B. Rowlings.
Rover: R. Ashman.
Inter: T. Wallace, G. Smith.
Coach: D. Parkin.

1983
B: D. English, G. Malarkey, G. Ayres.
HB: K. Hunter, R. Glendinning, R. Greene.
C: R. Flower, T. Wallace, G. Cunningham.
HF: T. Watson, T. Daniher, M. Rioli.
F: S. Madden, B. Quinlan, L. Matthews.
Foll: M. Lee, M. Tuck.
Rover: B. Royal.
Inter: W. Picken, M. Browning.
Coach: A. Jeans.

1984
B: D. Ackerly, C. Mew, P. Moore.
HB: B. Doull, R. Glendinning, R. Thornton.
C: R. DiPierdomenico, L. Baker, R. Flower.
HF: Gary Ablett, T. Daniher (capt.). Gerard Healy.
F: M. Lee, B. Quinlan, A. Shaw.
Foll: S. Madden, R. Greene.
Rover: K. Hodgeman.
Inter: R. Ashman, D. Banks, A. Purser,
D. Hawkins, G. Burns, B. Evans.
Coach: K. Sheedy.

1986
B: M. Thompson, G. Pert, G. Ayres.
HB: G. Hawker, P. Roos, D. Carroll.
C: D. Hawkins, G. Williams, R. DiPierdomenico.
HF: Gary Ablett, T. Daniher (capt.). G. Buckenara.
F: W. Blackwell, B. Taylor, J. Krakouer.
Foll: G. Dear, Gerard Healy.
Rover: D. Weightman.
Inter: C. Bradley, J. Madden, J. Platten, D. Brereton.
Coach: A. Jeans.

1987
B: A. Bews, C. Langford, D. Rhys-Jones.
HB: S. Wight, P. Roos, M. Bos.
C: R. DiPierdomenico, G. Williams, S. Stretch.
HF: W. Johnston, S. Kernahan, A. McGuinness.
F: M. Bairstow, A. Lockett, D. Weightman.
Foll: J. Madden, Gerard Healy.
Rover: J. Platten.
Inter: S. Madden, R. Morris, J. Krakouer, R. Glendinning.

1988
B: G. Ayres, C. Langford, D. Frawley.
HB: J. Worsfold, S. Silvagni, B. Lovett.
C: D. Kappler, G. Williams, C. Bradley.
HF: G. Buckenara, S. Kernahan, P. Daicos.
F: D. Weightman, J. Dunstall, S. O’Dwyer.
Foll: S. Madden, Gerard Healy.
Rover: J. Platten.
Inter: S. Morwood, D. Brereton, M. Larkin, B. Mitchell.

1989
B: A. Johnson, C. Langford, G. Pert.
HB: B. Lovett, G. Lyon, G. McKenna.
C: D. Pritchard, P. Couch, G. Brown.
HF: N. Winmar, S. Kernahan, Gary Ablett.
F: B. Stoneham, J. Dunstall, A. Bews.
Foll: S. Madden, M. Bairstow.
Rover: J. Platten.
Inter: T. Daniher, T. Watson, M. Bayes, G. Williams.

1990
B: A. Collins, S. Silvagni, J. Worsfold.
HB: B. Lovett, G. Lyon, G. O’Donnell.
C: D. Millane, A. Shaw (capt.). G. Wright.
HF: P. Daicos, S. Loewe, Gary Ablett.
F: S. Kernahan, J. Longmire, S. Russell.
Foll: S. Madden, C. Lewis.
Rover: A. McGuinness.
Inter: M. McGuane, M. Thompson, A. Liberatore, M. Tuck.
Coach: L. Matthews.

 

[SJ]

Really, today's All-Australian team is really the 'AFL Team of the Year'. There is no capacity for a player outside the AFL to make the team, unlike the All-Australian teams of the past. I class these teams above with today's All-Australian teams.

 

[sosos]

No 1985? Garry Lyon at CHB is interesting in89 and 90. The 82 centreline of Jimmy Buckley,Wilson and Flowern is such a perfect mix of grace, power and mongrel.

I loved reading through this the fight for fb chb chf and ff between the champions of the day.

 

[footyfan1978]

No 1985? Garry Lyon at CHB is interesting in89 and 90. The 82 centreline of Jimmy Buckley,Wilson and Flowern is such a perfect mix of grace, power and mongrel.

I loved reading through this the fight for fb chb chf and ff between the champions of the day.

I am pretty sure they also had a top six players for year and Jimmy Buckley was that in 1982.
I must have had the league guide at start of 1983 pre-season that had all this stuff in it.

 

[35Daicos]

I am pretty sure they also had a top six players for year and Jimmy Buckley was that in 1982.
I must have had the league guide at start of 1983 pre-season that had all this stuff in it.

The VFL Year Book- 1983 was (apparently) the first one that named the top six players for the previous year. This is from the Football Record 1983 Round 1 - page 5:-

A new and exciting feature from now on will be the naming of the top six players of the year plus the team of the year.
In each case, the VFL State selectors have made the choice.
And their selections are sure to set in motion even further debate and controversy.
The Year Book carries a feature article and picture of each of the top six players.
A full run-down on the 24-man Team of the Year is also included.

Six of the best
Melbourne captain, Robert Flower, was named captain of the VFL Team of the Year.
He is also named among the top six players of the year.
Melbourne team-mate and 1982 Brownlow Medallist, Brian Wilson is also in the top six.
Former North Melbourne captain, Malcolm Blight; Kangaroo colleague Ross Glendinning; Carlton ruck-rover Jim Buckley and Hawthorn captain, Leigh Matthews are also among the elite group.

 

[35Daicos]

From various sources:-
1982 VFL Players of the Year
Malcolm Blight - North Melbourne
Jim Buckley - Carlton
Robert Flower - Melbourne
Ross Glendinning - North Melbourne
Leigh Matthews - Hawthorn
Brian Wilson - Melbourne

1983 VFL Players of the Year
Terry Daniher - Essendon
Ken Hunter - Carlton
Simon Madden - Essendon
Bernie Quinlan - Fitzroy
Maurice Rioli - Richmond
Terry Wallace - Hawthorn

This is the second year in which the system has operated and under the rules governing selection, no player can be named more than once.
The 1983 Brownlow Medallist, Ross Glendinning of North Melbourne, is not amongst the list as he was named in 1982.

1984 VFL Players of the Year
Gary Ablett - Geelong
Leon Baker - Essendon
Bruce Doull - Carlton
Russell Greene - Hawthorn
Gerard Healy - Melbourne
Mark Lee - Richmond

1986 VFL Players of the Year
Gary Buckenara - Hawthorn
Robert DiPierdomenico - Hawthorn
Glenn Hawker - Essendon
Paul Roos - Fitzroy
Brian Taylor - Collingwood
Greg Williams - Sydney

1987 VFL Players of the Year
Wayne Johnston - Carlton or Gerard Healy (Sydney)
Stephen Kernahan - Carlton
Chris Langford - Hawthorn
Tony Lockett - St Kilda
Tony McGuinness - Footscray
John Platten - Hawthorn

1988 VFL Year Book names Johnston among the Six Best in 1987 and he's one of 6 players with a full-page photo devoted to him in the 1987 VFL Players of the Year section. But in the same part of the book it says "The 1987 Six were Roos, Langford, Gerard Healy, Kernahan, Lockett and John Platten", with no mention of Johnston. 1990 & 1991 Year Books have Healy instead of Johnston.

1988 VFL Players of the Year
Gary Buckenara - Hawthorn
Peter Daicos - Collingwood
Jason Dunstall - Hawthorn
Gerard Healy - Sydney
Brett Lovett - Melbourne
Simon Madden - Essendon

1989 VFL Players of the Year
Gary Ablett - Geelong
Gavin Brown - Collingwood
Paul Couch - Geelong
Jason Dunstall - Hawthorn
John Platten - Hawthorn
Nicky Winmar - St Kilda

1990 Players of the Year
Andrew Collins - Hawthorn
Chris Lewis - West Coast or John Longmire - North Melbourne
Stewart Loewe - St Kilda
Darren Millane - Collingwood
Tony Shaw - Collingwood
Stephen Silvagni - Carlton

1991 Year Book names Longmire in it's Top Six in 1990 (along with Collins, Loewe, Millane, Shaw and Silvagni), with no mention of Lewis. Yet the following six pages (with full-page photos) have Shaw, Collins, Loewe, Lewis, Millane and Silvagni named as the Players of the Year 1990. I'd have thought the Top Six and the (six) Players of the Year, named in the same part of the same book, should be one and the same!

I presume there were no players named for 1985, as there (apparently) wasn't a Team of the Year named, for whatever reason. By 1988 (at least) the rule preventing players being named a second time as one of the Players of the Year was obviously changed. It didn't seem to make a lot of sense in the first place!

 

[andrew coombs]

Really, today's All-Australian team is really the 'AFL Team of the Year'. There is no capacity for a player outside the AFL to make the team, unlike the All-Australian teams of the past. I class these teams above with today's All-Australian teams.

So there are blokes playing footy in this country who are good enough to be All Australians who are NOT playing in the AFL? Graham Wright, Stephen Wells....what are your clubs paying you for?

 

[sosos]

Some choose a different lifestyle over the pressures of the big league. Stephen Oliver was the gun Carlton once drafted with high hopes who returned to the country leagues.

 

[SJ]

So there are blokes playing footy in this country who are good enough to be All Australians who are NOT playing in the AFL? Graham Wright, Stephen Wells....what are your clubs paying you for?

I didn't say that. My point is only AFL-listed players are eligible for All-Australian status these days. That didn't use to be the case. Thus the old VFL Teams of the Year are, in my eyes, equivalent to the current AFL All-Australian teams.

 

[andrew coombs]

I didn't say that. My point is only AFL-listed players are eligible for All-Australian status these days. That didn't use to be the case. Thus the old VFL Teams of the Year are, in my eyes, equivalent to the current AFL All-Australian teams.

There is a far better chance that the best players of the year are All Australians now than in the past. The all Australian team was selected from performances in Insterstate games, predominately from the carnivals that used to be played out every couple of years. If a bloke got injured or was unavailable to play for his state due to work or family commitments he wouldn't be selected All Australian regardless of his performance throughout the season proper. Ther are also plenty of tales ( some probably exaggerated ) of players not exactly bringing their most committed attitude to these carnivals.

 

[footyfan1978]

Some choose a different lifestyle over the pressures of the big league. Stephen Oliver was the gun Carlton once drafted with high hopes who returned to the country leagues.

Do not think Stephen Oliver was drafted. I suspect he was from our own recruiting zone. Bendigo region used to be part of it and he came from that region. He would have been invited up the club I suspect by our country region recruiting officers to do the pre-season but do not think he ever lived in Melbourne. He just liked his country lifestyle and decided that was enough for him. He played a few games for us and clearly had talent but just did not want to have to move to the city. Fair enough too. The Zone system was coming to and end around then. Might have been last couple of years before it was shut down and full national drafts started up. Would have been whatever year they removed the under 19's and replaced with under 18 TAC Cup stuff we have had ever since.

 

[Pedantic]

Do not think Stephen Oliver was drafted. I suspect he was from our own recruiting zone. Bendigo region used to be part of it and he came from that region. He would have been invited up the club I suspect by our country region recruiting officers to do the pre-season but do not think he ever lived in Melbourne. He just liked his country lifestyle and decided that was enough for him. He played a few games for us and clearly had talent but just did not want to have to move to the city. Fair enough too. The Zone system was coming to and end around then. Might have been last couple of years before it was shut down and full national drafts started up. Would have been whatever year they removed the under 19's and replaced with under 18 TAC Cup stuff we have had ever since.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1987_VFL_draft

He was taken at pick 26. Country zones were ended before metro zones.

 

[footyfan1978]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1987_VFL_draft

He was taken at pick 26. Country zones were ended before metro zones.

Thanks mate for follow up and correcting that idea.
Only read that a day ago somewhere and it reminded me that my thoughts on how Oliver got onto our list must be wrong.
Indeed you are correct on when drafted. Pick 26, just before Brendan Gale. Interesting it seems a lot earlier drafted than I remember him making his debut. Will have to see when he made his debut to see how long on list before his first game. I thought it was around 1991 or 92 he first played. Could be earlier if drafted in 87.

 

[worbod]

No 1985?

I presume there were no players named for 1985, as there (apparently) wasn't a Team of the Year named, for whatever reason.

The simple answer is that there was no VFL Year Book published for 1985, by which I mean there was no publication with the title VFL Year Book 1986.