Best 'spine'

[LordLucifer]

 

[UltraEgo]

Brisbane 03 for me

 

[nineteen eighty]

I'll take Hawthorn's. Schwab may be the weakest link but he was still a very good player. The others were simply guns of the highest order. Langford and Mew were unstoppable and 2 of my favourites over the years. Brereton I disliked but he was still a gun who got even better in big games. And Dunstall's record is elite of the highest order. Fair to say 4 of the 5 were elite in their positions.

What about Richmond's 73 premiership side (went back to back in 74).

Dick Clay
Francis Bourke
Ian Stewart
Royce Hart
Neil Balme

4 of the 5 are legends!!

 

[L_W_P]

Spine should include the ruck, not a mid. Far too much grey area when naming a 'centre' so it should be the tall player in the middle of the ground.

Saints current spine would be:
Wilkie
Howard
TDK
Sharman
King

The 09/10 team had:
Dawson
Fisher
Gardiner
Riewoldt
Koschitzke

 

[Partridge]

I'll take Hawthorn's. Schwab may be the weakest link but he was still a very good player. The others were simply guns of the highest order. Langford and Mew were unstoppable and 2 of my favourites over the years. Brereton I disliked but he was still a gun who got even better in big games. And Dunstall's record is elite of the highest order. Fair to say 4 of the 5 were elite in their positions.

What about Richmond's 73 premiership side (went back to back in 74).

Dick Clay
Francis Bourke
Ian Stewart
Royce Hart
Neil Balme

4 of the 5 are legends!!

Richmond in 1980 was pretty useful as well:

Emmett Dunne
Jim Jess
Geoff Raines
David Cloke
Michael Roach

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

I can't really recall Langdon being a CHF, I'm thinking of players like Jason Ball or Brett Spinks in that role.

Likewise at full back, I would more likely expect to see McIntosh than Brennan, but it's 30 years ago now so who knows!

I thought McIntosh too. Spinks wasn't there at CHF he never played in the 94 GF.

 

[Captain_Bender]

Richmond in 2019 had a potential great spine of

Rance
Astbury
Cotchin
Lynch
Riewoldt

But thanks to injury only played the one game together

 

[Dewyyyyy]

We've got threads on best midfields, best premiership teams, etc. What about best spine, i.e., fullback - CHB - centre - CHF - full forward?

I've seen plenty. Here are the ones that stood out for me in chronological order:

1988 Hawks
Langford
Mew
Schwab
Brereton
Dunstall

1994 WCE
Brennan
Jakovich
Kemp
Langdon
Sumich

2000 Bombers (not 2001!)
Fletcher
Wallis
Misiti
Lucas
Lloyd

2003 Brisbane
Michael
Leppitsch
Voss
Brown
Lynch

2009 Cats
Scarlett
Taylor
Corey
Mooney
Hawkins

2015 Hawks
Lake
Gibson
Mitchell
Gunston
Roughead

2024 Brisbane
Andrews
Payne
Ashcroft
Hipwood
Daniher

My vote is with Essendon 2001. Looked the most potent, with Brisbane 2003 a very close second.

You included 2015 Hawthorn. On paper Hawthorn in 2013 is better.

Lake
Gibson
Mitchell
Franklin
Roughead

Lake won the Norm Smith in 2013, multiple AAs and a B&F.

Gibson was the B&F winner in 2 premiership years and made the AA team in 2015.

Mitchell won the Brownlow in 2012 (take it as you like), with 5 B&Fs and 3 All Australian teams (2011-2015).

Franklin is arguably one of the best players of our generation, he kicked over a thousand goals. He had 8 AAs and 4 Colemans.

Finally Roughy, kicked 578 goals. Coleman medalist. Multiple AA.

Spine alone it is definitely up there.

 

[Dewyyyyy]

2013 Hawks was handy...

Lake (3 Premierships, Dual AA, Dogs B&F, Norm Smith)
Gibson (3 Premierships, Dual AA, Duel Hawthorn B&F)
Mitchell (4 Premierships, Brownlow, 3xAA, 5 time Hawthorn B&F, AFL HOF)
Franklin (2 Premierships, 8xAA, 4x Coleman Medallist, 13x Club leading Goalkicker - 1000 goals)
Roughead (4 Premierships, Dual AA, Coleman Medallist, 3 x Club leading goalkicker - 500 goals).

Brisbane 03 the best 'non-hawthorn' group (in the interest of avoiding bias - otherwise I'd be Hawks 1st, 2nd and 3rd).

Bombers 01 (Solomon), Cats 08 (Mooney) don't really belong in the discussion - similar to Hawks 08 (Croad, Hodge, Mitchell, Franklin, Roughead) they are a rung below.

Didn’t see this but yep ^ posted mine anyway.

Brisbane in 03 is freakishly good.

 

[Dewyyyyy]

Against Michael and Leppitsch. Would have been a hell of a game! Imagine Derm and Leppa going at it!

Partially why I’d love to see three peat Brisbane and Hawthorn go head to head.

Would be an absolute spectacle.

 

[Robroy22]

Partially why I’d love to see three peat Brisbane and Hawthorn go head to head.

Would be an absolute spectacle.

'80's Hawks yeah....the 2013-15 lot wouldn't cope with the Brissy physicality.

 

[Dewyyyyy]

'80's Hawks yeah....the 2013-15 lot wouldn't cope with the Brissy physicality.

Guess they were called the unsociable hawks for no reason.

 

[Mr MysteryGuest]

shouldn't the middle of the spine be the Ruckmen and not just a midfielder?

 

[Sttew]

shouldn't the middle of the spine be the Ruckmen and not just a midfielder?

Not sure, traditionally the man in the middle was the centreman. But in the modern game players roam far and wide. There isn’t even a position called ‘centre’

 

[Robroy22]

Guess they were called the unsociable hawks for no reason.

I think the "unsociable" tag came in 2008 mate. The Hawks of the 60-70's were "Kennedy's Commandos" but Derm's and Lethals mob were just the Mighty Fighting Hawks

 

[Guardian Hawk]

Thanks for that, was gonna say....Solomon on Jono Brown woulda been an ask.

Best spine, Brissy Lions they had it all.

Schwab in the middle v a Voss or a Mitchell or a Kemp??? Yeah nah.

Against Michael and Leppitsch. Would have been a hell of a game! Imagine Derm and Leppa going at it!

Don't forget the Lions had the Bash (sorry I mean the Scott brothers) either side of Leppa so Derm would have had his hands full

Could just as easily name/put Platten at Centre instead of Schwab. Either way, I think the other match ups make up for it anyway.

Mal Michael was a decent player but gets a little overrated in that champion team IMO. He was never All Australian and both before and after the golden era, he really struggled. He didn't even finish prominently in any B&F counts. Dunstall, meanwhile, is one of the greatest players of all time with 1254 goals, MVP, multiple premiership B&F's, many 130+ goal seasons, etc, etc.

Also, don't think the 'Bash' brothers would have worried Derm too much. He copped far worse than anything they ever dished out, given the 80's allowed far harder and more brutal hits than the 2000's and Derm (as a guy who loved to dish it out) was on the receiving end on the weekly. I reckon Ayers, Dipper and Derm himself would have been fine and more than matched any physicality brought by the Lions.

Either way, it would have been an enthralling contest, especially when you consider all the other players in those sides (Brisbane with Aker, Black, Lappin, Bradshaw, etc and Hawthorn with Buckenara, Ayers, Tuck, Dipper, etc.).

 

[Guardian Hawk]

I know I am biased but the more I think about it, I do think the Hawthorn 2013 spine trumps the Brisbane 2003 one.

The Brisbane spine combined for 11 All Australians, 1 Coleman, 1 Brownlow and 0 Norm Smiths
The Hawthorn spine combined for 14 All Australians, 5 Colemans, 1 Brownlow and 1 Norm Smith.

The Hawthorn spine comfortably leads in any statistical comparison, including goals, Brownlow votes, etc.

and that's using their whole careers, completely ignoring the fact that that all 5 of the Hawthorn spine were at their peak during the time period in question, whereas Brown was just a kid averaging 26 goals a season (with all his personal accolades coming much later).

 

[Dewyyyyy]

I know I am biased but the more I think about it, I do think the Hawthorn 2013 spine trumps the Brisbane 2003 one.

The Brisbane spine combined for 11 All Australians, 1 Coleman, 1 Brownlow and 0 Norm Smiths
The Hawthorn spine combined for 14 All Australians, 5 Colemans, 1 Brownlow and 1 Norm Smith.

The Hawthorn spine comfortably leads in any statistical comparison, including goals, Brownlow votes, etc.

and that's using their whole careers, completely ignoring the fact that that all 5 of the Hawthorn spine were at their peak during the time period in question, whereas Brown was just a kid averaging 26 goals a season (with all his personal accolades coming much later).

Spot on. Talent wise, the 2013 hawks spine was ridiculous.

 

[Dirty Bird]

Of those listed - 2003 Brisbane and it isn't close.
But I like the 2013 Hawthorn posted later more.