Dream Teams

[Shinboners]

Here's something a bit more lighthearted. Had a few beers with some mates and trying to work out our fantasty football teams for a competition. Anyway, we ended up talking about our dream teams for our clubs, and then opposition clubs. I've been following North for the past twenty odd years, and here's my best team from all the players I've seen who have pulled on the royal blue and white jersey. They'll need some opponents too, and so, there's my team from other teams from the same period.

North:

B: Blakey, Martyn, Archer
HB: Pickett, Glendinning, Schwass
C: Schimmelbusch (vc), Larkin, Greig
HF: Allison, Carey (capt), P. Krakouer
F: J. Krakouer, Blight, McKernan
Foll: Dempsey, Stevens, Bell
Inter: R.Smith, Law, Longmire, Crocker
Coach: Pagan

Naturally most of the team come from the Pagan era, but I did see the sunset of the careers of some of the players from the 70s. It was a shame that Dempsey, Larkin, Smith, and Law never played in a premiership, let alone a Grand Final...but football is littered with many other great players that didn't either. The trickiest decision was full back...Martyn or Dench. I've seen more of Martyn and he's a cult hero, so he just got the nod. I also couldn't fit Laidley or King in, and that was a shame.


The rest:
B: Wanganeen, Silvagni, Ayres
HB: McKenna, Jackovich, Worsfold (vc)
C: Long, Robert Harvey, Peter Matera
HF: Mark Harvey, Brereton (capt), D.Jarman
F: Daicos, Ablett, L. Matthews
Foll: Rehn, G. Hocking, Paul Kelly
Inter: Hawkins, Millane, Van Der Haar, Rhys-Jones
Coach: A.Jeans

It was damn hard to pick this team, but I reckon that the players that were picked were the best ones in their positions. The only exception would probably be the half-back line because I can think of better half-back flankers than McKenna and Worsfold, but as a unit, they would make up the single best line of players in the last 20 years. The side is tough, but skilled, and only 5 players there don't have premiership medals. I don't think Dermie ever captained Hawthorn, but he's a natural leader. Jeans just pips Parkin and Sheedy for the coaching job, but I would let Sheedy take the press conferences.

Who would you have in your dream team for your club and for the opposition?

 

[Gonzo]

I haven't got any probs with the list of players (and I agree with the Dench/Martyn toss up)

I would suggest a few moves though:

Blight to HFF
Longmire to FF
Replace Allison with David King
Barassi - Assistant Coach

(Couldn't squeeze Mick Nolan in!!! - pun intended!!!)

My 2 cents

 

[Dave]

Here's one I out together. The hardest bit was working out a fullback, as we've struggled there over the years, with no real standout.

B Wanganeen T. Daniher Thompson
HB Foulds Wellman Harvey
C K. Fletcher Baker Long
HF Mercuri Merrett Hird
F Rioli Lloyd Bewick
Foll Madden Watson O'Donnell
Inter Salmon Van Der Haar N. Daniher Alessio
Coach Sheedy

The rest was actually a bit easier. The key positions pretty much picked themselves other than FF. I went for Dunstall as I've always though he was more comsistant than Ablett or Lockett. The ruck was another toughie, but I figured if he was good enough to win two brownlow medals that'd do me. I've gone for Parkin as coach as he's won flags with two different clubs and pretty much three different teams.

B Ayres Langford Archer
HB Mckenna Mew Roos
C Greig G. Williams Flower
HF Brereton Carey Paul Hudson
F D. Jarman Dunstall Daicos
Foll Moore L. Matthews Platten
Inter Ablett McGuinness Bradley Buckley
Coach Parkin

seeya

Dave

 

[Eagle_Fan]

Having only been a serious footy fan for less than 10 years, I don't feel qualified to give an all-time dream team. Never even saw the awesome Hawthorn of the '80's.

BUT/ the West Coast dream team almost picks itself. With only a few changes from the '92 to '94 premiership teams, most positions are pretty obvious.

B Hart McIntosh Brennan
HB McKenna Jakovich Worsfold (C)
C Matera Kemp Mainwaring
HF Heady White Lewis
F Turley Sumich Cousins
R Harding(?) Pyke Lamb
Int Banfield Waterman Evans Langdon

Coach- M.M.

 

[Shinboners]

Dave

Your team reminded me of two other players that I should've tried to fit in....Paul Roos and Robert Flower. Maybe if I dropped Rhys-Jones, put Matera onto the bench, and let Flower take his place. As for Roos, maybe I'd drop Millane for him.

It's also interesting to hear that you don't think Essendon have had a standout fullback. I had a similar problem with North in that while we've had two champion full backs in the last 25 years (Martyn and Dench), we've never had a truly great centre-half back. Glendinning played a few games there, so he took that spot, but there was no way he was going to take centre half forward off Carey.

Lastly, I'm disappointed that you couldn't find room for Ronnie Andrews in your side!

To Eagle_fan, you're a football fan so you're FULLY QUALIFIED to name an all time dream team, so I hope you give it a try for your best opposition players in the last ten years. Anyway, I look forward to playing your boys in round 1.

 

[Dave]

Shinboners,
I always had a soft spot for Ronnie, but I just couldn't squeeze him in. It would have meant leaving out Salmon or Neale Daniher and they were both far more talented players. Guess I'm looking at things from the POV of the way footy is played today. Now if I were picking a team for the seventies, Ronnie would defintely get a spot.

 

[colley31]

Shinboner

What do you mean we have never really had a great Centre Half Back. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Ross Glendinning won a Brownlow medal playing there...

 

[colley31]

My dream team for the Kangaroos is as follows:

B: R Smith Martyn Archer
HB: Pickett Glendinning King
C: Greig Schwass Schimma
HF: Blight Carey P Krakouer
F: Briedis Longmire McKernan
R: Dempsey Stevens Cable
Int: Blakey Kekovich Dench J Krakouer
Coach: D Pagan

It gets you thinking when you try to name your dream team. I found it was a lot easier picking the back half than the front half. The only difficulty I had down back was the full back position between Martyn/Dench. I went for Martyn for the simple reason he has played on 3 of the greatest full forwards of all time in Dunstall / Lockett / Ablett, has averaged 2 goals kicked on him per game played, whereas Dench for memory only had one great full forward in Peter Hudson to contend with. The centres and on ballers pick themselves, whereas the forward line, was difficult.

 

[Shinboners]

Colley31

I remember that in '83, Glendinning seemed to split his time between CHF and CHB. But I think that for most of his career, he played and made his name as a CHF. In a way, I reckon that the Doggies have the same delimma with Chris Grant as North did with Glendinning in the 80s.

Anyway, my general point was that in regards to North, you could name any position and you could name a true great for that position. For rucks, you could choose between Noel Teasdale and Dempsey. Need a full forward? How about Jock Spencer, Doug Wade, Malcolm Blight, or John Longmire. Need a rover...there's Aylett, Cable, Jimmy Krakouer....or how about wingmen....Greig, Foote, Dwyer, Schimma, etc. etc. A centre half back? It's thin pickings there.

[This message has been edited by Shinboners (edited 28 February 2000).]

 

[colley31]

Shinboners,

I agree with you, with every great side you name as a dream team, there will be another great dream team with the ones you omitted that will be just as good..