Analysis G.F.C draft voting thread 2016

[krisholio14]

Finally, here is the voting thread for the GFC draft that was undertaken by thirteen of us through late December and January. Included with the final selected teams are games played, goals, and a brief description of the physical and playing attributes of those selected. Selectors who did extensive write ups of each player will have those hyperlinked to their descriptions, and also included is a write up from each player with regards to their draft strategy and an assessment of their team. The teams are listed in reverse order to the draft and each team and run down will be in an individual post.

The vote will go until next Monday night, as there will be some additional content added later today.

Thanks to NSFB for coming up with and overseeing the concept, and to all of our selectors....

ChookNorris
Catgirl
year of the cat
NakedDeadGuy
Vdubs
Two Planks
catempire
Cursed_Cat
Biggy_Boy
krisholio14
Danger Money
Sttew
10lana​

Each selectors names have been linked to their team and commentary, just click on their name and you'll be taken to their squad....

 

[krisholio14]

LANA'S LEGENDS - 10lana

Backs: TEDDY RANKIN - JOHN SCARLETT - BILLY ORCHARD
Games:180 Goal:35 - Games:183 Goals:42 - Games:112 Goals:67
nippy rover or BP/strong, long kicking defender/multi skilled utility

Half Backs: LES ARMSTRONG - TOM LONERGAN - JAMES KELLY
Games:175 Goal:2 - Games:164 Goals:54 - Games:273 Goals:88
tough, durable rebounding defender/one on one master/consistent, versatile ball winner

Centres: TONY POLINELLI - BILL EASON - ANGIE MULLER
Games:138 Goal:63 - Games:220 Goals:187 - Games:115 Goals:7
super speedy winger/centerman with pace and class/versatile, take no prisoners mid

Half Forwards: CHARLIE COLES - CAMERON MOONEY - MATTHEW STOKES
Games:72 Goal:87 - Games:210 Goals:295 - Games:189 Goals:203
skilled follower with a tidy kick/mobile big man with mongrel/hard running goalsneak

Forwards: TRENT WEST - KENT KINGSLEY - SHANNON BYRNES
Games:54 Goal:23 - Games:110 Goals:227 - Games:108 Goals:100
mobile ruck or forward/unfairly maligned, undersized KPF/handy, hard working fwd/mid

Followers: BRAD OTTENS - BRENT MOLONEY - CAMERON LING
Games:116 Goal:109 - Games:23 Goals:6 - Games:246 Goals:139
mobile ruck and September specialist/long kicking mid/footy smart leader and mid

19th Man - DAVID JOHNSON
Games:79 Goals:16
versatile back up utility

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10lana says....
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Method of Selection
Before the competition I had a short list of 20 players who I thought would be available at my various picks, and another list of acceptable KPPs. My rules when selecting KPPs and Ruckmen was that they had to fit the modern height and weight for there positions, it's a little silly to have a 189 cm player as your number 1 ruckmen. It's less of an issue with other players though I wouldn't want a 170cm small defender.

Ottens, Ling and Mooney were the first three players on that list, I picked Kelly with my 4th which was my first departure from the list as I felt he should have gone early in the 3rd round. Before my 5th pick KPD started coming in vogue so I grabbed the next two on that list while there was still players I wanted, I think I got Lonergan and Scarlett without reaching. I was able to back to my original Short list with Stokes as my 7th pick. With my 8th pick I wanted to start fleshing out my outside mids and a family member recommended Polinelli who they compared to Wojcinski but better (who went in the 2nd round). With my 9th pick I grabbed the last KPF on my shortlist who fit my criteria in Kent Kingsley as there was a rush on KPFs the palyer I really wanted was Mark 'Jacko' Johnson.

At this stage the next player on my short list was Byrnes but It was a little early so I mixed up my strategy to get under appropriated players from before the 40s in Eason, Armstrong and Muller. Eason (our first 200 gamer for the club) and Armstrong (a member of Geelong's Hall of Fame) should have gone a lot earlier then they did. I caught up to Byrnes on my Short list so I grabbed him with my 14th pick.

I took my next 3 picks in a rush in Moloney, Johnson and West without looking at the pool of players available, in hindsight there were better players available at the end of the draft then the latter two. So I wanted to make my last two picks count so I grabbed Teddy Rankin and Billy Orchard with my last two picks. Rankin especially was an absolute steal.'

Pro's of my team
1) My team have the best head to head ruckmen in our clubs h in my team, some might have better reputations but Ottens has 10+ cm on them.
2) My team has the best tagger in our history in Ling
3) A strong pair of KPD who are equipped to play in the modern era.
4) Massive depth through the midfield, at least 10 players can rotate through the midfield.
5) No unproved kids in my team, no Cockatoo or Bews in sight

Con's on my team
1) My wingmen are short. Fast but short.
2) My small defenders played the bulk of there career as midfielders but all played down back to a high level at some point in their careers
3) Kingsley, Johnson and West. In hindsight there were still better players available at the end of the draft. Stupid recency bias. At least Kingsley is well credentialed

 

[krisholio14]

TOP CATS - Sttew

Backs: STEVE HOCKING - GARY MALARKEY - PAUL JEFFREYS
Games:199 Goals:10 - Games:172 Goals:0 - Games:91 Goals:23
tight checking, durable BP/FB with judgement and anticipation/fiery, high leaping KPD

Half Backs: JACKSON THURLOW - MATTHEW EGAN - ANDREW MACKIE
Games:29 Goals:6 - Games:59 Goals:1 - Games:235 Goals:96
promising rebounding HB/unlucky CHB with great hands/wiry, versatile linkman

Centres: STEVEN MOTLOP - WAYNE CLOSTER - MURRAY WITCOMBE
Games:88 Goals:115 - Games:191 Goals:72 - Games:121 Goals:79
skillful mid/fwd with class/precise kicking pivot with poise/running wingman or flanker

Half Forward: DAVID CLARKE SNR - JOHN NEWMAN - TAYLOR HUNT
Games:202 Goals:298 - Games:300 Goals:110 - Games:63 Goals:19
classy left footed HF/ruck or CHF with vice like hands/tough tagger with endurance

Forwards: GAVIN EXELL - MARK JACKSON - TOMMY FLOYD
Games:53 Goals:111 - Games:31 Goals:115 - Games:47 Goals:38
spearhead capable of big bags/barrel chested clown, strong hands, accurate kick/nuggety rover

Followers: JOHN BARNES - GLENN KILPATRICK - COLIN RICE
Games:144 Goals:65 - Games:120 Goals:31 - Games:97 Goals:87
athletic, agile ruckman/hard working accumulator/versatile and skilled small

19th Man: DWAYNE RUSSELL
Games:50 Goals:51
workhorse KPP

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Sttew says.....
​

In a nutshell:

"This is a team blessed with a mixture of class, speed and pure talent. It is bookended by two solid KPP's in Malarkey and Jackson, and the spine is.....well, what premierships are made of! It is a team with plenty of recognised goal kicking power, and a truly formidable defence. Apart from Jackson and Malarkey, it is also a team founded on genuine versatility." (Sttew, January 2016)

The Backline:

My first backline selection was Gary Malarkey, easily one of Geelong's finest full backs. Between 1971 and 1986 Malarkey played 283 games in two states. (East Perth 101, Geelong 172, Western Australia 8, Victoria 2). At Geelong, Malarkey was an immediate and outstanding success who consistently beat bigger and faster footballers such as Hudson, Blight, Roach and Templeton. He was widely recognised as the finest full back in Australia over the following 10 seasons and was remarkably consistent in one of the toughest roles in Victorian football. In 1983, the Geelong and now AFL historian Col Hutchinson said of Malarkey in his book “Cats Tales” that he was “one of Geelong's most effective full backs and probably the strongest defender to ever represent the team."

At 196 cm Matthew Egan was a genuine KPD known for his tennis-like trademark "forehand punch" and, like Gary Malarkey, frequently often shut down some of the opposition's top forwards, including Nick Riewoldt, Barry Hall, Matthew Lloyd, Fraser Gehrig, Jonathan Brown, Matthew Pavlich and Quinten Lynch amongst others.

Surrounding Malarkey and Egan is a blend of experienced defensive talent that will ensure this backline will not leak goals, and through the agency of Jeffreys, Mackie and Thurlow, will offer plenty of attacking rebound.

The Midfield:

Apart from Motlop whose X-factor qualities make him stand out, my midfield mostly features quiet achieving, no-nonsense footballers who performed at consistently high levels.

When you think of Geelong centremen, Wayne Closter is not usually top of mind. But Closter played almost 200 games in the centre, and was renowned for his precision kicking with both feet. The same could be said of Witcombe and Rice. Witcombe played in the same teams as Turner, and Neal, yet Witcombe forged a 121 game career mainly as a midfielder. Rice was a rover in the same team as Goggin yet Rice won the B&F in 1959 and captained the club for part of 1960.

I selected John Barnes as first ruckman, although the versatility of this team is such that Barnes could be played up forward with Newman in the ruck. It was a genuine toss of the coin.

Magarey Medalist, Glenn "Oysters" Kilpatrick is my ruck rover / midfielder. Kilpatrick was a no-nonsense prolific ball winner.

The Attack:

The first two players selected were members of Geelong's team of the century - John "Sam" Newman and David Clarke Senior. Better known as a HFF the classy and silky Clarke could also play in the centre and CHB, adding to the versatility quality of the Top Cats. He won the club B&F three times and was runner-up four times, and finished his career at Geelong with 298 goals.

I selected former club captain, John "Sam" Newman at CHF where he played with considerable success. But Newman was better known as a prodigiously talented ruckman who inherited Graham 'Polly' Farmer's mantle at Geelong. Like Farmer, he was adept at using his body to attain the optimum position in ruck contests, and also like Farmer, he was a master of creative handball. He made his VFL debut in 1964 and four years later, despite having sustained a serious kidney injury the previous year, he won the first of two club best and fairest awards.

Viewed by some as a controversial selection, Mark "Jacko" Jackson is the Top Cats' full forward. Jacko debuted for Geelong in 1984 kicking 9 goals in his first game. He went on to average 3.7 goals per game for the Cats, a feat only bettered by Doug Wade and Gary Ablett Senior.

Gavin Exell, Tom Floyd and Taylor Hunt make up the team attack. There is no doubting Exell's goal kicking ability, and his selection in my team was based on his 9 goals against eventual 1989 premiers, Hawthorn in a H&A game, and the fact Exell topped Geelong's goal kicking in the 1989 H&A. Similarly, Tommy Floyd was a natural forward pocket selection, as it was here he forged his reputation in season 1980 when he averaged just under 20 disposals a game and was Geelong's third most prolific goal-kicker with 25 goals. Taylor Hunt may not have been as prolific a goal kicker, but I selected him for his defensive ability in attack, noting that my 19th man, Dwayne Russell, was there to keep pressure on Hunt to perform.

Why will this team win?

Simple. The Top Cat's attack will always kick more goals than the opposition.

 

[krisholio14]

THE HIGH ACHIEVERS - Danger Money

Backs: IAN NANKERVIS - PETER BURNS - JOHN WATTS
Games:325 Goals:203 - Games:87 Goals:1 - Games:52 Goals:4
goal kicking rover, then rebounding defender/dominant ruck, early champion/wrote the club song, great team man

Half Backs: JOE SLATER - MARIO BORTOLOTTO - RON HOVEY
Games:108 Goals:17 - Games:14 Goals:2 - Games:141 Goals:25
brilliantly skilled rebounding half back/pinch hitting defender/well balanced backman-mid

Centres: TERRY FULTON - JOHN BURNS - DAVID BOLTON
Games:51 Goals:3 - Games:17 Goals:10 - Games:28 Goals:11
skilled, tenacious winger/skillful centreman with plenty of cheek/wingman with pace and grunt

Half Forwards: BOB DAVIS - STEPHEN REYNOLDSON - MITCHELL WHITE
Games:189 Goals:149 - Games:84 Goals:70 - Games:23 Goals:21
club legend, skilled,pacy half forward/KPP who could play both ends/mobile CHF with good hands

Forwards: PETER PIANTO - FRED WOOLLER - NOEL RAYSON
Games:121 Goals:144 - Games:132 Goals:225 - Games:95 Goals:210
nippy rover with pace and skill/strong marking, long kicking, quick thinking KPF/underrated goal kicker

Followers: HENRY YOUNG - STEWART LORD - BILLY GOGGIN
Games:180 Goals:35 - Games:183 Goals:42 - Games:112 Goals:67
premier ruck, the clubs' first champion/classy and skilled half back/rover with superior anticipation and kicking

19th Man: DAVID O'KEEFFE
Games:50 Goals:22
solid, no frills defender

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Danger Money says.....
​

'I tried to pick guys that had achieved high accolades individually and then when they were all gone I went for guys that had team success then I finished off with a few players that had played more than 100 games.'

 

[krisholio14]

FROM PIVOTS TO CATS - krisholio14

Backs: BERNIE SMITH - JOCKA TODD - BILLY MCCARTER
Games:183 Goals:3 - Games:232 Goals:54 - Games:114 Goals:7
quick, skilled, elusive rebound BP/high leaping, long kicking defender/tight checking, speedy, dashing BP

Half Backs: MARK BROWNE - REG HICKEY - JACK WALKER
Games:87 Goals:60 - Games:245 Goals:24 - Games:76 Goals:3
bullocking, straight ahead flanker/The Godfather, mobile CHB/Tall, dashing wing/flanker​

Centres: SCRATCHER NEAL - BERT RANKIN - TREVOR POOLE
Games:200 Goals:51 - Games:132 Goals:21 - Games:54 Goals:34
pacy, all weather wingman/Dominant centreman/consistent wing-flanker, nice kick

Half Forwards: CLIFF RANKIN - LES HARDIMAN - KEN NEWLAND
Games:153 Goals:400 - Games:135 Goals:236 - Games:198 Goals:243
skilled all round forward, leader/high leaping KPP at either end/classy, skilled, goal kicker

Forwards: DAVID MENSCH - JAMES PODSIADLY - IKE WOODS
Games:158 Goals:173 - Games:83 Goals:169 - Games:68 Goals:108
undersized but durable KP pinch hitter/mature age KPF,great hands,long kick/unselfish, skilled goalsneak

Followers: NORM SHARP - BRUCE NANKERVIS - ALEC EASON
Games:88 Goals:29 - Games:253 Goals:80 - Games:150 Goals:80
Hulking ruck or back pocket/reliable left foot mid-flanker/Nippy, skilled and tough rover

19th Man: GEOFF MAHON
Games:82 Goals:35
Tireless, versatile ruck

SEE FROM PIVOTS TO CATS PLAYER PROFILES HERE​

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krisholio14 says.....​

Opting to go straight to the history books from the outset, my team contains some of the greatest names in the club's history, particularly in defense. Boasting a blend of speed, skill, versatility and toughness across the board, this side would certainly not lack options if positional changes were required.

The backline would be hard to beat in any competition. When players of the calibre of Bernie Smith, Reg Hickey and 'Jocka' Todd are marshalling the troops, there is good reason for confidence. All of the players selected down back were genuine two way players, all of them what we would call run and carry players today, but also great in one on one contests. McCarter was an early pioneer of running the ball out of defense, Smith's record speaks for itself, while in the key posts, Todd and Hickey were both hard to beat in the air, but prepared to run when it was on the ground. Walker's height and speed made him hard to match up on. The weakest link among the backmen, Mark Browne, was an honest battler at the club, but achieved most major club accolades at Geelong West in the VFA. Consider also that Norm Sharp was a fine defensive ruckman, Bruce Nankervis played some of his best footy off a back flank, Geoff Mahon was capable as the resting ruck in defense, Les Hardiman played arguably his finest game for the club at CHB, and Mensch, Podsiadly and Poole all played some effective football in defense, there is enough quality available to cover any matchup.

In the guts, there is again a fine balance of attack and defense, with skill, strength and pace. Aside from Bert Rankin and Alec Eason, both premier players at their positions during their resective careers, there is also the left foot and stamina of Bruce Nankervis, the speed, all weather skills and negating ability of Scratcher Neal and two strong premiership and best and fairest winning rucks in Sharp and Mahon. Trevor Poole may have won more accolades in his time with Richmond, but probably played his most consistent footy with us, and became a vital player in the side during his time at the club. There are players elsewhere in the side who played quality football on the ball - Jack Walker and Ken Newland to name a couple, while Menschy could also take a turn in the ruck.

Up forward, apart from the all round forward play of Cliff Rankin, there is not a completely dominant goal kicker. Having said that, there are 1 league and 10 club goal kicking awards. Ike Woods led the club goal kicking as a rover on four occasions and 2nd in the league once, Podsiadly won the club goalkicking at senior AFL level once, and led his club on 5 occasions and the league twice at VFL level. Newland and Mensch both averaged over a goal a game, and Les Hardiman was capable of kicking big bags of goals when playing key forward, and also averaged better than a goal a game. While a volume post WW2 forward would have been handy, there are still two team of the century members present, and Menschy won the goal kicking in a year we made finals, Podsy in a year we won the flag. Browne, Nankervis and Poole also kicked multiple goals in several games when moved around half forward.

From this team, only one player - Mark Browne, did not either play in a Grand final, win a major club award, or represent his State (or gain AA status) while in the hoops. He did, however, do all of those things at Geelong West.

Strengths - versatility, speed, 2 way players, especially in defense.

Weaknesses - lack of AFL era players, goal kicking midfielder

'I took the approach early that I was going to pick the best player that was available without any restrictions as far as eras go. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised that of the modern champs, the only ones I rated ahead of Hickey were gone at pick 10, and well, Bernie Smith should have been a top 5 pick for mine so it was a no brainer taking him at pick 20. So by the time I got to pick 30, all the AFL era champs I rate as future Hall Of Fame players (and even a couple who are already there), were gone.

While I chose some players over others later in the draft due to positional need, I somewhat inadvertantly found myself with a side full of great two way players, with a great balance of attributes. If nothing else, I certainly ended up with the most potent backline in the game.

The way things ended up going, I missed out an a goal kicking mid, and I would have liked some more AFL era players in my side, but when a lot of them were snapped up far too early in the draft in my opinion, there isn't much you can do. As it stands though, I'm glad I took the approach I did. It gave me the chance to use the knowledge I already had about many players, and also expand it with several others. It was a great lesson for me, and I hope it was a great lesson for those following the draft. The selection process was a lot of fun, and rather impressed with how everyone's final teams shape up.'

Here's a little breakdown of my teams achievements as a collective.

At Geelong....

2691 games
1810 goals
16 B&F's (Todd 3, Hickey 2, Smith 2, McCarter 2, B.Nankervis 2, A.Eason, B.Rankin, L.Hardiman, Mahon, Sharp)
13 flags (Todd 2, Hickey 2, Smith 2, L.Hardiman 2, C.Rankin, Walker, Mahon, Sharp, Podsiadly)
21 GF's (Todd 3, Hickey 3, Smith 3, L.Hardiman 2, Sharp 2, Mensch 2, C.Rankin, Walker, Mahon, Newland, Poole, Podsiadly)
10 club leading goal kicker (Woods 4, C.Rankin 4, Mensch 1, Podsiadly 1)
13 State reps (A.Eason, McCarter, B.Rankin, C.Rankin, Todd, Hickey, L.Hardiman, Walker, Mahon, Smith, Newland, Neal, B.Nankervis)
4 State captains (B.Rankin, McCarter, C.Rankin, Hickey)
6 club captains (A.Eason, B.Rankin, C.Rankin, Hickey, Smith, B.Nankervis)
2 premiership captains (Hickey 1, C.Rankin 1)
4 200+ club games (B.Nankervis 253, Hickey 245, Todd 232, Neal 200)
6 GFC team of the century (A.Eason, C.Rankin, Todd, Hickey, L.Hardiman, Smith)
3 AFL hall of fame (Todd, Hickey, Smith)
1 VFL leading goal kicker (C.Rankin)
1 Brownlow medal (Smith)
1 AFL team of the century (Smith)

and with other clubs/leagues

8 B&F's (Podsiadly 3 (Werribee, Geelong VFL), Browne 2 (Geelong West), Poole (Richmond), L.Hardiman (Subiaco), Smith (West Adelaide))
5 premierships (A.Eason 2 (Footscray), Smith, Browne, Mensch (Geelong VFL))
9 GF's (Browne 3, A.Eason 2, Smith, Woods, Mensch, Podsiadly)
5 club leading goal kicker (Podsiadly 5)
1 league leading goal kicker (Podsiadly 1)
3 club captains (A.Eason, Browne, Podsiadly)
1 premiership captain (A.Eason 2)
5 state or league reps (L.Hardiman (WA), Smith (SA), Browne (VFA), Poole (VIC), Podsiadly (VFL))
1 league best and fairest (Podsiadly)

 

[krisholio14]

THE WONDER CATS - Biggy_Boy

Backs: ALLAN EVERETT - ROY WEST - GEORGE GNIEL
Games:117 Goals:25 - Games:108 Goals:1 - Games:114 Goals:11
skilled defender with pace/athletic, high leaping FB/long kicking tough nut

Half Backs: BRENTON SANDERSON - TOM FITZMAURICE - TOM ARKLAY
Games:199 Goals:29 - Games:49 Goals:20 - Games:137 Goals:45
consistent rebounding half back/played all KP's, commanding leader/hard hitting defender with pace

Centre: ALLEN CHRISTENSEN - GREG WILLIAMS - SYD TATE
Games:65 Goals:56 - Games:34 Goals:10 - Games:85 Goals:13
courageous mid/fwd with stong hands/creative and rugged ball magnet/running wing with a precise kick

Half Forward: NORM GLENISTER - CLYDE HELMER - BOB TROUGHTON
Games:124 Goals:262 - Games:71 Goals:137 - Games:92 Goals:100
consistent goal scorer/exciting, agile CHF/tough and skilled HF

Forwards: GORDON ABBOTT - LINDSAY WHITE - TIM EVANS
Games:50 Goals:27 - Games:117 Goals:429 - Games:59 Goals:26
skilled ruckman-forward/fast leading, strong marking spearhead/Cats BP-HB to SANFL goal kicking legend

Followers: JOHN MOSSOP - JOEL COREY - NEIL TREZISE
Games:137 Goals:87 - Games:276 Goals:79 - Games:185 Goals:272
mobile big man who could play KPF/hard at it linkman/tough but zippy goalsneak

19th Man: HARRY MARSHAM
Games:128 Goals:63
dominant ruck and handy forward

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Biggy_Boy says.....
​

Backline
My backline is a group of six accomplished cats of yesteryear. Strength, reliability and versatility are hallmarks of this backline, and success has been seen by every player that comprises it. Four of the six played in at least one flag-winning V/AFL side during their careers and all bar one won a best and fairest award at a V/AFL club. With Fitzmaurice, Arklay and Gneil all having served as captains, there’s also a considerable amount of leadership potential coming out of the back half of the ground.

Allan Everett, a pacey rebound defender with clean hands and high-class defensive attributes, played 117 games for Geelong and represented Victoria in interstate football twice. Frequently named among the best on ground throughout the year, Everett capped off the 1937 season playing in a back pocket as part of Geelong’s triumphant grand final outfit, in which he was considered to be one of the best performers.

Roy West, the fullback of Geelong’s 1963 premiership side and 1961 Carji Greeves medallist, played 108 games for the club and represented Victoria in interstate football. Considered one of the better full backs of his generation, West was unlike many of his peers in that he excelled in his role by relying on his speed, anticipation, and formidable leap, rather than pure strength. Despite being on the wrong end of the result, West was one of the side’s best players in the 1967 grand final.

George Gniel’s primary position was full back, but he slots into the backline in my side as a hard, uncompromising defender with strong hands and a penetrating kick. Whilst Geelong was out of the competition as a result of the war, Gniel proved a valuable temporary acquisition for Carlton, winning their best and fairest award in a year in which they made the finals and considered the best on ground in the semi-final they played that year. He concluded his career with 143 games for Carlton and Geelong, his final year spent as captain of the Cats.

Brenton Sanderson was a solid and reliable backman for the club, as evidenced by consistently high finishes in the Cats’ B&F counts, with a win in 2001. After just 10 AFL games in his first few years in the competition, spread across stints at Adelaide and Collingwood, he finally settled at Geelong, spending 10 years at and playing 199 games for the club. He was able to produce fine run and dash from the backline while also locking down opposition forwards during an overall more underwhelming period for the club, sandwiched between the team’s near-success of the early 90’s and its period of dominance in the late 2000s.

Tom Fitzmaurice is certainly my backline’s most accomplished and versatile player, with three consecutive premierships to his name (one of only two players in V/AFL history to do this at different clubs), three Essendon best and fairest awards, 13 interstate rep games, two leading goal-scorer awards at North Melbourne, an AFL Hall of Fame placement and membership in Essendon’s team of the century. Beginning his career at Essendon as a ruckman, Fitzmaurice rose to prominence after a move to CHB, which is where he was positioned in the Essendon and Geelong premiership sides he played for. Likely seen as a steadying force in the backline due to his previous experience, Fitzmaurice played in Geelong’s first VFL premiership win and captained the club in 1928. He eventually finished his career at North Melbourne, where he added another string to his bow as a goal-scorer, to finish with 188 games and 246 goals overall.

Tom Arklay, to me, sounds like he was a player akin to one Max Rooke. Strong, quick, and ruthless, it seems Arklay sought to win the ball with little regard for his own – or anybody else’s – safety. His son reports that Arklay was responsible for the breaking of the ribs of several opposition players during the course of his career. However, Arklay also clearly coupled toughness and a relentless attack on the ball with talent and consistency, as he saw both individual and team success with two Carji medals and a place in Geelong’s 1937 premiership side. Arklay played 137 games and kicked 45 goals.

Midfield
My midfield again features a collection of players who have tasted team success. Christensen, Williams, Tate, Corey and Trezise all experienced premiership success. Initially, a focus with my midfield was getting in guys with elite ball-winning ability, and with the drafting of Greg Williams and Joel Corey, I think I accomplished that. Trezise was also a brave in-and-under player with good skills who was clearly potent when playing forward. Christensen and Tate provide outside dash, with the former being able to play inside and forward too. Though I have drafted players who possessed tremendous ball-winning ability and footy IQ, the one knock is that it is a little slow.

Greg Williams was a star centre for three different clubs who made up for a lack of pace with a supreme adeptness at winning the ball and getting it out to his teammates with superb use of handball. Possessing tremendous footballing nous and skill, he was a driving force out of the midfield and a dangerous attacking option for the brief time he spent at the Cats, where he won a B&F in just his second season, and during the longer stints he spent with the Swans and Carlton. He finished a dual-Brownlow medallist, four-time All-Australian, dual-B&F winner (the other coming at Carlton), a premiership player with Carlton and Norm Smith medallist, along with a myriad other accolades. He was acknowledged as one of the greats of the game with selection in the AFL’s Team of the Century, and he occupies the centre position in both Sydney and Carlton’s Team of the Century line-ups, as well as being inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame and Carlton and Sydney club halls of fame. His career consisted of 250 V/AFL games and 217 goals, as well as 9 interstate games for Victoria. He takes prime position in my midfield as an elite ball-winner, extractor and attacking force.

Joel Corey was another highly prolific, hard, in-and-under contested ball winner for Geelong, where he played 278 games and was one of our triple-premiership stars. Corey was a consistent, no-fuss footballer who combined masterfully with Ablett and Bartel to create one of the most dominant midfield trios of all time and certainly the most dominant during the late 2000s period. He may have lacked the class and finishing ability of other star mids, but he was a vital inside player during an extremely successful era for the club, earning B&F medals in 2005 and 2008 and All-Australian selection in 2007 and 2008. I’ve tried to develop a theme of taking big-game players in my side – those who stood up when needed – and Corey definitely fits the bill. Across the four grand finals, he averaged 27 disposals, and few Cats fans will forget his smother late in the 2007 prelim final, without which the Cats may not have made it to the grand final the following week to break the 44-year drought.

Neil Trezise played 185 games and kicked 272 goals for the Cats as one of the finest rovers of the time, playing a key role in Geelong’s 1951 and 1952 premiership wins. He finished second in Geelong’s B&F in 1951 and third in 1952, 55, and 58. He also showed potency when resting up forward by topping the Cats’ goal-kicking in 1958, and in a game against Footscray in 1953, his attacking prowess was on show when he drove 8 goals home. Trezise was not an overly quick player, but he was a good kick on both sides and so proficient at reading the game that he was often first to the ball regardless, attacking the contest with courage and conviction despite his diminutive size.

Allen Christensen adds some modern-day texture to my side and is the only current player I have. Still only in his early twenties, Christensen has a considerable amount of time to go in his football career, and I tend to think he’ll continue to improve and evolve into a very formidable midfielder, despite him leaving the Cats in rather dubious and regrettable circumstances and now playing for the Lions. Christensen played some good football for the Cats as a talented youngster who was capable of playing as an inside or outside mid as well as up forward. Though he earns some contentious free kicks, he’s a skilful ball-winner and hard at the contest. He was a member of Geelong’s 2011 grand final side and took a memorable mark at a pivotal moment of the game.

Syd Tate was considered a powerful and pacey wingman who loved to run and carry the ball and then deliver it to the forwards with skills described as excellent over both short and long distances. Tate played in Geelong’s 1951 premiership in what would be his last game for Geelong and in the VFL competition. He finished with 85 games and 13 goals to his name.

John Mossop is my ruckman. He was a solid performer for the Cats during the eighties, capable of winning an abundance of hit-outs and also moving into the forward line and kicking goals, which he demonstrated on such occasions as the 1981 QF against Collingwood, when he kicked 7.3. In 1982, he was awarded the Carji Greeves medal for his consistent service in the ruck. He played 171 games for Geelong and North Melbourne and kicked 102 goals.

Forwardline
My forward line lacks the spread of premiership success that other areas of my side have, at least in the V/AFL. Some of the players here were unlucky for one reason or another and had their careers cut short or interrupted. However, I think I have a number of players who had tremendous scoring potential in the time they played, even if it wasn’t necessarily for the Cats or the game didn’t see all that they might have been able to achieve. The side possesses some potent attacking goal-kickers, including three leading club goal-scorers, a two-time leading league goal-scorer, and the second highest overall goal-scorer and multiple-time leading seasonal goal-scorer for the SANFL, and some who possess the ability to play in the midfield effectively, as well.

Clyde Helmer occupies my centre half-forward position, and is perhaps the greatest example of wasted potential in my side. He burst onto the scene in his second year at the club, kicking 74 goals in the 1938 season to lead Geelong’s goal-scoring. The next year he kicked 32 goals from 17 games, but his career seemingly began to fizzle out as his commitments to the army and the war effort took precedence over his commitment to football. He briefly re-joined the competition as part of Melbourne, where he played just two games, but his footballing career was ultimately postponed and never to be re-visited, as he died trying to defuse a bomb in New Guinea in 1945. Helmer finished with 73 games and 140 goals to his name.

Norm Glenister sits on one of my forward flanks. Glenister did not accrue the staggering seasonal goal tallies that the likes of White, Helmer or even Evans in the SANFL did. However, he was a consistent goal-kicker, and in his 9 years playing for the club, the only year in which he kicked fewer than 20 goals was his debut season consisting of only 2 games. He kicked 50 goals in 1938 (finishing behind Helmer in Geelong’s goal-kicking) and was Geelong’s highest goal-scorer the following year with 36 goals. Glenister was unlucky to not be a premiership player, as he would have played in the 1937 grand final if not for injury. Glenister initially left Geelong in 1941 to play with VFA club Coburg but returned to the Cats for the 1945 and 1946 seasons. Glenister represented Victoria in interstate football and finished his career with 124 games and 262 goals for Geelong.

Bob Troughton was one who could be used as a rover or wingman as well, but he rests on my half-forward line. Before coming to Geelong, Troughton played for SANFL club West Torrens, topping their goal-kicking on two occasions. He was recruited by Geelong for their 1930 season and played in the losing grand final of that year, followed up with a premiership win in 1931. A hard ball-winning player who used the ball well, he played 92 games for Geelong for 100 goals.

Lindsay White is my side’s full forward. It is debatable as to who should be the primary spearhead of the side, given what Tim Evans achieved in the SANFL. However, in terms of what they accomplished within the VFL competition and for Geelong, there is no doubt that White is my most accomplished forward. Considered one of the most effective full forwards of the 1940s, White was quick on the lead and a strong marking presence. He kicked 67 goals for the Cats in his debut year in what was a very lowly season in the club’s history. Upon crossing to South Melbourne due to Geelong’s absence from the competition during the war, White was the leading goal-kicker in the VFL and for South Melbourne in 1942 with 80 goals. He returned to Geelong in 1944 and continued to be Geelong’s most dangerous forward option, consistently leading Geelong’s goal-kicking. He seemingly grew in potency as the side around him improved towards the end of the 1940s, as he achieved overall goal tallies of 76 and 86 in ’47 and ’48 respectively, the latter earning him a second leading VFL goal-kicker award for the season. Overall, he topped Geelong’s goal-kicking for 5 seasons (making 6 overall VFL club leading goalkicker awards) and was twice the VFL’s leading goal-scorer. He finished his career with 142 games for 540 goals in the VFL, averaging out to 3.8 goals per game across his career.

Tim Evans is the other highly potent goal-scorer I have, though certainly much of his success up forward was found in the SANFL playing for Port Adelaide. Still, I think Evans and White would make a formidable duo and many backlines would struggle to contain the evident scoring prowess of the two. Evans spent four seasons amounting to 59 games for the Cats, mainly playing at half back. In 1975, he crossed to Port Adelaide in the SANFL, and was moved permanently to the full forward post in 1977. He dominated the SANFL’s goal-kicking for much of his career thereafter, leading the SANFL’s goal-scoring for six seasons and Port Adelaide’s for ten. He played in four SANFL premierships for Port, represented South Australia for 7 games, is the SANFL’s second highest ever goal-scorer, was named in Port’s team of the century at full forward, and is a member of the Tasmanian and South Australian halls of fame. He played 59 games for 26 goals for Geelong and 248 games for 1044 goals for Port Adelaide.

Gordon Abbott takes the final spot in my forward-line, named in the forward pocket. Abbott spent three years with Geelong in the late ‘30s and was a member of the 1937 premiership side, in which he kicked two goals. He then moved to South Australia and played with Glenelg for a year and then Tasmania to play with New Town, before he was enlisted by Essendon and returned to the VFL. There, he won Essendon’s best first-year player award in 1941 and played in Essendon’s 1942 and 1946 premiership sides, to finish his career a three-time premiership player. Able to play as a ruck or forward, Abbott finished his career with 133 games and 70 goals at VFL level.

19th Man
Harry Marsham, a ruckman from the early 20th century, fills out my team as the 19th man. Marsham spent 10 years at Geelong and played 135 games in the VFL, playing mainly as a ruckman but also able to present as a marking option up forward, kicking 67 goals throughout his career. He was considered one of the better ruckman of his generation and was an interstate representative on three occasions.

Biggy Boy says 'I have endeavoured to build a side that represents multiple generations of the club’s history, filling it with players who, individually or as part of a team (or hopefully both), have achieved success and acclaim. I looked for players who had been able to play high level football on a consistent basis, often reflected by winning accolades such as B&Fs or leading goalkicker medals, and I also sought players who were known to stand up in big games, such as finals, and I think a number of my players satisfied this, particularly as a number of my premiership players had performed well in the finals series and/or grand final leading to a premiership win.

I think a unique tinge to my team is the number of quality, highly-acclaimed players who played at Geelong but didn’t make names of themselves with the Cats, instead being already-established and accomplished players prior to joining the club or breaking out and/or further enhancing their playing career at other clubs post their Geelong playing career. Such examples include Tim Evans, Greg Williams, and Tom Fitzmaurice. Indeed, the four V/AFL club team of the century places in my side are shared by these three (Evans with Port, Fitzmaurice with Essendon, and Williams with Sydney and Carlton). Additionally, the likes of Gordon Abbott and George Gneil can be said to have achieved equal success elsewhere as they did at Geelong.

My selection strategy for the draft was to try and get the best available as early as possible, and with all he accomplished in his career, I believe that, for my pick, Williams was the best available. Beyond that, my feeling was that I had to complete my spine and on-ball brigade first, because key position and midfield stocks are generally the most important when building a successful team. Pairing Corey with Williams with my second pick gave me two extremely proficient ball-winners who had both experienced premiership success and played consistently high-quality football in finals. I then sought to fill out my key position stocks with Tim Evans, Lindsay White, Tom Fitzmaurice, and Roy West, enlist a quality ruckman in John Mossop, and fill out my strong ball-winning brigade with Trezise. From that point, I think I managed to fill the flanks of my side with some pretty good-value additions. I was pleased to snare Sanderson and Arklay as half-back flankers, who share 346 games of V/AFL experience and 3 Geelong B&Fs. A number of my players also have the ability to play in multiple positions, which adds versatility and adaptability to the line-up. Several individuals in my side could have their positions swapped around, which I consider a good thing.

In terms of where I could have done better, I think my insistence on drafting on a positional basis meant that I overlooked some better overall players who didn’t play in the area I was interested in, and I probably reached on a few players due to this strategy. The game was intriguing to follow, though, because every selector seemed to approach it in a different way and have different priorities and preferences, which meant that some players I thought might have gone earlier were overlooked for a few rounds, whilst players who I had earmarked for later rounds were taken earlier than I expected. On several occasions, a player I had high up on my shortlist was taken within a few picks of my next one, which made the game fun and challenging.'

A breakdown of the cumulative accolades of my team (not as extensive as krisholio14’s):
Brownlow medals: 2 (Williams x2)
V/AFL club B&Fs: 14 (Fitzmaurice x3, Williams x2, Corey x2, Arklay x2, White, Mossop, West, Sanderson, Gneil)
Coleman medals/leading V/AFL goalkickers: 2 (White x2)
Leading V/AFL club goalscorer awards: 11 (White x6, Fitzmaurice x2, Trezise, Glenister, Helmer)
All Australian Selections: 6 (Williams x4, Corey x2)
Norm Smith medals: 1 (Williams)
AFL Team of the Century members: 1 (Williams)
V/AFL Club Team of the Century members: 4 (Williams x2, Evans, Fitzmaurice)
AFL Hall of Fame inductees: 2 (Williams, Fitzmaurice)
V/AFL club captainships: 6 (Fitzmaurice x2, White, Trezise, Arklay, Gniel)
Premiership medals: 18 (Corey x3, Fitzmaurice x3, Abbott x3, Trezise x2, Williams, West, Arklay, Christensen, Everett, Troughton, Tate)

 

[krisholio14]

SCHRODINGER'S CATS - Cursed_Cat

Backs - LES SMITH - BRUCE MORRISON - PETER HARDIMAN
Games:132 Goals:17 - Games:130 Goals:0 - Games:160 Goals:40
poised, pacy back pocket/strong marking, well balanced defender/skilled, unselfish follower

Half Backs: GEOFF WILLIAMS - PETER WALKER - RUPE MCDONALD
Games:121 Goals:1 - Games:159 Goals:1 - Games:111 Goals:2
Pacy, determined defender with great judgement/stylish, poised half back/dashing half back or wing

Centres: JACK CARNEY - MITCH DUNCAN - NAKIA COCKATOO
Games:79 Goals:4 - Games:111 Goals:95 - Games:11 Goals:3
diminutive small with a ton of pace/classy midfilder who likes a goal/up and comer with a touch of brilliance

Half Forwards: DARCY LANG - FRED FLANAGAN - STEVE JOHNSON
Games:21 Goals:15 - Games:163 Goals:182 - Games:253 Goals:452
promising young midfielder/strong marking CHF, leader of men/brilliant fwd-mid with freak skills

Forwards: TED BAKER - GEORGE MOLONEY - JACK COLLINS
Games:95 Goals:101 - Games:88 Goals:303 - Games:112 Goals:112
nippy rover, premiership captain/highly skilled, athletic forward/strong marking, agile big man

Followers: BILL MCMASTER - LEN METHERELL - TOMMY QUINN
Games:61 Goals:75 - Games:110 Goals:117 - Games:168 Goals:169
lanky, high marking ruckman/burly but skilled ruck/champion rover and big game player

19th Man: JIM NORMAN
Games:37 Goals:15
hardy big man with pace and skill

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Cursed_Cat says.....
​

Firstly I’d just like to say thank you to NSFB for conceiving and keeping track of the comp in the first place; it’s been a really fun exercise and I also learned a lot.
Secondly, I dip my lid to my fellow selectors; I was rarely less than highly impressed with your collective knowledge and selection strategies.

In the spirit of even-handed analysis, I will go through a few points in relation to my team and then try to offer up some sort of a final summary.

Approach/Philosophy:

Coming into the comp, I had a firm strategy in mind.
I compiled a list of approx. 140ish players (which was completely exhausted by about round 14!), then broke them up into their respective positions, and ranked each player in their position; e.g. Rucks Polly>Newman>Ottens etc. etc.
After completing this I developed a strategy whereby I would select the best available players on a positional-needs basis.
The formula went something like this: CHF>Ruck>FF>KD1>KD2/best available mid>best available mid/KD2>best available mids/flankers.

I determined that players who had contributed to Premiership wins should be highly valued, and that would be a key theme of my team. Those who played especially well in Premiership wins were rated even higher.
Coming in at pick #8 in the comp I had no doubt I would be missing out on both Abletts, Polly Farmer and Doug Wade, among other absolute champs – so I thought, as a point of difference, I might make mine the ‘winningest’ (sorry, shit term) team.
Despite NSFB specifically addressing the fact that it was permissible and legit to select players who had forged the bulk of their reputation at other clubs (e.g. Greg Williams), it was not a route I wanted to take at all – what do I care how a player performed outside of Geelong? So I don’t think I ended up grabbing anyone who had exceeded their output at Geelong with other teams.

What went wrong:

I always held a realistic outlook in that I would miss out on players I wanted here and there, but a few of them reeeeally stung.
Leo Turner and Jack Williams were nabbed right under my nose (right in front of me!!).
Damian Bourke and Jack Metherell were guys I thought I could realistically select, but they went way earlier than I’d hoped, and not to me.
I’d strongly hoped to add Russell Renfrey as a ruck rover.
There were others who I weighed very heavily before passing up in marginal decisions, only to watch them go very soon after, like Peter Pianto, and Jackson Thurlow towards the end.
Overall my midfield isn’t quite as strong as I’d have liked.
Ruckman Bill McMaster and Rover Tommy Quinn were proven finals performers, and Mitch Duncan is just coming into his prime; Len Metherell played some good football as an old-fashioned ‘follower’ and Jack Carney had his moments, but as a unit they’re probably not among the best in this comp.
You could chuck Steve Johnson onto the ball if needed, I suppose.

Selections/What went right:

Once the comp commenced, a few things quickly became clear:
· The other selectors were no dummies
· The dozen available triple Premiership players (’07-’11) were going to go fast
· My pre-comp strategy was next to useless (apart from the ranking of players by position, which was helpful throughout)

I was able to secure Fred Flanagan, who I had rated as the best CHF in the Cat’s history, with my first pick, but by the time Brad Ottens went in the first round, and with the triple Premiership players going fast, I had to abandon my pre-comp strategy and play things by ear a lot more than I'd suspected.
By selecting Steve Johnson in the 2nd round I was able to at least get one of the very best of our triple Premiership players. 2011 Premiership player Mitch Duncan would be the only other player from this era that I would wind up securing (in round 9).

By the time round 3 came around it was already getting tough to settle on selections. With the very best Ruckmen gone I opted to grab one of the best Full Forwards in the club’s history, George Moloney; Premiership player, topped 100 goals, State representative and a member of the AFL Hall of Fame. Short for a Full Forward, he nevertheless knew how to hit the scoreboard heavily, and I was happy that I didn’t have to settle on some of our more mediocre spearheads.

Round 4 would go close to be my toughest choice (often the ‘choice’ was taken out of my hands) – with plenty of good key defenders still available and the quality mids getting snapped up, I decided to take the best available midfielder I could get. The problem was I just could not split two of them; Tommy Quinn and Peter Pianto. I was positive that whoever I took, the other would not be available to me in round 5 (and so it proved). The two have a very similar resume; both 2x Premiership players, both B&F winners, both State reps. In the end, Quinn’s extra B&F and longevity won out; as did the fact that he starred in the 1937 Grand Final. Tight call though, and I would ultimately have been happy to have added either champ.

In rounds 5 & 6 I was able to secure two of Geelong’s finest key defenders in Bruce Morrison and Peter Walker. Both B&F winners and state reps, both Premiership winners (Morrison x2) – and Morrison’s efforts in the ’51 GF had him among the best players afield (maybe the best, depending on where you read your reports).
Round 7 I took Jack Collins. Collins was probably the biggest ‘luxury’ selection I made, in that I already had a CHF, which was also Collins’ best position.
However I could not overlook him; to my mind he was clearly the best available player, full stop, at that stage of the comp. Champions of the era like Dick Reynolds and Haydn Bunton (as well as Collins’ Geelong team mates, of course) rated him an absolute champion. In my post relating to the selection (linked) I managed to dig up a quote from Haydn Bunton, who, on selecting Collins in the team of the best players he’d seen, rated Collins a better player than South Melbourne legend Laurie Nash.
If I hadn’t have managed Flanagan with my first pick, then I would have been very comfortable taking Collins as early as Round 2; I rated him that highly.

Of my remaining 12 selections, there were two I was really happy to add because it gave me a bit of chance to ‘celebrate’ them in their respective posts.
The more I uncovered and read about Jack Carney, the more I wanted him on my team. The smallest player to have ever played for Geelong, he nevertheless evidently played an absolute blinder on Grand Final day in 1931, and the stories and plaudits (included in my post; linked) that came out of that performance really made me smile. Carney! Carney!

Bill McMaster is largely known as Geelong’s head of recruiting pre-Stephen Wells, he held the job for decades.
I’d read interviews with Bill years ago where he quite disparagingly referred to his own footballing career, basically writing himself off as a bit of a battler.
Not so.
All the reports and testimonies from the early 50’s paint a picture of an extremely gifted, tall footballer, a match-winner who Essendon Brownlow Medallist Bill Hutchison described as a ‘positive menace in the air’ … I also uncovered some very scratchy footage from the ’52 Grand Final which is occasionally steady enough to show McMaster palming the ball with precision. Sadly he was such a threat to Collingwood’s premiership chances in 1953 (he’d been among the best in the 51 & 52 Grand Final wins) that he was cruelly taken out in a nasty incident from which he never fully recovered. His career was over after only 61 games, but he’d already contributed so much to Geelong that I was very very happy to select him.

The rest of my selections I was content enough with.
I could go on and talk further about them all; suffice to say that they were all Premiership players and most were among the best in their position during their era.
Some of them shone out on Grand Final day to help Geelong take the flag: the aforementioned Quinn, Carney, McMaster, Bruce Morrison and Stevie Johnson were right among the best of the best on the day; retrospective Norm Smith medals would be an interesting exercise, I reckon a few of those players would be among them. Geoff Williams who won the B&F in his debut year was also close to, if not best afield in the ’52 GF.
I never once had to resort to selecting players who I personally didn’t rate (e.g. Kent Kingsley), and there were a few players taken in this comp who I wouldn’t touch with a bargepole! I
was never forced to settle upon anyone like that; I wonder if those who restricted themselves to selecting only players they’d seen forced themselves into a corner with regards to picking some questionable types?

Late in the comp I took both Nakia Cockatoo and Darcy Lang, my only two non-Premiership players, and Geelong’s two most recent first round draft picks.
If my team is largely a celebration of Geelong’s history and successes, then Lang and Cockatoo represent my hopes for Geelong’s future.

I mentioned in the ‘what went wrong’ section that my midfield is probably a notch below some of the other selectors groups, but my defensive group is rock solid and my forward line is very strong, a nice mixture of class and flair.

 

[krisholio14]

CATEMPIRE'S CRONIES - catempire

Backs: TERRY FARMAN - RUSSELL MIDDLEMISS - JAMES RAHILLY
Games:133 Goals:9 - Games:74 Goals:2 - Games:90 Goals:11
reliable lock down defender/consistent defender/handy running defender

Half Backs: MAX ROOKE - JOE SELLWOOD - BERT WORNER
Games:135 Goals:58 - Games:180 Goals:97 - Games:65 Goals:10
tough as nails utility/strong marking KPP,thumping kick/strong and speedy HB-mid

Centres: JACK WILLIAMS - CARJI GREEVES - SEAN SIMPSON
Games:175 Goals:9 - Games:124 Goals:7 - Games:114 Goals:18
robust, skilled and pacy/silky skilled pivot/tagger with great endurance

Half Forwards: TERRY BRIGHT - GEORGE DOUGHERTY - AARON LORD
Games:219 Goals:331 - Games:121 Goals:188 - Games:57 Goals:49
often spectacular forward/consistent goal kicking ruck/skilled HF or mid

Forwards: RONNIE BURNS - LARRY DONOHUE - GARETH ANDREWS
Games:134 Goals:239 - Games:105 Goals:339 - Games:136 Goals:127
crumber capable of the miraculous/big marking, long kicking FF/strong marking,awkward kicking KPF

Followers: STEVEN KING - PAUL CHAPMAN - JOEL SELWOOD
Games:193 Goals:75 - Games:251 Goals:336 - Games:204 Goals:129
agile ruck,great endurance/consistent, big game performer/courageous, insprirational ball winner

19th Man: JED BEWS
Games:23 Goals:1
strong bodied running defender

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- catempire says.....

Watch this space......
​

 

[krisholio14]

CAT ATTACK - Two Planks

Backs: BRAD SHOLL - GEOFF ROSENOW - TOM MORROW
Games:169 Goals:46 - Games:147 Goals:7 - Games:120 Goals:58
creative small defender/dependable big man/Ruckman-key defender

Half Backs: GRAEME LANDY - TIM MCGRATH - CLINT BIZZELL
Games:54 Goals:31 - Games:219 Goals:18 - Games:75 Goals:72
good team man/relaible defender/intercept marker

Centres: MICHAEL TURNER - ADRIAN FLETCHER - LEO TURNER
Games:245 Goals:285 - Games:23 Goals:10 - Games:130 Goals:30
gun wingman/ball magnet/flexible mid

Half Forwards: PETER RICCARDI - TOM HAWKINS - JUSTIN MURPHY
Games:288 Goals:286 - Games:166 Goals:332 - Games:18 Goals:9
silky skills/giant forward/mr flexible

Forwards: ROBERT SCOTT - DOUG WADE - LEIGH TUDOR
Games:132 Goals:164 - Games:208 Goals:834 - Games:60 Goals:53
skilled small/Legendary forward/goal sneak

Followers: IAN HAMPSHIRE - BRIAN PEAKE - NEVILLE BRUNS
Games:113 Goals:22 - Games:66 Goals:49 - Games:223 Goals:174
dependable ruckman/gun midfielder/Tenacious rover

19th Man: CARL STEINFORT
Games:65 Goals:19
solid run with player

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Two Planks says.....
​

'I focused on key forwards and skilled running players and finished with role players. I didn't want to be chasing full forwards or ruck rovers with my last few selections.

Strengths are obviously Wade and Hawkins forward and the skilled running of Turner x 2 and Riccardi along with Peake, Bruns and Fletcher in the middle.'

 

[krisholio14]

THE LOVE CATS - Vdubs

Backs: GEOFF AINSWORTH - PAUL VINAR - CHRIS MITCHELL
Games:135 Goals:3 - Games:132 Goals:45 - Games:46 Goals:33
close checking, dependable BP specialist/versatile, thumping kick,touch of mongrel/strong marking KPP

Half Backs: MARK BOS - LEIGH COLBERT - ADRIAN HICKMOTT
Games:195 Goals:16 - Games:105 Goals:50 - Games:50 Goals:24
consistent defender,superior judgement/courageous swingman/Ball winning mid or rugged defender

Centres: MARK BLICAVS - KELVIN MATTHEWS - DAVID WOJCINSKI
Games:66 Goals:16 - Games:58 Goals:70 - Games:203 Goals:66
emerging supertalent, athletic, adaptable tall/tough as teak midfield nugget/line breaking, ball carrying speedster

Half Forwards: JOHN SHARROCK - BEN GRAHAM - PAUL LYNCH
Games:94 Goals:109 - Games:219 Goals:145 - Games:62 Goals:55
matchwinning forward-mid,stellar ball skills/monster kicking KPP/effective fwd in the air or on the deck

Forwards: SHAYNE BREUER - NATHAN ABLETT - JORDAN MURDOCH
Games:71 Goals:77 - Games:32 Goals:46 - Games:60 Goals:45
flanker-mid,touch of class and poise/athletic big man,great skills/lively mid,ton of pace, long kick

Followers: ROD BLAKE - LIAM PICKERING - GARY ABLETT JNR
Games:176 Goals:113 - Games:102 Goals:46 - Games:192 Goals:262
mobile big man with a big fist/tidy accumulator of disposals/decorated mid with all the skills

19th Man: Dr. ALEX MCGREGOR
Games:32 Goals:7
skilled HB/mid, club doctor

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Vdubs says.....
​

'Starting at the first bounce, big Rod Blake punches the ball 40 metres to the elusive Ablett who takes one bounce and goal.
OR
The ball is kicked out from FB by Vinar 75 metres to the high marking Graham at CHF, who kicks the goal from 75m out.
OR
Wojo pounces on a loose ball, takes 3 bounces, mesmerises all who try to chase him, and goals.

The key elements of this team are
VERSATILITY, EXCITEMENT/WEAPONS, DEPTH

VERSATILITY
A.Starting in defence,
Paul Vinar-
-a superb kick, prodigious enough to rival Benny Graham
-able to play ruck
-possessed mongrel
-45 goals
Chris Mitchell-
-another ruckman, beautifully skilled
-equally adept playing the tall defender and forward
-excellent mark and mobility
-33 goals
Leigh Colbert-
-a true swing player
-courageous
-at home as a KF , and mostly at NM as a KB
-50 goals
Adrian Hickmott-
-able to play as a ball magnet mid
-tough, uncompromising HBF
-24 goals
B.Midfield
Mark Blicavs-
-undeniable emerging supertalent
-capable as a winger, ruck-rover, and 2nd or 3rd up ruckman
-can plug holes in defence
-16 goals
C.Forward
Ben Graham-
-so tempted to slot him at FB, but Vinar would argue
-145 goals as a power CHF
Shayne Breuer-
-very brilliant HFF 77 goals
-very capable damaging midfielder
D.Bench
Dr Alex McGregor-
-midfield or HBF capabilities
-was known to assist the team at 1/2 time by suturing teammates-true story

EXCITEMENT- X-FACTOR- WEAPONS
Gary Ablett jnr-
-the most brilliant mid the GFC has seen
-262 goals
John Sharrock-
-able to blitz an opposition with brilliant marking, ground play, and goal scoring
-109 goals
- a true match-winner
Ben Graham-
-how often did the crowd woo Benny to go for the torp when 70 m out from goal
-who saw his legendary kickouts from FB
David Wojcinski-
- the most electrifying speedster we have seen at Geelong
-the metres gained specialist
-66 goals
Paul Lynch-
-unstoppable skills in attack, marking, ground play,
-55 goals
Nathan Ablett-
-unpredictable focus at FF
-capable of big goals with both feet
- great mark, superb athleticism
-46 goals
Rod Blake-
-hitouts of 40 metres on a regular basis
-excellent around the ground mobility and marking
-113 goals

DEPTH
3 Rucks
Beautifully balanced MF, with Pickering to "manage" Ablett,
players to slot in easily, such as Hickmott and Breuer,
2 recognised Fullbacks
Huge goal scoring potential with Kelvin Matthews (70goals) also a capable FP.
A balanced solid defence with the ever-reliable tackling machine Mark Bos backing up Colbert, and the very capable and effective full-time Back Pocket Geoff Ainsworth to negate the FP rover types that always trouble Geelong teams lately



Whatever way this is judged, it has been hugely fun being involved in this competition, reading everybody's contributions, learning about players from before even my time, and kind of sad it has ended.
Have hardly needed to or had time to look at other threads for a few weeks now.'

 

[krisholio14]

NAKEDDEADCATS - NakedDeadGuy

Backs: ARTHUR COGHLAN - MATTHEW SCARLETT - RAY BYRNE
Games:145 Goals:10 - Games:284 Goals:17 - Games:17 Goals:0
strongman ruck or defender/defensive play maker/solid, consistent backman

Half Backs: KEN HINKLEY - JACK HAWKINS - RAY CARD
Games:121 Goals:58 - Games:182 Goals:20 - Games:110 Goals:4
dashing rebounder, skilled aerialist/spring heeled Jack/BP nugget with mongrel

Centres: MARK YEATES - PETER FEATHERBY - MIKE WOOLNOUGH
Games:154 Goals:57 - Games:93 Goals:79 - Games:117 Goals:42
Dermie killer/run all day ball magnet/solid,dependable utility

Half Forwards: ANDREW WILLS - BARRY STONEHAM - DON BAUER
Games:59 Goals:43 - Games:241 Goals:223 - Games:71 Goals:0
pacy, mecurial runner/elite in any KP/bustling midfielder

Forwards: KEVIN SHEEHAN - LLOYD HAGGER - ADAM HOULIHAN
Games:102 Goals:112 - Games:174 Goals:389 - Games:61 Goals:75
handy rover-goal kicker/chirpy, high leaping spearhead/skilled but flakey HF

Followers: DAMIEN BOURKE - RUSS RENFREY - BRYAN COUSINS
Games:102 Goals:15 - Games:201 Goals:165 - Games:67 Goals:46
thumping ruckman/attacking ball getter with grunt/small man with endurance

19th Man - ALAN WOODMAN
Games:58 Goals:2
hard as nails ruckman

SEE NAKEDDEADCATS PLAYER PROFILES HERE

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NakedDeadGuy says......
​

'I'm happy with this team. I think the thing that makes it a standout is the toughness, which is something I aimed for. The weak links are Wills & Houlihan, with their consistency a worry. Loved the write-ups on Coghlan & Bauer, who were the only 2 I didn't know anything about.
This team is clearly the best, as if they were being beaten the coach would send the message to go the knuckle - which this mob could no doubt do.
A great exercise, well done to all involved.'

 

[krisholio14]

MEMORIES - year of the cat

Backs: CAMERON GUTHRIE - STEPHEN O'REILLY - TERRY CALLAN
Games:85 Goals:23 - Games:36 Goals:5 - Games:62 Goals:5
versatile defender or mid/close checking FB/dependable BP specialist

Half Backs: MICHAEL MANSFIELD - BERNARD TOOHEY - JOHN DEVINE
Games:181 Goals:100 - Games:94 Goals:35 - Games:118 Goals:6
long kicking HB with good hands/tough, uncompromising rebounder/skillful, pack spliting defender

Centres: ALISTAIR LORD - DENIS MARSHALL - FRED HAWKING
Games:122 Goals:79 - Games:84 Goals:52 - Games:102 Goals:18
supremely skilled centreman/complete player/dashing winger/mid

Half Forward: PAUL SARAH - BILL RYAN - JASON SNELL
Games:128 Goals:204 - Games:167 Goals:220 - Games:68 Goals:62
cheeky goalsneak who could jump/Mr Bucket Hands/hard running fwd or mid

Forwards: DARREN FLANIGAN - GEORGE GONINON - PAUL BROWN
Games:130 Goals:50 - Games:78 Goals:278 - Games:84 Goals:66
workhorse ruckman/fast leading spearhead/loping HF/HB

Followers: POLLY FARMER - JIMMY BARTEL - SEAN DENHAM
Games:101 Goals:65 - Games:283 Goals:191 - Games:44 Goals:21
game changing ruckman/adaptable accumulator, big game specialist/durable hard nut tagger

19th Man: DARREN MORGAN
Games:92 Goals:69
good, honest goer

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
year of the cat says.....
​

My pitch is the toughness of my team, the strength of my midfield and the overall evenness across each line.

A midfield of Farmer, Bartel, Marshall and Alistair Lord is mighty. Both talented and tough, it includes one legend of the game, two Brownlow medalists and another absolute champion. I reckon my team would win it's fair share of ball.

I have an equally hard half back line with proven big game players. Mansfield, Toohey and Devine just don't shirk. O'Reilly has the ability to play on the monster forwards, Guthrie and Callan are both class running players with the versatility to also play midfield.

My forwardline is perhaps the weakest of my lines but with Goninon, Ryan and Sarah it still has terrific goal scoring power with players (including Brown) that are excellent contested, overhead marks. Hawking and Morgan provide great run and carry.

All in all a very even team.

 

[krisholio14]

CATBOYS - Catgirl

Backs: DARREN MILBURN - KEVIN HIGGINS - COREY ENRIGHT
Games:292 Goals:94 - Games:128 Goals:35 - Games:309 Goals:62
reliable,no fuss backman/skilled left footer/master of defense and rebound

Half Backs: JARED RIVERS - HARRY TAYLOR - JOSH HUNT
Games:44 Goals:0 - Games:180 Goals:41 - Games:198 Goals:29
versatile defender/supreme aerialist and kick/rebounder with a thumping kick

Centres: TED STEVENSON - MARK BAIRSTOW - JOHN O'NEILL
Games:105 Goals:30 - Games:146 Goals:172 - Games:136 Goals:20
diminiuive, tenacious little man/tireless kick winner/skillful, dashing wing

Half Forwards: JACK EVANS - BILL BROWNLESS - GORDON HYNES
Games:149 Goals:146 - Games:198 Goals:441 - Games:61 Goals:52
imposing ruckman-fwd/prodigious kick of the footy/talented yet unfulfilled forward

Forwards: JACK GRANT - PERCY MARTINI - JACK METHERELL
Games:119 Goals:99 - Games:149 Goals:333 - Games:65 Goals:221
exceptionally speedy flanker/consistent, accurate full forward/tough big man, consistent goal kicker

Followers: SHANE MUMFORD - JIM WARREN - JIM KNIGHT
Games:21 Goals:3 - Games:57 Goals:58 - Games:42 Goals:54
burly, hard hitting ruckman/nippy rover and goalsneak/highly skilled small man

19th Man: RON HOSKING
Games:70 Goals:0
solidly built defender

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Catgirl says....

***crickets chirping***

disclaimer - Catgirl did not name this team, I did...​

 

[krisholio14]

MALAKELLIS & CO - ChookNorris

Backs: TIM DARCY - TOM HARLEY - SPIRO MALAKELLIS
Games:176 Goals:83 - Games:197 Goals:11 - Games:67 Goals:18
dashing FB or HB, handy fwd/long kick, great anticipation down back/useful on ball or in defense

Half Backs: GRANT TANNER - JOHN HYDE - DICK GRIGG
Games:69 Goals:28 - Games:108 Goals:12 - Games:194 Goals:64
hard working utility/fearless, straight ahead KP/utility with all round skills

Centres: PERCY SCOWN - PAUL COUCH - TRAVIS VARCOE
Games:121 Goals:2 - Games:259 Goals:203 - Games:138 Goals:130
speedy, agressive wingman/durable ball winning, goalkicking mid/skilled running mid or fwd

Half Forwards: JOSH CADDY - BRUCE LINDNER - DANIEL MENZEL
Games:53 Goals:38 - Games:66 Goals:139 - Games:23 Goals:36
emerging in and under mid/THE PREZ! mercurial utility/skillful, versatile forward with class

Forwards: CLIVE COLES - GARY ABLETT SNR - REX HUNT
Games:109 Goals:76 - Games:242 Goals:1021 - Games:32 Goals:44
BP-rover > quality goalsneak/The Man, The Legend/powerful mark, booming kick, yibbida yibbida!
​

Followers: JOHN YEATES - GARRY HOCKING - ANDREW BEWS
Games:86 Goals:76 - Games:274 Goals:243 - Games:207 Goals:132
beanpole ruck who could play forward/hard nut ball winner with skills/hard working, persistent rover or BP

19th Man: CORY GREGSON
Games:20 Goals:13
young small with pace and skill

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ChookNorris says.....
​

Pre-Draft Strategy:

After compiling my list, the strategy was fairly simple, just take the best available, and aim to take one player from each line where possible to try for balance (basically don't end up with 6 forwards after round 6). Later through the draft once the majority of my list was gone I strayed from this strategy a bit and took a few players I genuinely liked a bit more than others, this obviously screwed my selections towards players i had seen.

What made me happy:
Let's start with the obvious one, getting handed the first pick is the sweetest cherry you could get, allowing me to take Geelong's & the AFL's greatest ever player Gary Ablett Senior (please don't attempt to turn this into a debate, it's simply a waste of time). Managing to nab Buddha and couch with my next two picks was just the icing. Later in the draft I was more than thrilled to pick up a few of my absolute favourites from the present day in Menzel, Caddy, Varcoe & Gregson (also Gregson's selection guarantees Willo_ will vote for me)

What made me sad:
Not having any of the triple premiership players is a bit of a downer, but despite there being a few available at my picks a few players were too good to pass up (Buddha for example was in my top 5). Like everyone else had a few players I was really keen on taken from under my nose. Mumford and Mark Jackson (a forward line with Snr, Lindner, Jackson & Menzel had me drooling) were two I was really hoping would have made it though to my next pick.
Didn't really have a great backup plan past Mumford as a i thought he'd last a bit longer, making my ruck choice the weakest past of my side.


Line Analysis:

Defenders:
Led by dual premiership captain Tom Harley, 4x B&F winner Dick Grigg (TOTC) and dual premiership CHB John Hyde, i really felt this backline would have a great balance between between stopping power and attack, with Grigg regarded by some as the player of his generation. The remaining spots i was happy to snag Darcy, as other posters mentioned could have excelled in a 3rd tall position, and a couple of personal favourites in Spiro & GT.

Centers:
Being able to nab another couple TOTC players in Hocking and Couch, combined with the outside skills of Varcoe had me very confident my stacked forward line would never be left wanting for good delivery out of the centre. Bews was another selection leaning towards a well functioning team with the gun tagger hopefully being able to negate one of the guns from the other sides. Scown and Yeates were a bit before my time and maybe less well known than some of the other centerman and wingers, but by my list they were best available for positions that needed filling, was hopeful too at the time of having at least one set of father sons in at the Yeates' but alas it was not to be. (side note, soon as the voting is done Travis can be yours for all time Vdubs )

Forwards:
Its so beautiful I am nearly brought to tears. This forward line simply has too many weapons for any side to contain. This line is also one of the most exciting you could hope for with the freakish skills of Sr, Lindner & Menzel. Rex Hunt is my only player that really didn't peak in his career at Geelong, but how could i resist the big guy being on field commentating senior from mere meres away, also the fact another dual premiership forward would continue to stretch opposition backlines.


Final Words:
A balanced, attacking side, featuring sublime skills, pace, height, record holders, our greatest ever & a Malakellis. What more could you want.

 

[ChookNorris]

Great.

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

A hard choice but in my humble opinion year of the cat's side trumps all comers... just.

A shout out to Vdubs side for having Mark Bos.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

A hard choice

'Tis indeed.

Got 3 teams in mind. Sigh.

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

'Tis indeed.

Got 3 teams in mind. Sigh.

I'll sim that tournament still if you like.

These bloke would enjoy the unofficial bragging rights.

 

[krisholio14]

I'm not going to vote for my own team, and I gotta tell you I'm battling to narrow it down. There are three or four teams in particular that I am having a lot of trouble separating.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

I'll sim that tournament still if you like.

These bloke would enjoy the unofficial bragging rights.

Up to you. My work here is now done.

 

[year of the cat]

Well done krisholio14 for these write ups. Must have taken a lot of work.

 

[krisholio14]

Well done krisholio14 for these write ups. Must have taken a lot of work.

Yeah it did take a while, but it was well worth it. A lot of thought and research was put in by selectors, so it's worth presenting it all in a way that doubles as both a competition and a historical reference for the future

 

[ChookNorris]

Can't buy a vote... Pick 1 was a poisoned chalice

 

[Farmer2Goggin]

Fantastic thread , congratulations to all the "budding Wellsys" for their time , effort and amazing knowledge and insights into our Clubs history.
Every one of the sides presented would be worthy winners.
I found it difficult to decide between four sides - Vdubs , NakedDeadGuy , year of the cat and Sttew - the decider was the half forwardline of Sharrock/ Graham/Lynch put up by Vdubs - a standout in any era

 

[barmy44]

went for 'the love cats' due to Vdubs' interesting approach to player selection and timing, and the blicavs/murdoch combination...