Team of our existence

[year of the cat]

The team of the century was announced in 1997:

B: Bernie Smith, George Todd, John Newman
HB: Dick Grigg, Reg Hickey, Joe Slater
C: Michael Turner, Carji Greeves, Leo Turner
HF: Gary Ablett snr, Fred Flanagan, Bob Davis
F: Henry Young, Doug Wade, Peter Pianto


Foll: Graham Farmer, Gary Hocking, Bill Goggin

Int: David Clarke, Paul Couch, Alec Eason, Les Hardiman

Emerg: Ian Nankervis, Jack Collins, Tom Quinn, Cliff Rankin

I reckon it is interesting to speculate what changes would be made to the above team if now considering the past 14 years which have been ironically the most successful in the clubs history. The players of this era should have a significant representation in an amended team. It is difficult of course to compare players of different eras and I doubt any of us were around to witness the abilities of the likes of Grigg, Slater, Young and Eason let alone Leo Turner and Peter Pianto. A lot of this requires a bit of "uneducated guessing".

There are some names that are undeniable legends of the club in Hickey, Smith, Davis and Wade. It is hard to imagine that they are likely to be replaced even if a similar team is named in another 100 years.

But have the likes of Grigg and Eason's inclusion in a "best Geelong team" reached their expiry date?

List your best team ever.

For me:

B: Bernie Smith, Matthew Scarlett, Darren Milburn
HB: Corey Enright, Reg Hickey, Dick Grigg
C: Michael Turner, Gary Ablett jnr Carji Greeves
HF: Gary Ablett snr, Fred Flanagan, Bob Davis
F: Paul Chapman, Doug Wade, Peter Pianto


Foll: Graham Farmer, Gary Hocking, Bill Goggin

Int: Jimmy Bartel, Paul Couch, John Newman, Peter Riccardi

Emerg: George Todd, Joe Slater, Joel Selwood, Leo Turner

What do you reckon? Who have I missed?

 

[Jumping Jack]

But have the likes of Grigg and Eason's inclusion in a "best Geelong team" reached their expiry date?

Harsh, did you ever see Grigg play? The bloke was a freak.
Made Gary Ablett Snr look like Mark Blake.

 

[bobbycatsfanme]

lol great thread it's pretty much impossible to compare era's and how this player may have fitted into today's side or vice versa but we have had so many amazing footballers over the years.

 

[year of the cat]

But have the likes of Grigg and Eason's inclusion in a "best Geelong team" reached their expiry date?

Harsh, did you ever see Grigg play? The bloke was a freak.
Made Gary Ablett Snr look like Mark Blake.

Lol I stand corrected!!

 

[bobbycatsfanme]

But have the likes of Grigg and Eason's inclusion in a "best Geelong team" reached their expiry date?

Harsh, did you ever see Grigg play? The bloke was a freak.
Made Gary Ablett Snr look like Mark Blake.

Grigg definitely would need to have him in our team of the century, I have heard he was an absolute freak I wonder if there is any footage of him somewhere. I know it's your opinion but I still wouldn't have Chapman in the team of the century just yet and neither Gary jnr. Gary jnr has only performed consistently at the high level since the start of the 2007 season. Chappy has been consistent longer but he still has another 3 or 4 years left to really cement a place. Corey has been a gun for many years too but Bartel is a better player than Corey because he kicks more goals and takes far more contested marks at crucial stages of the game...I mean check out some of those names, Farmer, Wade, Turner, Todd, Hickey, Goggin even Couchy, they did what Gary jnr is doing now but for over a decade of footy

 

[bobbycatsfanme]

Farmer and to think we got him after he had done his knee and was past his best yet changed the game forever. Some of those stories and marks that he was taking in the WAFL in his early days almost has him up there as the greatest football player ever.

 

[thejester]

If we're doing a team of our existence you'd have to include the entire VFA period as well.

I thought the big omission of the 97 team was Lord - won a Brownlow afterall. I was gonna say Enright is a huge call but I suppose that a B&F and multiple AAs is nothing to sneeze at.

 

[Sttew]

As good as Selwood is, I don't think he has been around long enough to justify selection. This will hopefully change. Keep Ian Nankervis at this stage.

 

[hamG]

Dasher is more of a clubman than best 22 in my opinion.

Scarlett is an obvious definite. Junior will be (accept it lads), Jimmy should be. Boris & Chappers & Corey will be rated in about 10 years when we look back at this team.

I think the real question is ... where is this man?

 

[DanA]

Scarlett for Hardiman
Jnr for Clarke


That's about it. Maybe Chapman or Bartel for Couch in time but it's a line ball for me and well have to see how they finish their careers.

 

[SJ]

I thought the Team of the Century was announced in 2001. Either way, after ten years on it's not a bad concept to revisit.

 

[Cursed Cat]

The team of the century was announced in 1997:

B: Bernie Smith, George Todd, John Newman
HB: Dick Grigg, Reg Hickey, Joe Slater
C: Michael Turner, Carji Greeves, Leo Turner
HF: Gary Ablett snr, Fred Flanagan, Bob Davis
F: Henry Young, Doug Wade, Peter Pianto


Foll: Graham Farmer, Gary Hocking, Bill Goggin

Int: David Clarke, Paul Couch, Alec Eason, Les Hardiman

Emerg: Ian Nankervis, Jack Collins, Tom Quinn, Cliff Rankin

I reckon it is interesting to speculate what changes would be made to the above team if now considering the past 14 years which have been ironically the most successful in the clubs history. The players of this era should have a significant representation in an amended team. It is difficult of course to compare players of different eras and I doubt any of us were around to witness the abilities of the likes of Grigg, Slater, Young and Eason let alone Leo Turner and Peter Pianto. A lot of this requires a bit of "uneducated guessing".

There are some names that are undeniable legends of the club in Hickey, Smith, Davis and Wade. It is hard to imagine that they are likely to be replaced even if a similar team is named in another 100 years.

But have the likes of Grigg and Eason's inclusion in a "best Geelong team" reached their expiry date?

List your best team ever.

For me:

B: Bernie Smith, Matthew Scarlett, Darren Milburn
HB: Corey Enright, Reg Hickey, Dick Grigg
C: Michael Turner, Gary Ablett jnr Carji Greeves
HF: Gary Ablett snr, Fred Flanagan, Bob Davis
F: Paul Chapman, Doug Wade, Peter Pianto


Foll: Graham Farmer, Gary Hocking, Bill Goggin

Int: Jimmy Bartel, Paul Couch, John Newman, Peter Riccardi

Emerg: George Todd, Joe Slater, Joel Selwood, Leo Turner

What do you reckon? Who have I missed?

good thread and good on you for having a go at a revised team.
very difficult task, there will always be plenty of conjecture.

if I were to categorise my understanding of some of the clubs greats :

Legends :

G. Farmer
G. Ablett snr
R. Hickey
B. Smith
B. Davis
F. Flanagan

Reg Hickey and Fred Flanagan, both key position players and premiership captains.

Hickey played in two premierships, one of them as captain-coach, where his positional changes helped to turn the match against the Pies in the Cats favour. He went on to coach Geelong to another two flags, going back-to-back in '51-'52, the only time in the clubs history it has achieved this feat.
He won 2 B&F's and placed a 2nd and a 3rd in the Brownlow.

Flanagan captained Geelong's '51-'52 premiership sides, won a B&F, represented Victoria 21 times and was runner up in the 1950 Brownlow count.

Smith, Farmer, Ablett and Davis were all brilliant and skillful players and to my mind represent everything wonderful about the great Geelong sides.
Davis had electrifying pace and sharp skills. Smith won a Brownlow from a back pocket (in a premiership year), re-defining the position with his attacking play from defense.
Farmer is an Australian Football legend, and his stint in the hoops yielded the club a premiership. His athleticism and use of handball was a major weapon for the Geelong teams of the 60's.
Ablett snr most of us recall well, nothing needs to be said.

After those 6, it gets a bit trickier imo ..

Carji Greeves is one who I think would be an automatic selection; he won the inaugural Brownlow medal, then came runner-up 3 more times in the following four counts. He played in 2 premierships, '25 and '31.

Buddha Hocking won 4 B+F's and 4 AA guernseys. He also played in 4 losing grand finals.

Jocka Todd won 3 B+F's and played in 2 premierhips, 1925 and 1931. He played 232 games, mainly at full-back.

Dick Grigg won 3 B+F's. No flags though.

G. Ablett jnr, 2 B+F's, a Brownlow, 4 AA's and 2 flags. Any doubts on his longevity with the club should be tempered by the fact that Polly Farmer only played 98 games with Geelong.

I. Nankervis is our games record holder, but played in a very poor era for the club. Regardless, his effort cannot be questioned.

Mick Turner played 245 games, represented Victoria 11 times and won an All-Australian guernsey.

Alec Eason and his brother Bill played a combined 370 games for Geelong.

There are reportedly outstanding players from other eras, players that were probably unlucky to be overlooked in the Team of the Century.

Tommy Quinn and Jack Collins were named emergencies, but both had strong claims based on research.
Quinn came across from WA, he played 168 games with Geelong as a rover, kicked 169 goals, won 2B&F's (one in a premiership year) and played in two flags.

Jack Collins played 112 games and kicked 112 goals as a CHF. He played in the 1931 premiership side and represented Victoria 11 times. Anecdotal evidence suggests he was an absolute gun, possibly better than Flanagan for sheer talent as a CHF.

Of the current bunch of dual premiership Cats, these blokes all deserve consideration at the very least :

G. Ablett jr.
J. Bartel
P. Chapman
J. Corey
C. Enright
C. Ling
D. Milburn
M. Scarlett

Selwood will be right up there by the end of his career too.


My team, and I acknowledge this is partially based on the opinions and reports of old-timers :

B: B. Smith M. Scarlett G. Todd

HB: C. Enright R. Hickey D. Milburn

C: J. Bartel E. Greeves L. Turner

HF: G. Ablett sr. F. Flanagan B. Davis

F: P. Chapman D. Wade G. Ablett jr.

R: G. Farmer G. Hocking B. Goggin


I/C : J. Collins T. Quinn L. Hardiman D. Grigg

emerg : P. Couch J. Corey C. Long

there might seem to be a lot of modern-era players, but in my eyes contributions to premierships weighs heavily.
Of the players I went for, all are dual premiership players, apart from Farmer, Flanagan and Collins (one flag each), and Ablett sr, Hocking, Wade and Grigg (no flags)