Team of the Century 1960- now

[Jack The Godfather]

Cox is the best ruckman I have seen and changed the position and is still a ruck size 203 cm. He is a lock for me in that position with Polly coming in for little stunts and running forward or on the ball.

Madden was the best I've seen


Also Wirrapanda. Surely that's a pisstake?

 

[masai tu]

Not sure you can exclude Stewart, Hart, Greg on the basis of your 1960s cut off date. Stewart would be ahead of Voss, Judd, Martin.

Also not sure how Cox goes ahead of Polly. Good modern ruckmen but not an all time legend.

Aker was a good player but wouldn't be on a half forward flank ahead of Martin or more accurately Kevin Bartlett given the time frame.

All respect to Cox, but he ain’t in the same changeroom as Polly.

Polly dominated his position, took on all comers.

 

[Robroy22]

Having Aker and Martin in due to their ability to kick a couple of goals a game as well as play some midfield minutes is ridiculous. Daicos and Bartlett (and Greening) kicked bags of goals as midfielders....same as Lethal.

Bartlett and Daicos and Matthews played the last stages of their careers as pure forwards but prior to that they were all GUN goalkicking midfielders.

 

[fishardansin]

Leigh Matthews is widely seen as the best ever by most old-timers. Royce Heart is widely seen as the best ever by old-timers, but I have Carey as the best ever personally so I agree there.

From an Essendon perspective, I'd have Hird before Voss just because he was equally influential around the ground but could also play CHF. I also think football fans criminally underate Fletcher. Rance and Scarlett are not as good modern tall backs with their closing speed and length of arms and neither have 20% of his offensive capabilities. He can't compete with Silvagni et all with the gorillas though. However, because he played across both eras people see his weakness against a beast like the big Sav. Just ask Matthew Scarlett who was better, him or Fletcher. Also, that 1999-2001 team was perhaps the best team ever and certainly was in 2000. Unlike the great Hawthorn of the 80s and every great team since it was reliant on its stars. A statistical correlation between a player's availability and Essendon winning and losing shows that Fletcher was the most important player in that team.

I mean, how the eff can a fullback win B&F in a team that finishes with a percentage of 160? ... and can still perform at an AFL level when his body has a 40-year-old's wear and tear.?

For mine, the best possible combination of KPPs would be Silvagni (if the umpires remain "relaxed" on holding) and the strength of Jackovith with the intercepting and kicking of Fletcher.

 

[South of the Yarra]

Ackerman should not be in over Daicos. Daicos had seasons of 97, 76,75
(In 19 games), 58 playing midfield) and 52 (playing midfield) playing as a non key position forward.

 

[Lingsface]

All respect to Cox, but he ain’t in the same changeroom as Polly.

Polly dominated his position, took on all comers.

Cox is 203 cm having seasons where he averaged 23 possesions and 25 hitouts a game. A brilliant user of the ball and unlike any other player to play his position. He won’t 6 All Australians as well.

Farmer one of the greatest ever just seem to think he would have to be a punch hitting ruckman now and play off a wing or on the ball or half forward. He might be like a better version of Bilcavs.

 

[Lingsface]

Ackerman should not be in over Daicos. Daicos had seasons of 97, 76,75
(In 19 games), 58 playing midfield) and 52 (playing midfield) playing as a non key position forward.

Yes but you already have Lockett Franklin Ablett Carey kicking a few here and there a high half forward who can get a couple and put it laces out in to the tit would be better.”, there’s no argument Akermanis foot skills were close to the best.

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

Cox is the best ruckman I have seen and changed the position and is still a ruck size 203 cm. He is a lock for me in that position with Polly coming in for little stunts and running forward or on the ball.

Cox didn't change anything.

Diesel Williams is a dual Brownlow medallist and in the Team of the Century he is your centreman.

 

[South of the Yarra]

Yes but you already have Lockett Franklin Ablett Carey kicking a few here and there a high half forward who can get a couple and put it laces out in to the tit would be better.”, there’s no argument Akermanis foot skills were close to the best.

Daicos foot skills on either side of his body were better than any player I have ever seen. I will argue that Daics was a better kick than Aker and significantly.He was actually a more talented midfielder than forward. He kicked two lots of 50 plus playing centre and put the ball laces out either boot. Was also a thumping kick of the torp. Daics freakish goals became his trade mark but people forget he is probably the best all round kick in modern football. Daics at the feet of those players would have a feast. The Lions win Premierships without Aker but the Pies would not have won without Daics. He was a game changer

 

[Lingsface]

Daicos foot skills on either side of his body were better than any player I have ever seen. I will argue that Daics was a better kick than Aker and significantly.He was actually a more talented midfielder than forward. He kicked two lots of 50 plus playing centre and put the ball laces out either boot. Was also a thumping kick of the torp. Daics freakish goals became his trade mark but people forget he is probably the best all round kick in modern football. Daics at the feet of those players would have a feast. The Lions win Premierships without asker but the Pies would not have won without Daics. He was a game changer

That was very convincing , must be an option to do the swap! I didn’t get to see him play much but his legend does live on not like many others.

 

[Fadge]

I don't go back to 1960 lol, but i do go back to the mid/late 70's. Mathews and Doull being my cutoff players as even as older players for me they were superstars and walkup starters.

Ayres Silvagni Scarlett

McLeod Jakovich Doull

Matera Williams Ablett Snr

Daicos Carey(VC) Martin

Franklin Lockett Matthews(C)

Madden Judd Ablett Jnr

20 man over the top Royal Rumble for the bench spots

Great team.

 

[owen87]

Cox is 203 cm having seasons where he averaged 23 possesions and 25 hitouts a game. A brilliant user of the ball and unlike any other player to play his position. He won’t 6 All Australians as well.

Farmer one of the greatest ever just seem to think he would have to be a punch hitting ruckman now and play off a wing or on the ball or half forward. He might be like a better version of Bilcavs.

Farmer is 191cm, he wouldn't be rucking anything in modern AFL.

 

[Fadge]

Farmer is 191cm, he wouldn't be rucking anything in modern AFL.

Oh my.

He's also no longer with us, which makes it even harder...

 

[catscollector]

matthews played on the ball as well as in the forward line

over the years we have seen some slow guys excel in the middle including williams and more recently mitchell. we've also seen chunky guys like hamill and more recently tipungwuti.

So although I appreciate there are players who wouldn't be champs in their former roles (polly farmer, gary ablett snr (as a full forward), dunstall) I don't see matthews as one of them.

Cable, Jnr and Martin are superior users compared to Matthews though. Matthews often did the gritty work extracting the ball and kicking it as far as he could.
Cable was a sublime user. As too Greg Williams. Very rarely did they turn it over throughout their careers.

 

[catscollector]

Daicos foot skills on either side of his body were better than any player I have ever seen. I will argue that Daics was a better kick than Aker and significantly.He was actually a more talented midfielder than forward. He kicked two lots of 50 plus playing centre and put the ball laces out either boot. Was also a thumping kick of the torp. Daics freakish goals became his trade mark but people forget he is probably the best all round kick in modern football. Daics at the feet of those players would have a feast. The Lions win Premierships without asker but the Pies would not have won without Daics. He was a game changer

Completely agree.
The only thing that held back Daicos throughout his illustrious career were injuries. He was also a very fair player and copped some nasty hits.
People forget that prior to knee a complaint, he was averaging 18 disposals & 2 goals per game from the centre. Brilliant side step evasion and a better kick on the opposite foot than Akermanis (which seems impossible).
Daicos was a better overhead mark.

One of the greatest players ever who likely could have become a world class soccer player had he chosen that sport instead.

 

[hawkman]

Hudson should be the full forward

 

[Walshawk]

I don't think you can go further back than 15 or 20 years. Players from 1960 to 2000 were participants in a totally different game. If I was to select a team from 1960 onward, playing football under the rules of the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s, no one this century would get a game. Similarly, a player like Leigh Matthews would be a different player in the 21st century, his role would be completely disparate from what he is well known for today. Footy and its players have changed considerably, the rules would be foreign to anyone who played in the 1999 Grand Final! You could probably make up a great team from the past 20 years, but that's as far as it goes.

They are not going to actually play a game. You just need to compare players against their contemporaries. Don Bradman might struggle for a few games if he was suddenly transported from 1937 to 2023, but that does nothing t mean he is not first picked in any ‘all time’ cricket team.

 

[RUNVS]

Hudson should be the full forward

Great commentator but I don't think he should be in the team of the century

 

[Jack The Godfather]

That was very convincing , must be an option to do the swap! I didn’t get to see him play much but his legend does live on not like many others.

Daicos was a freak.

 

[South of the Yarra]

Hudson should be the full forward

An absolute superstar. No one read the flight of the ball better and the use of his body was unbelievable. I have Lockett just ahead of him but gee you could toss a coin.

 

[SSSSSS]

Lethal would be starting as a rover. None of this forward pocket s**t.

Yeh he was incredible up forward but the GOAT gets his favoured position.

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

I don't go back to 1960 lol, but i do go back to the mid/late 70's. Mathews and Doull being my cutoff players as even as older players for me they were superstars and walkup starters.

Ayres Silvagni Scarlett

McLeod Jakovich Doull

Matera Williams Ablett Snr

Daicos Carey(VC) Martin

Franklin Lockett Matthews(C)

Madden Judd Ablett Jnr

20 man over the top Royal Rumble for the bench spots

Silvagni was not even the best full back at Carlton. Southby was leagues ahead.

Ditto Graeme Moss who was a dominant ruckman for Essendon and back in WA. I have Moss well ahead of S. Madden.

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

For mine only one player read the game and distributed the ball better than Greg Williams and that was Polly Farmer.

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

I also have Chris Mew at CHB instead of Rance and Peter Knights.

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

With the passing of Barry Round, it made me think of all the wonderful heart and soul players who have played for all of our Clubs.

I wonder what a composite team of heart and soul Clubmen who could really play and were usually first picked Would look like.

Here are just a few randoms, aside from the wonderful Round.

South/Sydney - Brett Kirk, Jude Bolton

Richmond - Francis Bourke

Carlton - Wayne Johnson, Kade Simpson

North - Archer and Schimma

Hawthorn - Dipper, Hodgey

Brisbane - the fly McRae,

Saints - Lenny Hayes, Trevor Barker

GoCo - Touk Miller

Hope someone has a crack at such a thread.