The best VFL/AFL team - last 50 years

[Wild Bill]

Walls and Parkin have created their best team of the last 50 years:

B Wanganeen SOS Scarlett
HB Doull Knights Enright
C Aka Mitchell Judd
HF Ablett Sr Caret Ablett Jr
FF Matthews Lockett Quinlan
R Madden Voss Barlett

I - R Hart, Blight, Jezza, Hawkins

I would make the following changes

B Wanganeen SOS Scarlett
HB Doull Knights Enright
C Flower Williams Greig
HF Ablett Sr Carey Ablett Jr
FF Matthews Lockett Dunstall
R Madden Voss Judd

I - R Hart, Blight, Jezza, Bartlett

I like their back line - Enright is a good pick but some might question it.

Changes made:
Flower in for Aka on the wing.
Mitchell out for Williams in the centre.
Greig in for Hawkins - moved Judd to RR and Greig to the wing.
Quinlan out for Dunstall.

 

[Snake_Baker]

B Wanganeen SOS Scarlett
HB Doull Knights Enright
C Flower Williams Greig
HF Ablett Sr Carey Ablett Jr
FF Matthews Lockett Dunstall
R Madden Voss Judd

I - R Hart, Blight, Jezza, Bartlett

I like their back line - Enright is a good pick but some might question it.

Changes made:
Flower in for Aka on the wing.
Mitchell out for Williams in the centre.
Greig in for Hawkins - moved Judd to RR and Greig to the wing.
Quinlan out for Dunstall.

That side would kick 150 goals.

 

[shaqsuns]

No Mr Football? The Age in 08 named him the best player ever and Robert Walls was one of the voters.


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[Maggsy]

Any side that DOESN'T have Dunstall is just ridiculous.. he was an absolute monster of a player.

 

[Donakebab]

No Mr Football? The Age in 08 named him the best player ever and Robert Walls was one of the voters.


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50 years only catches the arse end of his career, which isn't enough to displace anyone else listed.

 

[footyfan1978]

Walls and Parkin have created their best team of the last 50 years:

B Wanganeen SOS Scarlett
HB Doull Knights Enright
C Aka Mitchell Judd
HF Ablett Sr Caret Ablett Jr
FF Matthews Lockett Quinlan
R Madden Voss Barlett

I - R Hart, Blight, Jezza, Hawkins

I would make the following changes

Flower in for Aka on the wing.
Mitchell out for Williams in the centre.
Greig in for Hawkins - moved Judd to RR and Greig to the wing.
Quinlan out for Dunstall.

Yeah, no way does Aka get ahead of Flower or Sam Mitchell get a gig.
I would have Kenny Hunter or Guy McKenna in there before Enright without a doubt.
I might remove Knights and put Dench or Southby full back and SOS centre half back, although really want Knights in there too. He could play rangy half back and maybe remove Scarlett as overkill. Scareltt to emergency I am ok with. Same with Doug Hawkins or Ablett Junior.
Jesaulenko is playing half forward so no need for Junior there.
Quinlan is overkill in forward line too. Maybe him as taller winger and Judd rotating with Voss as ruck rover with Lethal Leigh and Bartlett taking turns being rover and resting forward pockets. Blight next to Lockett in first line of forward line works for me. Blight could play ruck rover too as Quinlan could too before he got older and became a key forward.

 

[Wallaby]

I think Akermanis is one of the most under-rated players of the last 30-40 years. Ok - that's only my opinion (correct though it be).

I think being a d!ck for a large part of his late- and post-career period has clouded some memories. Flower is a legendary, great player and fan favourite - but I think Aker may just be a better player.

 

[Back One Out]

I would have Akermanis on the wing. Flower and Greig were classical 70's wingmen; both champions of the game; beautiful footballers: neat, balanced, dashing, skilful; both great aerialists and capable of kicking the long goals on the run. Poetry in motion. But I reckon Aka had more toe and did everything quicker. He'd pounce on a loose ball without even slowing down to pick it up, just gather it off the ground at top pace and would be running towards the 50m line before anyone could react, take a bounce and then kick 55m/60m off either foot.

I remember going to MCG to watch the Lions around 2000/2001 and being shocked at how good Aka was, in the flesh. He was a 70m/80m player - every time he'd get it, he sprint 15m/20m and roost the ball to Lynch or Brown on the lead or to the top of the goal square

He was a lot tougher than people gave him credit for. He was no shrinking violet. Rough stuff and taggers did not effect him. People would call him a skirt or a lurker, but he was just playing smart and waiting for a teammate to get him the ball in space. He could win his own ball if he had to.

People forget that he started out in his natural position as a goalkicking wing/half forward flank, but went back to defence in 1999 and played in the back pocket alongside Justin Leppitsch. He was bloody awesome that year. All Australian back pocket ahead of Wanganeen. Just on that season alone, I rate him as one of the best back pockets I've seen

He also had bit of Cyril/Eddie Betts magic about him. He kicked miraculous goals - not just flukey boundary line snaps, or left foot bombs from outside fifty, but anything from anywhere. He was great at spinning away from packs & seemingly dead ball situations to create something from nothing.

He was also a BIG GAME PLAYER
2002 GF vs Coll - on one leg, hobbled with a knee injury, he drifted forward and snapped the winning goal over his shoulder
2003 GF vs Coll - destroyed the Pies in the first half, ended up kicking 5 goals and was unlucky Black racked up 38 touches, otherwise he would've been a deserving Norm Smith medalllist
1997 EF vs St K - 18 possessions, 4 goals (out of 13) in a losing side
1999 QF vs Carl - the games leading ball-getter with 30 disposals
1999 SF vs WB - kicked 3 goals and was the games leading ball-getter with 27 disposals
Kicked 3 goals in losing teams in the 2004 GF vs Port, 2008 QF (Haw d WB) and 2009 QF (Geel d WB)


Akermanis could pretty much play anywhere with devastating effect: back pocket, half back, wing, rover, half forward, forward pocket

The Brisbane Lions (from 1999-2004) were one of the greatest teams I have ever seen and Akermanis was one of the main reasons. He didn't ride the coat tails of Voss and Black. He was a genuine match-winner in his own right.

 

[Requiem]

Very few players have a highlights package that can even compare to Aker's.

Left foot, right foot, it didn't matter.

 

[Marcus DuQuesne]

Any side without Alex Jesaulenko is BS. Great HF Great HB great FF. One of the best balanced players of all time. Would be untouchable in modern era. And o what a leap could get shoulder height from a standing start. Other than Gary Ablett Snr the most gifted natural player of all time.

 

[Marcus DuQuesne]

Any side that DOESN'T have Dunstall is just ridiculous.. he was an absolute monster of a player.

Give me Doug Wade every day of the week. Could take a big mark Dunstall = no was tough Dunstall = not really. Kicked torpedeos drop kicks from 50-60 metres out Dunstall = No. Having said that Dunstall was very effective in a very good team. JMHO

 

[Todman]

What about the man how kicked a goal every seventeen minutes of a game?

 

[Power Raid]

Walls and Parkin have created their best team of the last 50 years:

B Wanganeen SOS Scarlett
HB Doull Knights Enright
C Aka Mitchell Judd
HF Ablett Sr Caret Ablett Jr
FF Matthews Lockett Quinlan
R Madden Voss Barlett

I - R Hart, Blight, Jezza, Hawkins

I would make the following changes

B Wanganeen SOS Scarlett
HB Doull Knights Enright
C Flower Williams Greig
HF Ablett Sr Carey Ablett Jr
FF Matthews Lockett Dunstall
R Madden Voss Judd

I - R Hart, Blight, Jezza, Bartlett

I like their back line - Enright is a good pick but some might question it.

Changes made:
Flower in for Aka on the wing.
Mitchell out for Williams in the centre.
Greig in for Hawkins - moved Judd to RR and Greig to the wing.
Quinlan out for Dunstall.

that line up would work in old school and modern day footy

 

[Power Raid]

Very few players have a highlights package that can even compare to Aker's.

Left foot, right foot, it didn't matter.

I'd rank small forward midfielders in the following order aker, bartlett and then daicos

 

[T G M]

Flower definitely should be on one wing. Greig on the wing or half back where he played out his later career. Akermanis deserves a place too but Flower just shades him overall. If demons games from Robbie's era had the same TV coverage as modern day then Flower's highlight reel would be even better than Akers.

 

[T G M]

Hawkins by his own admission, was not in Flower's league.

 

[speedpeck23]

6 Carlton players in the 22...think they're dreaming....

 

[Aflrules1997]

6 Carlton players in the 22...think they're dreaming....

Picked by Parkin and Walls...

 

[Cicatriz]

6 Carlton players in the 22...think they're dreaming....

Who are the six? I only see four (with one of them being the 50% Eagle Judd).

 

[speedpeck23]

Who are the six? I only see four (with one of them being the 50% Eagle Judd).

Sorry 5 SOS Doull Jezza Madden Judd... was reading from the team that included Williams in the centre.

 

[T G M]

Sorry 5 SOS Doull Jezza Madden Judd... was reading from the team that included Williams in the centre.

Wrong Madden - Simon played for Essendon.

 

[speedpeck23]

Wrong Madden - Simon played for Essendon.

Sorry.... thought it was Harry....really a line ball between the two...

 

[Requiem]

Flower definitely should be on one wing. Greig on the wing or half back where he played out his later career. Akermanis deserves a place too but Flower just shades him overall. If demons games from Robbie's era had the same TV coverage as modern day then Flower's highlight reel would be even better than Akers.

Unfortunately I didn't get to watch Flower, but from what I gather from his highlights package, he was a complete wingman.

An excellent mark, field & goal kick who could run himself out of trouble easily, unfortunately highlight reels can't give a complete picture of a player.

Aker on the other hand was the embodiment of 'x factor', very few player could turn a game in a split second like he would. Akermanis was very versatile too, demonstrated by his AA selections in the FWD, MID, & DEF lines.

On the basis that I have seen more of Akermanis, that would have to be my selection.

 

[T G M]

Unfortunately I didn't get to watch Flower, but from what I gather from his highlights package, he was a complete wingman.

An excellent mark, field & goal kick who could run himself out of trouble easily, unfortunately highlight reels can't give a complete picture of a player.

Aker on the other hand was the embodiment of 'x factor', very few player could turn a game in a split second like he would. Akermanis was very versatile too, demonstrated by his AA selections in the FWD, MID, & DEF lines.

On the basis that I have seen more of Akermanis, that would have to be my selection.

Hi Requiem,
Thanks for the highlights reel. He certainly was (IMO) the greatest wingman to play the game. I saw most of his games live.
He was a brilliant kick on both sides of his body (much like Aker) The best handballer I have seen (some good youtube clips of him on World of Sport handball comp) He could baulk and blind turn like no one else and was harder to tackle than Dusty Martin (no need for don't argues)

He was also a great mark, long arms and could really fly. A surprising stat - he once took 16 marks in a game - Ablett snrs best was 14! He was very fast too, probably not much between him and Aker in that area.
Like Aker he was very versatile - spent whole seasons at half back flank under Barassi almost certainly costing him a Brownlow. I saw him give Ross Glendinning an absolute thrashing at CHF in a state game in Ross's Brownlow year. Some of that match on these highlights - just under 70 kilos and not really suited to CHF but such was his talent he could comprehensively beat the best CHB of the era.(He did lower his colours to Bill Picken one day at CHF and Malcolm Blight playing full back for a quarter in 82 but the Dees just had no one else and had to play him out of position) His last few seasons a very damaging half forward flank.

In 15 games for Victoria he was almost always best or top 3, he really excelled with the better players around him. It is a shame he never left to a top side. I would also love to see him on today's grounds, he would be even more of a superstar. Most the wingman of his era rated him their hardest opponent. Hawkins, Dipper etc said he was impossible to beat. Dipper resorted to running through him in the 87 prelim, breaking his collarbone. Schimma said he paid more attention to Robbie than any other opponent. "Beat Flower and you could just about retire, because everything else smacked of anti-climax" Brent Crosswell. Robbie was a great person too, I wrote to him every year as child and he always wrote back, taking an interest in my junior footy career and sending me Demon stickers and posters.

I watched Aker's whole career too and have him on the other wing in my greatest team. He was my favourite player in the early 2000's. I have never seen a player kick as many amazing goals with either foot. I really think Aker is the most underrated player of the modern era. Like Flower he was a big game player, very courageous too. And as you say; no one could turn a game like he could. The most dynamic player since Ablett snr. I really like Aker as a person too and think he gets judged way too harshly for his opinions.

 

[GAsnr]

Yeah, no way does Aka get ahead of Flower or Sam Mitchell get a gig.
I would have Kenny Hunter or Guy McKenna in there before Enright without a doubt.
I might remove Knights and put Dench or Southby full back and SOS centre half back, although really want Knights in there too. He could play rangy half back and maybe remove Scarlett as overkill. Scareltt to emergency I am ok with. Same with Doug Hawkins or Ablett Junior.
Jesaulenko is playing half forward so no need for Junior there.
Quinlan is overkill in forward line too. Maybe him as taller winger and Judd rotating with Voss as ruck rover with Lethal Leigh and Bartlett taking turns being rover and resting forward pockets. Blight next to Lockett in first line of forward line works for me. Blight could play ruck rover too as Quinlan could too before he got older and became a key forward.

OUT: Geelong