Opinion West Coast Eagles Team "35"

[CursoryMercenary]

2021 is the 35th season of the West Coast Eagles football club and the club has often as stated below released it's current best ever side. The last one seems be team 25 which was ten years ago. Been thinking about this a lot I think there could be a few new inclusions for Team 35. I see an oddity between Team 20 and Team 25 where David Hart is not in 20 but is put back in 25 so I'll make sure that is noted when selecting 35.

Team of the Decade
In 1996 as part of the AFL's centenary celebrations, and the club's 10-year celebrations, the Eagles named a team of the decade. I'll include 7 subs 4 Interchange and 3 Emergencies but I'll count them as one unit.

Backs:	David Hart	Michael Brennan	Ashley McIntosh
Half backs:	Guy McKenna	Glen Jakovich	John Worsfold
Centres:	Peter Matera	Dean Kemp	Chris Mainwaring
Half forwards:	Brett Heady	Mitchell White	Craig Turley
Forwards:	Chris Lewis	Peter Sumich	Tony Evans
Ruck:	Ryan Turnbull	Don Pyke	Dwayne Lamb
Interchange:	Chris Waterman	Steve Malaxos	Peter Wilson

Team 20
In 2006 the West Coast Eagles named a greatest team of the past twenty years as part of the club's twentieth anniversary celebrations:

Backs:	David Wirrpanda	Ashley McIntosh	Michael Brennan
Half Backs:	Guy McKenna	Glen Jakovich	John Worsfold (Captain)
Centres:	Peter Matera	Dean Kemp	Chris Mainwaring
Half Forwards:	Brett Heady	Mitchell White	Chris Lewis
Forwards:	Phillip Matera	Peter Sumich	Tony Evans
Ruck:	Dean Cox	Chris Judd	Ben Cousins
Interchange:	Chris Waterman	Drew Banfield	Don Pyke
	Dwayne Lamb
Coach:	Michael Malthouse

Team 25
In 2011 the West Coast Eagles named a greatest team of the past twenty five years as part of the club's twenty fifth anniversary celebrations:

Backs:	David Hart	Darren Glass	Michael Brennan
Half Backs:	Guy McKenna	Glen Jakovich	John Worsfold (Captain)
Centres:	Peter Matera	Ben Cousins	Chris Mainwaring
Half Forwards:	Brett Heady	Mitchell White	Chris Lewis
Forwards:	Phillip Matera	Peter Sumich	Tony Evans
Ruck:	Dean Cox	Dean Kemp	Chris Judd
Interchange:	Daniel Kerr	Ashley McIntosh	Don Pyke
	Andrew Embley
Emergency	David Wirrpanda	Dwayne Lamb	Matt Priddis
Coach:	Michael Malthouse

TEAM 35

Backs:	Shannon Hurn	Darren Glass	David Wirrpanda
Half Backs:	Guy McKenna	Glen Jakovich	John Worsfold (Captain)
Centres:	Peter Matera	Dean Kemp	Chris Mainwaring
Half Forwards:	Brett Heady	Josh Kennedy	Chris Lewis
Forwards:	Mark LeCras	Peter Sumich	Jack Darling
Ruck:	Dean Cox	Ben Cousins	Chris Judd
Interchange:	Daniel Kerr	Ashley McIntosh	Nic Naitanui
	Andrew Embley	Luke Shuey	Matt Priddis
	Jeremy McGovern
Coach:	Michael Malthouse

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

Very little about that line up I can criticise. Drew Banfield

Drew Banfield

Age

50

Ht

184cm

Wt

89kg

Pos.

D/M

Career

Season

Last 5

D

15.6

4star

K

8.8

3star

HB

6.8

4star

M

2.8

3star

T

2.0

4star

No current season stats available

D

12.0

3star

K

8.8

4star

HB

3.2

3star

M

2.6

3star

T

0.8

3star

probably deserves a spot somewhere but I don’t know who I’d leave out.

We have a ridiculous array of riches at FB and CHB when you have McIntosh and McGovern coming off the bench and Monkey Brennan can’t even make the team.

 

[Barrybran]

Looks pretty good. I'd probably leave Phil Matera in over Lecca and I agree that Banners deserves a spot on the bench but we've produced some excellent players over the past 35 years.

 

[Carbine Chaos]

Shuey and Yeo ahead of Gaff and Priddis for me.

 

[THE A5]

Looks pretty good. I'd probably leave Phil Matera in over Lecca and I agree that Banners deserves a spot on the bench but we've produced some excellent players over the past 35 years.

Thats a tough one. Fiddo did average 0.16 more goals but leccas 2.01 career goals for a small forward in the modern game is elite (more than betts). Lecca did also spend a few years of his career playing as HFF/mid. Fido also didn't have guys like JD/Jk to contend for the bulk of career too.

 

[Scotland]

How does Wirrpanda who retired in 2009 go from the bench in 2011 to the field in 2021?

 

[Vaccination]

Shuey and Yeo ahead of Gaff and Priddis for me.

Even though they're different players, I'd probably have shuey ahead of gaff just. I don't want to base it off of one game but it is kind of hard to look past a norm smith medalist.

I think Priddis is in over Yeo, Yeo can definitely overtake him but Priddis (While he couldn't run) was a hard nut, great tackler and Brownlow Medalist

 

[CursoryMercenary]

I can't believe I forgot Shuey!

 

[CursoryMercenary]

How does Wirrpanda who retired in 2009 go from the bench in 2011 to the field in 2021?

I think they got that wrong in my opinion.

 

[CursoryMercenary]

Thats a tough one. Fiddo did average 0.16 more goals but leccas 2.01 career goals for a small forward in the modern game is elite (more than betts). Lecca did also spend a few years of his career playing as HFF/mid. Fido also didn't have guys like JD/Jk to contend for the bulk of career too.

Yeah I felt bad leaving Matera out but LeCras pipped him by a nose.

 

[CursoryMercenary]

Late in Shuey for Gaff

 

[Scotland]

I think they got that wrong in my opinion.

Recency bias but yeah I would also have him over Joofa Hart.

 

[HoneyBadger35]

Different roles certainly, but I’d have Matera in over Heady, or certainly involved somewhere. Remarkably good output for a forward pocket. JD to the HFF and Matera to the pocket? Heady to the bench over....Someone? Tough ask.

In saying that, I watched a lot of archived games during the 2020 season hiatus, and was amazed and how ******* good Heady seemed to be, no matter which season or game I was watching. Surprises me he isn’t talked of in higher regard.

 

[CursoryMercenary]

Heady was like Embley, a big game specialist and more often than not our most important forward in the early to mid 90's. Big fan of Phil Matera as well, very hard to fit everyone in.

 

[bh90210fan]

An amazing list. Reckon we’d have at least 4 players out of that group make an AFL Team “35”, with Jakovich, Matera, Cox and Judd. We are a lucky group of supporters for sure.

 

[squashface]

We are a lucky group of supporters for sure.

You wouldn't know it reading this board

 

[HoneyBadger35]

An amazing list. Reckon we’d have at least 4 players out of that group make an AFL Team “35”, with Jakovich, Matera, Cox and Judd. We are a lucky group of supporters for sure.

Imagine thinking Jakovich would make an AFL best of team over Rance, Grimes or Balta.

 

[RookiePick]

Different roles certainly, but I’d have Matera in over Heady, or certainly involved somewhere. Remarkably good output for a forward pocket. JD to the HFF and Matera to the pocket? Heady to the bench over....Someone? Tough ask.

In saying that, I watched a lot of archived games during the 2020 season hiatus, and was amazed and how ******* good Heady seemed to be, no matter which season or game I was watching. Surprises me he isn’t talked of in higher regard.

Jobby is criminally under-rated by most. Maybe it just wasn't cool to love a wing-nut?

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

Trying to name a team that can actually play (so I won't be going over the top with talls like Simmo, or play players out of position like the AA selectors etc):

FB: Hurn, Glass, Wirrpanda
HB: McKenna, Jakovich, Worsfold (c) -> Woosha was the hardest to pick. In as captain, but I'm no longer 100% convinced he gets in on playing talent
C: Pe. Matera, Judd, Gaff
HF: Embley, Kennedy, Cousins
FF: Ph. Matera, Sumich, LeCras

Ruck: Cox, Kerr, Kemp

Coach: Malthouse

Interchange and emergencies I'll need to think more to see who to squeeze in

 

[FKASC]

No way Gaff or Yeo should be mentioned in this thread tbh

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

I have him ahead of Mainy, and I have Embley on a HFF.

Matera untouchable.

Which wingman from our history would you have ahead of a 2x All-Australian Club Champion thug for life?

 

[CursoryMercenary]

I have him ahead of Mainy, and I have Embley on a HFF.

Matera untouchable.

Which wingman from our history would you have ahead of a 2x All-Australian Club Champion thug for life?

When Mainy was at his best he was one of top players in the comp.

 

[WCErevival]

I have him ahead of Mainy, and I have Embley on a HFF.

Matera untouchable.

Which wingman from our history would you have ahead of a 2x All-Australian Club Champion thug for life?

Brander

 

[FKASC]

I have him ahead of Mainy, and I have Embley on a HFF.

Matera untouchable.

Which wingman from our history would you have ahead of a 2x All-Australian Club Champion thug for life?

Embley was a wingman - putting him on HFF when we have had so many good forwards over time is All Australian selector s**t.

Gaff just ain’t that good. Purely rated because people like to look at stats. You’d be able to count the number of games he’s won for us on one fist hand IMO.

In 20 years time he’ll just be remembered as the guy who punched that guy and nothing more IMO

 

[Shmiddy15]

An amazing list of players. If it's for a team that actually plays though I think Yeo would be an excellent addition. The 06 stars always talk about how guys like Stengleine and Rojo did all the hard stuff like tackling and blocking for them, which yeo could certainly do, but with the added bonus of being an explosive powerhouse that has been a 2-time AA & BnF winner himself.