Opinion West Coast Eagles Team "35"

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Haven’t done a Best 22 (23?) in a while....but here’s my Top 50 from back in 2019 - alphabetically listed with their career highlights listed for each (should be easy enough to follow).

Not sure if anyone has really jumped up into consideration in the last couple of seasons to take a spot here - there will be some names people don’t like (Masten, Selwood, Fletcher) but they all had long careers and would be up around that 45-50 range.


1. Banfield, Drew (BF, 2P)

2. Braun, Michael (P)

3. Brennan, Michael (2P)

4. Cousins, Ben (BF, AA, C, B, P)

5. Cox, Dean (BF, AA, P)

6. Cummings, Scott (CM)

7. Darling, Jack (P, AA)

8. Embley, Andrew (P, NS)

9. Evans, Tony (2P)

10. Fletcher, Chad (AA, P)

11. Gaff, Andrew (BF, AA)

12. Glass, Darren (BF, AA, C, P)

13. Hart, David (AA, P)

14. Heady, Brett (2P)

15. Hunter, Adam (P)

16. Hurn, Shannon (AA, C, P)

17. Jakovich, Glen (BF, AA, 2P)

18. Judd, Chris (BF, AA, C, P, NS, B)

19. Kemp, Dean (BF, AA, C, 2P, NS)

20. Kennedy, Josh (AA, CM, P)

21. Kerr, Daniel (BF, AA, P)

22. Lamb, Dwayne (2P)

23. LeCras, Mark (BF, AA, P)

24. Lewis, Chris (BF, AA, 2P)

25. Lynch, Quentin (P)

26. MacKenzie, Eric (BF)

27. Mainwaring, Chris (BF, AA, 2P)

28. Masten, Chris (P)

29. Matera, Peter (BF, AA, 2P, NS)

30. Matera, Phillip (AA)

31. McGovern, Jeremy (AA, P)

32. McIntosh, Ashley (BF, AA, 2P)

33. McKenna, Guy (BF, AA, C, 2P)

34. Naitanui, Nic (AA, BF)

35. Priddis, Matt (BF, B)

36. Pyke, Don (BF, 2P)

37. Schofield, Will (P)

38. Selwood, Adam (P)

39. Sheppard, Brad (AA)

40. Shuey, Luke (BF, P, NS, C)

41. Stenglein, Tyson (P)

42. Sumich, Peter (2P)

43. Turley, Craig (BF, P)

44. Waterman, Chris (2P)

45. Waters, Beau (P)

46. White, Mitchell (AA, P)

47. Wilson, Peter (2P)

48. Wirrpanda, David (AA, P)

49. Worsfold, John (BF, AA, 2P, C)

50. Yeo, Elliott (BF, AA, P)
 
FKASC said:
No way Gaff or Yeo should be mentioned in this thread tbh
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Yeo is 2xAA and 2xB&F, including one in a flag year. He's in the team.

Gaff is the conversation but is probably battling for one of the last spots on the bench. For a period of time I was thinking he was just edging Mainwaring but in recent times I've reneged on that view. Time can make you forget just how good some players were and I was pretty young when Mainy was in his pomp.

If you're picking a team to actually play a game, Gaff would get left in the cold. You don't need three wingmen in the team, and definitely not when you have Yeo and probably Embley in there as well.
 

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Ambrose Burnside said:
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 :(
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Woosha is a tough one. With the emergence of Hurn and the Gov I don't think he makes our best ever back six anymore. I have the same back six but Gov in for Woosh.

Then it depends on how you're picking the interchange. Are you picking a team to play a match or are you just picking the four most deserving that didn't make the 18. If the latter, he's a pretty easy pick, but if it's the former he's going to be left out in the cold, and an Eagles all time team with no Worsfold just feels a bit wrong.

Clubs often take the easy way out with these teams and have six man benches. It will be interesting to see what the club does.
 
The Passenger said:
Woosha is a tough one. With the emergence of Hurn and the Gov I don't think he makes our best ever back six anymore. I have the same back six but Gov in for Woosh.

Then it depends on how you're picking the interchange. Are you picking a team to play a match or are you just picking the four most deserving that didn't make the 18. If the latter, he's a pretty easy pick, but if it's the former he's going to be left out in the cold, and an Eagles all time team with no Worsfold just feels a bit wrong.

Clubs often take the easy way out with these teams and have six man benches. It will be interesting to see what the club does.
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Woosha's last 4 seasons as a player solely based on skill certainly dropped immensley since his best days as a player in the late 80's and early 90's but his prescence on field just made us a better team. Yes Gov probably deserves to start ahead of Woosha but for team balance Woosha gets the nod.
 
The Passenger said:
Yeo is 2xAA and 2xB&F, including one in a flag year. He's in the team.

Gaff is the conversation but is probably battling for one of the last spots on the bench. For a period of time I was thinking he was just edging Mainwaring but in recent times I've reneged on that view. Time can make you forget just how good some players were and I was pretty young when Mainy was in his pomp.

If you're picking a team to actually play a game, Gaff would get left in the cold. You don't need three wingmen in the team, and definitely not when you have Yeo and probably Embley in there as well.
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I guess Yeo could be a utility on the bench but I don’t feel like he has done enough as a mid (for long enough) to warrant being included as a mid, and not sure he pushes out any of our elite half back from the past.

I also don’t think number of AA or B&Fs should be the criteria for being included
 
FKASC said:
I guess Yeo could be a utility on the bench but I don’t feel like he has done enough as a mid (for long enough) to warrant being included as a mid, and not sure he pushes out any of our elite half back from the past.

I also don’t think number of AA or B&Fs should be the criteria for being included
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I think it comes down to team composition.

For example, if Priddis doesn't start on ball he doesn't realistically make the team, and he's not getting starting on ball ahead of Judd, Cousins, Kerr etc. He's not a player you want coming off the bench.

Yeo on the bench makes sense if you're trying to pick a balanced and versatile side.
 
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Embley for me doesn't make it. He was never elite. And to make it as a mid in this team you need to be. Shep and Fido and Yeo I think all have strong cases, Shep just ahead of Wirra for the way he's performed in big games, but it's 50-50. Pridda probably has the better (longer) record at present but tbh if I'm picking a team to play I'm taking Yeo first - versatile and hard. Woosha as captain gets in but if it was just talent and performance he might miss. Beau Waters an honourable mention but didn't play enough games. Gaff so close but just not quite there.

I think we can have Glass, Jako and Gov all starting as Glass was very adept at playing on smalls as well as talls.

B: Woosh Gov Glass
HB: McKenna Jako Hurn
C: Matera Kemp Mainy
HF: Heady JK Lewis
F: Lecras Suma Darling
R: Cox Judd Cousins
Int: Shep Yeo Shuey McIntosh Nic Nat Fido
Emg: Priddis Gaff Wirra Pyke
 
What is this 6 interchange business
 
B: Wirrapanda Glass McGovern
HB: McKenna Jakovich Hurn
C: Matera Kemp Gaff
HF: Heady Kennedy Darling
F: Lecras Sumich Matera
R: Cox Judd Cousins
Int: McIntosh Naitanui Yeo Priddis

The bench is up for debate - I’d probably slide Worsfold in there because it’s John ******* Worsfold...but jeez...Hurn’s been a better player over the journey so gets HBF...and Priddis won a Brownlow and finished runner up the following year..

Woosh is my injury sub I guess.

Apologies to Lewis, Mainwaring, Embley, Shuey and Shepard - all have claims for a bench spot in my team.
 
WC AA defensive selections:

1991: McKenna
1993: McKenna
1994: McKenna, Hart, Jakovich
1995: Jakovich
1996: Peter Matera
1997: Peter Matera
1998: McIntosh
2005: Wirrpanda
2006: Glass
2007: Glass
2011: Glass
2012: Glass, Waters
2016: McGovern
2017: McGovern
2018: McGovern, Hurn
2019: McGovern, Hurn
2020: Sheppard

22 selections in 30 seasons is pretty absurd.

B: Waterman Brennan Schofield
HB: Worsfold Mackenzie Banfield

Not a bad all non-AA defence.
 

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Altum Volantes said:
B: Wirrapanda Glass McGovern
HB: McKenna Jakovich Hurn
C: Matera Kemp Gaff
HF: Heady Kennedy Darling
F: Lecras Sumich Matera
R: Cox Judd Cousins
Int: McIntosh Naitanui Yeo Priddis

The bench is up for debate - I’d probably slide Worsfold in there because it’s John ******* Worsfold...but jeez...Hurn’s been a better player over the journey so gets HBF...and Priddis won a Brownlow and finished runner up the following year..

Woosh is my injury sub I guess.

Apologies to Lewis, Mainwaring, Embley, Shuey and Shepard - all have claims for a bench spot in my team.
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You also forgot Daniel Kerr who is a walk up start.
 
For me midfield is the easiest to pick. Three across the middle and two following. The five best mids to ever play for the club is pretty straight forward, Judd, Cousins, Kerr, Matera and Kemp.

The forward line is pretty easy also I reckon. JK and Sumich in the KPP spots are easy. Heady and Lewis on the HFF are pretty easy. And LeCras and Fido in the pockets is easy too. The only bloke with an argument here to get in would be Darling.

Rucks are easy. Cox and NN.

It's the backline that is incredibly difficult. Jakovich, Hart, Wirra, McKenna, Worsfold, Glass, Brennan, McIntosh, McGovern, Hurn and even maybe Shep have arguments for spots. That's 11 guys into 6. Somebody has to miss out. So for me....

FB - David Wirrapanda--Darren Glass--Shannon Hurn
HB - John Worsfold--Glen Jakovich--Guy McKenna
C - Peter Matera--Dean Kemp--Daniel Kerr
HF - Brett Heady--Josh Kennedy--Chris Lewis
FF - Mark LeCras--Peter Sumich--Phil Matera
Ruck - Dean Cox--Chris Judd--Ben Cousins

Int - Nic Naitanui--Jeremy McGovern--Andrew Embley--Chris Mainwaring

Unlucky - Shuey, Yeo, Hart, Sheppard, McIntosh, Brennan, Gaff, Priddis, Darling,
 
Last edited:
jod23 said:
For me midfield is the easiest to pick. Three across the middle and two following. The five best mids to ever play for the club is pretty straight forward, Judd, Cousins, Kerr, Matera and Kemp.

The forward line is pretty easy also I reckon. JK and Sumich in the KPP spots are easy. Heady and Lewis on the HFF are pretty easy. And LeCras and Fido in the pockets is easy too. The only bloke with an argument here to get in would be Darling.

Rucks are easy. Cox and NN.

It's the backline that is incredibly difficult. Jakovich, Hart, Wirra, McKenna, Worsfold, Glass, Brennan, McIntosh, McGovern, Hurn and even maybe Shep have arguments for spots. That's 11 guys into 6. Somebody has to miss out. So for me....

FB - David Wirrapanda--Darren Glass--Shannon Hurn
HB - John Worsfold--Glen Jakovich--Guy McKenna
C - Peter Matera--Dean Kemp--Daniel Kerr
HF - Brett Heady--John Kennedy--Chris Lewis
FF - Mark LeCras--Peter Sumich--Phil Matera
Ruck - Dean Cox--Chris Judd--Ben Cousins

Int - Nic Naitanui--Jeremy McGovern--Andrew Embley--Chris Mainwaring

Unlucky - Shuey, Yeo, Hart, Sheppard, McIntosh, Brennan, Gaff, Priddis, Darling,
Click to expand...
This is the team right here.

Josh Kennedy tho
 
Darling to half forward for Lewis, Phil Matera to the pocket. Embley gets a start over Mainwaring on the wing. McIntosh and Mainwaring come out of the side. Yeo and Lewis to the interchange. McIntosh damn unlucky to be a key defender. Mainwaring was a tough ball magnet but questionable user of it.
 
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