All Time Fantasy Draft: Clubs

[BratPack]

Purely positional need here. I'll take George "Jocka" Todd

George "Jocka" Todd (10 January 1903 â€" 13 August 1986) was an Australian rules footballer in the (then) Victorian Football League (VFL).
A tight checking full-back who spoiled well, Todd played his whole career with Geelong Football Club.
In 1996 Todd was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
George was recruited from Queenscliff Football Club and played mainly at centre half-forward before transferring to the back line where he played the majority of his games as full back. He possessed outstanding skills and at times was unbeatable. He had the ability to punch the ball away from his opponents no matter how high they were in the air, and played in an era of some of the great full-forwards. His judgement was superb. A master of the drop kick he frequently landed the ball in the centre of the ground. Noted for his fair play, he was never ruffled under pressure.
Career highlights

Playing career:
Geelong 1922-1934 (Games: 232 Goals: 54)
Player honors:
Geelong Best and Fairest 1927, 1930, 1931
Geelong premierships 1925, 1931
Geelong Team of the Century
Victorian representative (12 games, 0 goals).
Details Number 19 Height 183 cm Weight 74 kg DOB 10-01-1903 Debut 1922

[Ringo]

To add to Team Structure I select Dick Grigg

Dick could play in any position on the ground he had all the skills, from brilliant high marking to direct long kicking with flair and dash a feature of his play. Recruited from Drysdale as a schoolboy, he soon stood out with his outstanding ability and fair play gaining him a reputation of being as good a player as any in the land. He was an extremely fit and durable person, demonstrated by the fact during seasons 1904 and 1914 he played 130 consecutive games, missing only four in total. A legacy of his durability highlighted when in 1921 at 36 years of age, and not having played for six years he was recalled to the team to contest the finals.

Geelong Best and Fairest 1910,1911,1914
Geelong Team of the Century (Half-back)


Team Structure:
FB: ___ _____  ___
HB: Dick Grigg  ______ Nathan Buckley
C: ___  Michael Voss ___
HF: Allan Ruthven; Alex Jesaulenko; Gary Ablett Snr
FF: ___ ___  Peter Daicos
R:Simon Madden  ___ ___
I/C: Robert Walls; Tim Watson ___


Sid on another note Note I notice I have only 3 picks in the final draw but based on the draw assume I have last pick.

[BratPack]

So Hawthorn....and what a barbie of a team to have number one pick for.....but I believe I will take Peter Hudson here and create a twin tower offence

Peter John Hudson AM (born 19 February 1946) is a former Australian rules football player, considered one of the greatest full-forwards in the game's history.
Hudson was prolific in his goal scoring in all senior competitions in which he competed. Originally from Tasmania, Hudson played with New Norfolk Football Club, in the Tasmanian Football League kicking 378 goals in 78 games. He then played 130 games with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League (now the Australian Football League). During this time he kicked 727 goals. Following his Hawthorn days he returned to Tasmania, playing a further 81 games for Glenorchy Football Club during which he kicked an amazing 616 goals. Some records state he actually kicked 769 goals for Glenorchy Football Club (the inaccuracy stems from the TANFL including goals scored in Intrastate and Interstate matches involving the TANFL and Tasmania as part of TANFL records at the time).[2]
Over his career he kicked 1,874 goals in senior matches spanning the period of 1963 to his final match in the 1981 TANFL Preliminary Final for Glenorchy, where Hudson, who had made a brief comeback with two rounds remaining booted 30 goals in three matches (including 6 in his team's Preliminary Final loss to New Norfolk).
His impressive tally increases to 2,191 when night series and representative games are included, averaging over 7 goals a game over his entire career. Hudson was kept goalless just three times during his senior career, by Richmond's Barry Richardson in 1969, Carlton's Rod Austin in 1977 and Bruce Greenhill of TFL club Sandy Bay in 1978.
Hudson's ability to win the ball was hard to pinpoint. There were times he seemed to gain possession of the ball ever so quietly and with consistent, nonchalant ease his tally of goals for the game would gradually climb. Among his armoury of skills, he seemed to have the ability to quietly sneak away from the opposition attendant full-back. Before the frustrated backman knew it, Hudson had taken a nice comfortable mark on his chest for a simple goal.
His son Paul also played for the Hawthorn Football Club, Western Bulldogs Football Club and Richmond Football Club, and nephew Simon Minton-Connell also played AFL football for the Carlton Football Club, Sydney Swans, Hawthorn Football Club and Western Bulldogs Football Club.

[DazBurg]

well my pick
Leigh Raymond "Lethal Leigh" Matthews

Popularly referred to as 'Lethal' there was nothing delicate or fancy about the style of Hawthorn champion Leigh Matthews. However, unlike in 'sports' like gymnastics, diving and synchronised swimming, Australian football scores do not derive in any directly assessable way from perceived aesthetic merit. Efficiency and expediency are paramount in Australian football, and Leigh Matthews possessed both in abundance.

Which is only to affirm that, in Australian football terms, he was a highly skilful player. In 332 VFL games over seventeen seasons with the Hawks he was eight times adjudged his club's fairest and most brilliant player - quite an awesome accolade when you consider that his career coincided with arguably Hawthorn's greatest ever era. He also topped the club goalkicking list on no fewer than six occasions in amassing a career total of 915 goals (and, in the process, highlighting another reason for the aptness of the 'Lethal' epithet).

Matthews' failure to secure Victorian football's highest individual honour, the Brownlow Medal, is perhaps not too surprising given his relentlessly vigorous style of play, but participation in the Hawthorn premiership sides of 1971, 1976, 1978 and 1983 will no doubt have afforded more than adequate compensation (if such were needed).

Following his retirement as a player, Matthews embarked on a highly successful coaching career which spawned AFL premierships with Collingwood in 1990, and Brisbane in 2001-2-3.

Career highlights

    Hawthorn premiership player 1971, 1976, 1978
    Hawthorn premiership captain 1983
    Collingwood premiership coach 1990
    Brisbane Lions premiership coach 2001, 2002, 2003
    AFL Team of the Century, Forward pocket
    Australian Football Hall of Fame
        Legend (1996, inaugural)
        Player of the Century
    VFLPA MVP Award: 1982
        Award renamed in Matthews' honour: 2002
    Coleman Medal 1975
    All-Australian Team 1972
    Victorian representative captain
    Peter Crimmins Medal
        1971, 1972, 1974, 1976â€"1978, 1980, 1982
    Hawthorn captain 1981â€"1985
    Hawthorn leading goalkicker 1973, 1975, 1981â€"1984
    All-Australian coach 2001, 2002, 2003

[Boomz]

Jason Dunstall. I am going to have way too many fwds... fml.

FB: ___ Jack Regan ___
HB: ___ Paul Roos ___
C: George Moloney, Greg Williams, James Hird
HF: Garry Wilson ___ Craig Bradley
FF: Dick Lee, Jason Dunstall ___
R: ___ ___ Gary Ablett Jr
I/C: Albert Thurgood ___ ___

[AFEV]

There are a few I could take here...Quite a lot actually. Difficult pick this one...

Michael Tuck.

[Ringo]

To solidify my defence I select Gary Ayres and Kelvin Moore

GARY AYRES
No.7
Position: Back pocket
Career: 1978-93
Games: 269. Goals: 70.
Captain: 1992-93. Premierships: 1983, 86, 88, 89, 91. Night premierships: 1985, 86, 88, 91, 92. Finals appearances: 27.
Awards: Six-time interstate representative; 1986 Club Champion; 1986, 88 Norm Smith Medallist.

Ayres was a fearless defender who played in five premierships with the Hawks. Coach Allan Jeans once described him as a good driver in heavy traffic, a tribute to his ability to manage pressure situations. Ayres won the 1986 Norm Smith Medal and then created history with his best afield performance in the 1988 grand final against Geelong, and becoming the first player to win the medal twice. After his retirement, Ayres joined Geelong and was appointed senior coach in 1995. He led the Cats into the Grand Final with his first attempt.

KELVIN MOORE
No. 15
Position: Full Back
Career: 1970-84
Games: 300. Goals: 21.
Premierships: 1971, 76, 78. Night premierships: 1977. Finals appearances: 19
Awards: 13 times interstate representative; 1979 All Australian; 1979 Club Champion.

Originally joined Hawthorn as a centre half-forward from the Frankston Peninsula. At his peak, Moore was recognised as the best full back in Australia with his razor sharp reflexes and uncanny anticipation. His reputation was built around his safe style of play, but from the mid 1970s he adopted a more attacking style. He remained cool under pressure and appeared to have plenty of time to set up his defence.


Team Structure:
FB: Gary Ayres; Kelvin Moore;  ___
HB: Dick Grigg  ______ Nathan Buckley
C: ___  Michael Voss ___
HF: Allan Ruthven; Alex Jesaulenko; Gary Ablett Snr
FF: ___ ___  Peter Daicos
R:Simon Madden  ___ ___
I/C: Robert Walls; Tim Watson ___

[AFEV]

Need to lock down a wing so...

Robert DiPierdomenico

[Boomz]

John Platten.

[DazBurg]

for my pick i'll take
Dermott Brereton add some extra hardness to the team :P

There have been better all round footballers than Dermott Brereton, but few who have possessed both his flamboyance and his big game temperament. Both traits were evident from the moment he made his Hawthorn debut in the VFL 1st semi final of 1982: Brereton booted five goals that day in a near best afield performance that helped the Hawks overcome North Melbourne, and over the years it would be his performances in finals that would do most to etch his name among the all time greats of the code. Much of Dermott Brereton's best football was played while he was suffering from injuries that other players would have found grossly incapacitating. He played for a couple of years witha cracked ankle bone, for instance, while his heroic performance in the 1989 grand final - won by Hawthorn over Geelong - came after he had been poleaxed by Mark Yeates at the opening bounce. Popularly known as 'The Kid', Brereton's body eventually sustained more in the way of pummelling than even he could take. After missing the whole of the 1993 season with a serious hip injury Brereton crossed to Sydney in 1994, but neither there (seven games) nor at Collingwood (15 games in 1995) was he able to recapture his former brilliance, although the support he gave to the younger brigade while with the Magpies was invaluable. Between 1982 and 1992 Dermott Brereton played 189 senior games for Hawthorn, winning abest and fairest award in 1985. He was a member of premiership teams in 1983, 1986,1988, 1989 and 1991, and represented Victoria in state of origin matches nine times, gaining All Australian selection once. Few if any players today come close to matching either the ferocity with which he attacked the football, or the level of dedication which he conferred on the Hawthorn cause.

Career highlights

    Peter Crimmins Medal: 1985
    Hawthorn premiership player: 1983, 86, 88, 89, 91
    All Australian: 1985

[BratPack]

Damn you Daz  >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(

I'll take Gary Buckenara

[DazBurg]

ok for the first pick of melbourne i'll go

Ivor Warne-Smith

Victorian Football League

On returning to Melbourne in 1919 Warne-Smith joined the Melbourne Football Club, in the VFL and played eight games at centre halfback in that season.
North-Western Football Union

In 1920, however, he moved to Latrobe in Tasmania, where he became an orchardist. From 1920 to 1924 he played with the Latrobe club (the Diehards) in the Tasmanian North-Western Football Union (NWFU), and was captain-coach from 1922 onwards. Latrobe were premiers in 1922 and 1924 and runners up in 1923. In 1923 and 1924 he was runner-up in the NWFU's Cheel Medal for the best and fairest player. He was captain of the NWFU representative team in statewide competition, and was selected to play for Tasmania in the 1924 national carnival, although he was unable to make the journey.
Back to the VFL

By 1924 Warne-Smith had such a reputation that Victorian teams were keen to bring him back to Melbourne, despite the fact that he was already 27. In 1925 he returned to the Melbourne club, where he played a further 146 games, usually in the backline. But he was also a talented ruckman and could play in the centre or forward line in required. Under his leadership Melbourne won the premiership in 1926, the club's first since 1900, and during 1926 Warne-Smith also won his first Brownlow Medal. From 1928 (the year he won his second Brownlow) to 1931 he was both captain and coach. He also played for Victoria against other state sides from 1926 to 1929, and was captain of the state team in 1928 and 1929. He officially retired from the playing at the end of 1931, but coached the club in 1932, and played in several games that season when other players were unavailable.

Career highlights

Playing career:

    Melbourne (VFL) 1919, 1925â€"1932 (Games: 146 Goals: 110)
    Latrobe (NWFU) 1920â€"1924

Player honors:

    Brownlow Medal 1926, 1928
    Runner-up Brownlow Medal 1929 (equal)
    Runner-up Cheel Medal 1923, 1924
    Latrobe premiership player 1922, 1924
    Melbourne premiership player 1926
    Melbourne Team of the Century
    Tasmanian Team of the Century
    Latrobe captain-coach 1922â€"1924
    Melbourne captain-coach 1928â€"1931
    Victorian representative (6 games, 0 goals).

Coaching record:

    Melbourne 1928â€"32 (92 games, 48 wins, 42 losses, 2 draws)
    Latrobe 1922â€"1924 (premierships 1922, 1924)

[Boomz]

May not be the 2nd best Dees player ever but I'll take the late great Jim Stynes as I need a ruckman.

[AFEV]

Ron Barassi for me.

[Ringo]

Ron Barassi for me.

Suppose a bit much to expect Barassi to last till pick 4. So I will  take Norm Smith.

Smith became a regular in the first team in 1937. Usually playing as full-forward, Smith quickly developed an understanding with teammate Ron Baggott and earned a reputation as a cool-headed, "thinking" player. He favoured the pass to a man in a better position, the quick handball, the tap on and the shepherd for a teammate with the ball. One scribe commented that he "could make a forward line work around him" and he was the epitome of a team player. The Melbourne team was rising fast: they played finals in 1936 and 1937, but lost to more experienced opponents both times. The team took a step back in 1938, finishing fifth, but looked the team most likely throughout 1939.

Under Hughes, a successful former Richmond player and coach, Melbourne had remade themselves into a more professional outfit, after many years as an amateur club.[citation needed] Smith was one of many talented players who adhered to Hughes' doctrine. Now renamed the Red Demons (later to become simply the Demons), Melbourne went into the 1939 finals with a team based on all-out attack, with Smith the linchpin. In the Grand Final against Collingwood, Melbourne booted a record Grand Final score and set a new record winning margin, taking only their second premiership in 39 years. Another flag was won in 1940 when Smith was the star, scoring seven goals in the Grand Final. The following year, the team marked themselves as a special combination by completing the hattrick, despite missing players due to war service and injury on Grand Final day. Smith enjoyed his most productive season and finished the year as the VFL's leading goalkicker. He continued playing during the war years in a decimated Melbourne team. In 1944 Smith won The Herald newspaper's best player award.

Team Structure:
FB: Gary Ayres; Kelvin Moore;  ___
HB: Dick Grigg  ______ Nathan Buckley
C: ___  Michael Voss ___
HF: Allan Ruthven; Alex Jesaulenko; Gary Ablett Snr
FF: ___ Norm Smith; Peter Daicos
R:Simon Madden  ___ ___
I/C: Robert Walls; Tim Watson ___