What's your all time best 18 (all clubs)?

[Dry Rot]

Saw this post on the Robbie Flower thread


yes as I say my first choice winger in my all time best 18

and thought what a good idea for a thread.

What's your all time best 18 (all clubs, can include SAFL, WAFL etc)?

[KT31]

Saw this post on the Robbie Flower thread



and thought what a good idea for a thread.

What's your all time best 18 (all clubs, can include SAFL, WAFL etc)?

Other than Ted Mosby surely one Douglas James Hawkins would be classed as the best wingman of all time.

[The Doctor]

Off the top of my head!

B: Ayres, Dench, Doull

HB: McKenna, Jakovich, Hodge

C: Flower, Williams, Matera

HF: Jesaulenko, Carey, Ablett Snr

F: Matthews, Lockett, Daicos

R: Dempsey, Watson, Platten

Int: Blight, Bartlett, Hart, Voss

[KT31]

Off the top of my head!

B: Ayres, Dench, Doull

HB: McKenna, Jakovich, Hodge

C: Flower, Williams, Matera

HF: Jesaulenko, Carey, Ablett Snr

F: Matthews, Lockett, Daicos

R: Dempsey, Watson, Platten

Int: Blight, Bartlett, Hart, Voss

Without dwelling to much into it a couple of changes I would look at are -

EJ in for Mckenna
Greig in for Matera
Williams in for Hart

[1eyedog]

B: Collins, Dench, Wanganeen

HB: Doull, Knights, Grieg

C: Flower, Williams, Skilton

HF: Ablett Snr, Templeton, Brereton

F: Bartlett, Lockett, Matthews

R: Nicols, Judd, Ablett

Int: Blight, Hird, Carey, S. Madden


Bit of fantasy with KT at CHF and Carey on the bench but there you go.

[anfo27]

Off the top of my head!

B: Ayres, Dench, Doull

HB: McKenna, Jakovich, Hodge

C: Flower, Williams, Matera

HF: Jesaulenko, Carey, Ablett Snr

F: Matthews, Lockett, Daicos

R: Dempsey, Watson, Platten

Int: Blight, Bartlett, Hart, Voss

Chris Grant is a better CHB than Jakovich. Have never seen a better CHB with the ball is his hands or precision disposal off both feet and don't forget his reading of the play. Nearly won a Brownlow playing there in a team that finished second last, what a player!

[bulldogtragic]

Without dwelling to much into it a couple of changes I would look at are -

EJ in for Mckenna
Greig in for Matera
Williams in for Hart

I know you love our players, but is Tommy Williams for hart an over stretch? :)

[Twodogs]

Off the top of my head!

B: Ayres, Dench, Doull

HB: McKenna, Jakovich, Hodge

C: Flower, Williams, Matera

HF: Jesaulenko, Carey, Ablett Snr

F: Matthews, Lockett, Daicos

R: Dempsey, Watson, Platten

Int: Blight, Bartlett, Hart, Voss


My take:
Foster in for Jakovich.
Hart to Cetre half forward, Carey to the bench. It still hurts that the answer isn't Kelvin Templeton. It would have been.
Tuck for Watson.
Hawkins for Matera-Matera was good but I think Keith Greig, Robert Flower and the Hawk were a class above.
Dunstall for Lockett for mine. Just the one trick repeated 1254 times. Dunstall is almost the perfect full forward-lead, mark, shoot for goal. Being a vital member of a gazillion premiership teams tips him over Lockett.
Im toying with the idea of Bartlett to the forward pocket and Matthews to the bench but that's only because I really dislike Leigh Matthews.:)
Ablett to the forward pocket, Baldock to the flank and Daicos first emergency just in case the Doc's dicky knee is playing up.

[Go_Dogs]

I'm going with players I've seen, so it limits me to the mid-90's and beyond.

B: G Wanganeen, M Scarlett, B Goddard
HB: A McLeod, C Grant, N Buckley
C: M Long, R Harvey, P Matera
HF: G Ablett Snr, W Carey, J Hird
F: M Ricciuto, T Lockett, L Franklin
R: D Cox, M Voss, G Ablett Jnr
I/C: A Koutoufides, C Judd, A Goodes, B Johnson

Tough gig to narrow it down to a side.....plenty of quality players who just missed out.

[jeemak]

Chris Grant is a better CHB than Jakovich. Have never seen a better CHB with the ball is his hands or precision disposal off both feet and don't forget his reading of the play. Nearly won a Brownlow playing there in a team that finished second last, what a player!

Agree. If played there his whole career I have no doubt he'd be known as the best CHB of all time.

[1eyedog]

Agree. If played there his whole career I have no doubt he'd be known as the best CHB of all time.

Big call how many of them have you seen? I would have E.J at CHB no problem if I had seen him play - he was easily the best CHB of all time and probably top 5 best players of all time too. I saw Peter Knights a fair bit and have him above Jakovich so I chose him.

[Twodogs]

Good call on Peter Knights. He was a deadset gun.

Chris Mew is the other player I think is in the top three I've seen.

[Bulldog4life]

Big call how many of them have you seen? I would have E.J at CHB no problem if I had seen him play - he was easily the best CHB of all time and probably top 5 best players of all time too. I saw Peter Knights a fair bit and have him above Jakovich so I chose him.

Just curious that you have Bob Skilton in your team 1 eyedog yet you never saw EJ play. They played in the same era. You must have been very young when Skilts played.

[bulldogtragic]

Silvagni gets in somewhere for mine.

[1eyedog]

Just curious that you have Bob Skilton in your team 1 eyedog yet you never saw EJ play. They played in the same era. You must have been very young when Skilts played.

Its a technical one B4L. I was taken to a South Melbourne v Melbourne game in 1971 by my Aunt and Uncle who lived in Laverton and my Uncle was a rabid South fan. I was just under 2 and apparently Bob Skilton played. All I remember from my family Christmas holidays to Laverton was running round the back paddocks chasing rabbits and that my Uncle was absolutely obsessed with Bob Skilton. He tried very hard to convince me to support South (he wasn't the blood member in our family my Auntie was) and so as the years went by I got to understand just how good Skilton was. As I was there that day and I have come to appreciate how good he was I thus cannot leave him out of my team. I never had the pleasure of seeing E.J.

[jeemak]

Big call how many of them have you seen? I would have E.J at CHB no problem if I had seen him play - he was easily the best CHB of all time and probably top 5 best players of all time too. I saw Peter Knights a fair bit and have him above Jakovich so I chose him.

I guess the qualifier is "whole career", which probably can't be said for too many players other than Jakovich.

Unfortunately someone of my age has only highlights and anecdotal evidence with which to compare players, and we have to do the best we can with that if we are to participate in this type of discussion.

[Twodogs]

I guess the qualifier is "whole career", which probably can't be said for too many players other than Jakovich.

Unfortunately someone of my age has only highlights and anecdotal evidence with which to compare players, and we have to do the best we can with that if we are to participate in this type of discussion.


You will just have to take my word that Foster was the best.;)

[jeemak]

You will just have to take my word that Foster was the best.;)

Duly noted.

[Jeanette54]

My grandfather always said that Alan Hopkins was the best footballer he ever saw (EJ included). So (in appreciation of the 300 odd games he took me to see over the years) my vote for the centre spot goes to Alan Hopkins.

Just some personal preferences now. Carey was a much better footballer than Hart, Dunstall over Lockett, Leigh Matthews and Bobby Skilton have to get a mention; and EJ anywhere and everywhere. I was lucky enough to see about 200 of his games, and I think I saw him play in every position except back pocket. And he was certainly the best backline player I ever saw, not that we could afford the luxury of leaving him there.

Finally, I can't remember another another ruckman who dominated his era like Garry Dempsey, so he definitely gets my vote too.

[Twodogs]

My grandfather always said that Alan Hopkins was the best footballer he ever saw (EJ included). So (in appreciation of the 300 odd games he took me to see over the years) my vote for the centre spot goes to Alan Hopkins.

Just some personal preferences now. Carey was a much better footballer than Hart, Dunstall over Lockett, Leigh Matthews and Bobby Skilton have to get a mention; and EJ anywhere and everywhere. I was lucky enough to see about 200 of his games, and I think I saw him play in every position except back pocket. And he was certainly the best backline player I ever saw, not that we could afford the luxury of leaving him there.

Finally, I can't remember another another ruckman who dominated his era like Garry Dempsey, so he definitely gets my vote too.


Any reasons Jeanette54?

For mine Hart was by far the best player in a superstar team that was also a team of superstars. He could dominate games (and did) on one leg given he he only had one working knee for the last half of his career. "Kick it to Royce" was a gameplan that carried Richmond to four premierships.

Carey was a superstar and he had it all. But I reckon Royce Hart had a little bit more.

[Jeanette54]

Any reasons Jeanette54?

I always thought that Carey monstered defenders, as he rampaged around the forward line and had the capacity to grab a game by the scruff of the neck and shake the life out of it. He also never had the quality of delivery that Royce had and so I thought Carey was better at winning his own ball and had better on field leadership qualities. (one indiscretion excepted).

And truthfully, I have never forgiven Hart for his appalling coaching and the time when we all almost lost the faith.

[1eyedog]

I always thought that Carey monstered defenders, as he rampaged around the forward line and had the capacity to grab a game by the scruff of the neck and shake the life out of it. He also never had the quality of delivery that Royce had and so I thought Carey was better at winning his own ball and had better on field leadership qualities. (one indiscretion excepted).

And truthfully, I have never forgiven Hart for his appalling coaching and the time when we all almost lost the faith.

Not sure about the Tiges re. Hart but gee Carey had some great players delivering the ball to him through the 90s.

[Twodogs]

I always thought that Carey monstered defenders, as he rampaged around the forward line and had the capacity to grab a game by the scruff of the neck and shake the life out of it. He also never had the quality of delivery that Royce had and so I thought Carey was better at winning his own ball and had better on field leadership qualities. (one indiscretion excepted).

And truthfully, I have never forgiven Hart for his appalling coaching and the time when we all almost lost the faith.

Heh! I was wondering how much this had to do with it. ;)

All fair points re Carey I reckon but Hart captained just as many premierships as the Duck. He was a God awful coach though.


Years ago when Carey mania was at its peak I posted my view that Hart was a better player than Carey and the next day on morning glory Tim Watson called me a moron.

[Jeanette54]

Years ago when Carey mania was at its peak I posted my view that Hart was a better player than Carey and the next day on morning glory Tim Watson called me a moron.

I can't believe that little timmy grew up to be so rude :-)

[Twodogs]

I can't believe that little timmy grew up to be so rude :-)


Little Timmy had very naughty elbows. I remember one of them breaking Tony Liberatore's nose as the teams were walking off at halftime once.