20 Best Servants of the "Modern" era

(I reckon Starry would be reading this one.)

 

There's lots of arguments on Blitz, and plenty of best 22s, but I thought I might post a list of a team of champions from post 1966 (Thanks AFL Tables http://afltables.com/afl/stats/teams/essendon.html) that have played over 200 games that really can't be argued - the faithful servants of our great club. 

 

I can hear the calls for Reynolds et al, but this 20 represents my era of players (I was born 1957) who have played over 200 games for Essendon. I have had the pleasure of seeing all of these players play for our great club and it makes me feel proud to type out this team sheet. 

 

For the other older Blitzers out there, just read it from the backline and reminisce - what untold damage this side could have done! You might have swapped CHBs and CHFs but I don't think you would have dropped too many....

 

Too top heavy? Not by today's standards!

 

The choice of captains is harder - TD for mine was the consummate skipper - and still is.

 

Anyway, this is how I'd line them up. What a team! (Drooling over the Half Forward Line)

 

           M Thompson (202)            D Fletcher (384*)            M McVeigh (232)

 

HB         P Van Der Haar (201)        S Lucas (270)                 G Foulds (300)

 

C            M Harvey (206)                  J Misiti (236)                   K Fletcher (264)

 

HF          M Mercuri (207)                 T Daniher (294) c           J Hird (253) dvc

 

           P Salmon (224)                  M Lloyd (270)                 D Bewick (238)

 

R            S Madden (378)                 T Watson (307) vc         G O‘Donnell (243)

 

19/20     G Hawker (200)                  B Stanton (210*)

 

Emg       D Hille (197)                       M Johnson (184)            M Long (190)

Where does jobe slot in twenty games from now?

Where does jobe slot in twenty games from now?

Pushes out Hawker I reckon, but I would be more than happy to have Glenn on the extended bench with Jobe.

 

I guess that poses the question with a four man bench of "Who will join this team in the future?" Jobe? Paddy? Heppell?

A bit of AA style position manipulation there.

Is that Mark Johnson who played 194 games, or Jason Johnson who played 184 games in the emergencies?

S Lucas at CHB, eh?

No room for Barry Davis with 218 games? I am guessing because some of his 200 games were pre 1966 - he debuted in 1961.

 

Other 200 game players in that category are:

 

-Don McKenzie 1960–74 266 games

-Jack Clarke 1951–67 263 games

-Hugh Mitchell 1953–67 224 games

 

For those older than me how would they fit into the team?

S Lucas at CHB, eh?

He won a BnF there!

 

S Lucas at CHB, eh?

He won a BnF there!

 

C'mon.

 

He did not?

 

 

S Lucas at CHB, eh?

He won a BnF there!

 

C'mon.

 

He did not?

 

2003 - he spent most of the year there. He won the BnF despite and only kicked 19 goals which suggests he wasn't at CHF.

 

 

 

S Lucas at CHB, eh?

He won a BnF there!

 

C'mon.

 

He did not?

 

2003 - he spent most of the year there. He won the BnF despite and only kicked 19 goals which suggests he wasn't at CHF.

 

Well bugger me.

 

Carry on, then.

 

 

 

 

S Lucas at CHB, eh?

He won a BnF there!

 

C'mon.

 

He did not?

 

2003 - he spent most of the year there. He won the BnF despite and only kicked 19 goals which suggests he wasn't at CHF.

 

Well bugger me.

 

Carry on, then.

 

 

Not only that, much like many of our key defenders, he was 'almost All Australian.' 

 

I remember him performing far, far better than I ever thought he would. 

NLM falls short, but a great servant. 

 

Hawker, but no Merrett? 

No room for Barry Davis with 218 games? I am guessing because some of his 200 games were pre 1966 - he debuted in 1961.

 

Other 200 game players in that category are:

 

-Don McKenzie 1960–74 266 games

-Jack Clarke 1951–67 263 games

-Hugh Mitchell 1953–67 224 games

 

For those older than me how would they fit into the team?

lf they qualify for the time window, l would select Barry Davis ahead of Gary Foulds any day of the week, same goes for Jack Clarke over Gary O'Donnell, and both of them before Mark Johnson. Guess they don't qualify for the era. Why 1966? Why not 1965 when we won a flag? 

NLM falls short, but a great servant. 

 

Hawker, but no Merrett? 

Dodger played 149 games for us. Wanganeen also didn't play enough games to qualify based on the given criteria. 

 

NLM falls short, but a great servant. 

 

Hawker, but no Merrett? 

Dodger played 149 games for us. Wanganeen also didn't play enough games to qualify based on the given criteria. 

 

Yeah, just noticed that. Sorry. Carry on. 

 

No room for Barry Davis with 218 games? I am guessing because some of his 200 games were pre 1966 - he debuted in 1961.

 

Other 200 game players in that category are:

 

-Don McKenzie 1960–74 266 games

-Jack Clarke 1951–67 263 games

-Hugh Mitchell 1953–67 224 games

 

For those older than me how would they fit into the team?

lf they qualify for the time window, l would select Barry Davis ahead of Gary Foulds any day of the week, same goes for Jack Clarke over Gary O'Donnell, and both of them before Mark Johnson. Guess they don't qualify for the era. Why 1966? Why not 1965 when we won a flag? 

 

Thanks CJ.

 

1966 is when the website used shows stats from.

 

Where does jobe slot in twenty games from now?

Pushes out Hawker I reckon, but I would be more than happy to have Glenn on the extended bench with Jobe.

 

I guess that poses the question with a four man bench of "Who will join this team in the future?" Jobe? Paddy? Heppell?

 

Bit harsh on Jobe (imho)...he'd be only one of two Brownlow medallists in that team...imagine how good he would be in team like 84/85 or 2000

A bit of AA style position manipulation there.

But that's only because there are only 20 EFC players who have racked up 200 games since 1966.

 

There are two players that are very lucky to have been selected to play alongside those other champions. Hint: they are the only ones not to have been in a Finals-winning (let alone Grand Final-winning) team.

 

Good idea, BMcV, but I, too, suspect that the "modern era" did not start in 1966, and regard the 200 games since then as a bit artificial. 

 

A bit of AA style position manipulation there.

But that's only because there are only 20 EFC players who have racked up 200 games since 1966.

 

There are two players that are very lucky to have been selected to play alongside those other champions. Hint: they are the only ones not to have been in a Finals-winning (let alone Grand Final-winning) team.

 

Good idea, BMcV, but I, too, suspect that the "modern era" did not start in 1966, and regard the 200 games since then as a bit artificial. 

 

 

There are bigger positional issues, but for heavens sake swap Foulds and Harvey.