B: Hardwick - Fletcher - M. Johnson
HB: Hibberd - Lucas - Wellman
C: D. Rioli - J. Watson - Long
HF: Mercuri - Harvey - Hird
F: Salmon - Lloyd - Caracella
R: Ryder - J Johnson - Misiti
I: Heppell - Wanganeen - O'Donnell - Zaharakis
I really tuned in around '93-'94-95.
Hooker & Hurley aren't too far off pushing into that side (for my timespan... the 80s group was pretty strong in that area)
Yeah, I really wanted mark Johnson in there too, is a tough thing to do.
I'd say Hooker and Hibberd will make my side in a few years. (Just on yours HAP... Imagine Hardwick and Hibbo running off half back. Wow.)
Paddy Ryder could be AA for the rest of his career, and still never crack this side.
My earliest footballing memory is Tim Watson hurting his ankle vs Collingwood in the top of the ladder clash at Waverley in 1990. I think 1990 draws a nice line from where to begin selecting as it was the first season of the AFL.
So, this is my best Essendon team from the AFL era:
This is really, really hard. I've done it as the best I've personally seen (or in the case of when I was a kid, what I can remember seeing.)
B: Wanganeen Fletcher Thompson
HB: Harvey T.Daniher Wellman
C: Long J.Watson Bewick
HF: Hird Lucas Mercuri
F: Salmon Lloyd Baker
R: Madden T Watson J.Johnson
int:
Heppell, Misiti, Hardwick
Sub: Caracella
I'd probably squeeze Rioli into Baker's spot maybe or possibly Jason Johnson or Van Der Haar for Caracella. Pretty tough though.
Baker was probably the one against the grain for me, as he retired around the time I started paying proper attention to footy, so I don't recall ever seeing him play live. But I used to watch the 84/85 grand final VHS tapes for a fair chunk of my school holidays, so it was hard not to get caught up in Leon Baker fever.
Van Der Haar should be in my side, in front of Caracella, but Vanda would be a terrible sub, and I reckon Caracella would kill at it.
Started watching in 93 (was 9)
B Wanganeen, Fletcher, Wellman
HB Hardwick, Harvey, Thompson
C Long, Misti, J. Johnson
HF Hird, Lucas, Mercuri
F Bewick, Lloyd, Rioli
R Ryder, J.Watson, Heppell
I Caracella, M.Johnson, Denham, Salmon
FWIW, I always pictured you about 5 years older than that
B: Hardwick - Fletcher - M. Johnson
HB: Hibberd - Lucas - Wellman
C: D. Rioli - J. Watson - Long
HF: Mercuri - Harvey - Hird
F: Salmon - Lloyd - Caracella
R: Ryder - J Johnson - Misiti
I: Heppell - Wanganeen - O'Donnell - Zaharakis
I really tuned in around '93-'94-95.
Hooker & Hurley aren't too far off pushing into that side (for my timespan... the 80s group was pretty strong in that area)
Yeah, I really wanted mark Johnson in there too, is a tough thing to do.
I'd say Hooker and Hibberd will make my side in a few years. (Just on yours HAP... Imagine Hardwick and Hibbo running off half back. Wow.)
Paddy Ryder could be AA for the rest of his career, and still never crack this side.
Yeah obviously Madden is going to be a lock for anyone who caught even bits of his career.
I reckon the Ryder/Salmon pair, swapping, would be as good as most clubs' best ever.
I find one of the interesting parts of this is going beyong "16th best player from that era so he's gotta play, now where..." and actually thinking about how they work as a team.
You could argue, pretty well, that Hird/Lloyd/Salmon (swapping with the other ruck) is as much height forward as you'd need, and pick another small/runner.
Same down back, you could go all out for the ultimate flexible, fast attacking backline by picking Wellman, Fletcher and Lucas or Harvey down back - and miss out on very little defensively.
Another thought... picking for the demands of different eras.
I'm firmly of the opinion (assuming you think of height/weight in terms of a percentile of the population... some of those 70s/80s KP players are objectively shorter than today's midfielders!) that guns of any era would translate pretty well into being at least very good players of any other era. But some guys might be used differently. Can go full down the rabbit hole with that one.