Our best AFL era side

Football Discussion Dustin Fletcher Hangar
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Perhaps an interesting discussion point for this off season, but Herald Sun are apparently doing a feature at the moment ranking the best sides across the AFL era, and comparing against each other. I don’t much care for that comparison, but find it interesting to see what would be our strongest AFL side since 1990. Assisting the HS is Simon Madden and this is the team that they came up with.

The rules are that the selections MUST have played 5 years or 100 games from season 1990

ESSENDON’S BEST OF THE AFL ERA

B: Mark Thompson, Dustin Fletcher, Gary O’Donnell

HB: Gavin Wanganeen, Mark Harvey, Damien Hardwick

C: Michael Long, Mark Mercuri, Brent Stanton

HF: Jason Johnson, Scott Lucas, Joe Misiti

F: Darren Bewick, Matthew Lloyd, Paul Salmon

R: Steve Alessio, James Hird ©, Jobe Watson

I: Mark Johnson, Dean Wallis, Cale Hooker, Sean Wellman

Coach: Kevin Sheedy

For me, I can’t have Wellman on the bench, I would move Wanganeen to back pocket and O’Donnell to the wing or maybe bench. I can’t have Wallis in the team either, perhaps a Blumfield to come in or a Caracella. Sean Denham was a great player for us for a long time who doesn’t get much recognition. Maybe he should be on bench? There is a distinct lack of players from the last 10 years … fair enough, we have been ■■■■■ as a club. But has Heppell done enough already to make it? David Hille?

We haven’t had a gun ruck for a long time have we? Salmon could have been that, but his best years in ruck were at another club.

Go at it Bomber fans, what needs to be changed?

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If Steve Alessio is our best ruck since 1990 it really says something. He had all the talent but was cruelled by injury and never reached the heights I thought he would. In 1994 he showed he could’ve had it all. Agility, run, tapwork, goalkicking threat. Sadly not to be.

Unfortunately it was the end of Simon Maddens era as he is a shoo-in as ruck for any side. Fish was a better ruck than Alessio and so was judas for mine.

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Think I’m with you on Wellman, I’d have to have him in … & no Hurley ???

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Alessislow

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If Steve Alessio is our best ruck since 1990 it really says something. He had all the talent but was cruelled by injury and never reached the heights I thought he would. In 1994 he showed he could've had it all. Agility, run, tapwork, goalkicking threat. Sadly not to be.

Unfortunately it was the end of Simon Maddens era as he is a shoo-in as ruck for any side. Fish was a better ruck than Alessio and so was judas for mine.

yep. id have ryder before ces. that hurt to say.
otherwise no bad.

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Misiti at HFF?

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Lol.
First of all you’d swap Misiti and Mercuri.

Or is it a ‘Andrew Lovett-Murray’ situation. Where they forget which one is which.

I’d have a third tall option. So swap JJ to RR, and Hird to HFF.

But honestly it’s all over the shop.

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ESSENDON BEST 22 AFL ERA

B. M.Johnson Fletcher Wanganeen
HB. Hardwick Harvey Thompson
C. Long J.Watson Stanton
HF. Hird © Lucas Mercuri
F. Bewick Lloyd Caracella
R. Salmon Misiti O’Donnell
Int J.Johnson Wellman McVeigh
Heppell

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Dean Wallis? What in the actual? And… (counts on fingers) 5 tall backs? Nup, nuppity nup nup.

Hooker v Hurley v Harvey v Wellman is interesting. I think there’s every chance the current 2 surpass (in Harvey’s case, the 2nd half of) the older 2, but not quite yet. And you just can’t have all of them.

B: Damien Hardwick, Dustin Fletcher, Mark Harvey
HB: Gavin Wanganeen, Sean Wellman, Mark Thompson

C: Michael Long, Jason Johnson, Brent Stanton

HF: Mark Mercuri, Scott Lucas, James Hird
F: Darren Bewick, Matthew Lloyd, Paul Salmon

R: David Hille, Joe Misiti, Jobe Watson ©
I: Mark Johnson, Gary O Donnell, Adam Ramanauskas, Dyson Heppell

Coach: Kevin Sheedy

Works for me.
Nobody could seriously take Dean Wallis - as a 5th in line tall back - over Hepp (or Hilley or Rama or McVeigh or Blumfield or… ), could they? Loved the guy, but he was a grunt.

Hille (12.9d / 4.3m / 14.4ho / 0.8g) over Ryder (11.7d / 4.2m / 15.9ho / 0.7g) over Alessio (11.2d / 4.2m / 9.1ho / 1.1g) for mine.

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Alessislow

That’s OK, 3 key defenders on the bench gives you plenty of run…

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Lol. First of all you'd swap Misiti and Mercuri.

Or is it a ‘Andrew Lovett-Murray’ situation. Where they forget which one is which.

I’d have a third tall option. So swap JJ to RR, and Hird to HFF.

But honestly it’s all over the shop.


Salmon + Lloyd + Lucas not enough?
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Put together by someone who’s never seen football, let alone Essendon.

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Swap Mercuri and JJ.

Lots of other changes, but busy.

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Alessio makes it for that mark and winning goal vs the Swans many years ago.

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Lol. First of all you'd swap Misiti and Mercuri.

Or is it a ‘Andrew Lovett-Murray’ situation. Where they forget which one is which.

I’d have a third tall option. So swap JJ to RR, and Hird to HFF.

But honestly it’s all over the shop.


Salmon + Lloyd + Lucas not enough?

My bad. Didn’t see Salmon.

I doubt we could lose a central clearance with Misiti & Watson. But gees that would be a slow midfield.

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Lol. First of all you'd swap Misiti and Mercuri.

Or is it a ‘Andrew Lovett-Murray’ situation. Where they forget which one is which.

I’d have a third tall option. So swap JJ to RR, and Hird to HFF.

But honestly it’s all over the shop.


Salmon + Lloyd + Lucas not enough?

My bad. Didn’t see Salmon.

I doubt we could lose a central clearance with Misiti & Watson. But gees that would be a slow midfield.


It’s alright, we’ve got Wally & Hooker on the bench to come on and give us some extra run…

I’m kinda surprised Calthorpe and Somerville didn’t get a gig, seems like playing in '93 is weighted a lot more important than, say, ability.

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Alessio makes it for that mark and winning goal vs the Swans many years ago.

It’s blasphemy, but I would argue that Ryder is ahead of Alessio.

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LOL at Harvey preferred as key defender over Hooker (especially with the back flanks and pockets all being smalls).

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It still amazes me to see Harvey named as a Centre Half Back.

Am not saying he shouldnt be there - he should - but the very thought of our scrawny 1984 blond ‘half forward flanker’ ending up as our best CHB over last 25 years is a tribute to his prowess & character of a man.

In 1993 he was a ‘temporary fill-in CHB’ who bloomed into a confirmed premiership champion in that position.
All year he played one-on-one against much bigger opponents, often with injury, & just somehow continued to deliver week after week. Harvs had some exposure by this stage as a defender but never as the key-position centre half back.
He was surrounded by some handy back-line support but that included a first-year Fletcher & young Wanganeen.

It of course turned out to be a dream season as we won the Flag & we saw the blossoming of a band of exciting young champions but the contribution of Mark Harvey as an undersized CHB that year was amazing to watch.

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It’s the best players by position from over 30 or so years, it’s not supposed to be a balanced team that’s going to play a game.

Also there’s no way Ryder gets in before Ces, on the back of one good season. You’d have Barnes in there on that criteria. Ryder is an overall better player, though.

Stants is a club champ, and I love him, but I’m not sure he makes it in before a number of others.