As usual for this off-season time of the year, Demonland is only just going. 

Here's something to either liven the joint up or deliver the death knell.

You know the drill.  Below is a team, in position, of past and present VFL/AFL players that looks strong on paper.

What common factor links them?  

Answers to me in a PM only please.

Alas, my Santa's sack is empty and I have no prizes left to distribute.  Do it for the glory!

 

B:        Rod Carter     Sam Collins     Nathan Brown

H/B:    Kevin Murray     Nick Holland     Lynden Dunn

C:        Wayne Gordon     Callum Mills     Dale Thomas

H/F:    Ben Dixon     Max King     Steve Johnson

F:        Brett Burton     Josh Bruce     Dan Butler

R:        Mark Lee     Touk Miller     Nathan Jones

I/C:     Earl Spalding     Ross Oakley     James Cook     Xavier Clarke

I think my sack is empty also oi

@Demonstone, I've got a glitch that returns a 'x cannot receive messages' response when I try to PM. Could you PM me and we can see if I can get to you by reply?

Done Timothy.

No need to worry about the bare Santa sack, @Demonstone. Ain't nobody gonna be able to qualify!

Perhaps one or 'mow' clues? I do note the names are all very 'whitebread'...although, ironically, also 'of colour'!

No white bread Timothy, but you might say the answer looks fishy.

Fish/ing?

You've lost me, then, I'm afraid. I worked in Tassie for a good while. I didn't fish, I didn't sail, I didn't hunt.

So I didn't fit.

No responses to date, so time for another cryptic clue.

Usually 4 - but not always.

A couple of ideas have trickled in, but the answer is not literary based nor does it pertain to positions on the field.

To narrow the range of possibilities, I can reveal that the solution is not football related in any way.

Another clue (a pictorial one!) will be supplied in due course.

I was typing as your last came in, @Demonstone. From the previous 'clue' I had got as far as deducing it was nothing to do with them directly, including their playing careers, as the 'but not always' would have negated the commonality. Their names must(?) all match the names of people(?) who are (part of?) something that is 'usually 4'.

But 'fishy'? Sheesh!

You're getting warm, Timothy!

The fish might be a red herring but, then again, it might not.

3 hours ago, Demonstone said:

No white bread Timothy, but you might say the answer looks fishy.

Bread and fishes. Where have I heard that before?

Nothing biblical about this teaser, LD-vC, although you're not the first poster to speculate about that! 

The answer also does not relate to anything geographical.

Time then for another clue.

2 hours ago, Demonstone said:

 

Usually 4 - but not always.

You been watching me play golf??

21 minutes ago, DubDee said:

You been watching me play golf??

I hit a 72 just last weekend, but did much better on the second hole.

58 minutes ago, Demonstone said:

Nothing biblical about this teaser, LD-vC, although you're not the first poster to speculate about that! 

The answer also does not relate to anything geographical.

Time then for another clue.

You're not helping!

1 hour ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

Bread and fishes. Where have I heard that before?

For I will make you a fisher of men...How suss was that?

 

21 minutes ago, Monbon said:

For I will make you a fisher of men...How suss was that?

 

English Standard Version
And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  Mathew 4;19, Mark 1;17.

14 minutes ago, Monbon said:

English Standard Version
And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  Mathew 4;19, Mark 1;17.

My upbringing allowed me recognition of the reference, Mon (though not ready recall of the exact location - 👏 to you!) It was your alternative take that my upbringing would never have imagined!

Congratulations to perennial genius @Timothy Reddan-A'Blew who has seen through all my cryptic clue bluster and solved today's brainteaser, which puts him into a class of one.

I'm sorry that there's no prizes, but that's one of the Perks of being the compiler.  Oops, there's another clue!

2 minutes ago, Demonstone said:

Congratulations to perennial genius @Timothy Reddan-A'Blew who has seen through all my cryptic clue bluster and solved today's brainteaser, which puts him into a class of one.

I'm sorry that there's no prizes, but that's one of the Perks of being the compiler.  Oops, there's another clue!

*Blushes*

That latest clue sent me (back) to Mr.Google. Who knew?! (other than you of course!)

 

7 minutes ago, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

My upbringing allowed me recognition of the reference, Mon (though not ready recall of the exact location - 👏 to you!) It was your alternative take that my upbringing would never have imagined!

It never occurred to me until recently: then the penny dropped. To me, there was always something fishy about the all boys club called The Apostles...

One final clue that should make the answer obvious before the official reveal in an hour or so:

If there was to be an injury sub for this team, it would be Jason McCartney.

Over 500 views but only one correct answer and very few attempts.  C'est la vie.  I thought that last clue would make it obvious that all the players in my team share a surname with a bass guitarist. 

The meaning behind each clue:

1.  The answer looks fishy.     A type of fish is the bass which looks the same (but is pronounced differently).

2.  Usually 4 - but not always.  Bass guitars usually have four strings, but sometimes have five or six.

3.  Fred BASSet cartoon.

4.  Perks.  Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman was born Bill Perks but changed his name.

5.  Jason McCartney.   A blatant nod to Beatle Paul McCartney who played bass in the band.

 

Here now is the team with the bass players' names:

B:        Ron Carter     Bootsy Collins     Ray Brown

H/B:    Dee Murray     Dave Holland     Donald 'Duck' Dunn

C:        Kim Gordon     Mike Mills     Bruce Thomas

H/F:    Willie Dixon     Mark King     Lewis Johnson

F:        Cliff Burton     Jack Bruce     Geezer Butler

R:        Geddy Lee     Marcus Miller     John Paul Jones

I/C:     Esperanza Spalding     Berry Oakley     Stu Cook     Stanley Clarke

54 minutes ago, Demonstone said:

Over 500 views but only one correct answer and very few attempts. 

I’ve got an idea. Sounds crazy but it might just work…

MAKE THE PUZZLES EASIER FFS.