@Demonstone foreshadowed my return to annoyingquizsetterdom at the conclusion of his last beauty, but, as I undertook then, I have deferred it until we won. So - phew! - here we are!

It's too long to wait until our next 'Team Of The Century', so I've put together a 'Team For The Century'; that is, for the 100 years to today. What links the players spans that same 100 years.

These 23 Melbourne players were far from famous; indeed, Kennedy holds the games record in this squad, with the grand total of 17. However, fame of a rather exclusive sort links them.

With this dearth of games, there's very little 'lived experience' with which to position the players, so I've opted to place them alphabetically from the back pocket.

Backs:                      John AHERN                  Kevin CLARKE           John COMBEN

Half Backs:              James COOK                 John CORBY              Ben CRAMERI

Centres:                   Frank CUMMINS            Bob GORMLEY          Paul GOSS               

Half Forwards:        Robert HICKMOTT         Tony HIRST               Joseph HOGAN         

Forwards:                Stanley HUNTINGTON   Malcolm KENNEDY  John KERR                  

Followers:                Arthur MASKELL            Anthony MAY            Kevin MITHEN

Interchange:            Malcolm OWENS            'Billy' QUINN              Scott SIMISTER       'Bob' SPARGO

Tactical sub:            Harold STANLEY

The squad needs three additional members to fully honour the linkage; however, I couldn't find fully qualified players. If and as clues are required (though I'd be surprised if they are!) I'll progressively reveal my two emergencies, who qualify slightly differently, and my coach, who likewise qualifies slightly differently but also could not play in this team (and who actually hasn't played any games yet).

As usual, please make sure your answers are PMs!

 

Edited July 10, 20231 yr by Timothy Reddan-A'Blew

What's your secret, @Demonstone? They come out of the woodwork for you, but it's all quiet on this western front! Only @tilly18 has ventured a guess (and it's one with a twinkle of merit)

Where are you, puzzlers?

p.s. The link isn't football related (although one of the famous did have a notable football presence!)

Edited July 11, 20231 yr by Timothy Reddan-A'Blew

I would humbly suggest that the death of responses correlates directly with the difficulty of the teaser.  

8 minutes ago, Demonstone said:

I would humbly suggest that the death of responses correlates directly with the difficulty of the teaser.  

Freudian? Lucky Freud didn't also turn 'responses' into 'respondents'.

May I  humbly suggest that you own 'difficult'? 😊

Facepalming autocorrect!  Whoever invented that abomination should burn in hello.

PS:  Answer submitted to you via PM @Timothy Reddan-A'Blew.

Edited July 11, 20231 yr by Demonstone

We have a first placer ('It's not a winning game!' as my kids used to whine). Congratulations and kudos to @poita

Lots of 'places' left, so keep at it! Special mention to @mo64, who identified a possible, but ultimately wrong, hypothesis, that I hadn't seen, but which is, well,.... @tilly18 may(!?) have been onto it, too?

After a crickets start, it's starting to go with - as my Grandmother used to demurely say - 'a ruddy blush'!

Did you receive my attempt, @Timothy Reddan-A'Blew? 

My PM to you is yet to receive a response, unless you've fallen (again) for the old trap of replying via an ancient conversation that I have long since deleted.

19 hours ago, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

If and as clues are required (though I'd be surprised if they are!)

 

Well Tim, you’d be so surprised you’re bordering on shock, right?

OF COURSE CLUES ARE REQUIRED!

That said, I have also PMd my attempt. 🙂

In an impressive display of persistence, @tilly18 has tortoised into 2nd place.

A diamond in the rough!

And now @WalkingCivilWar has hobbled into 3rd place.

Congrats, Rough Diamond!

Keep going puzzlers; there's places for everyone!

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

And now @WalkingCivilWar has hobbled into 3rd place.

Congrats, Rough Diamond!

Keep going puzzlers; there's places for everyone!

… and not just because I have a broken foot, amirite?!?!

I finally got there, Tim 🥳

What’s the bloody answer?
Something to do with the players with the same name playing for another club?
 

Al lot of them seem to be politicians names. But a lot don’t!

Edited July 13, 20231 yr by Jumping Jack Clennett
Typo

Please post the reveal and put us out of our misery, @Timothy Reddan-A'Blew!

35 minutes ago, Demonstone said:

Please post the reveal and put us out of our misery, @Timothy Reddan-A'Blew!

I thought everybody had forgotten, and I was also a bit crestfallen that I hadn't attracted many of the 'regulars'. Maybe your post will give it a second wind?

And sorry, @Jumping Jack Clennett; I've only seen your posts just now.

So no reveal just yet, but something further to go on meanwhile. Referring to the OP, the slightly-differently-qualifying first emergency is Bill EARLE.

 

New day, new clue (no new entrants...)

This ought to do it for you, @Demonstone and @Jumping Jack Clennett:

The slightly-differently-qualifying second emergency is Lew GOUGH.

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

The slightly-differently-qualifying second emergency is Lew GOUGH.

I think Ed Langdon would qualify for Lew's spot.

9 minutes ago, Demonstone said:

I think Ed Langdon would qualify for Lew's spot.

Posted by our successful fourth-placer!

Though so as not to usurp Malcolm Kennedy's squad-high 17 games, I'd bring in 3-gamer Edward Buckley.

So...

As our four place getters have identified, the squad provides the first names of Australia's 26 Prime Ministers since 10 July 1923, including Robert/'Bob' Menzies' and Kevin Rudd's double dips, and a 'Billy' for dear old Mr McMahon. As there were no Earles for Mr Page, or Goughs (though several Edwards) for E.G. Whitlam, surnames of the emergencies filled those gaps.

That leaves the coach. @poita, @tilly18, @WalkingCivilWar, @Demonstone, @mo64, @Jumping Jack Clennett, and anyone else, care to guess who that is, from the OP?

Meanwhile, who didn't miss this from the OP?...

'As usual, please make sure your answers are PMs!'

I was also chuffed that HAROLD Stanley ended up in the SUB, fulfilling a famous conspiracy theory before that concept was supercharged by the internet!

And Lew Gough (or one of the Edwards) would have tried to avoid the forward pocket this time round!

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

So...

As our four place getters have identified, the squad provides the first names of Australia's 26 Prime Ministers since 10 July 1923, including Robert/'Bob' Menzies' and Kevin Rudd's double dips, and a 'Billy' for dear old Mr McMahon. As there were no Earles for Mr Page, or Goughs (though several Edwards) for E.G. Whitlam, surnames of the emergencies filled those gaps.

That leaves the coach. @poita, @tilly18, @WalkingCivilWar, @Demonstone, @mo64, @Jumping Jack Clennett, and anyone else, care to guess who that is, from the OP?

I’ve just PMd my guess, T. Not terribly confident but this guy qualifies (I think). 

...And does anyone know who this was, and in what way?

On 7/11/2023 at 2:30 PM, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

What's your secret, @Demonstone? They come out of the woodwork for you, but it's all quiet on this western front! Only @tilly18 has ventured a guess (and it's one with a twinkle of merit)

Where are you, puzzlers?

p.s. The link isn't football related (although one of the famous did have a notable football presence!)

 

1 hour ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

I’ve just PMd my guess, T. Not terribly confident but this guy qualifies (I think). 

Tim????

@Timothy Reddan-A'Blew

1 hour ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

Tim????

@Timothy Reddan-A'Blew

Well, that's weird: I wrote, and could swear I posted, an acknowledgement of your Alex Carey guess (noting it had confounded me!) and @La Dee-vina Comedia's and @tilly18's Deakyn Smith guess - all wrong btw. The 'ghost post' also welcomed LDVC to this supp. quiz.

Alfred Deakin is before the 1923-2023 century. What's your Alex Carey connection?

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

Well, that's weird: I wrote, and could swear I posted, an acknowledgement of your Alex Carey guess (noting it had confounded me!) and @La Dee-vina Comedia's and @tilly18's Deakyn Smith guess - all wrong btw. The 'ghost post' also welcomed LDVC to this supp. quiz.

Alfred Deakin is before the 1923-2023 century. What's your Alex Carey connection?

Long before he was taking the wicket of a sooky English keeper, Alex Carey was a footballer. He was named captain of GWS at its inception but was shafted when GWS joined the AFL, without ever having played a game.