tiers

Powell was part of the pack including Woewodin and A MacDonald - three hard running, front of pack, goal kicking left footers. Together they were a formidable and at times unstoppable force. It was the threesome that was destructive. After losing 2001, by 2002 the coaches had destroyed Woey and the effectiveness of the pack was all over. Sad but at least he never showedd something extra at the sainters than he showed with us.

A pure 24 carat gem of a man and player. The benchmark for all who follow in his footsteps.

Success breeds success. We had a chance in the 90s to start a run at success but blew 1990 and were overwhelmed by weagles in 1994. It was in the period 1995 to 1997 that it ended. Decimating injuries stopped all our momentum in these three years and we could never regain it even through we played finals 5 out of the next 9 years. We lost our home and home ground advantage to the money needs of the AFL and broadcasters. Training at the Junction Oval was tough but we still made a GF and other finals. Poor coaching and even poorer development cost us dearly - I still cringe when I remember that Green and Bruce were not much better after many years than when they started. I had predicted that 2020 was to be our year. Not to be but maybe next year. Go dees.

How good was the game? Not the result but the free flowing contested footy with no umpires interference (the incessant play on if the player takes time to find a target) and the open centre bounce where a ruckman could run and take a leap. White and Simmonds were outstanding and made the game look better (I know there are knee injury issues but there needs to be a better answer than the small circle and the repeated pushing and shoving). Its time to tell the umpires to shut up and let the game flow. The players know best. And what about white jackets and hats for the goal umpires - got to be better than the tee shirts and baseball caps. All these replays have displayed to me that the game was better when there was no "kicking down the line" and constant switching looking for cheap stats. Traditional kick ins from the square were a better means to restart the game and create a contest. What's worse, listening the BRuuuuuuce, Dermie, Landy and others reminded me that they were old hat 20 years ago but they are still with us. No wonder I don't miss footy as much as I should. Gil and the boys have neutered the game and it is less like real footy than it was. After the virus society will have to start again. This is an opportunity for our beloved great game to go back a bit and realise what made it great. It used to be a fast moving and attractive spectacle, now it is a dour struggle. That's all. Off the soap box.

Garry scored more goals, more all aussies, hall of fame and team of the century. He was a dynamic and courageous leader who could be potent in several positions. Brad was a champion, durable and dynamic at times but never rose to the levels of Garry. Lyon for me.

Just watched today the 2000 PF. Can't go past Farmer. He wasn't called the wizard for nothing. Yze to repechage. Farmer for me.

Wheels was magnificent - tough, uncompromising and fearless and played as if his life depended on his form. A star. Sean Wight was all of the above plus he could play back, forward, short, tall and on the ball. Could outplay any short player and then outmark and outmuscle a big opponent. He was the ultimate versatile swingman. Sean for me. Wheels into repechage.

Stretch was a classy wingman who was not quite in theclass of a Robbie or Stinga. David Schwarz would have been the greatest CHF of his era if not for the knee problem. It would have been a case of Wayne who? Even after his return from three knee surgeries, he was forced to play as The Ox, he was exceptional as a creative, strong and skilled key forward and protector. Just couldn't run as fast. No better demon in this era. Schwarz for me.

Robbo was an excitement machine who could win matches but was playing above himself. A top HFF or FP who could play FF. Clarrie is a once in a generation find. When fit, he plays his own game on a different level to the rest. The many complaints about his hand passes instead of kicks are due to a lack of anticipation by his team mates. This will change when the coaches wake up and adjust the team strategy. Clarrie for me. Robbo goes into repechage.

No contest. As good as Grinter was and how important he was to our team he can't compete with Neeta's record and contribution. Neeta for me but Grinter should go into the repechage heats.

+1

Liam Jurrah should be high on the list. Another one who could do what no other player could. Beaten down by the big city.

Getting harder. Junior was a really good player player and leader but did not have that extra bit that would make him great. He was also consisent but as captain he was not able to lift the team. Chunker is a better, more determined player who singlehandedly had to take on the role of midfield drive, hardness and leadership. It was almost too much for any one player but he did it. It is sometimes forgotten that when he started and he had more senior players to share the load he was supreme in close and if he did not gather the ball, then no one else did. He has been expected to carry the team in some dark days without help on the filed or in the coaches box. Jones for me.

Strawbs was a great ruckman and team player but was not better than most ruckman going around. Brett Lovett was an outstanding HBF with skills,, vision, judgement and the ability to consistently win one-on-one contests and deliver to advantage. I rate him as one of the best Melbourne players of his era and one of the best HBF in the league. Serious, serious class. Lovett for me.

They are now talking about recovery times and turn around times for the players. If it is to be a problem (as Zorko says) then change the format/concept. Each team has a squad of, say, 36 players and their respective game times are rationed by quarters. For example, over five games in three weeks no player can play more than, say, 16 quarters, the equivalent of four matches each calculated as 22 x 4 quarters per game x 5 games = 440 available quarters/36 = 12+ average. Does this mean that players will be rested for whole games? Yes it does unless there is another way to manage the loads. Perhaps play some only 3 quarters in a game, rotate by quarters, pick a side as horses for courses (eg. stack with defenders against high scoring opponents). Rationalise positions - who needs a ruckman unless playing against Maxie? Who needs a permanent full forward if dusty or danger play in the goal square? Inside players v outside players - think of the choices for the coaches. Get rid of 666. Think of the excitement in each game as these moves are played out. Mcgoose and dwayne would soil themselves. Bruce would spend the whole game asking silly questions like doesn't he, wouldn't he. For 2020 season only with a self destruct button. But when 2020 is the asterisk year, let it be for the footy not the virus.

Note that the weagles backline comprised local wa players who had been gifted to the weagles when they entered the league. We had recruited so well but still couldn't beat a gifted team.

The talent pool for top level AFL footy was diluted when the league expanded to 18 teams. We now need over 700 AFL standard players to service the fans. Remember WA and SA had their own state competitions pre 1987 and then, as now, NSW and QLD delivered few footy players. Suddenly the players who were good enough to play in the inferior state comps were being asked to step up to the top league. Big ask. Population numbers don't create a linear change as bigger source populations don't necessarily provide talent with the requisite drive to excel in the top league. Talent spotting, recruitment and development can overcome much, if not most, of the dilution but it still remains.

Febey was a consistent, talented and skillful player who went under the radar for most of his long career. He played his role to perfection and made a huge contribution. Reminds me of Foulds of bombs who played 300 games just doing his job. Davey changed the nature of forward defensive play and showed some of the most exquisite skills ever seen. Just last week he shimmied and shook and kicked a long goal in the replay of the 2006 final against sinners. He also got us into the finals against doggies when he stalked a doggie and smothered a kick. From the throw in White got a free kick and goaled. That sets him above nearly all players in the red and blue. Davey for me. For the record this contest is grossly unfair to players like these two. Implement repechage system.

1. Hopelessly unfair due to the shape of the ball and the direction of the bounce. Will destroy the spirit of the game - can you imagine players deliberately hand passing the ball so that it ricochets off an opponent and over the line or a group of team mates shepherding the ball as it bobbles over the line. Free kicks in our great game should have to be earned from a contest, not from some bureaucratic mumbo jumbo. 2. No. For frees and marks, change rule so that kick must go 15m past the mark so as to advance the ball. How many times have kicks gone sideways and not even crossed the mark. Otherwise leave it alone. See also 3. 3. Can't hurt. Most backward passes lead to play on so let's formalise what is happening. 4. Change rotation system so that players can only rotate once per quarter. This will automatically reduce maximum rotations per quarter to 18 (based on starting 18). Once you are off per quarter you get a long rest. On again, off again is ruining our game. Strategies might develop to rotate players per quarter and will force changes to coaching when mismatches can not be so readily responded. Fun and games and remove the staleness of our great game. Malcolm should stick to playing and coaching where he excelled because of an abundance of footy brains. Beyond that he is just another voice.

To me it is always about what sets them above other players. Todd was tough, determined and a leader with average skills but not much more than many others. Johno at his best (1988 elim final v wc) was electrifying and a match winner. He started on a wing and then improved when he went back to the back pocket (in the days when these were real positions) where he excelled. Alan Johnson for me.

Stinga was a great demon with heart, strength and skill second to none. Jako was the greatest forward I have ever seen in any team, bar none, for his 47 games. Like only a tiny handful of players in the history of the game, he was not just better but he could do things on the field that others could not even dream about. These are unfair choices. Should implement a repechage for Stinga and Ooze. Jako for me.

Max has been a demon for his whole career so far. All Australian and dominant at times. Brent was great for us but one dimensional - get it, kick it long. Might have been effective if the team was coached to take advantage but it didn't happen. Max by far.

+1. It would be hard to argue that 1988 was not a better standard of pure footy than today with today's supposed strategies, kicking down the line, flooding, zone defences and the other questionable improvements to the game. The umpiring was light years ahead of today because the umpires understood the game whereas today's umpires seem to be overcoached to allow the game to "flow' leading to scrums and ugly footy. Notice how the umpires then blew the whistle quickly as soon as the ball was stopped, ran in and bounced the ball quickly without having to indicate their exit path and asking for the ruckmen to be nominated. The stoppages were hardly noticed then whereas today the umpires are afraid to ball it up fearing that they will be accused of slowing the game. Close to the best team since the 60s with Lyon, Wight, Stynes, Lovett B., Spalding (what nincompoop let him go?), Johnson, Lovell, Hughes, Grinter, Healy, Wilson. In the end too knackered to beat the pre-draft era zoning favoured dorks in the GF.

No disrespect to Glenn but the mercurial Farmer could win matches on his own.

Brock McLean . Another lost chance to develop a player into a champion. Colin Sylvia the same. We drafted well but couldn't improve them. Cam Bruce and Brad Green were no better at the end of their respective careers at the dees than when they started in 2000. Let's hope Tracc, Gus and Clarrie get a chance to become the champions they should be.