Eagles All-Time Team

[The Passenger]

bit bored tonight, so thought I'd go through some of the old names and put together my best Eagles team from 87-now.

Backs - John Worsfold (c) - Ashley McIntosh - David Wirrpunda
Half Backs - Guy McKenna - Glen Jakovich - Chris Waterman
Centres - Peter Matera - Dean Kemp - Chris Mainwaring
Half Forwards - Chris Lewis - Mitchell White - Brett Heady
Forwards - Phil Matera- Peter Sumich - Jason Ball
Rucks - Michael Gardiner - Drew Banfield - Ben Cousins (vc)
Interchange - David Hart - Craig Turley - Ryan Turnbull - Michael Brennan
Emergencies - Michael Braun - Don Pyke - Tony Evans
Coach - Mick Malthouse

thoughts??

could be some oversights as this was done mainly off the top of my head at 1.30am in the morning For those who are wondering how I come to the conclusion of putting Worsfold in the team, it was a very agonosing decision between him and Greg Harding

 

[ozzult]

Good effort, but a few interesting choices such as Braun as an emergency.

Definitely would rather have Turley on the ball compared to Banfield.

 

[Eagle_Fan]

Originally posted by ozzult
Definitely would rather have Turley on the ball compared to Banfield.

Only in 1991.

 

[larrikin]

Good work. How awesome is that midfield and backline?

No way Jason Ball should be in the team however. He's not in our best 50. I'd have Evans or Pyke (from your emergencies) easily ahead of him, and if you wanted a big man I'd look at Paul Harding or Ross Glendinning.

BTW, McKenna should be VC

 

[Kenny_01]

Yeah Ball shouldn't be in there. And Bruan shouldn't be an emergency.

 

[jod23]

Originally posted by Black Thunder
bit bored tonight, so thought I'd go through some of the old names and put together my best Eagles team from 87-now.

Backs - John Worsfold (c) - Ashley McIntosh - David Wirrpunda
Half Backs - Guy McKenna - Glen Jakovich - Chris Waterman
Centres - Peter Matera - Dean Kemp - Chris Mainwaring
Half Forwards - Chris Lewis - Mitchell White - Brett Heady
Forwards - Phil Matera- Peter Sumich - Jason Ball
Rucks - Michael Gardiner - Drew Banfield - Ben Cousins (vc)
Interchange - David Hart - Craig Turley - Ryan Turnbull - Michael Brennan
Emergencies - Michael Braun - Don Pyke - Tony Evans
Coach - Mick Malthouse

thoughts??

I definitely wouldnt have Jason Ball in the side. The forward line is too tall with only Fido being a small forward so lose Ball altogether and throw Evans in the forward pocket.

Be interesting to see how different that team is in ten years. From the side you posted above I would suggest that only the following would be safe in 2013.

Worsfold
Jakovich
McKenna
McIntosh
Wirrpunda
Kemp
Matera
Matera
Lewis
Sumich
Cousins
Gardiner

Leaving the following fighting for a spot...

Turnball - perhaps Cox one day?
Brennan
Waterman - Utility? Lets talk HuntAAAA
Turley - Judd anyone?
Hart - Duncan...
Pyke
Evans
Braun
Banfield
Mainwaring
Heady
White - Gaspar, Doogs?

Some of those guys could be replaced in ten years time by the likes of Kerr and Judd which are almost certainties and then other possibilities like Sampi, Hunter, Gaspar, Doogs, Fletcher, Chick?, Cox, Embly, Morrison, Read, Haynes, Green, Jones etc etc...

Now obviously kids like those shouldnt be mentioned in the same sentence as club icons like Heady, Mainwaring, Pyke, Waterman, White, Evans etc but it's possible that if these youngsters go onto to long careers, perhaps play in our next premiership then they could certianly could lay a claim.

So their you go, they are my thoughts

 

[Rocco Jones]

Where's Illija Grgic?

 

[WA]

Originally posted by larrikin
Good work. How awesome is that midfield and backline?

No way Jason Ball should be in the team however. He's not in our best 50. I'd have Evans or Pyke (from your emergencies) easily ahead of him, and if you wanted a big man I'd look at Paul Harding or Ross Glendinning.

BTW, McKenna should be VC

Totally agree.

 

[Qidds]

Originally posted by larrikin
Good work. How awesome is that midfield and backline?

No way Jason Ball should be in the team however. He's not in our best 50. I'd have Evans or Pyke (from your emergencies) easily ahead of him, and if you wanted a big man I'd look at Paul Harding or Ross Glendinning.

BTW, McKenna should be VC

Indeed - Evans' performances in finals alone should be enough for him to have the forward pocket.

Ross Glendinning is a bit of a forgotten man in West Coast's history. He won AA selection in 1987 (alternating between CHF and CHB, from memory) and kicked 73 goals (mostly from CHF, some from FF) in 1988. Despite only spending 2 years at the club, he remains the most dominant CHF we've ever had, IMO.

 

[Mead]

Interesting thoughts.. assuming every player is selected at the peak of their form (thus far), here's what I reckon

B:Wirrpunda, McIntosh, Waterman
HB:McKenna, Jakovich, Worsfold (c)
C: Pe Matera, Kemp, Judd
HF:Lewis, Glendinning, White
FF: Ph Matera, Sumich, Heady
R: Gardiner, Evans, Cousins (vc)

Int: Banfield - P. Harding - Mainwaring - Brennan
Emerg: - Kerr - Ball - Turley


The legendary Mckenna/Jako/Woosh hb line is intact, but Judd relegates Mainy to the bench, giving us a very very pacy centreline. Glendinning is a clear choice at CHF, and he's flanked by Mitchell White and Chris Lewis. A full forward line of Fido, Heady and Sumich provides the right combination of marking power and agility, and in the ruck Gardie will have the luxury of having Kemp, Cousins and Tony Evans roving his knocks.

Meanwhile, the bench consists of the consummate utility Drew Banfield, another super midfielder in Mainy, Harding as some ruck backup (not GREG), and another defensive tall in Brennan.

err, Jason Ball and Turley are on the fringes.

As a variation, how about tryingto select each of your B, HB, C, HF, FF, Ruck, and interchange combinations out of players who *actually*played together at the same time? so, eg, you'd have to select the McKenna/Jakovich/Worsfold hb line, and make a tough decision between a ruck of Gardiner/Cousins/Kerr, or Ball/Banfield/Evans, or whatever??

 

[Qidds]

Originally posted by Mead
As a variation, how about tryingto select each of your B, HB, C, HF, FF, Ruck, and interchange combinations out of players who *actually*played together at the same time? so, eg, you'd have to select the McKenna/Jakovich/Worsfold hb line, and make a tough decision between a ruck of Gardiner/Cousins/Kerr, or Ball/Banfield/Evans, or whatever?? [/B]

I'll have a crack, judging lines on how well they actually played, and not on the careers of the individuals.

B: McIntosh, Brennan, Hart (circa 1994)
HB: McKenna, Jakovich, Worsfold (selects itself)
C: Matera, Kemp, Mainwaring (ditto)
HF: Heady, White, Gehrig (1996)
F: Evans, Sumich, Ball (circa 1994)
R: Gardiner, Cousins, Kerr

I: Lewis, Waterman, Pyke, Turley (circa 1991)

The HF forward line is probably a bit contentious, but 1996 was the year when the twin-floating-half-forward setup of Gehrig and White worked brilliantly. As far as I can recall, it was the only year when our HF line was a strength, rather than a weakness.

 

[Captain Random]

Originally posted by Rocco Jones
Where's Illija Grgic?

At HJ's - he's the All-Time Hungry Jacks Eagle For a Day.

All this talk rating Tony Evans is great to see. What a player. And Qidds, I'd take your IC a year earlier and substitute Keene for Pyke.

 

[davers11]

No mention of Dwayne Lamb anywhere???
Surely he must get a gig

 

[masai]

Remember that your 92 & 94 teams were awesome and 91 was no orphan, so the majority of players must come from this era.

Overall I question whether Wirrapunda would have found a spot in those premiership teams. Who would you take out?. I rate Pyke and Evans very highly, but tend to be forgotten.

Glendenning is the only real quality CHF the team has had (from the mouth of Karl Langdon), and I agree. Another forgotten man.

If only Kevin Caton hadn't broken his finger ...................

 

[Jabber]

Originally posted by davers11
No mention of Dwayne Lamb anywhere???
Surely he must get a gig

Fatty has to get a mention, even if it's only an emergency. He was our workhorse during the glory years.

 

[thegur]

for what it's worth.... Brennan seems to be the forgotten man in many teams.

IMO, he walks it in at FB, and Milli in the BP.

and about Ilija, here is something you may not know. He earnt far more, I mean far far more in his day job as a chemical engineer then he ever did from the eagles, bombers or dawgs, so suffice to say, I'd think he'd be doing quite well.

thegur

 

[llosis]

Here's my all-time Eagles team. Try a beat this!

F: C. Smoker S Jackson S Bond
HF: M Hepburn B Spinks M Dunstan
C: T Cummings C Young S Sikora
HB: B Krummel C Browning B. Hill
FB: A Blurton D Antonowicz T Holmes
R: I Grgic T Nicholls D Hampson
IC: S Bennett, P Higgins, R Geary, M O Brien

All players represented our team with pride. Note the heavy influence of the 89-90 teams and 94-97 draftees. Golden moments in our history.

 

[Ripper]

Where's Karl Langdon and Andrew Macnish?

 

[GoEagles]

Originally posted by Jabber
Fatty has to get a mention, even if it's only an emergency. He was our workhorse during the glory years.

If I remember correctly he was the first player to reach 50, 100 and 150 games for the Eagles.

 

[roostersgal4eva]

Originally posted by larrikin
BTW, McKenna should be VC

so right there - McKenna was/is my all time favorite Eagles player - always the general and was courageous how he put his body on the line without consideration on what damage was done to it (which IMHO ended his carrer short)

 

[jod23]

Originally posted by Mead

As a variation, how about tryingto select each of your B, HB, C, HF, FF, Ruck, and interchange combinations out of players who *actually*played together at the same time? so, eg, you'd have to select the McKenna/Jakovich/Worsfold hb line, and make a tough decision between a ruck of Gardiner/Cousins/Kerr, or Ball/Banfield/Evans, or whatever??

Doing it that way, would the 99 FF line have a shot with Cummings winning the coleman and Phil Matera kicking 51. Not sure who was the other forward we used in 99...probably a lot of different guys but that Cummings/Fido pairing in 99 was something else.

 

[Frodo]

Ball was no way near the mark, I have always disliked Glendenning and I believe Brennam was our best FB.

So

Backs - Dwayne Lamb- Michael Brennan-Ashley McIntosh -
Half Backs -John Worsfold (c) - Glen Jakovich (vc) - Guy McKenna
Centres - Peter Matera - Dean Kemp - Chris Mainwaring
Half Forwards - Chris Lewis - Mitchell White - Peter Wilson
Forwards - Phil Matera- Peter Sumich - Brett Heady
Rucks - Michael Gardiner - Drew Banfield - Ben Cousins
Interchange - David Hart - Craig Turley - Paul Harding - Tony Evans
Emergencies - Don Pyke - Tony Evans-Chris Waterman- Scott Cummings
Coach - Mick Malthouse


I rated Wilson highly and Scotty was a sensation in his Coleman year. I don't think Wirra has done enough yet.

 

[unbelievacow]

Originally posted by llosis
Here's my all-time Eagles team. Try a beat this!

F: C. Smoker S Jackson S Bond
HF: M Hepburn B Spinks M Dunstan
C: T Cummings C Young S Sikora
HB: B Krummel C Browning B. Hill
FB: A Blurton D Antonowicz T Holmes
R: I Grgic T Nicholls D Hampson
IC: S Bennett, P Higgins, R Geary, M O Brien

All players represented our team with pride. Note the heavy influence of the 89-90 teams and 94-97 draftees. Golden moments in our history.

Add Troy Ugle as an emergency and I think we have a winner!

 

[llosis]

How did I forget Troy! And a couple of stellar forwards Brent Hutton and Kevin Caton....

 

[Mr Q]

Originally posted by unbelievacow
Add Troy Ugle as an emergency and I think we have a winner!

That side also needs Murray Rance for captain, and I'm very disappointed with the non-selection of Shane Cable