Heroes vs Villains

[Invigoration]

With the new Survivor having aired last night, I thought it might be interesting to make up an equivalent Heroes v Villains team of the AFL.

I tried to make up the Villains team of blokes with off-field indiscretions, but a couple were just blokes who are pretty much despised or loathed for a range of reasons.

A lot of the widely respected Heroes had recently retired (Wirra, Richo, Harvey, Burns) and to be honest, there was only a few standouts such as Kirk. I wanted guys who had done good work on the field as well as on, but you don't hear about the good deeds off field very much, so I was a bit limited. Went with blokes who, to my knowledge, haven't played up off field and are pretty widely respected by both their peers and fans.

Villains;

B: Chris Tarrant - Matthew Scarlett - Darren Milburn
HB: Chad Cornes - Nathan Bock - Heath Shaw
C: Brent Harvey - Leigh Montagna - Andrew Lovett
HF: Steve Johnson - Lance Franklin (c) - Alan Didak
F: Jason Akermanis - Brendan Fevola - Stephen Milne
R: Adam Goodes - Ben Cousins - Chris Judd
I: Michael Gardiner - Barry Hall - Daniel Kerr - Dane Swan

Emerg: Colin Sylvia - Eddie Betts - Michael Hurley
Coach: Stan Alves
Idol: Jeff Farmer

Backline is a bit tall with Tarrant and Scarlett, but I wanted them both in. Probably needs another small defender. This team was pretty easy to make, a lot of these names write themselves.

Heroes;

B: Brett Kirk (c) - Simon Prestigiacomo - Harry O'Brien
HB: Bryce Gibbs - Craig Bolton - Luke Hodge
C: Joel Corey - Adam Cooney - Jimmy Bartel
HF: Ryan O'Keefe - Nick Riewoldt - Paul Chapman
F: Jason Porplyzia - Matthew Pavlich - Daniel Bradshaw
R: Dean Cox - Brad Sewell - Simon Black
I: Joel Selwood - Liam Jurrah - Lenny Hayes - Paddy Ryder

Emerg: Daniel Cross - Josh Kennedy - Nathan Foley
Coach: Clive Waterhouse
Idol: Rowan Jones

It was tough finding respected blokes who play in back/forward pockets. Moved Kirk back there to help fill a hole. Forward line is reasonably tall, I couldn't really think of any crumbing forwards that are good blokes, so I settled on blokes who were decent IRL but probably not ideal for the position. Brad Johnson was close, but the consistent diving and whinging to the umpires saw him pushed out.
Luke Hodge was a bit contentious as he cops a lot of flak and he has fronted the tribunal a fair bit, but I believe he does a lot of good work off-field and he is always gritting his teeth for the team, so he snuck in.
I probably should have Ablett in there, but the Gold Coast money grabbing has tainted him a bit. I'm guessing he'll be the one most people want in, but we'll see.

Gibbs has a clean off field record and is a bit of a pin up boy, plus he is a bit of a fairy which helps him get a guernsey

Jurrah gets in on a pretty heroic story and because I believe he is doing some work to help Indigenous footballers achieve their dream of playing football and setting himself as a bit of a role model.

Anyway, who do we think would win? Feel free to make changes, I've undoubtedly missed a bunch of blokes, but I went mostly just off my head, so it is to be expected.

 

[Zvim]

Goodes and Harvey? WTF?

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Franklin, a villain? How so?

 

[Invigoration]

Goodes and Harvey? WTF?

Like I said, they weren't all simply selected on off-field indiscretions.

Goodes and Harvey are both widely disliked among fans, not as players per se, but definitely as blokes.
Goodes has always been seen as a bit dirty and a favourite of the umpires, in 'the players you hate' thread, Goodes is easily the most mentioned Sydney player.
Harvey is a diving tiprat with a bogan wife, only a North Melbourne supporter would take up arms with his inclusion.

 

[StringyDog]

You left off the guy in your sig from Villains, getting into drunken brawls all over place at Melbourne and then screws club that developed him by jumping $hip to go to Carlton.

Steven Baker the sniper man also deserves a gig.

Surely there are some more of the injunctions you could throw in too.

 

[Invigoration]

Franklin, a villain? How so?

Plus he is widely renowned as a pretty average bloke. People need to take off the blinkers in regards to their own players and remember it isn't simply off-field indiscretions. If you take that into account, opposition supporters would definitely rank Franklin as a villain, hence his high frequency in the most hated players thread.

 

[mollyfud]

Franklin, a villain? How so?

Agreed! Hodgey did have the incident of over celebrating his 21st that saw him suspended a game by the Hawks (if memory serves me correctly) and he is a hero yet I don't think Buddy has had even a repremand from the club off field?

There was the incident with a drink but that seemed like more of a media beat up and the stories were very mixed about it!

 

[Invigoration]

You left off the guy in your sig from Villains, getting into drunken brawls all over place at Melbourne and then screws club that developed him by jumping $hip to go to Carlton.

Steven Baker the sniper man also deserves a gig.

Surely there are some more of the injunctions you could throw in too.

Yeah I needed to balance it though, admittedly there was blokes who have committed worse off-field deeds, but I also wanted to make the best team possible otherwise it'd just be too one sided..

None of McLean, Baker, Walker/Houlihan etc would make the best team, even if they are probably more deserving than blokes like Goodes.

 

[AG]

Goodes would be the captain of my hero team.

 

[Ordovician]

He is a gutless snipe who can't resist elbowing people in the kidneys, then gets off at the tribunal because the tribunal is a farce.

Then he wins a brownlow when the buffoon umpires give him three votes for the last game in which none of the press even mentioned him amongst the six or so best for the swanies.

Kirk is a hero, Goodes is a poltroon.

 

[AG]

Kirk is a hero, Goodes is a poltroon.

 

[anti_]

look at the villain midfield.

imagine if judd, cousins and kerr were in one team.

would be amazing.

 

[AG]

Then he wins a brownlow when the buffoon umpires give him three votes for the last game in which none of the press even mentioned him amongst the six or so best for the swanies.

Huh? 03 or 06?

 

[anti_]

des headland should be in the villains team also...although i suppose he's not really good enough.

his goal celebrations should earn him automatic selection.

 

[Ordovician]

Huh? 03 or 06?

2006.

Have a look at a back copy of the Herald Sun.

 

[Barnzy]

How did Dane Swan not make the Villians team? Assaulting a cleaner with your mates, kicking and punching him while he was down causing him to lose consciousness and then fleeing the scene doesn't meet your standards? Not to mention he was found guilty of these charges and forced to do community service and pay the cleaner 100k (which he tried to dodge too).

 

[anti_]

hero material.

all hero's need sensible hair cuts.

 

[Invigoration]

How did Dane Swan not make the Villians team? Assaulting a cleaner with your mates, kicking and punching him while he was down causing him to lose consciousness and then fleeing the scene doesn't meet your standards? Not to mention he was found guilty of these charges and forced to do community service and pay the cleaner 100k (which he tried to dodge too).

Massive oversight in all honesty, can't believe I forgot him.
I'll edit the OP.

 

[AG]

2006.

Have a look at a back copy of the Herald Sun.

He dominated that game, I recognise Goodes has been lucky with votes but not that game. Destroyed Carlton.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Plus he is widely renowned as a pretty average bloke. People need to take off the blinkers in regards to their own players and remember it isn't simply off-field indiscretions. If you take that into account, opposition supporters would definitely rank Franklin as a villain, hence his high frequency in the most hated players thread.

Oh I get, we're talking about rumours and innuendo. Sweet.


Fwiw, Franklin tops the most hated list because he tears other teams new ones, not because he won't talk to them at a bar.

 

[Gilbo19]

Lol, Leigh Montagna a villain? you have to be kidding me?

Also Harry O isn't good enough to make the team for heroes, he is a good player and he seems to be an even better bloke but how does he get a gig over the likes of Andrew McLeod, Sam Fisher, etc.

 

[Jade]

Oh I get, we're talking about rumours and innuendo. Sweet.


Fwiw, Franklin tops the most hated list because he tears other teams new ones, not because he won't talk to them at a bar.

I thought the OP mentioned that? Ie. Generally disliked or despised.

No doubt a lot of people don't like Franklin because he tears clubs up and has that smug look about him.

A lot of people disliked Cousins prior to the drug fiasco for the same reason.

 

[Gilbo19]

Oh I get, we're talking about rumours and innuendo. Sweet.


Fwiw, Franklin tops the most hated list because he tears other teams new ones, not because he won't talk to them at a bar.

Then why do I hate him? he always struggled to get a touch against Max...

Will be interesting to see how he goes against Zac this year

 

[AG]

Also Harry O isn't good enough to make the team for heroes, he is a good player and he seems to be an even better bloke but how does he get a gig over the likes of Andrew McLeod, Sam Fisher, etc.

Fisher? I barely hear anything about Fisher.
O'Brien would be one of the first selected. Good player, very well spoken, says the right things, how can you not respect him.

 

[Hens Hall]

Then why do I hate him? he always struggled to get a touch against Max...

Will be interesting to see how he goes against Zac this year

Maybe he will come out with his teeth intact....and if he doesn't maybe he might actually get a free after getting belted in the head.