Almanac Teams: From Push Ups to Lay Ups; Obscure 46s (1980- )

 

 

 

 

A team of more obscure/lesser known players to wear the Number 46 jumper since 1980.

 

 

Here’s my second team of players to wear the Number 46, mostly from 1980 onwards but I have made exceptions, such as Mark Alves in Number 39.

 

 

It is a light-hearted team based on cult figures, forgotten/lesser known players or stats/cameos associated with them, players known for other deeds, sons, fathers & brothers and forgotten players.

 

My criteria, similar to my previous efforts was:

 

• Attempt to include one player per club
• I have tried to create as balanced side as possible but this was not a priority

 

 

Stats are based on their time in that number.

 

 

 

FB:         Glenn Dugdale (NM)             Sam Michael (Bris)              Jake King (Rich)

 

CHB:     Josh Hall (GCS)                      Chris Mew (Haw)                 Rory Laird (Adel)

 

C:           Andrew Dimattina (Coll)      Anthony Stevens (NM)        Wayne Schwass (NM)

 

CHF:     Lin Jong (WB)                         Tom Lynch (GCS)                 Peter Tossol (Melb)

 

FF:         Mason Cox (Coll)                    Tony Lockett (Syd)               Dean Lupson (Fitz)

 

Ruck:     Mark Porter (Carl)                 Mark Blicavs (Geel)              Andrew Bews (Geel)

 

Interchange: Austin Bradtke (Melb), Andy Demetriou (SM), Matthew Francis (Rich), Max Walker (Melb)

 

No players from Essendon, Fremantle, GWS, Port Adelaide, St Kilda or West Coast.

 

 

 

Games in Number 46 (Years played)

Glenn Dugdale 10 (1981)

Sam Michael 3 (2013)

Jake King 41 (2007-2009)

Josh Hall 7 (2012-2015)

Chris Mew 77 (1980-1983)

Rory Laird 18 (2013)

Andrew Dimattina 10 (2000)

Anthony Stevens 13 (1990)

Wayne Schwass 7 (1988)

Lin Jong 65 (2012-2021)

Tom Lynch 13 (2011)

Peter Tossol 5 (1983)

Mason Cox 94 (2016- )

Tony Lockett 3 (2002)

Dean Lupson 3 (1989)

Mark Porter 4 (1997)

Mark Blicavs 227 (2013- )

Andrew Bews 6 (1982)

Austin Bradtke 0 (on Melbourne’s list 2019-2021)

Andy Demetriou 1 (1977)

Matthew Francis 6 (1990)

Max Walker 7 (1967)

 

 

 

Glenn Dugdale – Glenn is the son of champion North Melbourne player John who played 248 games from 1955-1970 and was captain from 1968-1970. Glenn played 23 games from 1981-1984 as a tall defender/ruck. Glenn was 193cm tall and his 18-month younger brother Dean was 15cm shorter; he played 30 games from 1981-1985. Glenn’s best year was his first in 1981 with ten games, in 1982 he moved to Number 19.

 

 

Sam Michael – Michael was a tall defender who was selected with Pick 96 in the 2012 Rookie Draft. No relation to Mal, Michael debuted in Round 9, 2013 against Carlton with Daniel Merrett and Justin Clarke unavailable. He also played the following week and in Round 23. After no games in 2014 Michael was delisted. When the supplements scandal at Essendon surfaced, Michael was picked to play in some preseason matches while Essendon players from the scandal year did not play due to suspension concerns. When it was revealed that Essendon players would miss the whole 2016 season, Michael was listed as the last top-up senior player on their list. He played Rounds 16 and 19 in the Number 56 jumper – almost three years after his last game at Brisbane.

 

 

Jake King – King was cult figure among the Richmond faithful due to his diminutive size and fighting attitude. King was known as the ‘Push up King’ as during a preseason camp he asked a member of the Victoria Police special operations group what their record for push ups was and was told it was 271; King went on to beat this with 303. King was drafted with Pick 24 in the 2006 Rookie Draft and debuted aged 23 in Round 4, 2007 and went on to play the rest of the year. He wore Number 46 in his first three seasons and spent most of that time in the backline as a rebound defender. In 2010 he moved to Number 28 and struggling with form he was moved up the ground as a pressure small forward where he kicked 11 goals in last five rounds. King played 107 games for 79 goals with 25 goals in 2011 his best and four his best in a match.

 

 

Josh Hall – Hall hails from Townsville and spent his youth playing rugby league competing in high jump. Hall won a bronze medal at the 2007 World Youth Championship and jumped a qualifying height of 2.26m for the 2010 Commonwealth Games but was overlooked and in 2012 missed Olympic qualifying by 2cm. Hall later played footy in the Townsville competition and was drafted with Rookie Pick 94 in 2012. He debuted aged 22 against Richmond in the Round 16 match where Karmichael Hunt kicked a goal after the siren to win by two points. Hall’s contribution was two goals. He played five games in total between 2012-2013 but was delisted after 2015. Hall returned to his  rugby league roots for Penrith’s NSW Cup side in 2016 before he again played Australian football with Southport in 2018.

 

 

Chris Mew – Mew is one of the most underrated and unassuming footballers of his era. Recruited from Rosebud where he continued to live and work as a builder while at Hawthorn, Mew debuted in Round 9, 1980 and played eight games. From 1981 onwards Mew was rarely out of the side and missed only three games in Number 46 from 1981-1983 and six games until mid-1986. After a premiership in 1983 he moved to Number 2 and played CHB in 1986, 1988, 1989 and 1991. Mew retired aged 28 after 194 games at the conclusion to the victorious 1989 season. Legend has it that Allan Jeans regularly called and visited Mew at Rosebud afterwards and finally got him to return for Round 16 and the remainder of the 1990 season. Mew got to play in the 1991 premiership and retired after the 1992 finals aged 31 with a total of 230 games. He played five times for Victoria and was All Australian in 1984, though he never won a Best & Fairest he was name the most consistent player four times.

 

 

Rory Laird – Laird is another star that was initially picked up as a rookie; with Rory it was Pick 5 in the 2011 Draft. Laird debuted aged 19 against the Bulldogs in Round 4, 2013. He played 18 games in 2013 with his best game for the year with 29 disposals. Laird moved to Number 29 in 2014 and has been a star for Adelaide since – first off half back and now in the midfield. Laird has played 202 games with best of 43 disposals and has collected 40+ on nine occasions. A two time All Australian in 2017 and 2018, Larid also won Best & Fairest in 2018, 2021 and 2022.

 

 

Andrew Dimattina – Son of Frank and three years younger brother of Paul, Andrew was originally from Box Hill and played in the 1999 Essendon reserves premiership as a supplementary listed player. He was rookie listed by Collingwood with Pick 33 in 1999 and debuted aged 22 against Port Adelaide Round 13, 2000. Dimattina played every game from Round 13 onward with a best of 27 disposals. In 2001 he moved to Number 31 and played 16 games, including two against Paul at the Western Bulldogs. Andrew played just two games in 2002 and was delisted after 28 games. Like other members of his family he now works in the restaurant industry.

 

 

Anthony Stevens – Stevens was from Waaia and selected with Pick 18 in the 1988 Draft and made his debut aged 18 in Round 19, 1989 wearing number 58. Stevens played four games in 1989 and for 1990 earned a promotion to Number 46. Stevens played 13 of the first 16 games in 1990 with a best of 22 disposals in three games. He moved to Number 10 in 1991 and played 292 games in total for 127 goals until 2004. A two time premiership player, Stevens competed in the 1999 Grand Final with a badly sprained ankle from the week before. He recorded 12 disposals in the first quarter and a half before he was too badly injured to play the remainder of the match. He also won the Best & Fairest in 1997 and 1999 and was named All Australian in 1998.

 

 

Wayne Schwass – Schwass was born in Christchurch and was the first AFL player of Maori heritage. Schwass was three when he moved to Warrnambool and was recruited from South Warrnambool to North Melbourne where he debuted aged 19 in Round 1, 1988 after he won the Morrish Medal in 1987. He played the first two rounds of 1988 and was recalled for the last five games; in Round 22 he got 26 disposals. Schwass moved to Number 2 in 1989 and played every game. Schwass was a star on the wing for North Melbourne and was vice-captain under Wayne Carey when they won the 1996 Grand Final. He was suspended for four games after the 1997 Qualifying Final and felt the wrath of Denis Pagan after North Melbourne was bundled out of the Preliminary Final. After 184 games for the Roos Schwass was traded to Sydney for Shannon Grant where he played 98 games until 2002. Schwass was All Australian in 1999 and won Best & Fairests in 1994 and 1995 at North Melbourne and 1999 at Sydney. In 2012 Schwass played for the New Zealand Hawks as player-coach against the AIS AFL academy team. Post football Schwass has done some great work for mental health as CEO and founder of his company Pukaup.

 

 

Lin Jong – Jong was drafted by the Bulldogs with Pick 9 in the 2012 Rookie Draft and was the first AFL player of East Timorese and Taiwanese descent. Lin’s father left East Timor in 1978, met his mother in Taiwan and the two of them migrated to Australia in 1985. Jong made his debut in Round 20 of 2012 and played the last four games of the year; he averaged 17 disposals with a best game of 24 and one goal. Jong did not play a game in 2013, after six games in 2014, he became a regular for the Bulldogs and played a final in 2015. In 2016 he played 16 games including the Elimination Final against West Coast where he cracked his collarbone. It was feared he would miss the rest of the season but Jong played two weeks later in the VFL Grand Final and won the Norm Goss as best on ground. In a smart move Jong – who thought he might cop some bumps on his shoulder – strapped the opposite side to the injury. An emergency for the 2016 premiership, his career continued to be hampered by injury (he missed all of 2019) and after only four more games in three years he retired in mid-2021.

 

 

Tom Lynch – Lynch was taken by Gold Coast with Pick 11 of the 2010 Draft and debuted in Round 7 of 2011 against Brisbane in the QClash (or Pineapple Grapple) which was also the Suns’ first win over their local rivals. Lynch showed a glimpse of what was to come with 17 disposals, nine marks and two goals…the following game he had 19 disposals, 10 marks and two more goals. Lynch played 13 games for 15 goals including two bags of three in his first season. He moved to Number 19 in 2012 and kept improving as one of the best young players in the competition with 43 goals in 2015, 66 goals in 2016 and 44 goals in 2017. Lynch played 131 games for 254 goals at Gold Coast with best of eight goals and was All Australian in 2016, Best & fairest 2015-2016 and co-captain in 2017-2018. Lynch joined Richmond as a free agent in 2019 and has played 81 games for 193 goals at the Tigers with total of 212 games and 447 goals. Lynch was premiership player in 2019 and 2020 and Best & Fairest in 2022.

 

 

Peter Tossol – Peter is the younger brother of John and was a bit of cult figure after he was recruited from Assumption College. Tossol played his first game in Round 6, 1982 aged 19 and kicked two goals with his first two kicks; he played five games for four goals in his debut season. Tossol moved to Number 21 in 1983, played 12 games for 14 goals in 1984 including four against the reigning premiers Hawthorn. After 17 games Tossol returned to the country and became a very good country footballer and cricketer. He won three premierships as a player for Wangaratta and two as a coach for Corowa-Rutherglen. Tossol represented Victoria County in Football and also Cricket as an all-rounder.

 

 

Mason Cox – Cox was born in Texas and studyied/played basketball at Oklahoma State University. After he was invited to attend the AFL’s US Combine in April 2014, Cox stood out with his height and skills testing. He travelled to Australia in May 2014 and was then signed up by Collingwood. Cox played all of 2015 in the VFL and made his debut in the Anzac Day 2016 match against Essendon with one goal and then in his fourth game he kicked four goals against Brisbane. He played 11 games for 17 goals in 2016 and after some struggles in 2017, had his best year in 2018. Cox played 24 games for 25 goals and won the Neale Daniher medal against Melbourne when he kicked five goals. In the 2018 Preliminary Final Cox was a force with three goals against ladder leaders Richmond. Cox has played 94 games for 100 goals, is now an Australian citizen and is known for the protective googles he wears during a match.

 

 

Tony Lockett – I covered a lot of Lockett in the Number 37 side – the first number he wore in 1983 at St. Kilda – but his stint in Number 46 deserves a mention. Lockett had retired in 1999 with 278 games and a VFL/AFL record 1,357 goals. With Barry Hall’s arrival to Sydney in 2002, Lockett had joined as an assistant/goal kicking coach and had lost a lot of weight to keep fit. He then decided to make a comeback at the age of 36 and was re-taken by the Swans with Pick 6 in the 2002 Rookie Draft. Lockett wore 46 as Ben Matthews wanted to stay in Number 4. Plugger played Round 1 but had just one kick for one goal before he was injured. He did not return until Round 10 against Collingwood where he kicked a goal from four disposals. Lockett played once more in Round 12 for two possessions and one goal then retired again permanently with three games, three goals, five kicks and seven disposals. Lockett has since been elevated to Legend in the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

 

 

Dean Lupson – Lupson originally played for Essendon before he was drafted by Fitzroy in 1989. Lupson made his debut in Round 19, 1989 aged 20 and played three of last four games and also the 1989 Reserves Premiership. In 1990 he moved to Number 27 and played three of the first four games. All up he played six games for no goals with a best of 14 disposals. After his stint in the AFL, Lupson was playing coach of Sunbury in the late 1990s and he led them to three flags. The unusual bit is that Lupson missed all three wins. Suspended in 1997 and 1999, Lupson also missed 1998 with a broken arm.

 

 

Mark Porter – Porter was originally from the King Valley before he joined Coburg where he won the Fothergill-Round Medal as most promising young talent. He was selected with Pick 10 in the 1997 Rookie Draft and performed very well in the reserves. Come Round 16, 1997 Matthew Allan was out due to injury and Justin Madden retired after he’d struggled to find form in the reserves. This opened up a place on the main list for Porter. Carlton played old rivals Essendon and on debut Porter had 27 hit outs, compared to the entire Essendon side’s 14 and earned himself a standing ovation when he came to the bench for a rest. He played four games in 1997 and in 1998 moved to Number 11. Porter played 55 games for Carlton from 1997-2001. In 2002 Porter was traded to North Melbourne for Corey McKernan where he played 55 games to bring up 110 games in total.

 

 

Mark Blicavs – Blicavs’ parents were both born overseas; his mother on the Isle of Jersey and his father in New Zealand to Latvian parents. Blicavs’ parents both represented Australia at basketball, his father at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and mother at the 1983 World Championships. Mark’s sister Sara plays in the WNBL currently for Southside Flyers and has won two championships and also represented Australia at the 2022 World Championships and brother Kris plays in the South East basketball league. As a junior, Blicavs was a distance runner and tried to qualify for the 2012 Olympics in the steeplechase. After this he concentrated on footy and was rewarded when he was selected with Pick 54 in the 2012 Rookie Draft. He debuted in Round 1, 2013 and played 22 out of 25 games for the year. Since debut he has played 227 games; rare is a missed game with 20 in a season his lowest return. With his more specialised build and athletic characteristics, Blicavs has managed to play in nearly every position but mainly ruck, key defence, wing and on-ball. He was a member of the 2022 premiership and All Australian sides and won Best & Fairests in 2015 and 2018.

 

 

Andrew Bews – Bews joined Geelong from North Geelong and made his debut in Round 4, 1982 aged 17. He played the last five games of 1982 and kicked six goals. He moved to Number 27 in 1983 and played 20 games; he was Geelong’s first rover from then on. Bews kicked 42 goals in 1985 with a bag of six his best. Bews captained Geelong in 1990-1991 and played 207 games for 132 goals – he also played for Victoria 12 times. Bews moved to Brisbane in 1994 where he played 75 games until 1998 to finish with total of 282 games for 134 goals. Andrew’s son Jed is a current player for Geelong with 151 games to his name and the 2022 flag.

 

 

Austin Bradtke – Bradtke was rookie listed by Melbourne in 2018 and he spent three seasons there, but for no games. Bradtke is 204cm tall and the son of Mark who represented Australia at 1988, 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympics in basketball, played 36 games in the NBA for Philadelphia in 1996-1997 and won three NBL titles (two with the Melbourne Tigers and one with the Brisbane Bullets) and was NBL MVP in 2002. Austin mother is former tennis player Nicole Bradtke (nee Provis) who reached a world rank of 24 and made the Semi Final of the French Open in 1988. In 2022 Austin joined Frankston in the VFL.

 

 

Andy Demetriou – Demetriou joined South Melbourne from St Kilda City and was 192cm tall. He debuted as a reserve in Round 10, 1977 against Collingwood at 18. He did not get a disposal, nor did he play another game. Namesake Andrew (not Andy) played for North Melbourne and Hawthorn and became CEO of the AFL. Wikipedia says Andy now has a deli in Albert Park.

 

 

Matthew Francis – Francis joined Richmond from Ballan when he was taken with Pick 19 in the 1988 Draft. Francis was 196cm and mobile enough to play wing, tall defender and forward, but joined Collingwood as a ruck. Francis was similar to Blicavs 30 years ago, but unfortunately very injury prone. In 1990 he played the last six games of the year and in his fifth game got 24 disposals which was a career best. Francis moved to ‘unlucky’ Number 13 in 1991 and he played 19 games in six seasons at Richmond with 1992 his best of seven games and eight goals. Traded to Collingwood in 1996 for Robert Powell, he had his best year in 1997 with fifteen games as back up ruck. After 11 games in 1998 Francis was delisted after 55 games in total; 19 at Richmond and 36 at Collingwood. Francis coached Redland in the QAFL and worked as a skills development manager at Brisbane Lions. He now lives in Ho Chi Minh City as a science teacher and works with his brother Michael with the Vietnam Swans team.

 

 

Max Walker – Max Walker was born in Hobart and was recruited to play football by Norm Smith for Melbourne. Walker debuted for Melbourne aged 18 in Round 12, 1967 and played seven games for the year. He moved to Number 1 in 1968 and was a regular as a ruck/back pocket until 1972. Walker made his test cricket debut in 1972; he toured the West Indies in 1973 and upon his return informed the Demons of his choice to retire in order to concentrate on cricket – he was just 24 and had played 85 games. Walker played 34 tests for Australia until 1980 for 138 wickets with a best of 8/143. Walker was a much loved sports media personality as a cricket commentator, host of Wide World of Sports and author of 14 books like ‘How to Hypnotise Chooks’, ‘How to Puzzle a Python’ and ‘How to Tame Lions’.

 

 

Some of the forgotten Number 46s are Paul Patterson (Adel), David Wearne (Bris), Adam Pickering (Carl), Frankie Raso (Coll), Tom Jok (Ess), Marcus Baldwin (Geel), Hayden Lamaro (Melb), Jeromey Webberley (Rich) Andrew Jobling (St.K), Stephen McBroom (Syd), Simon Tunbridge (WCE), and Michael Svilar (Foots).

 

 

 

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