AFL/UN team

I’ve been mightily impressed by Mason Cox and his first few AFL games. He also penned an insightful perspective on Donald Trump. So i thought hmm, what about trying to pick a team of the best players that weren’t born in Australia? How does this look?

B: D Pyke, (WC, USA.)     J Scarlett, (Geel/SM, UK.)     M Michael, (Coll/Bris, PNG)

HB: P Vinar, (Geel, Czech.)     T Croad, (Haw/Freo, NZ.)     M Hanna, (Carl, Leb.)

C: P Murnane, (Haw, PNG.)     S Magee, (SM/Foot, Eire.)     W Blackwell, (Carl UK.)

HF: H Dawe, (Carl/Melb, UK.)     J Baggott, (Ess/Rich,  S Af.)     J Edmond, (Foot/Syd/Bris, UK.)

F: M Cox, (Coll, USA.)     A Jesaulenko, (Carl/St.K , Austria.)     J Romero, (NM/WB, Chile.)

Foll: A Ischenko, (WC/Bris/NM, Ukraine.)     J Stynes, (Melb, Eire.)     P Bell, (NM/Freo, S Korea)

Inter: B Mynott, (St.K, UK.)     M Pyke, (Syd, Canada.)     P Handley, (Bris, Eire.)     A Ruscuklic, (Fitz, Deutschland.)

Emer: S Wight, (Melb, Scotland.)     B Stynes, (Melb, Eire.)     I Perrie, (Ade, Zimbabwe.)

 

Not a bad side, if I say so myself.

Any challengers ?

Slainte

Glen!

 

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Comments

  1. Phillip Dimitriadis says

    Excellent team exclamatory one!
    Charlie Pannam (Pannamopoulos) Snr was one of the earliest non-anglo migrants to play footy. From Greece to Collingwood and Lou Richards’ uncle.

  2. Ta Phil. I knew,obviously, the Pannamopolus family were of Greek origin, though i wasn’t exactly sure where Charlie was born.

    Glen!

  3. Mic Rees says

    Hello Glen.

    John McCarthy (NM & Fitzroy) Wales.

    Pretty certain “No 23 – Stuart Magee” is from Belfast, birthplace of the great George Best who would’ve celebrated his 70th birthday yesterday.

    MCR

  4. Mark 'Swish' Schwerdt says

    I know it’s not VFL/AFL but Centrals’ David ‘Sally’ Saywell was Kidderminster’s finest.

    http://australianfootball.com/players/player/david%2Bsaywell/200

  5. Citrus Bob says

    Sean Wight would be in my team any day ditto Pearce Handley and that other Carlton player whose name I forget!
    Forgetful Citrus

  6. Thanks folks. A typo in my team list. On the HF line i have H Dawe, Carlton and Melbourne. It should have been H Davie . He holds the record for the most goals in match @ Princes Park; 13.

    Mic, re McCarthy, i’m fairly sure he’s a Kiwi. I had him in my team of the best players born in Aotearoa.

    Glen!

  7. Dave Brown says

    What, no room for Clive Waterhouse? Had also assumed Jim Stynes was Victorian given he played State of Origin for them. Slightly more seriously, reckon I’d give Tadgh Kennelly a run.

  8. Luke Reynolds says

    Nice team Glen, was just about to mention Kennelly too. Also Marty Clarke (Ireland) and Kevin Sheedy (Mars) would be other suggestions.

  9. Citrus Bob says

    Taigh Kennelly was the other Irish boy I forgot. Walk up start and he can commentate on the game at the same time.
    Talking Victorians (Dave Brown) no Victorians in the Australian Cricket team for Sri Lanka!
    Time to secede I reckon? Apparently winning the Sheffield Shield has no relevance at all in this day and age.

    Citrus

  10. Great team Glen.

    Apologies for the Swans bias, but :

    No Tadhg Kennelly ?
    No Sanford Wheeler ??

  11. Dancing With The Stars champion and Fiji’s finest (there’s a small subset for you) David Rodan? Squeeze him onto the interchange/emergency list?

    Nice concept Glen!

  12. What odds on two North American chaps called Pyke?

  13. Mark Duffett says

    Fair call Swish, and it seems on his day Centrals’ Robin Mulholland (Irishman two decades ahead of Stynes et al) would have pressed for selection: http://australianfootball.com/players/player/robin%2Bmulholland/697

  14. Thanks for the comments. Unfortunately some good players were not able to fit in , but not including Tadgh Kennelly was a SNAFU error by yours truly.

    Luke, re Kevin Sheedy, he is nominated as coach for the inter galactic team, just need all the planets to align before the first bounce.

    Glen!

  15. Larry from Lonny says

    IIRC they used to call Paul Vinar the big Swede

  16. Peter Fuller says

    I understand Wayne Schwass was a New Zealander. If eligible, he’s certainly worth a guernsey.

    Peter Bell’s inclusion reminds me of a famous Paganism. The North runner sent out with a message for PB returned and sheepishly picked up the phone to advise the coach that he couldn’t find him. “Whaddya mean you can’t find him, two missionaries found him on a roadside in Korea”, was Dennis’ unforgiving reply..

  17. Ta Peter. Yep Wayne Scwass is of Maori origin, but i thought he was born here in Oz. If i’m wrong, he is a player deserving of a spot in the team.

    Glen!

  18. Rabid Dog says

    Excellent article. Swish, you beat me to Sally, and MD, you beat me with Robin. Sony Morey? He was always called a pommy bastard(!) by the opposition supporters. I thought Schwass was a Kiwi, so couldn’t work out why he was absent. Clive is definitiely born in UK. Played soccer before moving to ARF in his teens.
    I’d move Jezza to CHF, and play Dunstall at FF – is Queensland part of Australia?

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