Almanac Teams: Free Stynes of Dewar(s); Obscure 49s (1980- )

 

 

 

 

A team of more obscure/lesser known players to wear the Number 49 jumper since 1980.

 

 

Here’s my second team of players to wear the Number 49, mostly from 1980 onwards but I have made exceptions, such as Alan Joyce.

 

 

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:        Alan Joyce (Haw)                          Robert Briedis (NM)        Ross Thornton (Fitz)

 

CHB:    Brian Cordy (Foots)                      Brian Stynes (Melb)          John Noble (Coll)

 

C:          Angus Dewar (WCE)                     Tony Free (Rich)               Spiro Kourkoumelis (St.K)

 

CHF:    Barry Besanko (Ess)                      James Hird (Ess)              Michael Mansfield (Geel)

 

FF:        Paul Callery (St.K/SM)                 Darren Crocker (NM)      Heath Shepherd (Coll)

 

Ruck:    Russell Johnston (Coll)                Daniel Ward (Melb)         Peter Miller (Freo)

 

Interchange: Wayne Carroll (SM), Tim McIntyre (Adel), Phillip Poursanidis (Carl), Rino Pretto (Fitz)

 

There are no players from Gold Coast, GWS or Port Adelaide.

 

 

 

Games in Number 49 (Years played)

Alan Joyce 3 (1961)

Robert Briedis 8 (1977-1978)

Ross Thornton 15 (1980)

Brian Cordy 124 (1981-1988)

Brian Stynes 2 (1992)

John Noble 5 (2019)

Angus Dewar 1 (2022)

Tony Free 1 (1987)

Spiro Kourkoumelis 1 (1981)

Barry Besanko 3 (1980)

James Hird 4 (1992)

Michael Mansfield 5 (1990)

Paul Callery 2 at St Kilda (1980) 1 at South Melbourne (1980)

Darren Crocker 13 (1985)

Heath Shepherd 11 (1989-1990)

Russell Johnston 8 (1980)

Daniel Ward 4 (1998)

Peter Miller 16 (1995)

Wayne Carroll 1 (1979)

Tim McIntyre 1 (2013)

Phillip Poursanidis 3 (1998-1999)

Rino Pretto 1 (1978)

 

 

 

Alan Joyce – Joyce debuted as an 18 year old in 1961 and played three games in Number 49 before he moved to Numbers 29 and then 13; he ran out for a total of 49 games from 1961-1965. Joyce was captain-coach of Preston aged 23 from 1966 and won premierships in 1968-1969. He then coached East Fremantle from 1971-1972, Newtown, NSW in 1974-1976, East Fremantle again from 1977-1978 (with a grand final appearance in 1977) and Perth from 1980-1981. Joyce returned to Hawthorn as Football Manager in 1986 and was appointed caretaker coach of in 1988 after Alan Jeans was ordered to have 12 months off after brain surgery in November 1987. Hawthorn won the preseason cup, went 19-3 during the season and claimed the flag by then record margin of 96 points. After Jeans retired in 1990, Joyce was reappointed as coach in 1991 and Hawthorn again won the preseason cup and premiership. After two years Joyce had coached 49 games for 41 wins and four premierships. After being eliminated in the first week of finals in 1993 Joyce was sacked after 93 games and 67 wins. After two rounds in 1994 Joyce replaced Terry Wheeler as coach of Footscray and took the Bulldogs to the Finals in 1994-1995 before he was sacked in mid-1996. Joyce as coach never missed the finals and oversaw 150 games in total for 92 wins. He has since worked as a tour guide at the MCG.

 

 

Robert Briedis – Robert was two years younger than brother Arnold and made his debut aged 19 in 1976 in Number 50 – he had one disposal. In 1977 he earned a promotion to Number 49 and played one game for zero disposals. Briedis played seven games in 1978 with a best game of 24 disposals, which took his career total to nine games.

 

 

Ross Thornton – Thornton joined Fitzroy from Camperdown in 1975 but did not play a game, he then went to Prahran in 1977. Thornton returned to Fitzroy in 1980 and played his first game in Round 3 aged 23. He played 15 games in 1980 and in 1981 moved to Number 4. Thornton established himself as a fine small defender in a career that totalled 146 games until 1989. He also won the Best & Fairest in 1984 with a best of 34 disposals and four goals in a match. Ross appeared with his daughter on the Australian edition of the Amazing Race in 2011. Thornton has been on the board of the Brisbane Lions since 2014.

 

 

Brian Cordy – Brian is two years younger than Neil and eighteen months older than Graeme and at 183cm, six centimetres shorter than his brothers. All were recruited from Traralgon and Brian debuted in 1981 aged 20, along with three other players including Warren Stanlake (father of Billy). He played 124 games for Footscray from 1981-1989 which is the most of any player wearing Number 49. Cordy’s best year was 1985 when he played every game including all finals and his best output was 35 disposals. He coached the Geelong Falcons from 1996-1999 and has had two sons play for the Bulldogs in Ayce (27 games) and Zaine (118 including a premiership), the latter has just been traded to St Kilda.

 

 

Brian Stynes – Brian was five years younger and at 191cm he was eight centimetres shorter than brother Jim. Brian was drafted with Pick 83 in the 1988 Draft and like his famous brother spent time at Prahran before he made his debut in Round 10, 1992 aged 20. He had ten disposals and played the next week against Carlton but only had three touches and was delisted at the end of the season. Stynes moved to Port Melbourne in 1993 before he moved back to Ireland where he was an all-star for Dublin in Gaelic Football in 1995 and represented Ireland against Australia in the International Rules Series. Younger brother David represented Ireland in the 2002 and 2005 Australian Football International Cups.

 

 

John Noble – Noble was drafted by Collingwood with Pick 14 in the 2019 mid-season draft from West Adelaide. He debuted aged 22 in Round 17, 2019 against West Coast and gathered 17 disposals. Noble missed the next four games before he returned for Collingwood’s last four games which included the Qualifying and Preliminary Finals. In 2020 Noble moved to Number 9 and has since established himself as a regular for the Pies; 69 games with only two missed over this period. John also has the rare honour of playing in a game against the team his dad David coached in North Melbourne. In the Round 8, 2021 game Collingwood won by 18 points and John was one of Collingwood’s best with 31 disposals. The next time John played against North Melbourne was David’s last game as coach of North Melbourne as Collingwood, after being 26 points down at half time, won by seven points.

 

 

Angus Dewar – Angus Dewar played 25 games from 2014-2016 as Angus Litherland at Hawthorn after he was drafted in 2010. His best year was 2014, he played 13 games including the last round before he was dropped for the finals. Angus played the last Home & Away game of 2015 as well before he was dropped for the finals again. He also played in the 2013 VFL Grand Final with Box Hill. After he was delisted in 2016 Angus returned to Western Australia. The name change from Litherland to Dewar was made to continue the Dewar legacy after his grandfather passed. Dewar was named as one of West Coast’s Covid-19 top up players for 2022 and with multiple players unavailable for Round 2 against North Melbourne, Dewar was one of six Eagles debutants that day; he had seven disposals.

 

 

Tony Free – Free was recruited to Richmond from Lalbert in 1987. He had started the year in the U19s where in a game against St Kilda he kicked 14 goals in one match. Free graduated to a senior appearance in Round 20 aged 18 against St Kilda where he had eight disposals and kicked a goal. From 1988 Free moved to Number 30 and was a regular for Richmond as a midfielder and back pocket. He won the Best & Fairest in 1989 and again 1993 where he had personal best game of 39 disposals. Free was appointed captain in 1994 aged 24 and almost helped Richmond get into the finals for the first time in twelve years before his jaw was broken in an incident with Dermott Brereton. At the time of the incident Free was the leading disposal getter in the AFL. After a great start to the 1995 season, a Round 5 injry that required a knee reconstruction meant Free missed the rest of the year. He made his return in Round 5, 1996 but suffered a setback as his knee never fully recovered. He retireed aged 26 with 133 games. Free served the club as an assistant coach and then later as a board member.

 

 

Spiro Kourkoumelis – Spiro was a cult figure for Carlton who started his career in 1981 aged 17; one game in Round 17 for 16 disposals and one goal. In 1982 Kourkoumelis moved to Number 28 and was a member of Carlton’s famed ‘mosquito fleet’. His best years were 1983-1984 when he ran out 18 times in each season. Kourkoumelis missed many games due to depth in a famed Blues side and after 62 games and 56 goals from 1981-1986, was traded to St Kilda aged 23 to join former teammates Alex Marcou, Peter McConville, Ken Sheldon and Warren Jones. Kourkoumelis played 35 games in four years at the Saints with a best of 12 games and 40 disposals in a match. He finished with 97 games.

 

 

Barry Besanko – Barry is the five years younger brother of Neil who played 184 games for St Kilda and Essendon. Besanko was a top junior athlete who represented Australia at the 1977 and 1979 IAAF world cups; he made the final in the 4×100 metre relay and finished eighth in the 200 metre final. He had played U19s and reserves at Melbourne before he joined Essendon in 1980. Besanko debuted in Round 13 aged 24 and had 15 disposals and two goals on debut. He played the next two weeks but was dropped after Round 15 and never played another match.

 

 

James Hird – Hird is a third generation Bombers player; his grandfather Allan Snr played 14 games for Hawthorn between 1938-1939, 102 for Essendon from 1940-1945 and was captain-coach of St Kilda in 38 games from 1946-1947. He was also once president (1969-1975) and has a stand at Windy Hill named after him. James’s father Allan Jnr played four games for Essendon from 1966-1967.  James was taken with Pick 79 in the 1990 Draft from Ainslie. James missed most of 1991 with injuries and it was alleged his name was put up for a vote to be delisted at the end of the season, the vote went 4-2 in favour of it before Sheedy said he was not delisting the son of a player whose grandfather was on the name of a stand after one season. Hird was named emergency for Round 1, 1992 and came into the side when Terry Daniher was a late out. He had 14 disposals and kicked a goal on debut but did not reappear until Round 21. Hird’s best game was his third where he had 25 disposals, 15 marks and one goal. Upon the start of 1993 he appeared in the more familiar Number 5; Hird was best on in the preseason GF and so won the Michael Tuck Medal. As 1993 progressed, it was clearly a breakout year for Hird; he kicked six goals in his eighth game and was a premiership player in his 20th. He played 253 games from 1992-2007 for 343 goals, won the Brownlow Medal in 1996, Premierships in 1993 and 2000, All Australian in 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001 and 2003, Best & Fairest in 1994, 1995, 1996, 2003 and 2007, Norm Smith Medal in 2000, Anzac Day Medal in 2000, 2003 & 2004. Hird also coached Essendon from 2011-2013 and 2015 over 85 games for 41 wins and much controversy.

 

 

Michael Mansfield – Mansfield is another Geelong player from St Josephs, he debuted in Round 18, 1990 aged 18. Mansfield slotted in perfectly on the Cats’ half back line, he gathered 22 disposals and in just his fourth game received three Brownlow votes against the Swans. 1992 saw Mansfield move to Number 21, he went on to play 235 games with 181 for Geelong from 1990-1999 and 54 for Carlton from 2000-2002. He was also All Australian in 1994-1995. For a player that mainly played half back Mansfield kicked a surprising 118 goals with 24 in 1990 and 20 in 1996. In Round 9, 1991 against Collingwood – Mansfield’s eighth career game – after he had started on the bench and with Geelong 32 points down, Mansfield was moved forward.  Malcolm Blight made the move as Mansfield had just appeared in his line of sight and he thought he was good kick who may provide a spark. Mansfield kicked 6.4 and spent most of the season as a half forward before he returned to the backline in 1992 and won All Australian status.

 

 

Paul Callery – Callery was one of the smallest players in the league at 165cm. He won a Morrish Medal with Melbourne in 1968 and debuted in 1970, he played 76 games from 1970-1973 and led the goal kicking with 38 in 1971. Callery joined St Kilda after a fallout with Melbourne over the sacking of Ian Ridley as coach in 1974 and wore Number 35 from 1974-1979 for 103 games. In 1980 Callery moved to Number 49 and played the first two games of the year before he joined South Melbourne after a fallout with Alex Jesaulenko. He played one more game in Round 9 and that was it; he finished with 182 games for 200 goals. Callery later worke in the media in the 1990s as stats man for Magic 693AM.

 

 

Darren Crocker – Crocker was a very good player as a defender or forward for North Melbourne who was slightly injury prone at the start of his career. He wore Number 49 in his first season for 13 games in 1985 after he made his debut as an 18 year old. Crocker wore Number 14 in 1986 before he was given the honour of taking over Number 27 from Keith Greig in 1987. He played 165 games from 1985-1998 for 119 goals with a best of 20 goals in a season and five goals in a match and was a premiership player in 1996 where he kicked three goals. Crocker was an assistant coach at Richmond before he returned to North Melbourne in 2005. Crocker has stepped in three times to coach North Melbourne’s men; in 2009 Crocker when Dani Laidley was sacked, (ten games for three wins, one draw and six losses) four games in 2015 for two wins when Brad Scott was unavailable due to a bad back and one game in 2016 for a win when Brad Scott was ill. Since 2020 Crocker has coached North Melbourne-Tasmania’s AFLW side a strong team that has been in contention since their debut and played finals in each of Crocker’s seasons in charge.

 

 

Heath Shepherd – Heath is the son of Graeme, who played 46 games for Collingwood from 1970-1975, and was drafted with Pick 109 as a father-son selection in 1988. He debuted aged 19 against Brisbane 1989 and had an immediate impact; 17 kicks, 5.5 and a hanger in the goal square. Shepherd kept his spot for next seven weeks and kicked 11 goals in total before he was dropped. He played Round 22 against West Coast and kicked three goals from four kicks but was dropped the next week for the Elimination Final. Shepherd then played Round 3 1990 for two goals but after none from two kicks in Round 3 he was dropped and never played another match for Collingwood. Shepherd returned to Burnie in 1991 but was later drafted by Brisbane where he played four games for one goal.

 

 

Russell Johnston – Johnston joined Collingwood from Casterton in 1980 and debuted aged 20 in Round 3 against Hawthorn as a tall forward/reserve ruck. Johnston had two stints of four games with his best against St Kilda where he had 13 disposals and 25 hit outs. He was delisted at the end of 1980 and moved to Port Adelaide where he played 207 games from 1981-1990 and won three premierships in 1981, 1989-1990, was captain from 1986-1990, Jack Oatey medallist in 1989, Best & Fairest in 1989 and represented South Australia six times. Johnston was named first ruck in Port Adelaide’s greatest ever team.

 

 

Daniel Ward – Ward first came under notice winning the reserves Best & Fairest for Fitzroy in 1996 as an 18 year old but was ineligible to play seniors as he was on the supplementary list. Ward was rookie listed by Melbourne in 1997 and he played his first game in Round 10, 1998.He played four games from Rounds 10-13 in 1998 and in 1999-2000 moved to Number 26 and then Number 10 from 2001-2007. Ward played 136 games for Melbourne which included the 2000 Grand Final. His best season was 2001 when he played every game and finished fifth in the Best & Fairest.

 

 

Peter Miller – Miller was just 168cm and alongside Peter Bell was one of the first two signings for the Fremantle Dockers in 1994. Miller was 26 when he debuted against Essendon in Round 2, 1995 – he played 16 games for 15 goals with his best game against Footscray in his fourth game where he kicked three goals and had 24 disposals. He retired from the AFL at the end of 1995 to play solely with East Perth where he played 196 games.

 

 

Wayne Carroll – Carroll joined South Melbourne in 1979 and played his first game aged 21 in Round 15. He moved first to Number 38 and then 18 and played 56 games from 1979-1985 for 57 goals. His best season was 1982 with 13 games. Wayne was the cousin of former captain Denis Carroll and won the Mark of the Year in 1984. He also had the best nickname in ‘Christmas’.

 

 

Tim McIntyre – McIntyre was drafted by Adelaide in the 2012 Rookie Draft. He debuted aged 23 in Round 15, 2012 in the Showdown against Port Adelaide. McIntyre kicked the first goal of the game and Adelaide’s second last goal; he finished with six kicks and two goals in a 58 point win for the Crows. However McIntyre did not get a second game and was delisted at the end of the year, his sole appearance a victorious Showdown.

 

 

Phillip Poursanidis – Poursanidis came through Carlton’s U19s and reserves in 1986-1987, he was U19 captain in 1987 and a reserves premiership player with eight goals in 1987. He debuted in Round 6, 1988 at full forward and kicked 1.3. Poursanidis earned another game in Round 7 and kicked two goals but was dropped the next week and was not seen again until Round 22, 1989 where he just had one kick.

 

 

Rino Pretto – Pretto debuted for Fitzroy in Round 19, 1978. He appeared in one game, for one kick, one mark and one goal. In 1980 Pretto joined the VFA where he became a goal kicking cult figure. Pretto started his career at Camberwell in 1980, then Coburg 1981 and back to Camberwell in 1982-1983. Before he went to Oakleigh he had played 34 games for 12 goals. Once at Oakleigh from 1984-1992 he played 140 games for 849 goals and then 47 games for 209 goals at Dandenong. Pretto finished with 221 games and 1,070 goals – second only to the legendary Fred Cook. Pretto’s best was 170 goals in 1985 which included 12 goals in the Grand Final. The most in a match was 20 against Mordialloc in 1986 where he was ill during the match and spent the next week in hospital due to his diabetes.

 

 

Some of the forgotten Number 49s are Terry Phillipe (Coll), Robert Bolzon and Dean Harding (Fitz), John Hoiles and John Fitzgerald (Geel), David Flintoff (Haw) Stuart MacKenzie (Melb), Mark O’Donoghue (NM), Adam Slater (Rich) and Derek Hall (WCE).

 

 

 

 

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