Almanac Teams: Ask for more, 34 (1980- )

 

 

 

 

A team of more obscure/lesser known players to wear the Number 34 jumper since 1980.

 

 

Here’s my second team of players to wear the Number 34, mostly from 1980 onwards but I have made exceptions, such as Phil Baker.

 

 

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:        Jacob Brennan (WCE)                     Andrew Merryweather (Ess)         Ross Henshaw (NM)

 

CHB:     Jason Cloke (Coll)                            Kurt Heatherley (Haw)                   Graeme Landy (Rich)

 

C:           Justin Blumfield (Ess)                     Jack Steven (St.K)                           Tom Flower (Melb)

 

CHF:     Nick Duigan (Carl)                           Cleve Hughes (Rich)                       Simon Wiggins (Carl)

 

FF:         Justin Murphy (Rich)                      Jeff Hogg (Rich)                              Jason Tutt (WB)

 

Ruck:     Jeff White (Freo/Melb)                  Brad Boyd (Fitz)                              Daniel Kerr (WCE)

 

Interchange: Graeme Bond (St.K), Jake Long (Ess), Ben Sexton (Foots), Zane Taylor (Geel)

 

No players from Adelaide, Brisbane, Gold Coast, GWS, Port Adelaide or Sydney.

 

 

 

Games in Number 34 (Years played)

Jacob Brennan 16 (2012)

Andrew Merryweather 5 (1988)

Ross Henshaw 167 (1971-1983)

Jason Cloke 76 (2002-2006)

Kurt Heatherley 5 (2016-2017)

Graeme Landy 120 (1979-1986)

Justin Blumfield 10 (1996)

Jack Steven 1 (2009)

Tom Flower 26 (1977-1979)

Nick Duigan 43 (2011-2013)

Cleve Hughes 16 (2006-2008)

Simon Wiggins 116 (2001-2009)

Justin Murphy 12 (1994-1995)

Jeff Hogg 128 (1987-1993)

Jason Tutt 3 (2011)

Jeff White 32 at Fremantle (1995-1997) 236 at Melbourne (1998-2008)

Brad Boyd 35 (1992-1994)

Daniel Kerr 19 (2001)

Graeme Bond 56 (1977-1980)

Jake Long 5 (2016-2018)

Ben Sexton 39 (1991-1995)

Zane Taylor 27 (1980-1983)

 

 

 

Jacob Brennan – Brennan is the son of former premiership defender Michael and was the first ‘true’ Father-Son to be drafted and play for the West Coast Eagles. Brennan was Pick 62 in the 2010 Draft and debuted in 2012, he played 16 games including both finals. Brennan moved to his Dad’s number 14 but only played 12 games in that jumper and was delisted at the end of 2014. Brennan worked with the West Coast AFLW program and is now a development coach for the senior men’s side.

 

 

Andrew Merryweather – Merryweather debuted with Fitzroy in 1982 for one game in Round 8 against Melbourne at FB. Merryweather returned to Doncaster before he was asked to play for Essendon in 1988. Merryweather was then 27 and played the first five games of the year at FB. His last game was on Gary Ablett Snr who kicked 6.4; probably a decent effort to restrict him to such a score. Merryweather played the rest of the year in reserves before he joined Sunbury. Andrew played under the surname of Merryweather which was his stepfather’s surname. He later changed back to his birth name (Guthrie) and his sons Cameron and Zach now play for Geelong.

 

 

Ross Henshaw – Henshaw debuted for North Melbourne in 1971 as an 18 year old having been recruited from North Albury. Henshaw played eight games in his first year and after three years had played 35 games for 11 goals but did not kick another goal in ten more years in the VFL/AFL. Henshaw was a premiership player in 1975 and 1977 and also played in the 1976 and 1978 grand finals. At the time of his retirement Henshaw with 167 games had played the most games without a Brownlow Medal vote. This has now been surpassed by Tom Lonergan, Nick Smith and Ben Stratton.

 

 

Jason Cloke – Jason is the son of David and was eligible for both Richmond and Collingwood but was chosen by Collingwood with Pick 19 in 2000 Draft as they had showed more interest. Cloke debuted in Round 2, 2002 and played 23 games – he had an instant impact playing generally as a loose man in defence. Cloke was suspended for two weeks for striking Tyson Edwards which was upheld after two appeals. He played 20 games including the Grand Final in 2003, where due to Rocca’s suspension Cloke played forward; he had one kick and three handballs. Mick Malthouse said after the fact that Cloke had better 2002 Grand Final than 2003. Cloke played 18 games in 2004 but only 15 games in 2005-2006 and was delisted at the end of 2006. Jason did get to play a game with his two brothers in the seniors.

 

 

Kurt Heatherley – Heatherley was drafted with Pick 61 of the 2004 Rookie Draft having represented New Zealand in the Oceania Under 16 championships. Hawthorn convinced Heatherley to finish his schooling at Caulfield Grammar and after a strong performance at draft combine. He debuted in Round 20, 2016 with the one game and followed up with four games in 2017 before he was delisted at end of 2018. Heatherley wanted to continue to play footy but after no club drafted him, he moved back to New Zealand to play rugby for Auckland and Jersey Reds in England.

 

 

Graeme Landy – Graeme started his career at Geelong in 1975 having been recruited from Echuca. Graeme played 41 games in four seasons at Geelong as a half forward and then half back. Graeme joined Richmond in 1979 but only played four games and then in 1980 he played eight games. However Landy found himself in the Richmond seniors for the qualifying final against Carlton where unfortunately for Graeme he was reported for striking Ken Sheldon and suspended for two games which meant he missed out on a chance at the 1980 Premiership. From 1981 Graeme was a regular in the Richmond side and he played in the 1982 Grand Final. After 120 games with Richmond, Landy returned to Geelong aged 32 for 13 games in 1987-1988 and then to Richmond again as runner under John Northey as coach.

 

 

Justin Blumfield – Blumfield was drafted in 1994 with Pick 62 from Tuggeranong. Blumfield’s first AFL match would have been memorable as it was against St Kilda Round 10, 1996 at Waverley – the night the lights went out and the match was finished three days later. Blumfield did not gather any disposals that night and was dropped to the reserves until Round 16. Once Blumfield returned he stayed in the senior side for the rest of the year; he played two of the three finals including the Preliminary Final. Blumfield moved to Number 32 in 1997 and he was a consistent player for Essendon, starting as a run-with midfielder and then as a more traditional mid. Blumfield was one of Essendon’s best in the  2000 Grand Final but despite only missing only two games in 2002, his form dipped a little bit and he was offered as a trade to Richmond for Pick 28. Blumfield struggled at Richmond and played only 19 games in two years; he finished his career aged 26 with 148 games.

 

 

Jack Steven – Steven was drafted with Pick 42 in 2007 from Lorne via the Geelong Falcons. Steven debuted in 2009 and played one game against Hawthorn in Round 19. The Saints were undefeated at the time but had to make seven changes due to injuries. St Kilda won and Steven had 14 disposals and one goal. In 2010 Steven moved to Number 3, taking over from Xavier Clarke. He played eight games in 2010 but was out of the side for the finals. From 2011 Steven was a regular for St Kilda; he won four Best & Fairests in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2018. Steven played 183 games for St Kilda with a best of 47 disposals against Fremantle in 2013. He moved to Geelong in 2020 and played nine games before retirement aged 30.

 

 

Tom Flower – Tom was the younger brother of Robbie Flower by two years. Tom like Robbie was a wing and half forward and he made his debut in 1977. Tom played 11 games for eight goals after his debut in Round 6 and won Best First Year Player. He played nine games in 1978 and six in 1979 to finish with 26 games and 28 goals with a best of five goals against Collingwood in 1978. Tom left Melbourne in 1980 and was invited to train with Collingwood but instead played for Camberwell in the VFA and then Brunswick.

 

 

Nick Duigan – Duigan was a mature aged recruit to Carlton from Norwood at the age 26. Duigan was Norwood’s vice captain in 2010 and came tenth in the 2010 Magarey Medal. Duigan had just completed his masters degree in psychology at end of 2010 and was intending to go to Sudan for a year to do volunteer work but also nominated for the draft where Carlton selected him with Pick 70. Duigan played Round 1 in 2011 and only miss two games and played both finals. Duigan played 16 games in 2012 and was elevated to the leadership group in 2013. In 2013 he played Round 1 but did not play again until Round 22. Duigan was dropped for the Elimination Final against Richmond but was a late in for Brock McLean. Until this game Duigan had played 41 games for six goals but on that day he went to the forward line and kicked four goals. Duigan intended to play in 2014 but injured his knee in preseason and retired.

 

 

Cleve Hughes – Hughes is the first ‘Cleve’ to play in the VFL/AFL and was drafted from Norwood with Pick 24 in the 2005 draft. Hughes debuted in 2006 and played three games all in a row for three goals. He played seven games in 2007 and then six in 2008 which included six goals against Port Adelaide back at home at Football Park. Despite three goals the following week Hughes only played two more games after spending the whole year in the reserves in 2009. Hughes headed to the NEAFL and won the league goal kicking in 2010 and 2014. Hughes has also been a model in Melbourne, Sydney and Germany, particulary for Sportscraft.

 

 

Simon Wiggins – Wiggins was drafted from Glenorchy with Pick 15 in the 2000 draft and debuted with six games in 2001. Wiggins was a versatile player able to play half forward, half back or wing; his best season was 2002 with 18 games. While he played 116 games until 2010, he retired early at age 26 due to constant injuries. Simon’s brother Patrick played 12 games for the Bulldogs. Simon is married to champion Olympic diver Loudy Tourky who won silver medals at the 2000 & 2004 Olympics in the 10 metre platform.

 

 

Justin Murphy – Murphy was Pick 3 in the 1993 draft for Richmond behind Darren Gaspar and Nigel Lappin. Murphy debuted in Round 11, 1994 and kicked five goals at Full Forward in the absence of Matthew Richardson. Murphy played 11 games for 1994 but kicked only a further four goals, with three of them in one match. Richmond finished third in 1995 and Murphy played just one game, however it was still considered a huge surprise that Richmond traded Murphy – who was only 19 at the time – to Carlton for Ben Harrison who had only played two games. Murphy played 118 games in two stints at Carlton in 1996-2000 and 2002-2003, 18 games for Geelong in 2001 and 40 games for Essendon in 2003-2004. Between seasons 2000 to 2004 Murphy had a different coach each year. 2000 (Carlton) David Parkin, 2001 (Geelong) Mark Thompson, 2002 (Carlton) Wayne Brittain, 2003 (Carlton) Denis Pagan and 2004 (Essendon) Kevin Sheedy.

 

 

Jeff Hogg – Hogg came from Mt Waverley and came through Richmond’s U19s. He debuted aged 19 in 1986 and played 16 games as both a forward and a defender in Number 48. Hogg played 18 games in 1987 and continued as dual position player with a best of four goals in a game. With Roach on his last legs new coach Kevin Bartlett played Hogg at Full Forward in 1988 and he kicked 57 goals including nine in the last round against Fitzroy. Hogg started 1989 with 34 goals in the first half of the season but problems in defence meant he played Full Back for the rest of the year with just two goals after Round 12. Richmond fans wanted Jeff Hogg at Full Forward and were excited when he kicked 10 goals against reigning premier Collingwood in 1991 but several weeks later he was sent to Full Back to curb the opposition’s best forward. If Richmond had two Jeff Hoggs in this period, we would have being an unbeatable force! 1991 was Hogg’s best year with 68 goals which included four goalless games while at Full Back and several more games where he changed during the match. 1993 Hogg was appointed captain and kicked 57 goals in a very bad Richmond side but Richmond supporters saw hope with a forward line of Hogg, Benny Gale and ‘Richo’ debuted in 1993. Hogg was only 26 in 1993 when Richmond traded him for Paul Broderick, Matthew Dundas and Michael Gale. It was sad day for Tigers fans who loved Hoggy and we thought the deal was bad but sadly Hogg played injured at Fitzroy – 40 games for 41 goals but sadly was largely ineffectual up forward or in defence. Even worse for Hogg, Richmond made the finals. Hogg did kick 306 goals from 144 games in total while at Richmond.

 

 

Jason Tutt – Tutt was drafted from Ainslie in 2009 with Pick 31 and debuted Round 22, 2011. Nicknamed ‘the King’, Tutt kicked three goals with his first three kicks and finished up with four goals for the day. Tutt moved to Number 15 the next year but was in and out of the side for 26 games in four seasons before moving to Carlton for two seasons and 14 games.

 

 

Jeff White – Jeff White was the first ever draft pick for Fremantle; Number 1  in the 1994 Draft. He debuted in Round 3 against Fitzroy but did not reappear until in Round 15 played six games for the season. White played 13 games in each of 1996 and 1997 before he requested a trade back to Victoria. Fremantle traded Jeff White for Picks 2 and 18 which Fremantle would on trade for Chris Bond and Daniel Hargraves. White played 236 games for Melbourne from 1998-2008 and won their Best & Fairest and made All Australian in 2004.

 

 

Brad Boyd – Brad started his career at Collingwood from Bundoora; he played U19s and reserves for the Pies before being traded to Fitzroy for Pick 41 in the 1991 Draft. Brad debuted in Round 13, 1992 with 16 disposals. He only played two games in 1992. Brad did not reappear until Round 8, 1993, but played 12 games and established himself well in the seniors. Boyd’s 1994 started brilliantly with Fitzroy winning three games out of first five and Brad 12 goals with his best game in Round 2 against the reigning premier Essendon. Fitzroy won the day by 13 points with Brad the star: 37 disposals, three goals and three Brownlow votes. In 1995 as Paul Roos left the club, Brad was appointed captain after just 35 games, he was 23 years old and was given the Number 1 jumper. Brad was a great captain playing 19 games for 24 goals including a bag of five, Best & Fairest and Victorian selection. 1996 was a hard year for Brad due to Fitzroy’s merger with Brisbane, Brad’s signature was the first for the merged club. The weeks prior to the merger would also be hard and Brad’s form dipped, however post merger decision with Brisbane his last six games were outstanding and he averaged 25 disposals. Sadly Brad’s time at Brisbane was a struggle with injuries, with one game in 1997 and six games in 1998. 1999 promised to be a better year for with Michael Voss and Alistair Lynch injured Boyd was captain of Brisbane in Round 1 where Brisbane won by 89 points and Boyd had 29 disposals and kicked four goals. He played the first eight games of the year but that was it with back injuries forcing a premature retirement at age 27. Despite sharing the same surname as Brad unfortunately for me, we are not related (nor am I to Tom) despite my Mum doing a Boyd Family History Book and finding relations all around the globe she could not find ourselves related to a Mt Martha real estate agent.

 

 

Daniel Kerr – Kerr was Pick 18 in the 2000 draft and debuted in 2001 – he had an immediate impact in 19 games. The next season Kerr moved to Number 4 and ended up playing 220 games from 2001-2013. During West Coast’s golden period between 2005-2007, Kerr came second to teammate Ben Cousins in the Brownlow, then third in 2006 and second again in 2007. He was also a 2006 premiership player and 2007 All Australian. Despite all these accolades, Daniel is not even the best sportsperson in the family. Daniel’s sister Samantha is one of the best soccer players in the world playing for Perth, New York, Chicago and now Chelsea as well as Australia and in 2022 was named FWA Women’s Footballer of the year.

 

 

Graeme Bond – Bond really just gets in because of his footy card picture from 1980. To be fair Bond had a good career as a speedster, firstly at Richmond with 115 games from 1967-1977 – including a premiership in 1969 as 19^th man with one disposal and one goal. Bond also played in the 1972 Grand Final. He joined St Kilda in 1977 for 15 games and then 22 games in 1978. Bond is best known now as long time statistician for 3AW (since 1989) and also covering media conferences and tribunal hearings.

 

 

Jake Long – Jake is the son of champion premiership and Norm Smith medallist Michael Long. Jake was rookie listed with Pick 47 in the 2015 Rookie Draft, from same club as his dad: St Mary’s. Jake played the last three games of the 2016 season and showed some promise and similar traits to his dad with some speed. With Essendon regaining a lot of players back for 2017, opportunities became scarce for Long and he did not play a game in 2017 and just two in 2018 which included a goal in his last game.

 

 

Ben Sexton – Ben was born in Papua New Guinea and is the younger brother of champion Carlton defender Michael. Ben was drafted with Pick 88 in the 1988 Draft and debuted in 1991 aged 18 against Brisbane in Round 9 where he kicked 5.3. Sexton followed up with three goals the next week against North Melbourne before he was dropped three weeks later; he finished the year with five games and ten goals. In 1992 Sexton was used as a defender in his seven games and did not kick a goal, while in 1993 he played eight games and finished the year with a bag of six against North Melbourne. Ben could never nail a permanent spot despite being able to play anywhere on the ground and after 19 games in 1994-1995 (including his last game – a final) he was traded to Carlton to join brother Michael for James Cook. Ben only played four games at Carlton, all with Michael, but never two in a row. He finished with 43 games for 33 goals.

 

 

Zane Taylor – Zane was a bit of cult figure for me for some reason as a young boy, maybe it was because I had never heard of a name starting with Z (for similar reason Xavier Tanner fascinated me) or maybe it was tight curly hair and moustache which I thought for some reason he looked like Deane Hutton from the Curiosity Show. Esteemed writer John Harms thought he maybe should be in the  best 22 for Number 34 side – not least because he was a prominent Queenslander. The first game I ever saw was Round 8, 1980 Geelong v St Kilda at Kardinia Park with my dad, neither of us were Cats fans but being 90 minutes from home near Camperdown it gave dad an opportunity to see a footy match before milking cows. This game was Zane’s second VFL/AFL game; perhaps because I saw him up close his efforts imprinted, as the records state he only had three touches. Zane played 13 games in 1980 including both Cats’ finals; he played just six games in 1981 but did play in the Preliminary Final. After one game in 1983 Taylor returned to Queensland. Zane though has two remarkable records, the first is 26 games for Queensland (the best player for Queensland is given the Zane Taylor Medal). The second is Zane played in 16 grand finals in 16 years from 1975 to 1990. Four for Southport which were all premierships from 1975-1979, plus an extra one on permit in 1978 for Windsor-Zillmere, three Geelong reserves premiership from 1980-1982, Southport again in 1983, none in 1984 and Southport 1985-1990 which included four premierships.

 

 

Forgotten Number 34s: Rick Norman & David Ogg (Bris), Brad Oborne (Coll), Russell Williams (Ess), Paul Maher (Freo), Craig Alderdice & Basil Flynn (Geel), Jack Hutchins (GCS), Bo Nixon (Haw), Roger Ellingworth (Melb), Nathan Steinberner (PA), Ewan Thompson (Rich), Frank Carbone (St.K), Shane Sikora (WCE) and Mark West (WB).

 

 

 

 

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