Almanac Teams: Players whose last game was in a Grand Final

 

 

This week’s teams are based on players that have played in a premiership or grand final in their last ever game.

 

The teams are based from 1980 once again with the premiership team in last game being perfect with 22 players. The premiership team contains five premiership captains that retired after the match in Bruce Monteath, Michael Tuck, Tom Harley, Cameron Ling and Joel Selwood.

 

There are some legends in the grand final team in Leigh Matthews, Gary Ablett Jnr and Bruce Doull. I also do like having Matthews, Neville Bruns and Steve Hocking as well as Darryl Wakelin and Alistair Lynch in the one team.

 

 

The Premiership Team

 

FB:       Ian Fairley (NM)                         Brian Lake (Haw)                       Damien Hardwick (PA)

 

CHB:   Marcus Ashcroft (Bris)               Trent Croad (Haw)                     Tom Harley (Geel)

 

C:         Shane Crawford (Haw)                Cameron Ling (Geel)                Russell Greene (Haw)

 

CHF:    Brent Guerra (Haw)                    David McKay (Carl)                  Mark LeCras (WCE)

 

FF:       Darren Bewick (Ess)                    Brad Ottens (Geel)                    Jason Ball (Syd)

 

Ruck:   David Hale (Haw)                        Michael Tuck (Haw)                 Joel Selwood (Geel)

 

Interchange: Max Bailey (Haw), Drew Banfield (WCE), Bruce Monteath (Rich),  John Longmire (NM)

 

 

Ian Fairley

Premiership 1996 aged 32

14 disposals, 1 goal

217 games (1983-1996)

 

 

Brian Lake

Premiership 2015 aged 33

17 disposals

251 games (2002-2015)

Also played in the 2013 and 2014 Premierships

 

 

Damien Hardwick

Premiership 2004 aged 32

12 disposals

207 games (1994-2004)

Also played in the 2000 Premiership with Essendon

 

 

Marcus Ashcroft

Premiership 2003 aged 32

4 disposals

318 games (1989-2003)

Also played in the 2001 and 2002 Premierships

 

 

Trent Croad

Premiership 2008 aged 28

1 disposal

222 games (1998-2008)

Broke his foot in the 2008 Grand Final, was ruled out for the 2009 season and retired after a further setback

 

 

Tom Harley

Premiership 2009 aged 31

5 disposals

198 games (1998-2009)

Also played in the 2007 Premiership

 

 

Shane Crawford

Premiership 2008 aged 34

25 disposals

305 games (1993-2008)

 

 

Cameron Ling

Premiership 2011 aged 30

20 disposals, 1 goal

246 games (2000-2011)

Also played in the 2007 and 2009 Premierships

 

 

Russell Greene

Premiership 1988 aged 31

14 disposals

304 games (1974-1988)

Also played in the 1983 and 1986 Premierships

 

 

Brent Guerra

Premiership 2013 aged 31

9 disposals

255 games (2000-2013)

Also played in the 2008 Premiership

 

 

David McKay

Premiership 1981 aged 31

7 disposals, 2 goals

263 games (1969-1981)

Also played in 1970, 1972 and 1979 Premierships

 

 

Mark LeCras

Premiership 2018 aged 32

10 disposals

219 games (2005-2018)

 

 

 

 

Darren Bewick

Premiership 2000 aged 33

10 disposals, 1 goal

238 games (1988-2000)

 

 

Brad Ottens

Premiership 2011 aged 31

9 disposals, 31 hit outs

245 games (1998-2011)

Also played in the 2007 and 2009 Premierships

 

 

Jason Ball

Premiership 2005 aged 32

4 disposals, 13 hit outs

193 games (1992-2005)

Also played in the 1994 Premiership at West Coast

 

 

David Hale

Premiership 2015 aged 31

6 disposals, 9 hit outs

237 games (2003-2015)

Also played in the 2013 and 2014 Premierships

 

 

 

Michael Tuck

Premiership 1991 aged 38

10 disposals

426 games (1972-1991)

Also played in the 1976, 1978, 1983, 1986, 1988 and 1989 Premierships

 

 

Joel Selwood

Premiership 2022 aged 34

26 disposals, 1 goal

355 games (2007-2022)

Also played in the 2007, 2009 and 2011 Premierships

 

 

Max Bailey

Premiership 2013 aged 26

7 disposals, 9 hit outs

43 games (2006-2013)

 

 

Drew Banfield

Premiership 2006 aged 32

9 disposals

265 games (1993-2006)

Also played in the 1994 Premiership

 

 

John Longmire

Premiership 1999 aged 28

3 disposals, 5 hit outs

200 games (1988-1999)

 

 

Bruce Monteath

Premiership 1980 aged 25

3 disposals

118 games (1975-1980)

Spent all bar the last 10 minutes on the bench

 

 

 

Played in Grand Final

 

FB:       Mark Bos (Geel)                          Darryl Wakelin (PA)                   Steve Hocking (Geel)

 

CHB:    Bruce Doull (Carl)                      Harry Taylor (Geel)                    Ken Hinkley (Geel)

 

C:          Neville Bruns (Geel)                  Gary Ablett Jnr (Geel)                Ben McGlynn (Syd)

 

CHF:    Derek Kickett (Syd)                   Mark Maclure (Carl)                   Paul Van Der Haar (Ess)

 

FF:        Leigh Matthews (Haw)             Alastair Lynch (Bris)                  Craig McRae (Bris)

 

Ruck:    John Barnes (Ess)                     Mark Bairstow (Geel)                 Ray Shaw (Coll)

 

Interchange: Leigh Brown (Coll), Leon Davis (Coll), David O’Halloran (Haw), Easton Wood (WB)

 

 

Others: Mark Athorn (Carl), Cameron Clayton (Ess), Stephen Doyle (Syd), Robert Eddy (St.K), Travis Gaspar (WCE), Matthew Hogg (Carl), Andrew Ireland (Coll), Ian Low (Coll), Geoff Miles (Geel), Robert Neill (St.K), Xavier Richards (Syd), Andrew Rogers (Geel), Carl Steinfort (Coll) and Mike Woolnough (Coll)

 

 

 

Mark Bos

Retired 1989 aged 29

10 disposals

195 games (1979-1989)

 

 

Darryl Wakelin

Retired 2007 aged 33

14 disposals

261 games (1995-2007)

Also played in the 2004 Premiership

 

 

Steve Hocking

Retired 1994 aged 29

6 disposals

199 games (1984-1999)

Also played in the 1989 Grand Final

 

 

Bruce Doull

Retired 1986 aged 36

6 disposals

356 games (1969-1986)

Also played in the 1972, 1979, 1981 and 1982 Premierships

 

 

Harry Taylor

Retired 2020 aged 34

7 disposals

280 games (2008-2020)

Also played in the 2009 and 2011 Premierships

 

 

Ken Hinkley

Retired 1995 aged 29

8 disposals

132 games (1987-1995)

Also played in the 1992 and 1994 Grand Finals

 

 

Neville Bruns

Retired 1992 aged 33

4 disposals, 1 goal

223 games (1978-1992)

Also played in the 1989 Grand Final

 

 

Gary Ablett Jnr

Retired 2020 aged 36

12 disposals

357 games (2002-2020)

Also played in the 2007 and 2009 Premierships

 

 

Ben McGlynn

Retired 2016 aged 31

9 disposals

171 games (2006-2016)

Also played in the 2014 Grand Final

 

 

Derek Kickett

Retired 1996 aged 33

9 disposals, 1 goal

152 games (1989-1996)

Also played in the 1990 Grand Final

 

 

Mark Maclure

Retired 1986 aged 31

11 disposals

243 games (1974-1986)

Also played in the 1979, 1981 and 1982 Premierships

 

 

 

Paul Van Der Haar

Retired 1990 aged 32

6 disposals

201 games (1977-1990)

Also played in the 1984 and 1985 Premierships

 

 

Leigh Matthews

Retired 1985 aged 33

14 disposals, 1 goal

332 games (1969-1985)

Also played in the 1971, 1976, 1978  and 1983 Premierships

 

 

Alastair Lynch

Retired 2004 aged 36

0 disposals

306 games (1988-2004)

Also played in the 2001, 2002 and 2003 Premierships

 

 

Craig McRae

Retired 2004 aged 31

9 disposals

195 games (1995-2004)

Also played in the 2001, 2002 and 2003 Premierships

 

 

John Barnes

Retired 2001 aged 32

5 disposals, 5 hit outs

202 games (1987-2001)

Also played in the 2000 Premiership

 

 

Mark Bairstow

Retired 1994 aged 31

16 disposals

146 games (1987-1994)

Also played in the 1989 and 1992 Grand Finals

 

 

 

 

Ray Shaw

Retired 1981 aged 27

11 disposals, 1 goal

146 games (1974-1981)

Also played in the 1977, 1979 and 1980 Grand Finals

 

 

Leigh Brown

Retired 2011 aged 29

11 disposals, 1 goal

246 games (2000-2011)

Also played in the 2010 Premiership

 

 

Leon Davis

Retired 2011 aged 30

20 disposals

225 games (2000-2011)

Also played in the 2002, 2003 and 2010 Grand Final (draw)

 

 

David O’Halloran

Retired 1985 aged 30

16 disposals

160 games (1976-1985)

Also played in the 1976 and 1983 Premierships. The Grand Final was O’Halloran’s only game in 1985

 

 

Easton Wood

Retired 2021 aged 32

9 disposals

188 games (2009-2021)

Also played in the 2016 Premiership

 

 

 

Others

 

Mark Athorn

Last game 1993 aged 25

11 disposals

83 games (1987-1993)

 

 

Cameron Clayton

Retired 1983 aged 26

13 disposals

118 games (1974-1983)

Also played in the 1974 Premiership with Richmond

 

 

Stephen Doyle

Last game 2006 aged 25

6 disposals, 10 hit outs

47 games (2000-2006)

 

 

Robert Eddy

Last game 2010 aged 22

5 disposals

33 games (2008-2010)

 

 

Travis Gaspar

Last game 2005 aged 24

4 disposals

28 games (2001-2005)

 

 

Matthew Hogg

Retired 1999 aged 30

3 disposals

173 games (1988-1999)

Also played in the 1995 Premiership

 

 

Andrew Ireland

Retired 1980 aged 27

9 disposals

110 games (1975-1980)

Also played in the 1977 and 1979 Grand Finals

 

 

Ian Low

Retired 1980 aged 26

2 disposals

78 games (1975-1980)

 

 

Geoff Miles

Retired 1992 aged 30

0 disposals

122 games (1982-1992)

 

 

Robert Neill

Last game 1997 aged 23

3 disposals

44 games (1992-1997)

In 1997 Neill played Rounds 1 and 2 before he was out of the side until the Grand Final

 

 

Xavier Richards

Last game 2016 aged 23

10 disposals

12 games (2013-2016)

 

 

Andrew Rogers

Retired 1992 aged 28

7 disposals

83 games (1988-1992)

 

 

Carl Steinfort

Retired 2002 aged 25

2 disposals

92 games (1996-2002)

 

 

Mike Woolnough

Retired 2008 aged 28

19 disposals

141 games (1971-1980)

 

 

 

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