Almanac Teams: Rise and shine, twenty-nine (1980- )

 

 

This is a team of best players to wear the Number 29 jumper since 1980.

 

• Starting 18 will be one player from each club. I have tweaked it after the Number 3 team. Brisbane Bears and Brisbane Lions will be one club, with Fitzroy, Gold Coast and GWS competing for the last two spots in the starting 18.
• Teams will try to be as balanced as possible but if a number has several rucks as its best player an alternative will be picked. I will explain my selections below the team.
• Players may appear under multiple numbers, for example Eddie Betts number 18 and 19.

 

 

Stats are based on their time in that number.

 

 

I also have two teams per number, one is a best of and the other is based on players picked for different obscure/unusual reasons like cameos, unknown brothers, fathers, known for other reasons

 

 

FB:           David Grenvold (Ess)             Neil Cordy (Foots/Syd)                Adam Kingsley (PA)

 

CHB:       Rory Laird (Adel)                    Jason Roe (Bris)                             Heath Scotland (Carl)

 

C:             Nathan Burke (St.K)               Scott Russell (Coll)                        Zachary Williams (GWS)

 

CHF:       Kevin Bartlett (Rich)               Chris Grant (Foots)                       Brent Harvey (VC) (NM)

 

FF:           Shaun Smith (Melb)               Matthew Pavlich (C) (Freo)         Gary Wilson (DVC) (Fitz)

 

Ruck:      Scott Lycett (PA)                      Russell Greene (Haw)                   Gary Ablett Jnr (Geel)

 

Interchange:  Simon Beaumont (Carl), Peter German (NM), Ken Hinkley (Geel), Martin Mattner (Syd)

 

Emergencies: Cameron Guthrie (Geel), Ross Lyon (Fitz), Andrew Obst (Melb), Jason Torney (Rich)

 

Coach: Ross Lyon

 

No player from Gold Coast.

 

 

 

Games in Number 29 (Years Played)

David Grenvold 112 (1989-1996)

Neil Cordy 139 at Footscray (1979-1986) 96 at Sydney (1987-1993)

Adam Kingsley 170 (1997-2006)

Rory Laird 164 (2014- )

Jason Roe 50 (2006-2009)

Heath Scotland 215 (2004-2014)

Nathan Burke 80 (1988-1991)

Scott Russell 182 (1990-1998)

Zachary Williams 102 (2013-2020)

Kevin Bartlett 403 (1965-1983)

Chris Grant 76  (1990-1993)

Brent Harvey 432 (1996-2016)

Shaun Smith  62 (1995-1998)

Matthew Pavlich 353 (2002-2016)

Gary Wilson 268 (1971-1984)

Scott Lycett 75  (2011-2018)

Russell Greene 184 (1980-1988)

Gary Ablett Jnr  192 (2002-2010)

Simon Beaumont 152 (1995-2003)

Peter German 183 (1985-1994)

Ken Hinkley 105 (1991-1995)

Martin Mattner 124 (2008-2013)

 

 

It’s easy to see what the stand out feature of the Number 29 side is. It’s the rovers…and the fact they are goal kicking rovers. This side has four of the best ever in the VFL/AFL with Kevin Bartlett and Brent Harvey both 400 gamers and each was VFL/AFL games record holder. Ablett played 195 games for 262 goals with best haul of six goals, Bartlett played 403 games for 778 goals with a best of eight, Harvey 432 games for 518 goals with best of six and Wilson 268 games for 452 goals with best of seven majors. The other feature is that Nathan Burke and Chris Grant both go around again after they were selected in the Number 3 side. Both had great starts to their career when they wore Number 29. I went Burke over Webster for his flexibility to play on ball and tag and Grant ahead of Tory Dickson as I needed a tall forward or defender.

 

 

Clubs with multiple options are Carlton with Simon Beaumont and Heath Scotland, Essendon with David Grenvold, Gary Moorcroft, Alwyn Davey and Patrick Ambrose, Geelong with Ken Hinkley, Gary Ablett and Cameron Guthrie, Hawthorn with Russell Greene, Rayden Tallis and Will Langford, Melbourne with Andrew Obst and Shaun Smith, North Melbourne with Peter German and Brent Harvey, Richmond with Kevin Bartlett, Jason Torney, Tyrone Vickery and Shai Bolton, St Kilda with Gary Odgers, Nathan Burke and Jimmy Webster, Sydney with Neil Cordy, Martin Mattner and George Hewett, the Western Bulldogs with Neil Cordy, Chris Grant and Tory Dickson and Fitzroy with Gary Wilson and Ross Lyon.

 

 

The defence is probably the weakness of the side as it is a smaller backline. Neil Cordy at 188cm was a good footballer at the Bulldogs and Swans but was more of third tall defender rather than a key defender at FB. Jason Roe at 192cm had a short but a good start to his career at Brisbane playing as third tall intercepting marking defender but here he would be required to play in a key position. Grenvold is probably the third tall but surprisingly is only 180cm; he did play taller than he looked as a rugged defender. Adam Kingsley was known as very good defender or tagging midfielder and is picked to play on the small forward pocket or could change with Nathan Burke. The half back line in Rory Laird and Heath Scotland is a huge strength for their rebound and attack from defence and elite ball use. There are plenty of options to play in defence with both Chris Grant and Matthew Pavlich both being All Australian defenders, Simon Beaumont and Martin Mattner both at 189cm can play as third tall in defence or on the half back line as can Ken Hinkley can play on the half back line while Nathan Burke, Zac Williams and Russell Greene can all play as a small defender.

 

 

Scott Lycett is the sole ruck in the side and is picked from his time at West Coast when he was second ruck to Nic Nat. Perhaps Shaun Smith with his leap could play as second ruck. With plenty of choices for first rover I went with the great Gary Ablett Junior as Number 1 rover, who was untouched from 2007-2009 as the best player in the game. Russell Greene as ruck rover was a second string midfielder at Hawthorn behind Tuck, Wallace, Platten and Loveridge but when given the opportunity he excelled in the midfield or when playing on a wing/flank. Scott Russell in the centre was one of the recruits of the year in Collingwood’s 1990 premiership season; he didn’t miss a game and was one of the best on the ground in the GF. The wings are Nathan Burke – who could also be used as a tagging onballer – and Zac Williams who has a lot of pace and uses the ball well. Both Burke and Williams can change from on ball/wing to defence swapping with Kingsley, Laird and/or Scotland. Other midfield options are the other three star rovers in Bartlett, Harvey and Wilson, Beaumont and Mattner can play on the wing and Peter German as a centre.

 

 

At FF is Matthew Pavlich who could play anywhere, proof being he was selected as All Australian at both ends of the ground. Pavlich kicked 700 goals with his best 72 goals in a year. Chris Grant started his career as a 17-year-old FF/CHF and wore Number 29 for four years. Grant’s impact was immediate, he kicked 51 goals in his first year and 50 in his third year. Shaun Smith was only 184cm but was one of the best high marking aerialists to ever play the game. Smith’s best season was 1995 when he kicked 51 goals as a third tall and took Mark of the Century. The half forward line and other forward pockets are three goal kicking rovers in Kevin Bartlett, Gary Wilson and Brent Harvey who were elite in their roles although the problem may be getting them to pass the ball…Other forward options are Gary Ablett, Simon Beaumont and Ken Hinkley.

 

 

On the bench I have Simon Beaumont and Martin Mattner who are both at 189cm similar player that can player third tall in defence or if really needed maybe CHB, both can play wing and Beaumont can play forward. Peter German is the interchange option named on the bench as the side lacks a contested ball winner in the midfield to feed the ball out to the roving options and Scott Russell. Ken Hinkley gets in ahead of Cameron Guthrie as the side as quite a few options similar to Guthrie while Hinkley can play HBF or as a forward and his time at Geelong he was a two time All Australian, third in Brownlow and Best & Fairest in Grand Final year. Guthrie and Ross Lyon are the real unlucky players to miss.

 

 

There are four club captains in the side that captained from 1980 in Brent Harvey, Matthew Pavlich, Gary Wilson and Ken Hinkley. Pavlich is named as Captain, Brent Harvey vice-captain and Gary Wilson as deputy. Not considered due to technicalities are Nathan Burke and Chris Grant who captained while wearing Number 3, Kevin Bartlett who led the Tigers for a year in the 1970s and Gary Ablett who was captain while at Gold Coast.

 

 

The unlucky players were: Gary Moorcroft and Alwyn Davey (Ess), Rayden Tallis and Will Langford (Haw), Jayden Hunt (Melb), Tyrone Vickery and Shai Bolton (Rich) Gary Odgers and Jimmy Webster (St.K) George Hewett (Syd), Ashley Hansen (WCE) Tory Dickson (WB).

 

 

 

 

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