Almanac Teams: Shepherd(ing) the Cordy Hird; Best of 49 (1980- )

 

 

This is a team of best players to wear the Number 49 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 numbers 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:             Matt Dea (Ess)                          Danny Frawley (VC) (St.K)            Mark Viska (Adel)

 

CHB:         Mark Bunn (Fitz)                      Ben Harris (Bris)                             Michael Mansfield (Geel)

 

C:               Brian Cordy (C) (Foots)           Ross Thornton (Fitz)                      James Magner (Melb)

 

CHF:          James Hird (Ess)                      Jai Culley (WCE)                            Peter Miller (Freo)

 

FF:              Maurice Rioli Jnr (Rich)        Darren Crocker (NM)                     Heath Shepherd (Coll)

 

Ruck:          Ayce Cordy (WB)                     Rupert Betheras (DVC) (Coll)      Barry Mitchell (Syd)

 

Interchange: Darren Handley (Coll), Paul Hills (Ess), Anthony McGregor (Fitz), Sean Tasker (Adel)

 

Emergencies: Michael Blees (St.K), Dean Harding (Fitz), Mark Stockdale (Rich), Daniel Ward (Melb)

 

Coach: Danny Frawley

 

There are no players from Carlton, Gold Coast, and GWS or Hawthorn in the starting 18.

 

 

Games in Number 49 (Years Played)

Matt Dea – 39 2016-2018

Danny Frawley – 19 1984

Mark Viska – 33 1993-97

Mark Bunn – 17 1990

Ben Harris – 14 1987-1990

Michael Mansfield – 5 1990

Brian Cordy – 124 1981-1988

Ross Thornton – 15 1980

James Magner – 17 2012

James Hird – 4 1992

Jai Culley – 4 2022

Peter Miller – 16 1993

Maurice Rioli Jnr – 17 2021-22

Darren Crocker – 13 1985

Heath Shepherd – 11 1989-90

Ayce Cordy – 27 2011-2015

Rupert Betheras – 38 1999-2000

Barry Mitchell – 7 1984

Darren Handley – 12 1986

Paul Hills – 14 1991

Anthony McGregor – 8 1993

Sean Tasker – 9 1991

 

 

The Number 49 side is probably better than the Number 48 side. This team contains one member who played 100 games in Number 49, three future coaches in Frawley, Crocker and Hird, and while there were no premiership players in the Number 49, Hird (one year later), Hills (two) and Crocker (11) won flags afterwards. Mansfield, Frawley, Thornton, Hird, Crocker and Mitchell all went on to be very good players in lower numbers with Hird a Brownlow Medallist, and all bar Crocker All Australian/Best & Fairests.

 

 

Clubs with multiple options are Adelaide with Sean Tasker and Mark Viska, Collingwood with Darren Handley, Heath Shepherd and Rupert Betheras, Essendon with Paul Hills, James Hird and Matt Dea, and the Western Bulldogs with Brian Cody and Ayce Cordy.

 

 

Danny Frawley is at FB, ‘Spud’ started his career in Round 4, 1989 and played the rest of the year in the Number 49 in defence and ran out for 240 games in total. Ben Harris is at CHB and was an inaugural Bear who could also play forward; his best year was his first with ten games. Matt Dea is lockdown defender who can take a good intercept mark, he joined Essendon after 31 games at Richmond. Dea played 21 games in 2016 the when he came in for Essendon’s top up list due to the supplements saga; his best game was 27 possessions. Mark Viska played as a small back pocket whose best season was his debut; 13 games including three finals with a best of 21 disposals. Mark Bunn is on the half back line; he debuted in 1990 with 17 games aged 19 and came runner up in Fitzroy’s Best & Fairest. Michael Mansfield is another half back, he played the last five games of 1990 at an average of 20 disposals and polled three Brownlow votes before he moved to a lower number in 21 and played 235 total games. Mansfield provides run and dash off half back. Other defenders are Sean Tasker as a tall and Ross Thornton, Brian Cordy, Darren Crocker and Rupert Betheras as smalls/half backs.

 

 

Ayce Cordy is first ruck in the side and though he was a high draft pick, he was often second ruck in the side and had a best of 20 hit outs and 13 disposals. There are not many options for the midfield, hence why Ross Thornton and Rupert Betheras are playing there in somewhat unfamiliar roles. Betheras is a genuine utility who was a good runner and here he gets a chance in the midfield, his best game was 28 disposals and two goals. Ross Thornton is best recognised as a back pocket but also gets a chance in midfield, his best game was 34 disposals. Barry Mitchell was one of the best rovers in the late 1980s and early 1990s; he also won a Best & Fairest, All Australian and EJ Whitten Medal in 1991. Mitchell debuted in 1984 in Number 49 and played seven games at an average of 18 disposals with a best of 26 and three goals. Brian Cordy is best known as a dashing half back but am sure he could play on the wing, he had a best of 35 disposals. James Magner was a mature age recruit for Melbourne who had a best of 32 disposals in his second ever game. No obvious second ruck option exists for this side, the second tallest player is Jai Culley so it may have to be him. James Hird played a lot of midfield in the second half of his career, with Darren Handley and Peter Miller other midfielders as well as Paul Hills and Anthony McGregor on the wings.

 

 

Darren Crocker started his career as a half back before he became a premiership forward. Crocker kicked eight goals in 13 games in Number 49 and 119 goals from 165 games with a best of 20 goals in 1996 and five goals in a match. Jai Culley at 193cm as big body goal kicking midfielder, but in the Number 49 side after four games and one goal he is named at CHF. James Hird debuted in Round 1, 1992 as a late in for Terry Daniher and kicked one goal but did not play again until Round 21; he kicked two goals and gathered 25 disposals in his third ever game. Despite only four games, Hird’s promise gets him in as a HFF. Peter Miller was one of the first Dockers signed. Just 168cm talle he played 16 games for 15 goals with a best of three goals and 24 disposals. Maurice Rioli Jnr has shown a lot of excitement and potential as a small pressure forward; 16 goals from 17 games with a best of three. Heath Shepherd had an exciting debut against Brisbane when he kicked 5.5; he also took screamers and was good on the ground roving. Shepherd played nine games in his debut season but just two more for Collingwood in 1990 and four for Brisbane in 1992, he kicked 15 goals in total with two more bags of three. Other forwards are Ben Harris and Sean Tasker as a CHF and Michael Mansfield can play forward. In 1991 in his eighth ever game against Collingwood, Geelong were down by three goals at Victoria Park, when a moment of Malcolm Blight coaching brilliance saw Mansfield moved to Full Forward as Ablett was not playing and Brownless and Stoneham were struggling. Mansfield kicked 6.4 and then kick four goals two weeks later.

 

 

On the bench I have Darren Handley who started promisingly in 1986; he played the last 12 games as a midfielder and averaged 16 disposals with a best of 28 disposals and four goals in a match. The next year though Handley was at Fitzroy. Paul Hills wore 49 for a season before James Hird did and both became premiership teammates in 1993 in lower numbers. Hills was a pacey wing who played 14 from last 16 games and had a best of 30 disposals in Number 49. McGregor was another pacey wing who played eight of last nine games in 1993 for Fitzroy at an average of 17 disposals with a best of 21. Tasker played the last nine games of 1991 as a tall defender who also once kicked five goals in a match.

 

 

No club captains in the side but Danny Frawley and James Hird later led their clubs. For this side I have made Brian Cordy (who played most games in Number 49) skipper, Danny Frawley as vice captain and as Hird only played four games in the jumper I went with mature aged recruit Rupert Betheras as deputy.

 

 

The unlucky players were Darren Ogier (Carl), Nathan Thompson (Haw), Jacob Gilbee (GCS) and Rhys Cooyou (GWS).

 

 

 

 

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