Almanac Teams: Sweet Sixteen (1980- )

 

This is a team of best players to wear the Number 16 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 number for example Gavin Wanganeen Number 1 and 4

 

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:           Luke Brown (Adel)               Nathan Brown (Coll)                              Scott Thompson (NM)

 

CHB:       Jack Newnes (St.K)               Eric MacKenzie (WCE)                         Nathan Wilson (GWS)

 

C:             Scott Camporeale (Carl)       Terry Wallace (Haw/Rich/Foots)      Bryan Wood (Rich)

 

CHF:       Paul Barnard (Ess)                Jonathan Brown (VC) (Bris)               David Mundy (DVC) (Freo)

 

FF:           Bill Brownless (Geel)            Warren Tredrea (C) (PA)                     Bill Lokan (Fitz)

 

Ruck:       Darren Jolly (Syd)                 Ryan Griffen (WB)                                Travis Johnstone (Melb)

 

Interchange: Jim Buckley (Carl), Stephen McCann (NM), Isaac Smith (Haw), Ollie Wines (PA)

 

Emergencies Rod Blake (Geel), Matthew Clarke (Bris) Matthew Croft (WB), Andy Lovell (Melb)

 

Coach: Terry Wallace

 

No Gold Coast player in the starting 18

 

Terry Wallace could have been chosen for either Hawthorn or Footscray, I have picked him for Hawthorn in the starting 18.

 

 

Games in Number 16 (Years Played)

Luke Brown 176 (2012- )

Nathan Brown 130 (2008-2016)

Scott Thompson 235 (2009-2019)

Jack Newnes 155 (2012-2019)

Eric MacKenzie 147 (2007-2017)

Nathan Wilson 77 (2012-2017)

Scott Camporeale 233 (1995-2005)

Terry Wallace 174 at Hawthorn (1978-1986) 11 at Richmond (1987) 69 at Footscray (1989-1991)

Bryan Wood 193 (1973-1982)

Paul Barnard 140 (1996-2003)

Jonathan Brown 256 (2000-2014)

David Mundy 345 (2005- )

Bill Brownless 198 (1986-1997)

Warren Tredrea 207 (1997-2005, 2009-2010)

Darren Jolly 118 (2005-2009)

Ryan Griffen 202 (2005-2014)

Travis Johnstone 160 (1998-2007)

Jim Buckley 164 (1976-1990)

Stephen McCann 226 (1977-1988)

Isaac Smith 209 (2011-2020)

Ollie Wines 171 (2013- )

 

 

The Number 16 team could be all about the Browns, with Luke, Nathan and Jonathan picked as well as Bill Brown(less) – though none of them are related. It is a very even side with three tall backs, three tall forwards, and a premiership ruck. Notable strengths are in pace with four wings in the side, three recognised goal kicking forwards and great ball getters in Wallace and Wines. It does not have a dedicated small goal kicking crumbing forward with that job going to half forwards Bill Lokan and Jim Buckley. It also lacks for a bit of class in the midfield to go with Wallace and Wines’ ball winning skills with the polish coming from Camporeale, Smith and Johnstone if he is at his best. Number 16 was also the first number I had on my Tigers jumper with Bryan Wood being my first favourite player. At Weerite Primary school in 1979-1980 when I started barracking for Richmond nearly all the boys barracked for either Collingwood or Richmond. The boys my age were Richmond so to be friends I switched from my Dad’s team Collingwood to Richmond. However by the time it came for me to choose my favourite player the big guns Monteath, Roach, Bartlett, Cloke, Raines and Bourke had being taken and sharing favourite players was not permitted. One friend my age (Neville) had an entire family that barracked for Richmond so they probably had the first five draft picks then another friend Nigel had his pick and I then had pick seven with which I chose Bryan Wood who for a young boy stood out for his blonde hair and his long running and kicking up and down the wing. He also stood out more than other options I could choose from like Weightman, Wiley, Keane and maybe surprisingly Mark Lee (and they all looked tall for a six year old!).

 

 

Teams with multiple options for the starting 18 were Adelaide with Ken McGregor and Luke Brown, Carlton with Jim Buckley and Scott Camporeale, Essendon’s Paul Hamilton and Paul Barnard, Geelong’s Rod Blake and Bill Brownless, Hawthorn’s Terry Wallace and Isaac Smith, Melbourne had Andy Lovell and Travis Johnstone, North Melbourne’s three in Steve McCann, Matthew Capauno, Scott Thompson, Port Adelaide had Warren Tredrea and Ollie Wines and Western Bulldogs also three with Terry Wallace, Matthew Croft and Ryan Griffen.

 

 

The team contains three very reliable key defenders in Nathan Brown, Scott Thompson and Eric MacKenzie who, while not big possessions getters, were rarely beaten by their opponents; Thompson and MacKenzie also won a Best & Fairest. Luke Brown is an underrated small defender who can accumulate disposals but also provides a lockdown role for the Crows. Jack Newnes and Nathan Wilson do provide good run and carry as half back flankers in the side. Other players that could play in defence are Paul Barnard, Steve McCann, David Mundy, Travis Johnstone and possibly Ryan Griffen along the half back line.

 

 

Darren Jolly was a premiership player at Sydney in Number 16 and gets the nod as first ruck. Rod Blake and Matthew Clarke were unlucky not to be not named, but I went with Bill Brownless and Jonathon Brown as their clubs’ players in the starting 18. Either could have being named on the bench but could realistically only play ruck so I went with Steve McCann as the back up ruck. Terry Wallace is a vital midfielder who was a high kick accumulator and also one of the toughest players in his era – always getting the ball at the bottom of a pack. There is no real first rover in the side with Johnstone able to play midfield but often played on a wing and ruck rover Ryan Griffen was more of a wing as well. Scott Camporeale was one of the best on a wing in the late-1990s and was a key player in Carlton’s last premiership, while Bryan Wood was also very handy in the late-1970s into early-1980s, he often had great duels with Keith Grieg. Other players that could play in the midfield are Bill Lokan, David Mundy, Ollie Wines, Jim Buckley, Isaac Smith and Jack Newnes.

 

 

The forward line consists of great goal kicking prowess with Warren Tredrea, Jonathan Brown and Brownless all capable of playing Full Forward or CHF; Brown is also able to play some minutes in the centre. If the side isn’t  dangerous enough up forward there is also Paul Barnard who as a strong mobile mark who kicked four goals in the 2000 Grand Final, adds another element. The team does lack a small goal kicking forward though. It has David Mundy on HFF who is mid-size marking player when up forward and Bill Lokan in forward pocket who was more midfielder/half forward. Jim Buckley named on bench player as a rover with stints up forward swapping with Rod Ashman. Andy Lovell as emergency can be a small forward option. The only other forward option is the versatile Steve McCann.

 

 

The interchange contains the two best players available in Ollie Wines and Isaac Smith. Wines helps in the midfield which lacks some true onballers and while there is plenty of wings there is still room for Isaac Smith. Perhaps he could be tried rotating with Camporeale and some stints up forward. Jim Buckley is probably the next best available and helps the side as a true rover who could play as a crumbing forward. The last spot was between Blake, Clarke, Croft and McCann. Clarke and Blake missed out as pure rucks though Blake did finish third in the 1980 Brownlow and won a Best & fairest in 1980 for a team that finished on top of the ladder. Croft could play back, forward and was mobile, but I went with McCann for his versatility at either end and ability to also play ruck. McCann also represented Victoria four times.

 

 

Captaincy options were Jonathon Brown, David Mundy, Warren Tredrea, Ryan Griffen and Ollie Wines. I went with Tredrea as captain as he captain of the 2004 Premiership (called in as vice-captain to the injured Matthew Primus) and was again skipper in the 2007 Grand Final. Jonathon Brown could be considered stiff to be named vice captain, David Mundy rounds out the group as DVC.

 

 

The unlucky players were Ken McGregor (Adel), Paul Hamilton (Ess), Matthew Capauno (NM), Ben Holland (Rich), David Bolton (Syd), and Chris Hansen (Fitz), Rory Thompson (GCS)

 

 

 

The Tigers (Covid) Almanac 2020 will be published in 2021. It will have all the usual features – a game by game account of the Tigers season – and will also include some of the best Almanac writing from the Covid winter.  Pre-order HERE

 

 

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