by Glen Davis
I barracked for Geelong from 1969 until 1999. In these 30 years i saw some marvellous players. I no longer follow Geelong, or any AFL club for that matter, but with the proliferation of footy on TV i am still fairly up to date with what is happening in the AFL.
I have chosen a side of players who i have seen play, and who are related to other Geelong players. Brother/fathers/sons/uncles/cousins, and nephews make up this side. There are some important qualifications. I have to have seen these players perform, which invalidates some family combinations. For example i saw Mark Yeates, but not his father John so i will leave them out. The Goggin/Bright links; I saw all of Terrys career, the final few seasons of Billy, but nothing of the late Matt Goggin, so the uncle nephew combibation of Billy Goggin, and Terry Bright i include. There are also brothers, where i feel one should be included in a Best of , Family line up, but i don’t rate his sibling(s) high enough for inclusion. On the basis of one member in, all in, these families are left out. Please look at this family side of players in the Blue and White Hoops and tell us what you think.
B: I Nankervis, M Scarlett, J Scarlett
HB: S Hocking, J Hawkins, B Nankervis
C: M Christensen, G Ablett Jnr, D Clarke
HF: N Ablett, C Mooney, T Bright,
F: T Hawkins, G Ablett Snr, A Christensen
Foll: R Blake, G Hocking, W Goggin
Inter: M Blake, J Mooney, DA Clarke, D Christensen
Emerg: K Ablett, M Hawkins
Cheers,
Glen!
What about W. Brownless Glen. Everyone’s favourite.
I want to know what happened to you after 1999? You’ve missed the best bit!
K Matthews deserves a gig if only as his brother was the best of the era [albeit at a successful team] and what about the Kol bros. M Blake without R Blake? D Clarke on a wing? At best a hang out HFF. But a good topic.
Hi Chalkdog, i couldn’t include the’ Killer’ because his brother did not play for Geelong. Both Blakes are there, David Clarke, though primarily a half forward, played in many positions for Geelong, though maybe not on a wing to be honest.
Following Geelong’s win against Adelaide in this GATHER ROUND, the fact that families GATHER aROUND, as well as the title of this article, got me thinking of doing a football team where the players’ surnames are members of a family in some way.
The criteria is it doesn’t have to be a blood relative and the spelling can be different, as long as it rhymes with a family member or the spelling is part of the surname.
The other criteria is that as there’s too many names ending in SON, only 1 surname ending in SON was allowed, as well as only 1 surname beginning with SON. All the other relatives’ surnames could be used more than once but Foster was only used once, as in Foster parent, to make the team with more blood relatives.
Some players were named out of position, so that the team could be completed.
This is the VFL/AFL Family Team:
B: Alan MUMmery (St K/2 games 1945/MUM), Terry WATERS (Coll/Rhymes with DAUGHTERS), Greg SIZER (Melb/1 game 1986-87/SISTER)
HB: John LAW (North Melb 1978-89/IN-LAWS), Peter FOSTER (Fitz/Footscray/FOSTER Parent), George FeATHERston Fitz/5 games 1910/FATHER)
C: Tyler SONsie (Richmond/2022-pres/SON), Ben COUSINS (West Coast/Richmond/COUSINS), James COUSINS (Haw/2017-21/COUSINS)
HF: Bryan COUSINS (Geel 75-79/COUSINS), Richard COUSINS (Footscray/1987-91/COUSINS), Matt ARNOT (Rich 2013-15/AUNT)
F: Troy UgLE (West Coast 1988-93/UNCLE), James SICily (Hawthorn/2014-present/SISTER), Clarrie FeATHERston (Fitz/1918-19/FATHER)
R: Shane MUMford (Geel/Syd/GWS/MUM), Peter FeATHERby (Footscray/Geelong/FATHER), Gary WilSON (Fitzroy/SON)
This team will play an exhibition match against the Family Side in Blue and White Hoops, named by Glen, at the beginning of this article.
The match will be played at Lynn FAMILY Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky.
Transport will be provided by FAMILY Airlines (later called Avatar Airlines).
The after match meal will include FAMILY food recipes.
Entertainment will be provided by songs from the English rock band, FAMILY, as well as the song “We Are FAMILY”, by SISTER Sledge.
As the team named by Glen is much stronger on paper, if Glen’s team is winning well at half time, the opposition is allowed to pick 6 family members from his team for the 2nd half, to make the game more competitive.
Let’s hope for a good game of football that will provide cherished FAMILY memories!
As today is Mother’s Day, it got me thinking of doing a football team where each player has either a mother who is well known in her right, or a relative or ex wife, who is well known in her own right, and who is also a mother.
Some players were played out of position to fit in the team. The criteria was that each player has to have played at least one game.
As the focus is more on the mothers themselves, the brackets will have more information about the mothers than the players.
This is the VFL/AFL Mother’s Day Team:
B: Jimmy Bartel (ex wife Nadia Bartel TV Presenter), Mark Biclavs (mother Karen 1983 WC Basketball), Jack Silvagni (mother Jo Silvagni TV presenter)
HB: Simon Wiggins (wife Loudy Tourky Olympic Diver), Greg Phillips (daugh Erin Phillips Olymp B/Ball), Jack Trengove (sister Jessica Trengove/Stenson Olympic Marathon 2012/16)
C: Kieran Sporn (sister Rachel Sporn Olympic B/Ball), Max Holmes (mother Lee Naylor Olym Athletics), Tim Notting (wife Jodie Henrie Olympic 2004 Gold Medalist Freestyle)
HF: Kane Lambert (wife Abie Gelmi TV Presenter), Lance Franklin (wife Jesinta Campbell Miss Uni Aust), Andrew Tranquilli (Coll/sister Allison Tranquili Olympics Basketball 1996, 2004)
F: Rory Sloane (wife Belinda Riverso TV Presenter), Barry Hall (wife Laurent Brant TV Personality), Jack Peris (St K/ mother Nova Peris Olympics Hockey 1996/Olympics Athletics 2000)
R: Dean Brogan (sister Michelle Olymp B/Ball 96/00), Chris Judd (c) (wife Rebecca TV Presenter), Peter Weightman (1 game Fitz 1969/daughter Lisa Weightman 4 time Olympic Marathon Runner)
This team will play a pretend exhibition match against the VFL/AFL Family Team, named in the above comment.
Venue: Marvel Stadium, which is known for it’s Mother’s Day Dining.
Entertainment: “Let It Be”, by The Beatles
Let’s hope for a good game of football that will be family-friendly.
As family is in the title of this article, and the fact that Sam De Koning from Geelong is the brother of Tom De Koning, who is now with St Kilda, but yet to play a game at the Saints, it got me thinking of doing a football team where every player has played a game for both Geelong and St Kilda, has played for either Geelong or St Kilda, but has brother at either Geelong or St Zkilda (making Sam De Koning eligible but TDK ineligible), has played for either club and is now in a coaching role at the other club (Corey Enright played for Geelong and is currently St Kilda’s defensive coach), has played for either club but the zone is in the other club’s territory (e.g. Kevin Neale played for St Kilda and was brought up in South Warrnambool but the Geelong Falcons recruits top juniors from Warrnambool) and has played for either club, has a surname that rhymes with the other team (e.g. CALLERY rhymes with CATTERY) and has either St K or Geel somewhere in their 1st name, surname or a combination of both the 1st name and surname.
Some players were played out of position, so they could fit in the team.
This is the VFL/AFL St Kilda Cats or Geelong/Saints Team:
B: Steven BAKER (St K/Geelong Falcons), Kevin NEALE (St K/South Warrnambool), Glen MIDDLEMISS (Geel/St K)
HB: Corey ENRIGHT (Geel/def coach St K), Sam DE KONING (Geel/brother TDK/St K), Phil STEVENS (Geelong/St K)
C: Sean SIMPSON (St Kilda/Geelong), Adrian FLETCHER (Geelong/St K/BB/BL/Frem) Robert NEAL (Geelong/St Ki)
HF: Charlie GARDINER (Geelong/St Kilda), Rhys STANLEY (St Kilda/Geel), Maurice O’KEEFE (St K 1977-79/1 game Geelong 1980)
F: Paul CALLERY (Melb/St K/SM/CATTERY), Tom HAWKINS (Geel/S in surname/T in 1st name/K in surname), Steven KING (Geel/St K)
R: Ryan ABBOTT (Geel 2018-19/1 game St K 2020), Jack STEVEN (St Kilda 2009-19/Geelong 9 games 2020), Graeme GELLIE (St K 1978-83/GEEL in surname)
Coach: Graeme GELLIE (played and coached St K/GEEL in surname)
This team will play 2 pretend exhibition matches against the VFL/AFL Family Team, named in these comments on April 12, 2025.
Venue: Kardinia Park and Moorabbin
Entertainment: CAT Stevens, the rock band The Saints, and the Geelong and St Kilda Football Club Songs
Let’s hope for a good game of football that will be family-friendly.
As family is in the title of this article, and there are connections with brothers Chris Scott and Brad Scott coaching Geelong and North Melbourne respectively, as well as other connections with the Sholl brothers, Baker brothers in the 1920s and 1930s and the Barton brothers in the 1950s, it got me thinking of doing a football team where every player has either played for both Geelong and North Melbourne, a player has a brother who either coached North Melbourne or Geelong, brothers who played for both Geelong and North Melbourne or one of the brothers played for Geelong and the other brother played for North Melbourne, (the VFL for the other team is counted), the father played for both Geelong and North Melbourne and the son played for either club, or a player played for North Melbourne and later coached Geelong.
This is the VFL/AFL Geelong Roos/North Melbourne Cats Team:
B: Brad Sholl (North Melbourne/Geelong 1993-2002), Leigh Colbert (c) (Geelong/North M), Nathan Grima (NM/brother Todd played for Geelong VFL 2005-2007)
HB: Chris Scott (BB/BL/coach Geel/brother coach NM), Tim McGrath (North Melb/Geelong), Brad Scott (Haw/BL/coached NM/brother coach Geelong)
C: Colin Barton (Geelong 1955-58, brother played NM), Bailey Scott (NM/father Geel/NM), Bill Barton (North Melbourne 1955-56/brother played Geelong)
HF: Malcolm Blight (played/coached NM/coach Geelong), Cameron Mooney (NM/Geelong), Craig Sholl (NM/brother played for NM/Geelong)
F: Robert Scott (Geelong/NM/son plays for North Melb), Doug Wade (Geelong/North Melb), Phil Baker (NM/Geelong/North Melbourne)
R: Hamish McIntosh (North Melbourne/Geelong), Selwyn Baker (NM/Coll 1931-34/brother Geel), Ted Baker (Carl/Coll/Geel/Foots/brother NM)
Coach: Chris Scott (played BB/BL/coach Geel/brother coached NM)
This team will play 3 pretend exhibition matches against the St Kilda Cats/Geelong Saints team named in the above comment.
Venues: Kardinia Park, Arden St and Moorabbin
Entertainment: The songs “Cat’s in the Cradle”, by Harry Chapin, “Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport”, by Rolf Harris and the Geelong, North Melbourne and St Kilda Football Club Songs.
Let’s hope for good games of football and should the Geelong Roos/North Melbourne Cats team be catnapping or caught on the hop, the St Kilda Cats/Geelong Saints team will go marching in!
Leaving Liam Pickering (North Melbourne/Geelong 1989-99) out of the Geelong/Roos team was an oversight. His father Michael Pickering played 6 games and kicked 8 goals for North Melbourne from 1961-62.
Therefore, Liam Pickering will be selected on the wing for the Geelong/Roos team, demoting Bill Barton to the interchange bench. The other player on the interchange bench will be Liam Pickering’s father, Michael Pickering.
If any of the Geelong Roos or Geelong Saints players are caught staging for free kicks, and are therefore awarded kicks that are not only unwarranted but cost the opposition the match, they will be known as CAT burglars!