Swans Indigenous Team of the Century ?

[goswannies]

In recognition of the Indigenous Round, I'd like to see the selection of the Swans Indigenous Team of the Century. With a little creativity & artistic license, the Swans have enough Indigenous players to select a team - including a 3 player interchange (ok, 5 of the players below are a little dubious, but have some association ... sort of ...) ...

Anyone up to accepting the challenge of selecting a Swans Indigenous Team of the Century?

Played senior football for the Swans:
Adam Goodes
Michael O'Loughlin
Reuben Cooper
Elkin Reilly
Matthew Ahmat
Robbie Ahmat
Fred Campbell
Jamie Lawson
Lewis Jetta
Byron Sumner
Brian Stanislaus
Derek Kickett
Troy Cook
Tony Armstrong
Allan Thorpe
Kevin Taylor

Drafted with previous AFL experience but never played for the Swans:
Phil Krakouer (from Foots 1991 pre-season draft)
Ricky O'Loughlin (rookie draft from Adel)

Signed by the Swans but never played:
Maurice Rioli (Rich - in 1986, couldn't fit under salary cap)

Dafted by the Swans but never played senior AFL senior footy:
Dwane Simpson
Tony Vigona

[0918330512]

Dwane Simpson played a couple of games for Freo.

Plenty of small forwards & mid-fielders but we've been a bit sparse on recruiting indigenous defenders & KPPs for the Swans Indigenous Team of the Century! CHB & FB seem to cause an issue at the selection table ...

Here goes ...

B: Armstrong, R.O'Loughlin, M.Ahmat
HB: Sumner, Goodes, R.Ahmat
C: Krakouer, Rioli, Lawson
HF: Campbell, M.O'Loughlin, Kickett
F: Cooper, Taylor, Thorpe

Ru: Reilly, Cook, Jetta

I/C: Stanislaus, Simpson, Vigona

* Ricky O gets a gig at full back based purely on his height in my team (I know he was a forward, but after I filled the rest of the team he was the tallest I had left)
* RIP Tony Vigona 2012
* after just watching Robbie Ahmat's 2000 goal of the year on you tube, he should give plenty of run, carry & goals off the HBF ... just Jetta's goal against the Maggies in last years finals ... except Robbie remembers to bounce the ball

[0918330512]

Micky O' playing coach
Goodsey Capt

[Meg]

That's a great team and the right choices for coach and captain. Thank you for the You Tube reference. Fantastic goal by Ahmat (you're right about the ballbouncing!) and lovely footage of a baby-faced no. 37 hugging him after the goal!

[BillyRayCypress]

Rioli was going to take legal action not to come.

Campbell disappeared to re-appear in St Kilda then disappeared again.

I think a Team of the Century would have had greater status than just to list players because they were at Sydney or nearly came to Sydney.

[0918330512]

Rioli was going to take legal action not to come.

Ummm ... wasn't Rioli actually granted a permit TO play with the Swans on May 2nd 1986 by the Federal Court, however, didn't play him because of the risk of a $10000 fine & loss of Premiership points. ie he WANTED to play for us. That was how the good Dr E recruited ... offered huge sums of cash & those that wanted to come signed with the Swans. If they were out of contract, that was fine, if they were still under contract, a transfer fee had to be agreed upon. But a player couldn't be signed if they didn't want to come (eg Simon Madden), or couldn't be recruited if the original club refused to release then (eg David Cloke), or couldn't come if they didn't fit under the newly imposed salary cap (as in Rioli's case).

I think a Team of the Century would have had greater status than just to list players because they were at Sydney or nearly came to Sydney.

I thought the point of the original post was to INVITE RWOers to select a team from the list of players, given that we've had enough players (albeit given some latitude with the specifics of the term "recruitment").

ie...

Anyone up to accepting the challenge of selecting a Swans Indigenous Team of the Century?

Challenge was accepted!

Congratulations to the Swans on recruiting (or attempting to recruit) so many indigenous players & thank you to those players for their contribution to the Swans (whether they played 2 games or 300 games ... Campbell wasn't the only one to play just 2 games for us BTW - Matty Ahmat & Reuben Cooper also only played 2 & Stanislaus and Sumner only played one).

That's a great team and the right choices for coach and captain.

thanks Meg! Picking the Capt & Coach was the easy part! I reckon my team might give the current Melbourne & GWS sides a run for their money! (tongue firmly planted in cheek! )

[Ruck'n'Roll]

Someone Missing
You should include Don Keyter from the 1950's, he played 80 games as a key position player and in the ruck.

[0918330512]

Someone Missing
You should include Don Keyter from the 1950's, he played 80 games as a key position player and in the ruck.

Thanks!

B: Armstrong, R.O'Loughlin, M.Ahmat
HB: Sumner, Goodes, R.Ahmat
C: Krakouer, Rioli, Lawson
HF: Campbell, Keyter, Kickett
F: M.O'Loughlin, Taylor, Thorpe

Ru: Reilly, Cook, Jetta

I/C: Cooper, Stanislaus, Simpson, Vigona

Playing coach Micky O
Capt Goodsey

More imposing forward line now

[BillyRayCypress]

Ummm ... wasn't Rioli actually granted a permit TO play with the Swans on May 2nd 1986 by the Federal Court, however, didn't play him because of the risk of a $10000 fine & loss of Premiership points. ie he WANTED to play for us. That was how the good Dr E recruited ... offered huge sums of cash & those that wanted to come signed with the Swans. If they were out of contract, that was fine, if they were still under contract, a transfer fee had to be agreed upon. But a player couldn't be signed if they didn't want to come (eg Simon Madden), or couldn't be recruited if the original club refused to release then (eg David Cloke), or couldn't come if they didn't fit under the newly imposed salary cap (as in Rioli's case).

If I have time I will find the source of why he didn't want to come to Sydney.

I thought the point of the original post was to INVITE RWOers to select a team from the list of players, given that we've had enough players (albeit given some latitude with the specifics of the term "recruitment").

A bit like naming Wayne Carey and John Longmire in a Swans Team of the Century.

Congratulations to the Swans on recruiting (or attempting to recruit) so many indigenous players & thank you to those players for their contribution to the Swans (whether they played 2 games or 300 games ... Campbell wasn't the only one to play just 2 games for us BTW - Matty Ahmat & Reuben Cooper also only played 2 & Stanislaus and Sumner only played one).

2 games and you're in a team of the century. If anything shows how poor the recruitment was of indigenous players in the past 100 years. I thinks Essendon would be the only Club that would be able to field a true Indigenous Team of the Century.

[BillyRayCypress]

Found this:

Past Aboriginal Sydney Swans?

Edelstein wanted to buy the Krakouer brothers from Ansett for $1 million dollars and he refused to sell. Can we include them?

I thought Foschini won the restraint of trade but the deal to Rioli was not as good. Probably lucky for him that he did not come to Sydney.

[goswannies]

Found this:

Past Aboriginal Sydney Swans?

Edelstein wanted to buy the Krakouer brothers from Ansett for $1 million dollars and he refused to sell. Can we include them?

Well, Phil Krakouer was actually drafted by the Swans. He's eligible. Wanting to buy a player ... well the all clubs want to buy lots of players. & that story is one of the many about Edelstons recruiting spree that I've read over the years. He certainly gave it a go.
I think you might have taken my not too serious post far too seriously. I was really only highlighting (in fun) that we've had (almost) enough indigenous guys come through the club to make a team.

Hope you were this "critical" of the pfficial Italian team of the century when it was selected. For some of those who made it, it was almost that they only had to have eaten a plate of pasta & they were eligible for nomination (that comment wasn't serious either, for anyone who is about to get all uppity about it! But you certainly didn't have to be BORN in Italy).

I thought Foschini won the restraint of trade but the deal to Rioli was not as good. Probably lucky for him that he did not come to Sydney.

Not sure why it would have been lucky for Rioli that he didn't come. Tigers did little during the time he was there after his attempted recruitment. Swans played finals in 86/87 & his presence would have made a formidable midfield almost unbeatable IMHO

[0918330512]

I don't think the original post was meant to be taken too seriously, to be honest.

A bit like naming Wayne Carey and John Longmire in a Swans Team of the Century.

Nothing like it for the King. Apart from making special comments boundary-side at some Swans games & playing AGAINST us, he's got nothing to do with the Swans (I know you're not making that preposterous suggestion because he once hailed from NSW). Horse, on the other hand may end up in there as a coach depending on how the future unfolds. One more premiership will make him our most successful coach ...

2 games and you're in a team of the century. If anything shows how poor the recruitment was of indigenous players in the past 100 years.

Just to be technical, a Team of the Century simply means picking the best possible team from the available talent from the past 100 years. With the available talent to choose from, TWO games made you eligible ... and they played 100% more games than Sumner & Stanislaus!

If I was gunna be saying anyone didn't deserve Team of the Century status, it wouldn't be those that actually earned a senior game at the Swans ... it'd be Vigona, Simpson or Ricky O'Loughlin who never played a senior game (but they were at least drafted & played in the ressies, pushing those above them to greater heights to earn their spots), or Rioli (who at least trained in a Swans jumper) & Krakouer (I don't think even came up after being drafted).

At least give the ones who played for the Swans the acknowledgement & respect they deserve. Those other five ... needed to be there to make a side

I thinks Essendon would be the only Club that would be able to field a true Indigenous Team of the Century.

Sure would! But does that mean that if Carlton, Essendon or Collingwood named a star studded Team on the Century (of all players, not just indigenous talent), then teams like North or Footscray (whose best team probably wouldn't be as good on paper) shouldn't be allowed to pick one? I personally think Teams of the Century or teams of the Decade are about acknowledging people ... plus I doubt Goswannies was suggesting that the Sydney Swans actually release an official Indigenous TotC!