Bulldog Team of the Century 2000-2100: Nominations Open:

[bulldogtragic]

Ok, folks it's an Article 32. Ruckmen:

Luke Darcy
Will Minson
Jordan Roughead

[bulldogtragic]

Thanks. The lines now look like this:


B: R. Murphy (c) B. Lake D. Morris ------ 734* Games, 216 Goals
HB: R. Smith E. Wood L. Gilbee ------ 623* Games, 389 Goals
C: N. Eagleton S. West Vacant ------ 545 Games, 186 Goals
HF: Vacant C. Grant Vacant ------ 341 Games, 554 Goals
F: B. Johnson Vacant D. Giansiracusa ------ 629 Games, 889 Goals
R: L. Darcy, M. Boyd, L. Picken ------ 701 Games*, 338 Goals*
Int: W. Minson, R. Hargrave, Vacant, Vacant ------ 394 Games, 118 Goals

Games: 3,971* --- Goals: 2,690* (Still 6 vacancies)

Eligible Still: Dahl, Tom Liberatore, Higgins, Gryphone, Cooney, Hahn, Cross, Robbins, McMahon.

The traditional annual bye round nominations are open for The Team of the Century. In addition to the eligible names above, Jack Macrae & Mitch Wallis are now eligible, and even though they are a few games short of 100 games, above I will allow the nominations of JJ & Bontempelli (both 95 games) as I'm assuming they'll get to 100 this year.

So eligible, only following a detailed nomination as per the method seen in the thread: Bontempelli, Macrae, JJ, Libba, Wallis, Cooney, Higgins, Gryphone, Hahn, Cross, Robbins, McMahon

[bornadog]

You can cross out Higgins, never really played consistently enough for a team like that.

[westdog54]

The traditional annual bye round nominations are open for The Team of the Century. In addition to the eligible names above, Jack Macrae & Mitch Wallis are now eligible, and even though they are a few games short of 100 games, above I will allow the nominations of JJ & Bontempelli (both 95 games) as I'm assuming they'll get to 100 this year.

So eligible, only following a detailed nomination as per the method seen in the thread: Bontempelli, Macrae, JJ, Libba, Wallis, Cooney, Higgins, Gryphone, Hahn, Cross, Robbins, McMahon

I'll put together a Cooney nomination post in the coming days. Despite his acrimonious exit he's still a brownlow medallist and proven matchwinner at his best.

Thanks for the bump BT.

[bulldogtragic]

You can cross out Higgins, never really played consistently enough for a team like that.

Just he’s eligible. I don’t think he’s going to get one. Probably same with Robbins & Hahn. But it’s s democratic nomination process. Dickson has 7 games to get to 100. So if he plays next year I think Dickson would have those three covered.

With WD set to nominate Cooney & Bonts and Macrae certain to get nominated, we might have a hell of a debate about the midfield line up. Some may start to fall out of our TOTC, Eagleton looks in danger. If JJ gets nominated, I can’t see him breaking the starting defence. As a premiership & norm smith medalist. But all our posters decide the final team, so it should be great discussion and a break from our on field performances.

[westdog54]

Just he’s eligible. I don’t think he’s going to get one. Probably same with Robbins & Hahn. But it’s s democratic nomination process. Dickson has 7 games to get to 100. So if he plays next year I think Dickson would have those three covered.

With WD set to nominate Cooney & Bonts and Macrae certain to get nominated, we might have a hell of a debate about the midfield line up. Some may start to fall out of our TOTC, Eagleton looks in danger. If JJ gets nominated, I can’t see him breaking the starting defence. As a premiership & norm smith medalist. But all our posters decide the final team, so it should be great discussion and a break from our on field performances.

I'm gonna put it out there that we should scrap the article 32 process, and simply have a list of nominees on each line/position, with the team to be assembled by a duly appointed selection committee

[bulldogtragic]

I'm gonna put it out there that we should scrap the article 32 process, and simply have a list of nominees on each line/position, with the team to be assembled by a duly appointed selection committee

I like the duly appointed selection committee idea. Those making the actual (& lengthy) nominations and actively discussing their views is comparing players is a good start. By the end of the bye period we can set the nominated players into the starting 22 as our final position for 2018 (all will make the 22 in some spot, be it the bench this year). With 18 years now, it makes for interesting discussion with the centre position being say West (a million B&Fs) or Cooney (Brownlow) or Bonts (he's Bonts). At their very best they could all lay claim to being selected as the centre. I imagine there's going to be opinions arguing for all three. It's only going to get tougher and tougher from here on in as we fill the 22 and in future years will need to start culling players out. A good reason for those with insights on debating very good players over the last 18 years worthy of being in the TOTC to get on the selection committee. How shall posters be 'duly appointed'?

[Twodogs]

I like the duly appointed selection committee idea. Those making the actual (& lengthy) nominations and actively discussing their views is comparing players is a good start. By the end of the bye period we can set the nominated players into the starting 22 as our final position for 2018 (all will make the 22 in some spot, be it the bench this year). With 18 years now, it makes for interesting discussion with the centre position being say West (a million B&Fs) or Cooney (Brownlow) or Bonts (he's Bonts). At their very best they could all lay claim to being selected as the centre. I imagine there's going to be opinions arguing for all three. It's only going to get tougher and tougher from here on in as we fill the 22 and in future years will need to start culling players out. A good reason for those with insights on debating very good players over the last 18 years worthy of being in the TOTC to get on the selection committee. How shall posters be 'duly appointed'?

Personally I think that Scott West owns the centre position in any TOTC this far. The Bont could claim a spot in a few positions. Midfield or tallish forward for example. Cooney was as pure an old fashioned rover as I've seen. He was almost as good at it as Brian Royal was in the previous century.

It's like picking a wicketkeeper. You want someone with the best hands and Scooter had the best hands in the business.

[Happy Days]

Cooney was as pure an old fashioned rover as I've seen. He was almost as good at it as Brian Royal was in the previous century.

It's like picking a wicketkeeper. You want someone with the best hands and Scooter had the best hands in the business.

I've been watching some old dogs footage on youtube and I've been blown away by how good Brian Royal was. He would be absolutely incredible in today's game as a Toby Greene-style small forward.

[Twodogs]

I've been watching some old dogs footage on youtube and I've been blown away by how good Brian Royal was. He would be absolutely incredible in today's game as a Toby Greene-style small forward.

Not long after he started I met a bunch of blokes from Bairsdale. They called him Kaiser back home because he was the King of footballers.

[bulldogtragic]

#4 Marcus Bontempelli, Age 25, 168* Games, 152* Goals, 9* Finals, 2014-Current, Contracted to 2025, Midfielder, 193cm, 93kg, from Northern Knights (Vic).

Nominated for: Centre
Alternatives (in order of preference): Ruck-Rover, Rover, Wing

Achievements/Awards:

Young Bontempelli

Rising Star Nomination: 2014
Runner Up Rising Star (robbed of it by 1 vote, see below): 2014
AFLPA Best First Year Player (by the biggest ever margin): 2014
Chris Grant Best First Year Player: 2014
AFLCA Best Young Player: 2015
Youngest ever captain to captain a side to a victory in AFL/VFL history (20 years, 194 days): 2017
Included in each of his five eligible years to the best under 22 side: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2018. Captain in 2016, 2017 & 2018.


Middle Career Bontempelli

All Australian: 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021
All Australian Squad: 2017
AFLCA Champion Player: 2019
Herald Sun Player on the Year: 2019
State of Origin: 2020
AFLCA Champion Player Runner Up: 2021
AFLPA MVP & Best Captain: 2021 (Only Chris Judd & Michael Voss have done this)
Runner Up Brownlow: 2021 (33 Votes, enough to have won in any other year, but 3)

Charles Suttton Medal (B&F): 2016, 2017, 2019 & 2021
Doug Hawkins Medal (2nd in B&F): 2020
Gary Dempsey Medal (3rd in B&F): 2015 & 2018
Top 3 from 2015 to 2020 (6 Seasons)
John van Groningen Domestique Award: 2019 & 2021
Scott West Most Courageous: 2020

Best & Fairest (back to back, and youngest to ever do it at the club): 2017
57 Career Brownlow votes (while still on his P Plates): 2017

Premiership Player: 2016
Best & Fairest, and in a Premiership Year: 2016 (equaling Ted Whitten at the club, the youngest in the VFL/AFL to achieve this since Leigh Matthews in 1971)
Best & Fairest, Grand Final Year 2021 (both Grand Final seasons he’s played in)

Vice Captain: 2018, 2019
Club Captain: 2020, 2021, ongoing
Grand Final Club Captain: 2021 (25 Disposals, 3 Goals)


Drafted at pick 4, Marcus made an impact from the get go. A tall midfielder, equally as dangerous as a KPF. A rising star after a handful of games, and one of the best goals we've ever seen deep in the forward pocket against Melbourne made everyone take notice of him. His achievements say much more than I can add to his narrative. So I'll focus on the moments he helped to deliver us a premiership by doing things that past players have not done in knock out finals.

So, against the reigning premiers Hawthorn on the big stage of the MCG in front of 90,000 fans he lined up on the Hawthorn captain, Luke Hodge, and in two key plays made an amazing intercept of a Hodge handball and got the ball back to hit up Tory Dickson deep inside 50. The other play on Hodge was a great contested mark where he with casual disdain swept Hodge out of the way for a crucial inside 50 mark. Commentators would posit that Bonts took the baton off Hidge that night. And a great win.

Then, for those old enough to remember 1997 prelim final, where Mark West was running into goal with space for an easy shot that missed, we have imprinted moments where we choked. Enter a great play in the 2016 prelim final vs GWS, at GWS, Bonts gets the kick near him running towards goal late in the last quarter. He at pace, but with caution, collects to ball runs at goals, runs passed 50 like Mark West in 1997, but instead kicked it right through the middle. Having come back from 3 goals down, his finishing vanquished the demons for a lot of us who have never experienced winning a prelim final.

At the same age, Bonts has had more Brownlow Votes that Gary Ablett Jr or Nat Fyffe at the same age. With more development and no doubt captaincy to come, there's little doubt Bonts will continue to smash club records and VFL/AFL records. With hopefully another 200 games, I doubt Bonts will ever be dislodged from the TOTC. And so I nominate him.

[boydogs]

With hopefully another 200 games, I doubt Bonts will ever be dislodged from the TOTC

Sounds likely. But he hasn't hit the heights of previous years in 2018

[bulldogtragic]

The traditional annual bye round nominations are open for The Team of the Century. Newly eligible players that can be nominated are Jack Macrae, Mitch Wallis, JJ, Lachie Hunter & Tory Dickson.

So all eligible players (not yet nominated) are, only following a detailed nomination as per the method seen in the thread: Macrae, JJ, Hunter, Dickson, Libba, Wallis, Cross, Hahn, Robbins, Higgins, McMahon.

[bulldogtragic]

From the close of nominations last year (18 years of 100 years in):

B: R. Murphy (c) B. Lake D. Morris ------ 734* Games, 216 Goals
HB: R. Smith E. Wood L. Gilbee ------ 623* Games, 389 Goals
C: N. Eagleton S. West M. Bontempelli ------ 660* Games, 296* Goals
HF: Vacant C. Grant A. Cooney ------ 560 Games, 740 Goals
F: B. Johnson Vacant D. Giansiracusa ------ 629 Games, 889 Goals
R: L. Darcy, M. Boyd, L. Picken ------ 701 Games*, 338 Goals*
Int: W. Minson, R. Hargrave, R. Griffen, Vacant ------ 596 Games, 248 Goals

Games: 4,509* --- Goals: 3,116* (Still 3 vacancies)

Eligible: Macrae, JJ, Hunter, Dickson, Libba, Wallis, Cross, Hahn, Robbins, Higgins, McMahon.

The team looks really solid to me, across all lines. Still missing a full forward after 19 years, but we have have time to find one (just 8 decades). Some very good small, medium and tall defenders with great skills. A mobile goal kicking ruck, an AA ruckman as back up. A great midfield with many and varied strengthes and a nimble forwardline, who kick serious amounts of goals, around Chris Grant. It's really shaping up nicely as it moves in a few years to dropping players out of the squad as new players maybe take the places of existing players.

[KT31]

Over the next 87 years we shall nominate players we think should be in the squad.

- My only rule is 100 games as a minimum. (* Note they need to be played from 2000 onwards)
- Best and Fairests are not automatic entry, although 2 wins or more are.
- A Brownlow is automatic selection into the squad, but not the final team.
- Players who leave for another club can be nominated (see the previous team of the century).
- Players inducted into previous team must have played 100 games after 2000.
- The amount of players named on the interchange shall be the number as at year 2100 plus 3.
- Any "subs" or similar shall be included into the interchange bench.
- There shall be no "emergency" list.
- There shall be 1 (one) Senior Coach Listed.

This thread will be around in 87 years so please... To make a nomination, please select your player, the position you want AND a fall back position (ie Full Forward, or Forward Pocket or Onball, or Half Back Flank. (* especially if someone plays 'centre' or 'rover')

Please Read Carefully before contributing:

Please be serious, no stupid nominations, please give a detailed reason as to why (this should be no less than 100 words) it should include a bio of games, goals, relevant averages, positions played, leadership roles and an opinion piece on how they played and what they contributed to the Western Bulldogs Football Club and why they should be immortalised over others.

* The following post (post 2 in this thread) shall be updated while I'm alive with the squad.
* Every decade ending, starting from 2020 the squad shall be placed in the best team available from the squad and updated every decade ending.

Refresher on the criteria for selection.