Each club's most influential figure over your time

[1eyedog]

Mine are just the first one or two players that come into my head when I think of that club.

Adelaide - Tony Modra
Brisbane - Roger Merrett, John Gastev
Carlton - Bruce Doull, Rod Ashman
Collingwood - Peter Daicos
Essendon - Terry Daniher, Simon Madden
Fremantle - Clive Waterhouse
Geelong - Gary Marlarkey, Gary Ablett Snr
Hawthorn - Chris Langford, John Platten
Melbourne - Robbie Flower
North Melbourne - Wayne Carey, Keith Greg
Port Adelaide - Chad Cornes
Richmond - Mark Lee, Michael Roach
St.Kilda - Trevor Barker, Tony Lockett
Sydney - Barry Round, Rod Carter
West Coast - John Worsfold
Western Bulldogs - Kelvin Templeton, Chris Grant

Templeton for me. He was the reason I went to the footy in the late 70s to early 80s and was a beacon for the club and the western suburbs during a very unsuccessful decade for the club. Every single kid had 31 on the back of their duffle coats in those days. He was the best player I have seen at our club and with Ablett Snr and perhaps Carey the best player I have seen over the 3 years that he dominated.

[LostDoggy]

No one had any space for Warwick Capper? He's the first person I think of when I hear Brisbane and AFL in the same sentence.

Lockett would be my pick for Sydney. He was the biggest name in the AFL for a while there and basically cemented the club's position in NSW when it wasn't looking all that flash.

There's no doubt Smorgon/Rose have been the most influential figures at the Dogs over the last 20 years. No disrespect to any of our playing group over that time, but our biggest changes have been off-field: they changed the name of the club, landed our biggest sponsorship deals, massively updated our facilities, landed an expensive big name coach, attracted superstars to the Dogs... I'm not saying all of these moves have been great, but they have been incredibly influential.

[strebla]

I'm a bit older (well alot older) than Rocco, so I go back to the early 70's & have done a 3,2 & 1 for each of the 16 clubs (not the newbies). Mainly off the top of my head so romance, the first thought & their contribution.

Freo probably the hardest for lack of quality & Hawthorn too just to limit it to three. Probably a bit contraversial with Plough, but he played, coached the reserves & seniors, won multiple B & F's & is a Life Member.


Adelaide - Malcolm Blight, Mark Riccuito, Mark Bickley
Brisbane - Michael Voss, Leigh Matthews, Jonathan Brown
Carlton - Stephen Kernahan, Ron Barrassi, Bruce Doull
Collingwood - Bob Rose, Nathan Buckley, Tony Shaw
Essendon - Kevin Sheedy, James Hird, Simon Madden
Fremantle - Matthew Pavlich, Mark Harvey, Aaron Sandilands
Geelong - Mark Thompson, Frank Costa, Malcolm Blight
Hawthorn - John Kennedy Snr, Alan Jeans, Leigh Matthews
Melbourne - Jim Stynes, Robert Flower, Gary Lyon
North Melbourne - Wayne Carey, Dennis Pagan, Ron Barrassi
Port Adelaide - Mark Williams, Warren Treadrea, Gavin Wanganeen
Richmond - Tom Hafey, Kevin Bartlett, Royce Hart
St.Kilda - Trevor Barker, Robert Harvey, Nathan Bourke
Sydney - Paul Kelly, Tony Lockett, Paul Roos
West Coast - John Worsfold, Michael Malthouse, Glenn Jakovich
Western Bulldogs - Chris Grant, Brad Johnson, Terry Wallace

I would have Bob skilton there as number one never bagged the club when they headed north like so many others including my very own family he is the only glaring mistake you made Coon Dog

[The Coon Dog]

I would have Bob skilton there as number one never bagged the club when they headed north like so many others including my very own family he is the only glaring mistake you made Coon Dog

He was before my time tho, otherwise I would have put in EJ, or Jock McHale, or John Coleman...

[strebla]

He was before my time tho, otherwise I would have put in EJ, or Jock McHale, or John Coleman...

fair call but he always has been a part of that club which is why I would have him as an influential figure.

[Doc26]

I'm a bit older (well alot older) than Rocco, so I go back to the early 70's & have done a 3,2 & 1 for each of the 16 clubs (not the newbies). Mainly off the top of my head so romance, the first thought & their contribution.

Freo probably the hardest for lack of quality & Hawthorn too just to limit it to three. Probably a bit contraversial with Plough, but he played, coached the reserves & seniors, won multiple B & F's & is a Life Member.


Adelaide - Malcolm Blight, Mark Riccuito, Mark Bickley
Brisbane - Michael Voss, Leigh Matthews, Jonathan Brown
Carlton - Stephen Kernahan, Ron Barrassi, Bruce Doull
Collingwood - Bob Rose, Nathan Buckley, Tony Shaw
Essendon - Kevin Sheedy, James Hird, Simon Madden
Fremantle - Matthew Pavlich, Mark Harvey, Aaron Sandilands
Geelong - Mark Thompson, Frank Costa, Malcolm Blight
Hawthorn - John Kennedy Snr, Alan Jeans, Leigh Matthews
Melbourne - Jim Stynes, Robert Flower, Gary Lyon
North Melbourne - Wayne Carey, Dennis Pagan, Ron Barrassi
Port Adelaide - Mark Williams, Warren Treadrea, Gavin Wanganeen
Richmond - Tom Hafey, Kevin Bartlett, Royce Hart
St.Kilda - Trevor Barker, Robert Harvey, Nathan Bourke
Sydney - Paul Kelly, Tony Lockett, Paul Roos
West Coast - John Worsfold, Michael Malthouse, Glenn Jakovich
Western Bulldogs - Chris Grant, Brad Johnson, Terry Wallace

TCD, looking from the 70s onwards I find your list difficult to fault, we're obviously from a similar generation. I can even support your case for Wallets.

Based on Rocco's criteria of
* Onfield success
* Lenth of service/multiple roles
* Contribution to fiannces/marketing/promotion/club's overal success
* 'Heart/romance

My marginally adjusted list is:

Adelaide - Malcolm Blight, Mark Riccuito, Andrew McLeod (big game player, 2 Norm Smith's, all class)
Brisbane - Michael Voss, Leigh Matthews, Jonathan Brown
Carlton - Stephen Kernahan, Alex Jesaulenko (Jezza was synonymous to me with Carlton), John Elliott (for bringing them success at any price)
Collingwood - Nathan Buckley, Peter Daicos (like Jezza above, personified Collingwood to me), Eddie Maguire/Michael Malthouse
Essendon - Kevin Sheedy, James Hird, Simon Madden
Fremantle - Matthew Pavlich, Mark Harvey, Aaron Sandilands
Geelong - Thompson/Costa/Cook (the great turnaround), Gary Ablett Snr, Gary Ablett Jnr (the Ablett's personify Geelong over the past two decades)
Hawthorn - Agree, where do you start - Alan Jeans, Leigh Matthews, Lance Franklin (more for current day influence, just attend a Hawks family day to see his impact)
Melbourne - Jim Stynes, Robert Flower, Gary Lyon
North Melbourne - Wayne Carey, Dennis Pagan, Ron Barrassi
Port Adelaide - Mark Williams, Warren Treadrea, Gavin Wanganeen
Richmond - Tom Hafey, Kevin Bartlett, Royce Hart
St.Kilda - Trevor Barker, Robert Harvey, Nick Riewoldt (more for his influence on games over the past ~10 years)
Sydney - Paul Kelly, Tony Lockett, Paul Roos
West Coast - Michael Malthouse, Glenn Jakovich, Chris Judd
Western Bulldogs - Chris Grant, Doug Hawkins (for heart, soul & skill, for being a Braybrook boy and for being my favourite as a youngin), David Smorgon (for leading us to be a professional outfit)

[The Coon Dog]

TCD, looking from the 70s onwards I find your list difficult to fault, we're obviously from a similar generation.

AKA as a pair of old bastards!