OK, I’ve been given the ‘task from hell’. A reader’s favourite hopefully.

The assignment: Pick my best or (favourite) team that I have played with or been involved with at assistant coach level.

So I spent ten years as a player and 11 years as an assistant in two stints with ‘Sheeds’.  It’s spread across four decades in the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s. The difficulty is to nail my favourite team or my best team so I’ll have a go at both.

Remember there are omissions. For example, I did not play with or coach Gavin Wanganeen so he’s out.  And no, Zach Merrett doesn’t make it either.

 The best will be the best in my opinion and my favourite will be blokes I loved playing with or coaching.

Unlike the All-Australian side, these teams are picked in their actual positions.

So let’s get to it…

MY BEST TEAM 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s

This team is based on playing with and being part of the coaching panel at the time.

The third tall position was extremely competitive with Billy Duckworth, Sean Wellman and Paul Weston all being outstanding players. Roger Merrett, Scott Lucas or Paul Vander Haar could easily play centre half forward, as could the Captain of the team, Terry Daniher.

The other difficult spot to pick was the centre man. Both Leon Baker and Joe Misiti played in two premierships and Joe’s 236 games probably should put him front. The recruiting and impact of Baker has been a great Essendon story.

There is no better combination than James Hird and Mark Mercuri on the flanks and Darren Bewick’s 332 goals made him one of Essendon’s great forward/rovers.

Daisy Williams and Bewick can rove, Watson and Hird to ruck rove and if Simon Madden needs a spell he can give Graham Moss a run!

Foulds and Daniher are the consummate half back flankers.

Debate obviously centres on the captaincy but TD did captain two premierships and his near 300 games and 450 goals gives him the right to toss the coin. On the point of captaincy, it’s not a one way street with TD and Hird because I could have given the captaincy quite easily to Mark Thompson: a great Essendon captain.

So here it is…

B. Mark Thompson Dustin Fletcher Bill Duckworth

HB. Gary Foulds Ron Andrews Neale Daniher

C. Michael Long Leon Baker Merv Neagle

HF.Mark Mercuri Paul Vander Haar James Hird

For. Terry Daniher (CAPT) Matthew Lloyd Darren Bewick

Foll: Simon Madden Tim Watson

Rov: Darren Williams

Inter: Graham Moss, Ken Fletcher, Scott Lucas, Mark Harvey

Emerg: Andy Wilson, Joe Misiti, Roger Merrett

I know! Lucas or Merrett. Went with the one club player and Scott won a Crichton Medal at centre half forward and centre half back.

FAVOURITE TEAM: A BIT OF FUN, TALL TALES……. BUT TRUE?

BACKS:

Mark ‘Johno’ Johnson: Sunbury local. Told he wasn’t good enough by TAC club. So he went on and won ‘Mr. Sunbury’!

Dustin ‘Lanky’ Fletcher: Misiti’s beer drinking mate. Expert at 3^rd man up….in a ‘shout’.

Steven ‘Stan’ Carey: Coming from Exeter in Northern Tassie, ‘Stan’ sort of suited him.

Dean ‘Solly’ Solomon: Broken Hill miner. Buried many an opponent.

Ron ‘Saltbush’ Andrews: Terrorised the rabbits and foxes out the back of Buninyong.

Gary ‘the Vault’ Foulds: The vault? 27 football trips and couldn’t get a cent out of him. 

CENTRELINE

Ken ‘Racehorse’ Fletcher: Owned a trotter once, but Fletch was faster than the horse.

Neville ‘Nifty’ Fields: Smart move. Got the Danihers to Essendon and then came back. Strategic recruiting.  

Mervyn ‘Swervin’ Neagle: Fiery, aggressive and confrontational...and that was just intra club practice games. Never went half pace.  RIP Merv.

FORWARDS:

Mark ’Mercs’ Mercuri: Cut a swathe through many a backline…. night clubs feared him too!

Terry ‘TD’ Daniher: The worst Daniher at backyard cricket in Ungarie. Wheat farmer. Expert sheep crutcher.

Mark ‘Harves’ Harvey: Mobile phone proprietor in Napier street. Clientele were local Essendon ‘identities’.

Dean ‘Cyril’ Rioli: Melville Island barramundi tour guide and crocodile habitat expert.     

Alan ‘Lurch’ Noonan: With no social club in the early 70’s it was ‘back to Lurches’. An eye opener for 17 year olds.  RIP Lurch

Ken ‘the Manse’ Mansfield: noted mudlark, larrikin and all round good bloke. Part time Keilor Rd electrician and self-proclaimed Mayor of Avondale Heights. 

FOLLOWERS:

John Barnes: University Degree in Garbology majoring in recyclables. Essendon has the cleanest streets.

Joe ‘Smokin’ Misiti: Entered for 15 Grand Final sprints. Never accepted in one. Played in 3 though.

Tony ‘Budge’ Buhagiar: First practice game Ron Andrews split his eye open. Didn’t back down. It was Sheeds’ ‘recruiting policy’.

INTERCHANGE

Ken ‘KR’ Roberts: Local Ascot Vale Identity. KR had the Four ‘n’ Twenty pie run to local milk bars.

Stephen ‘Harold’ Robins: An aircraft engineer at Tullamarine. Proud of his air safety record. So are we.

Paul Vander Haar: Once asked Tim Watson to pull over on the way to a Waverley game. Came back with a 6 pack and a packet of cigarettes. Then got 3 Brownlow votes. Our Paul eh!

Neil ‘Nobby’ Clarke: District cricketer for Ringwood. Everybody’s mate. RIP Neil.

Peter Patrick Pius Paul ‘Crackers’ Keenan: In a dominant ruck display at Victoria Park Crackers was opposed to Brownlow Medallist Peter Moore. Every centre bounce he would scream across the circle: ‘you want more Moore’. Crackers got the 3 Brownlow votes.

Emerg:

Paul ‘Wealth ‘Weston: Sign on fee from Glenelg FC - could’ve bought the Napier St shopping precinct.

Robin ‘Starchy’ Close: Where did that nickname come from?

Damien ‘Dimma’ Hardwick: Needs Richmond to play like he did. Wore desert boots with a suit.

‘Fabulous Phil’ Carman: 10 games, 20 weeks’ suspension and 12 goals for Essendon. Short, sweet and bloody memorable.

Chairman:

Graeme ‘the Bullfrog’ McMahon: on the rare occasions that we lost he would stride down the corridor, into Match Committee, and with his gruff exterior on display would ‘politely’ enquire: ‘what the bloody hell are you doing Kevin (Sheedy)’? RIP Graeme. 

Mascot:

Mark ‘the Phantom’ Doran: still delivering the best coach's addresses. Accomplished leg spin bowler.

Property Steward:

Ken ‘Scooter’ Betts: gave out one pair of socks in five years.

Medical Officers:

Ian ‘Rubber’ Reynolds: I think ‘Rubber’ had something to do with a latex glove.

Bruce ‘Doc’ Reid: Played three games for Hawthorn. Good effort Doc. 

Coach:

Bob ‘Swampy’ Syme: Handed around the Stones Green Ginger Wine at half time.

Runner:

Colin ‘Hoops’ Hooper: 50 years’ service and still kicking at the hands pre match. 

Timekeepers:

Alan and Ron Stevens: would drink six ‘longnecks’ per game. Time on often extended.

After match:

Mr. Mrs Clancy’s Milk Bar (opposite the ground) Capable of providing 40 Blue Heaven milk shakes before the Thursday night team meeting. Guinness Book of Records.

For the baby boomers and those a bit younger I hope these teams rekindle some great memories of great times. They were fascinating, wonderful people and great characters of our Club.

We all have our favourites and the younger generations will also get their turn at the great times. I’m sure when success ultimately arrives Merrett, Parish, McDonald-Tipungwuti, Laverde, Daniher etc will one-day feature in your ‘favourite’ and ‘best of' teams.

I hope you have as much fun as I’ve had.