Herald Sun |
THE retirement this week of Warrnambool's own Jono Brown got Retrogram to thinking about the massive contribution of country footy to the AFL playing ranks.
A team comprising footballers from rural Victoria would stack up against any 22, with hall of famers, premiership players and Brownlow medallists galore.
For the purposes of this exercise we've left the Geelong region out of our catchment zone, yet the list of the 10 greatest Vic country footballers is impressive. And it's not a dated phenomenon.
Take a close look at each AFL club list and you will find at least one star player who learned his trade playing in regional Victoria.
Consider this list of 2014 players: Adelaide's Patrick Dangerfield (Moggs Creek), Brisbane's Tom Rockliff (Benalla), Carlton's Andrew Walker (Echuca), Collingwood's Scott Pendlebury (Sale), Essendon's Dyson Heppell (Leongatha), Fremantle's David Mundy (Seymour), Geelong's Joel Selwood (Sandhurst), Gold Coast's Tom Lynch (Sorrento), GWS's Jeremy Cameron (Dartmoor), Hawthorn's Luke Hodge (Colac), Melbourne's James Frawley (Ballarat), North Melbourne's Jack Ziebell (Wodonga), Port Adelaide's Travis Boak (Torquay), Richmond's Brett Deledio (Kyabram), St Kilda's Jack Steven (Lorne), Sydney's Adam Goodes (Horsham), West Coast's Matt Rosa (Warracknabeal) and Western Bulldogs Robert Murphy (Warragul).
So to mark the occasion of big Browny having more time to head down the Great Ocean Road and drop in for a counter meal at the Caledonian Hotel, where he has been known to slip behind the bar to pour a few pots, we've delved into the archives and found photos of 10 great country Victorian footballers.
If you think we've left anyone out, leave a comment or tweet at @_warwickgreen and we'll publish a selection next week.