Throughout the final years of the 1990s,ย AFLย clubs across the land looked backward rather than forward, with selectors, historians and superstars converging to name their Teams of the 20th Century.
So, as we near the quarter-time mark of the 21st century, what better time to run the rule on which players are likely to feature when the selectors of tomorrow get together in several decades' time?
While every club has an array of deadset legends that can be called on, we here at Zero Hanger have employed the following rules of selection:
- Only statistics recorded and achievements accrued since the start of the 2000ย AFLย season will be acknowledged.
- All statistics and awards must have been accrued while playing for the club in question.
- Any player selected must have played at least 100 senior games for their respective club since the start of the 2000ย AFLย season.
For our final instalment, we head west to assess who the top Dogs are at the Whitten Oval.
PREVIOUS TOP TENS: CROWS,ย LIONS,ย BLUES,ย PIES,ย BOMBERS,ย DOCKERS,ย CATS,ย SUNS,ย GIANTS,ย HAWKS, DEES,ย ROOS,ย POWER,ย TIGERS,ย SAINTS, SWANS, EAGLES
8. Ryan Griffen (2005-2014)
2 x best and fairest (2010 and 2013)
1 x All-Australian (2013)
202 games, 21.8 disposals per game, 64 Brownlow votes, 0.3 votes per gameย
Marrying a hard edge with high-end skills, Griffen acted as a key cog in the Dogs' engine room for the better part of a decade.
While a fan favourite in his pomp, Griffen eventually left the Whitten Oval in bitter circumstances, departing for Sydney's following his sole season as the Bulldogs' captain.
