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
4. Matthew Boyd (2003-2017)
3 x best and fairest (2009, 2011 and 2012)
3 x All-Australian (2009, 2011 and 2016)
1 x premiership player (2016)
292 games, 25 disposals per game, 108 Brownlow votes, 0.4 votes per game
Like his partner in crime, Dale Morris, Boyd elevated himself from the rookie list to glory, tasting premiership success in 2016 as well as becoming one of only 11 Bulldogs to have passed the 250-game mark.
While Boyd's professional footy career would begin off-Broadway at Frankston City Oval, it would end with a trio of Charles Sutton Medals on his mantel and a trifecta of All-Australian blazers on the rack.
