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
2. Brad Johnson (2000-2010)
2 x best and fairest (2002 and 2006)
5 x leading goalkicker (2001, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008)
5 x All-Australian (2000, 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2007)
240 games, 456 goals, 1.6 goals per game, 20.5 disposals per game
Whether hunting the footy, busting the pack or splitting the big sticks, Johnson routinely had Bulldogs fans on their feet.
Across the course of 17 seasons, 'The Smiling Assassin' acted as the perfect half-forward, booting more than 450 goals this century, making him a sure-fire All-Australian selection for half of its first decade.
