Throughout the final years of the 1990s,ย AFL 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.
- Any player selected must have played at least 100 senior games for their respective club since the start of the 2000ย AFLย season.
Next up, we're crossing over to Olympic Park to catalogue the cream of Collingwood's crop of champions.
PREVIOUS TOP TENS: CROWS, LIONS, BLUES
3. Nathan Buckley (2000-2007)
1 x Brownlow Medal (2003)
1 x Norm Smith Medal (2002)
2 x best and fairest (2000 and 2003)
3 x All-Australian (2000, 2001 and 2003)
138 games, 24.5 disposals per game, 82 Brownlow votes, 0.6 votes per game
Despite having his head chiselled into Collingwood's Mount Rushmore, 'Bucks' took a minor hit here, with the superstar having spread his peak across the 90s and early 2000s.
Still, with his Brownlow and Norm Smith arriving this side of the Sydney Olympics, there was no way the ball magnet was missing our top three.
But while his 21st-century CV is nothing to sniff at, it was a couple of Buckley's proteges that have edged the old buck here.
