Throughout the final years of the 1990s, 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 2000 AFL 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 2000 AFL season.
Next up, we run the rule over Melbourne, to see which Demons proved deadliest.
PREVIOUS TOP TENS: CROWS,ย LIONS,ย BLUES,ย PIES,ย BOMBERS, DOCKERS, CATS, SUNS, GIANTS, HAWKS
4. David Neitz (2000-2008)
1 x Coleman Medal (2002)
1 x best and fairest (2002)
4 x leading goalkicker (2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006)
1 x All-Australian (2002)
169 games, 414 goals, 2.4 goals per game
A leader in every sense of the word, no Demon played more games or kicked more goals than David Neitz.
While his days in red and blue stretch back to the early 90s, the spearhead hit his straps after the turn of the millennium, claiming Coleman honours in 2002 and routinely leading the Redlegs in offensive output.
An absolute giant of the club, few will ever match Neitz's impact in Melbourne's lengthy annals.
