Who makes the AFL team of the 21st century?Chris Young
au.sports.yahoo.com
25 April 2020Defining the greats of any sporting era is a tough ask - but with the AFL on hiatus for the foreseeable future, what better time than now to figure out the best 22 from the past 20 years.
Aussie rules football has gone through significant change since the year 2000 - as the triple premiership winning Brisbane Lions, defined by their hardness and toughness gave way to the arm-wrestle over the flag between Sydney and West Coast.
The late 2000s saw the press begin to come into vogue - defensive teams like Collingwood and St Kilda were advantaged, but the likes of Geelong and Hawthorn, in particular, became skilled at breaking down such defensive schemes to gain a stranglehold on the premiership cup.
As the league has attempted in recent years to encourage a more free-flowing, attacking style, Richmond emerged as a contender for one of the best teams of the 2010s - despite beginning the decade enduring a series of disappointing seasons.
Trying to piece together a team from such an eclectic time in AFL history is no mean feat - so let us know who you think missed out, who is in the wrong spot, and who shouldn’t be there at all.
B: Corey Enright Matthew Scarlett Heath Shaw
HB: Shannon Hurn
Alex Rance Luke Hodge
C: Scott Pendlebury Chris Judd Adam Goodes
HF: Nick Riewoldt Jonathan Brown Lance Franklin
F: Cyril Rioli Josh Kennedy Jason Akermanis
R: Dean Cox Gary Ablett Jr Nat Fyfe
Int: Simon Black, Steven Johnson,
Dustin Martin, Joel Selwood
Alex Rance could easily have found himself at full-back, but his intercept marking and rebound game separated him a bit from Matthew Scarlett. He might have decided to pull the pin early on his already outstanding career, with two premierships and five All-Australian nods over an 11-year career.
Dustin Martin is hard done by not to start on the ground, but will almost certainly make us look silly when we revisit this side in years to come. His arrival as a truly elite AFL midfielder was a key factor in Richmond’s long-awaited return to premiership glory in 2017 and then again in 2019. His signature ‘don’t argue’, brute strength and thumping kick make him a force to be reckoned with.
Honourable mentions: Matthew Richardson (Richmond) @ Half-forward.
Trent Cotchin (Richmond) @ Follower.
https://au.sports.yahoo.com/afl-team-of-the-21st-centrury-044230157.html
