The best SANFL team..

[Adelaide Hawk]

That 1980 Port team v 1989 Port team would make a very interesting match. I rate the 1980 Port team as one of the best I've seen, but I'd be almost tempted to pick the 1989 team to win the game. The 89 team has the better defence ... although Greg Boyd (FP) standing Greg Boyd(BP) would make an interesting contest

[JK]

That 1980 Port team v 1989 Port team would make a very interesting match. I rate the 1980 Port team as one of the best I've seen, but I'd be almost tempted to pick the 1989 team to win the game. The 89 team has the better defence ... although Greg Boyd (FP) standing Greg Boyd(BP) would make an interesting contest

Im sure Boydy would have been just as happy to stay in the pub and watch the game on the box

[Magpiespower]

Funny, because even though Port's '89 is probably the best team on paper in that hat-trick of premierships, I reakon '90 could've taken them.

Just.

As an aside, I don't think the 87 North side gets enough kudos in these sort of discussions but maybe I am biased...

Pretty sure it was Stan Wickham who wrote an article about the best teams of the modern era in one of the last Footy Times yearbooks.

IIRC he named..

North '72
Glenelg '73
Norwood '75
Port '77
Sturt '78
Port '80
West '83
North '87

[Hondo]

I think we start to diminish the worthiness of premierships after 1985 and can therefore be unfair on some great premiership teams. While the VFL draft had kicked in by 1986 and was diluting the talent base I think the SANFL's best teams were still very strong right up until 1991. That 1989 Port team was outstanding.

Even post that time the Norwood team of 1997 was exceptional as CP pointed out.

Anyone got the comparison of Norwood 1982 v Norwood 1997?

[Leaping Lindner]

Just a reminder.....I love the footage where #10 is being chased by a Carlton player and still has time to put the ball down on the ground in wet conditions. Genuis.
http://www.youtube.com/user/REDROOST68# ... 5lK6HH3A78

[Adelaide Hawk]

Anyone got the comparison of Norwood 1982 v Norwood 1997?

Norwood 1982
Coach: Neil Balme
F: Roberts, Michalanney, G.Thomas
HF: Neagle, Button, K.Thomas
C: Gallagher, McIntosh, Fosdike
HB: Stemper, Thiel, Jenkins
B: Schmaal, Warhurst, Winter
Ruck: Fehring, M.Aish, Turbill
Res: A.Aish, Adler

Norwood 1997
Coach: Peter Rohde
F: West, Molloy, Cook
HF: B.James, Pascoe, R.James
C: Thiessen, Jarman, Obst
HB: Davey, Bowman, Clements
B: D'Antiochia, Fleming, Pitt
Ruck: Eastaugh, Harvey, Cunningham
Int: Keating, Bassett, Rowe

Skill-wise, the 1982 team would score the points, but the 1997 team was a very aggressive one. McIntosh missed the 97 GF due to suspension.

[JK]

Skill-wise, the 1982 team would score the points, but the 1997 team was a very aggressive one. McIntosh missed the 97 GF

As did McCormack who was equally as hard.

[Adelaide Hawk]

If you want to see a team that looks great on paper, I draw attention to the 1978 Norwood premiership team, one considered by many to be very fortunate to win the flag. However, if you compare the two teams in terms of what each player achieved in their footy careers, you'd wonder how Sturt even got close

Norwood
Coach: Bob Hammond
F: Phillis, Michalanney, Nunan
HF: Fienemann, Adamson, Woodcock
C: Gallagher, Taylor, Rosser
HB: Armour, Kerley, Jenkins
B: Nicholson, Stasinowsky, Craig
Ruck: Button, Wynne, Von Bertouch
Res: Turbill, Adler

Sturt
Coach: Jack Oatey
F: Sims, Bagshaw, Heinrich
HF: Graham, Winter, Downes
C: Howard, Klomp, Leonard
HB: Sanders, Reed, Wiseman
B: Wark, Casey, Hargreaves
Ruck: Davies, Burgan, Barton
Res: Lloyd, Mutton

When you look at that Norwood team, add Bruce Winter and Robert Barton, you will know now why I regard 4th in 1979 as the most disappointing season in my time as a Norwood supporter.

[Adelaide Hawk]

Skill-wise, the 1982 team would score the points, but the 1997 team was a very aggressive one. McIntosh missed the 97 GF

As did McCormack who was equally as hard.

McCormack was as hard as concrete. Arguably the most rugged player I've seen at Norwood.

[Hondo]

AH, do you think the 1997 Norwood team would hold it's own against the 1982 one before ultimately losing? McInstosh's inclusion would make a difference too. It doesn't look completely one-sided to me which is a credit to the 97 team being 6 years post Crows and 1 year into Port Power time.

[Adelaide Hawk]

AH, do you think the 1997 Norwood team would hold it's own against the 1982 one before ultimately losing? McInstosh's inclusion would make a difference too. It doesn't look completely one-sided to me which is a credit to the 97 team being 6 years post Crows and 1 year into Port Power time.

That's exactly what I think would happen. However, I have spoken with people from the club over the years who actually rate our 1997 team the best of the lot (1975, 78, 82, 84, 97).

Our 1997 team was one out of the box in the post-Crows era. So fortunate to have a great clubman like McIntosh who could quite easily have been playing AFL but just wanted to play for Norwood, and also fortunate that Andrew Jarman (at the advice of Russell Ebert) decided to get fitter than he'd ever been in his life and show the footy world how good he could be.

West (Glenelg), Molloy (Melbourne) and Obst (Sturt) were sensational pick ups, and Thiessen just took his game to another level that year, ultimately seeing him added to the Crows list. I guess we were fortunate that every punt we took on a player that season worked.

[JK]

I reckon the 97' v 82' teams enters that whole grey area of pre and post AFL era's ... I would suggest the 82' team had far more natural skill in terms of kicking and marking, and of course they were well versed in the art of hard physical football as all teams were in those days.

However, the 97 team would have been more athletic and aerobic and harder to a man, and of course 15 years more advanced perhaps in terms of tactic's and style that accompanies newer generations.

I was about to write that I think the 97' team would have won, but then I think about it some more and I lean towards the 82' team .. lol I really couldn't pick it either way.

[mickey]

Any team that only concedes 1 goal 8 behinds in a GF has to be right up there

[Adelaide Hawk]

Any team that only concedes 1 goal 8 behinds in a GF has to be right up there

So that's the Port Adelaide 1914 team?

[Wedgie]

Any team that only concedes 1 goal 8 behinds in a GF has to be right up there

Does that mean one that conceded 1 goal 6 behinds is the best then?
North's 1905 team it is.
(Mind you credit where its due, Port's last quarter when they kicked 4 points was a big improvement on the 2nd and 3rd quarters where they only managed a total of 1 point).
Still the lowest score in a grand final isn't it?


Mind you even scores like that are better than the gAy league can manage this year.

[Dog_ger]

It was a very hard choice to make in this poll.

My old memory of Sturt is maybe failing me a little.

But the 1980 Port Adelaide Team was (IMHO) the greateat team.

[FattyLumpkin]

Disappointed the '86 Woody side didn't make the list!

72 North for mine