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It’s been a mixed weekend for Australian sports. While our athletics team achieved its best ever result at a World Championships, with two gold and two bronze medals, we surrendered the Ashes back to England and the Wallabies lurched to their third straight Tri-Nations loss.
Thank God then we have the power to reminisce back to better days.
As an exercise in time-wasting, I thought I would present the best Australian cricket and rugby union teams of the past 40 years, and ask Roarers to share their own best.
Roar contributors from other countries can feel free to present the best cricket and rugby union teams from their own country over the past 40 years.
Best Australian cricket XI (1970-present):
1-Matt Hayden, 2-Michael Slater, 3-Ricky Ponting, 4-Greg Chappell, 5-Allan Border(vc), 6-Steve Waugh(c), 7-Adam Gilchrist(k), 8-Shane Warne, 9-Dennis Lillee, 10-Jeff Thomson, 11-Glenn McGrath, 12-Doug Walters(12th).
Backups: Justin Langer (opener), Ian Healy (keeper), Terry Alderman (paceman), Ashley Mallett (spinner).
This is an awesome team, and easy to pick, as each of the top XI basically selected themselves. I’m a ying-yang fan, so left-handed accumulator Hayden and right-handed dasher Slater are ideal to start the innings.
There’s another two lefties in the next five, followed by an equally imposing bowling line-up.
Pacemen Lillee, Thomson and McGrath, leggie Warne, backed up by medium pacers Waugh and Chappell, and slow left-armer Border. The fielding is also brilliant and versatile.
Although my favourite captain of the period is Ian Chappell, his batting wasn’t good enough to make the final XI. Waugh is captain because he’s the most ruthless, hardest-nosed leader in the team, with Border his able deputy.
Best Wallabies XV (1970-present):
15-Matt Burke, 14-David Campese, 13-Michael O’Connor, 12-Tim Horan, 11-Brendan Moon, 10-Mark Ella, 9-Nick Farr-Jones(c), 8-Mark Loane, 7-Ray Price, 6-Willie Ofahengaue, 5-John Eales(vc), 4-Dan Vickerman, 3-Ewen McKenzie, 2-Phil Kearns, 1-Topo Rodriguez.
Bench: 22-Jason Little, 21-Steve Larkham, 20-John Hipwell, 19-George Smith, 18-Tim Gavin, 17-Tony D’Arcy, 16-Tom Lawton.
Again, I thought this was an easy team to select, contrary to what some younger generation fans might think! Noting the problems of the current pack, this team has imposing forwards with a physical presence.
The bench is critical for its versatility – Little could play all three-quarter positions; Larkham, both flyhalf and fullback; Smith, both flanker positions; Gavin, both eightman and lock; D’Arcy, both sides of front-row.
The big omissions were Michael Lynagh and Simon Poidevin, and perhaps Rocky Elsom and George Gregan on the bench.
But I think Hipwell was a better scrumhalf.
Ben Tune and Joe Roff don’t give much away to Campese and Moon, and it was also a close call in some other positions as well, like Roger Gould at fullback.
But in the end, I am comfortable this team would hold its own against anybody.
I mulled long and hard over the captaincy. Finally, I came up with the following leadership configuration – Farr-Jones as team leader; Eales as deputy and forwards leader; Ella as tactical leader.
So soothe away the pain by selecting your best Baggy Greens and Wallabies of the past 40 years. And if you’re up to it, you can also throw in your best Kangaroos, Socceroos and marbles teams!
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.