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Excitement machines of the AFL

Alex Rance, the Tigers' true superstar. (Photo: Justine Walker/AFL Media)
Roar Pro
14th March, 2016
6

I am a huge fan of the great entertainers of AFL football the players that do things many others can’t.

Whether it’s the supermen that take everyone’s breath away when they soar high into the air to take a big mark, the roadrunners that scorch the grass with their pace or the magicians that simply make the ball melt into their hands.

So to celebrate these great players and build the excitement for the upcoming AFL season I have put together a team featuring the most exhilarating players that will thrill the crowds this year.

Back Pocket: Adam Saad (Gold Coast Suns)
Where did he came from? Was the question on all footy fans’ lips last year. Saad hit the competition like a hurricane last year with his speed and daring out of defence. From seemingly impossible situations deep in the Gold Coast defence, through sheer will, Saad was able to create many attacking drives for the Suns.

Full Back: Alex Rance (Richmond)
Rance oozes confidence, not only does he stop his opponents from influencing the game, he becomes an attacking weapon himself. He is an underrated kick, a great mark of the ball and takes the game on with ball in hand. His duel last year against Sydney Swans champ Buddy Franklin was one of the highlights of last year. It was compulsory viewing and a contest that Rance won hands down.

Back Pocket: Brent Harvey (North Melbourne)

Can’t remember him ever playing back pocket, but as long as the little Kangaroos champ is still playing he has to be included in a team like this somewhere. Harvey has a highlight reel as good as any player to ever play the game. He has been accused over the years as being selfish around goals but this sort of confidence in his own ability is what makes him such a great and exciting player.

Half Back: Gary Rohan (Sydney Swans)
One of the real rockets of AFL football, Rohan has talent and speed to burn. A horrific broken leg has temporarily cooled the jets, but when this young fella gets confidence in his body again look out. I have no doubt that if Rohan can string multiple games together this year he will provide Swans fans with many highlights.

Centre Half Back: Jeremy Howe (Collingwood)
Hasn’t played much (if any) footy at centre half back but Howe is one of the competitions most exciting players and simply has to be in the team somewhere. One of the greatest high flyers in the history of the game, his consistency in taking gravity-defying marks is amazing. Howe is the owner of some of the greatest marks in AFL history and he hasn’t finished yet.

Half Back: Harley Bennell (Fremantle)
One of the most talented footballers in the country but unfortunately one of the most troubled. Often the things that separate these sporting geniuses on the field also gets them into trouble off the field. At his best Bennell simply looks a level above everyone else on the park, and his development under Ross Lyon and the Fremantle Dockers will be an exciting thing to watch this year. Has the potential to be the best player in the competition.

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Wing: Lewis Jetta (West Coast)
A wildly inconsistent player who on his day can be a match winner. His prodigious kicking and scorching pace make him a dangerous player for opposition teams. Jetta’s run up the MCG wing in the 2012 grand final with Cyril Rioli trailing in behind became not only one of the most iconic moments of that grand final but in grand final history. His near full ground length run and goal in the preliminary final against Collingwood in the same year wasn’t bad either.

Centre: Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn)
Maybe a surprise to some to be named in a team like this but Mitchell’s skill with ball in hand and general football smarts are a pleasure to watch for the footy purists. His foot skills are unrivalled in the AFL and he is one of the best kicks off his non dominant foot the game has ever seen. Although not overly quick, he is rarely caught with the ball and sometimes seems to be two steps ahead of everyone else. There will be many highlights from the Hawks champ this year as he seems to get better every year.

Wing: Brad Hill (Hawthorn)
Perhaps what separates Hill from fellow speedster Lewis Jetta is his consistency. Like Jetta, Hill has the weapons of great pace and long penetrating kicking. Not yet 23 years old, Hill has three premiership medals with his name on them and has been a big contributor to the Hawks’ recent success. Has also earned the reputation of playing well in big games.

Half Forward: Michael Walters (Fremantle)
Along with Hayden Ballantyne forms one of the best and most exciting small forward combinations in the league. Had probably his best season last year, kicking 44 goals, and was one of the Dockers’ best players in both their finals last year. With the lethal combination of being dangerous when the ball is on the ground as well as in the air, Walters will have a big say in how the Dockers perform this year.

Centre Half Forward: Jack Riewoldt (Richmond)

If jumping Jack’s NAB challenge form is anything to go by, Tigers fans can look forward to many highlights from the high flying forward this year. A player that wears his heart on his sleeve watching Riewoldt play is compulsive viewing, you just never know what he will do next. With his undoubted natural talent and growing maturity there is no reason Riewoldt can’t challenge for the mantle of the best key forward in the league this year

Half Forward: Jake Stringer (Western Bulldogs)
“The Package” is one of the hardest match-ups for opposition teams in the league. Stringer simply bullies smaller defenders and is too quick and agile for bigger defenders. An explosive athlete with good skills on both sides of his body makes Stringer one of the genuine superstars of the AFL.

Forward Pocket: Cyril Rioli (Hawthorn)
First player picked in a side of most exciting players, the football magic man is probably more of a sorcerer bringing nightmares to all opposition clubs. Rioli’s aura and mystique get greater every year he does things on the football field that no other mere mortal can do. To say he is the most electrifying and exciting player in the competition is probably talking down his talents, he could finish his career as one of the all time greats.

Full Forward: Lance Franklin (Sydney Swans)
Buddy Franklin is the human highlight reel of the AFL. If Cyril Rioli is first picked then big Buddy Franklin is right behind him. One of the most athletic big men in the history of the game he is the true definition of a match winner having won many games of his own boot for both Hawthorn and the Sydney Swans.

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Sydney Swans player Lance Franklin reaches after kicking a goal

It is hard to do justice to Buddy’s talents through words alone; some of his feats on the field have to be seen to be believed. Some of his exploits will go down in AFL folklore his run and goal against Cale Hooker and the Bombers, the seven-goal game in his 2007 finals debut against the Adelaide Crows and his 13-goal game against North Melbourne in 2012 are only a small sample of the big man’s talents.

Forward Pocket: Eddie Betts (Adelaide)
Took his game to another level last year, perhaps even two! Already a cult figure at the Adelaide Football Club after only one season, with a pocket at their home ground named after the little maestro. Some of the Crows games last year turned into the Eddie Betts show, with the small forward thrilling the crowd with his amazing goals, he could easily had three or four contenders for goal of the year. I can’t wait to see what he has in store for an encore with the Crows this year.

Ruck: Nic Natanui: (West Coast Eagles)
Any man that can tap the ball to himself out of the ruck, burst through the middle and bang a goal from 50 metres out deserves to be in this team. You get the feeling the perfect storm that is Nic Naitanui is starting to form; it has been building for a few years now and is ready to unleash it’s fury on the competition. Naitanui has all the tools to dominate the AFL in years to come, it’s all on him now.

Midfielder: Gary Ablett: (Gold Coast Suns)
Has long held the mantle for best player in the competition, although he has some stiff competition in Fremantle superstar Nat Fyfe now. Injuries have blunted the brilliance of the little master in recent times. Whether in the midfield or up forward Ablett is simply unstoppable. He is the most complete player in recent memory. One of the most natural footballers to ever play the game the football, Gary just looks likes it is supposed to be in his hands. If they created a Harlem Globetrotter type team for AFL he would be the headline act.

Midfielder: Nat Fyfe: (Fremantle)

The modern day prototype for a midfielder, Fyfe is physically big enough to play key position but has the endurance to match any midfielder. A highlight of Fyfe’s game is his marking he can match anyone with the ball in the air, and often just bullies the midfielders he plays against in this area of the game. His combination with the Dockers’ giant ruckman Aaron Sandilands is something to behold.

Interchange: Steve Johnson: (Greater Western Sydney)
In years gone by would have been one of the first picked, although getting to the end of his career I think Steve J still has a couple of tricks left in the bag.

Interchange: Chad Wingard: (Port Adelaide)
One of the most dangerous and exciting forwards in the game. Wingard will have a warehouse full of goal and mark of the year awards by the time his career is finished.

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Interchange: Jamie Elliott (Collingwood)
One of the best marks for his size in the competition, Elliott has a high wire act fit for the circus.

Interchange: Robbie Gray (Port Adelaide)

From the moment I saw the little Port dynamo he reminded me some much of Gary Ablett jnr it was scary. Could well go on to dominate the competition much like Ablett has.

Couldn’t fit them in: Charlie Cameron, Hayden Ballantyne, Nakia Cockatoo, Steven Motlop and Jake Neade.

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