Opinion
This last article on the the top 100 game players and goal scorers covers two of the foundation clubs, St Kilda and Sydney (then South Melbourne), and one of the oldest of the new breed of interstate clubs, West Coast.
The Eagles won out because they have played 24 games more than Brisbane, who also were admitted to the league in 1987 – 90 years after the first year of VFL footy was played.
The Saints have played more players over their 124 years in the competition (including ten debutants last year) and have managed to produce five 300-plus game players during that time.
The Saints’ most senior player at present is double centurion Jarryn Geary, who sits 26th on St Kilda’s all-time game players list and is on a one-year contract with the club.
Sebastian Ross is also a top 50 game player while Tim Membrey and Jack Sinclair occupy positions further down the list, but have potential to improve their standing markedly.
(Photo by Darrian Traynor/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)
Luke Dunstan needs just one game to join the top 100 game players at the club.
Among the Saints’ current players in the top 100 goal scorers (of which there are only three), Tim Membrey has an opportunity if he kicks accurately to claim a top ten position before year’s end, Jack Billings – who became a centurion last year – and Jade Gresham – who should kick the one goal he needs to become a centurion early this season – could also be expected to move steadily up the Saints’ top 100 goal kickers list.
Sydney, who surprised on the upside last year, have an impressive list of nine current players who are in the Swans’ top 100 game players of all time, ranging from top ten player Josh Kennedy and top 20 player Luke Parker down to Tom Papley, sitting at equal number 98 on the list with ex-Collingullie winger and rover Colin Hounsell, who played at the club from 1975 to 1985.
Of course, sitting in between is Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin, who started his career at Hawthorn and therefore is only in the middle of the list in terms of games played (136) and goals scored (415) at Sydney.
(Photo by Steve Bell/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)
However, as an elite AFL top 100 game player and goal scorer, most eyes will be on his move up the AFL top 100 ladders and – in particular – his quest to increase his goal-kicking tally to 1000 goals.
He needs only five goals to achieve this conventional landmark, but after that he needs another 31 goals to achieve his next historical landmark: joining Gary Ablett Senior as the fifth greatest goal scorer of all time.
Towards the end of the 2021 season, Shannon Hurn became the first Eagle to pass the 300-game mark and is now an AFL top 100 player and the game record holder for the Eagles.
The second current player on the Eagles’ list is 45 games behind Hurn but 16 days older: Josh Kennedy.
He would require two near perfect seasons after Hurn’s retirement to catch him. It would appear unlikely that he will.
On the next rung are Andrew Gaff and Jack Darling, who will turn 30 within six days of each other in June. They are a further 20 games behind Kennedy, which equates to another near perfect season, so Hurn would appear likely to be sitting at the head of the number one table at any Eagles top 100 functions for many years to come.
Josh Kennedy, the number one Eagles goal kicker of all time, would also appear to have his seat booked for a long time as well with a 225-goal lead over Jack Darling.
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