Champions Of Essendon

The best of the best

In 2002 the Essendon football club went about naming the top 25 players to every play in the black and red.

While Essendon had named its "team of the century" a few years earlier, this concept was different. Rather than facing the unenviable task of trying to decide who should be the ruckman (Madden or Clarke?) or who should be Full Forward (Coleman or Lloyd?), the task was just to name the best of the best regardless of playing position.

The number one position was 'a lock' even before the evening began. Few people would have had any issue with the naming of Essendon's best ever player: Richard 'Dick' Reynolds. His contribution to the Essendon football club is unmatched. His playing career may have been enough to ensure his rating with three Brownlow medals and more best & fairest's than any other Don. But combine that with his coaching record, the fact that he built the club up from the dark days of the early 1930's and the gentlemanly manner in which he carried himself throughout his time and his position as our greatest ever player was assured.

The rest of the top few became a much more difficult task for people to agree on. Certainly Coleman, Hutchison, Watson, Madden and Hird deserved to be in the top few, but how do you pick between them? My personal feeling on the night was that maybe Bill Hutchison would be named as number two. Even though I never saw him play his record speaks for itself. Other than King Richard, Hutchy's career is unrivalled at the club. Picking Coleman as the second best was an interesting one, but once again his career, both as player and coach, is unmatched. So that takes care of one and two... but why was Hird named ahead of Hutchy?

It was a question that on the night confused me. Having watched Hird over his entire career I am more and more convinced that the voting board got it right. Hutchy was surrounded by many of the best players to ever pull on the red & black. At the same time he played in a era where the competition was really only even between a few teams. Hird plays in an era where the pressure is immense and his opponents spend countless hours pouring over his game plotting his downfall. Add this to his ability to lead a side as few ever have.

Was it right for him to be named above Hutchison? I can't answer that. Having never seen Hutchy play I'll leave the direct comparisons to those who have seen both he and Hird. All I will say is that those who suggest that Hutchy deserved to be second best is that he must have been an unbelievable footballer for them to even consider rating him above Hird.

The night was to be the last public appearance by Dick Reynolds, who passed away less than a week later. It was a truely emotional experience to be there to honour King Dick. He was frail but completely aware of the significance of the evening. He once again claimed that he had seen other players better than he (he had regularly claimed that Hutchy was a better player than himself) but the crowd present were in no doubt that the right man was being honoured.

I will progressively add biographies on all the top 25 players, but until then for further information try using the search box and entering their name.

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