ACT Team of the Century

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY TEAM OF THE 20TH CENTURY

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Right Centre Wing - Tony Wynd (Queanbeyan)

Four times a Mulrooney Medallist, recipient of the 1990 Alex Jesaulenko Medal for the best player in the ACTAFL grand final, and five times winner of Queanbeyan's best and fairest award (an award which ended up bearing his own name), Tony Wynd was undoubtedly one of the ACT's most decorated, and arguably among its very finest, footballers. At his peak as a 23 year old in 1987 he was selected in the Australian combined rules team to tour Ireland, a rare honour for a player outside of the 'elite' southern states competitions. Wynd's considerable pedigree was apparent from very early on, however: as a 16 year old in 1981 he had captained the ACT's Teal Cup side, and at the end of the competition had been chosen as an All Australian. Two years later he won the first of his Mulrooney Medals, and whereas such achievements sometimes pass over the heads of younger players, in Wynd's case the impact was considerable. "It was pretty amazing when I won the Medal," he recalled five years later. "I was only 19 and not really ready for it. I was speechless for five minutes. It was big for the club - their first Medal for 20 years - and they made an even bigger thing out of it." (See footnote 1)

Wynd would go on to be a major contributor to a striking resurgence in fortunes at Queanbeyan which saw the club contest no fewer than 8 grand finals in a row between 1985 and 1992, emerging victorious on 4 occasions. Later in the 1990s when the Tigers re-emerged from a period in the comparative doldrums, Wynd was still a force to be reckoned with, and was a member of the club's 1998 and 1999 premierships sides before retiring after a League record 347 games. In addition, he represented the ACT no fewer than 41 times, which included a fair number of appearances as captain. Had he chosen to try and establish himself in a stronger competition interstate there seems little reason to suppose that he would not have enjoyed considerable success.

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Centre - James Hird (Ainslie & Essendon - vice-captain)

Despite being arguably the greatest Canberra born footballer in the history of the game, one shudders to imagine just how noteworthy James Hird's achievements might have been were it not for his frequent misfortune with injury. After joining Essendon from Ainslie in 1992 he made a comparatively slow start to his AFL career, but from the time he received a Norwich Rising Star nomination in 1993 things began to pick up appreciably, and by the time he retired at the end of the 2007 season there was scarcely an honour in the elite game that he had failed to achieve. Joint Brownlow Medallist in 1996, AFL All Australian on five occasions, Norm Smith Medal winner and premiership captain in 2000, Essendon club champion five times and twice the club's leading goal kicker, captain of Australia at International Rules in 2000 - the list runs on and on. However, as mentioned above, he also suffered more than his fair share of serious injuries, forcing him to miss virtually the entire 1997 and 1999 seasons, and seriously undermining his effectiveness in 2002. When at peak fitness, however, there was no more valuable or eye catching a player in football. Playing nominally as a centre half forward, Hird enjoyed a 'license to roam' which could see him bob up almost anywhere on the ground to telling effect. Despite sometimes appearing almost lackadaisical in his approach, he was actually one of the most energetic and hard working players around, racking up possessions seemingly at will, and invariably using the ball with scrupulous efficiency. His career at Essendon saw him play a total of 253 AFL games and kick 343 goals, tallies which but for injury would have been considerably higher.

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Left Centre Wing - Michael Kennedy (Queanbeyan, Brisbane, West Adelaide)

After 42 games with his local club, Queanbeyan, and having represented the ACT in the Escort Shield in 1987, rover Michael Kennedy was drafted by Brisbane, where he would play a total of 23 games over the next 3 years. In 1991 he moved to West Adelaide and was on the wing that year in the Bloods' losing grand final side against North Adelaide. A dynamic and pacy player, Kennedy spent 3 successful years at Westies before following the club's assistant coach, Rod O'Riley, back home to Queanbeyan. O'Riley had been appointed to the post of Tigers senior coach in 1994 and under his guidance Kennedy, who assisted O'Riley in his coaching duties, enjoyed arguably his best ever senior season, winning both the Mulrooney Medal and the Queanbeyan best and fairest award. He was also a member of the Tigers team which played off in that year's grand final against Ainslie only to be controversially sent off by umpire Andrew Toy for 'swearing'. Queanbeyan officials were incensed by the decision, which almost certainly contributed to the club losing the match, and for a time it even looked possible that the club would withdraw from the ACTAFL. Ultimately, however, the matter was resolved more or less to everyone's satisfaction, with the League undertaking a review of its umpires' controlling body with the twin aims of ensuring that umpires received appropriate training, and that there was consistency of decision making.

In addition to continuing as a player, Michael Kennedy replaced Rod O'Riley as Queanbeyan coach in 1995, and was successful in getting his charges into the grand final. However, reigning premiers Ainslie proved too strong, winning by 17 points. Forced to resign from the coaching position owing to work commitments prior to the start of the 1996, Kennedy continued to give good service to the club as a player for another couple of seasons. Sadly, however, this meant that he missed participating in Queanbeyan's next premiership win, which occurred in 1998.

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Footnotes

1. 'South Australian Bicentennial Football Budget', 2-5 March 1988, page 46. Return to Main Text