NT Team of the Century

NORTHERN TERRITORY TEAM OF THE 20TH CENTURY

Interchange Bench

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Interchange - Basil Campbell (St Marys & South Fremantle)

An exuberantly aggressive, all action type of player, Basil Campbell was a crowd favourite wherever he played. The helmet that he wore after a head injury made him instantly recognisable, but his style of play was such that he would still have been a highly noticeable figure even had he not been so adorned.

Described as a "solidly built, ready made League footballer" (see footnote 1) when he joined South Fremantle in 1975, Campbell lined up at centre half forward for the red and whites in that season's grand final against West Perth. However, it was a game all South Fremantle supporters would prefer to forget, as the Cardinals raced away to a record 104 point victory. The following season, however, Campbell finally tasted premiership success; in what was a veritable feast of vibrant, skilful, attacking football, he was a solid contributor to South Fremantle's 23.18 (156) to 15.8 (98) grand final defeat of Swan Districts in 1980.

Another career highlight was participation in the very first state of origin match at Subiaco Oval in 1977. Lining up on a half back flank, Campbell was delighted to be an honorary sandgroper as Western Australia blitzed Victoria by 94 points. Sadly, this proved to be Basil Campbell's only interstate appearance.

Although his top level football career was only comparatively brief, Basil Campbell's crowd pleasing approach to the game has ensured that he is well remembered by folk at the port.

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Interchange - Adrian McAdam (Darwin, Southern Districts, North Melbourne)

After joining North Melbourne in 1993, Adrian McAdam enjoyed a brief but stellar career at the top level. Playing mainly in a forward pocket alongside John Longmire, McAdam created havoc among AFL backlines during his debut season, registering 68 goals in 17 games, and being widely acknowledged as one of the most exciting newcomers to arrive on the scene in years.

A younger brother of Greg and Gilbert McAdam, Adrian had earlier played with South Alice Springs, Darwin and Southern Districts. He was a member of the NTFL side which defeated Essendon by 30 points at Gardens Oval in 1990. Two years earlier, in Canberra, he was captain of the Northern Territory's Teal Cup team.

At North Melbourne, McAdam's career never again captured the heights of his inaugural season. He played just 19 further senior games for the 'Roos over the next 2 seasons, adding 24 goals. Nevertheless, at his best, as exemplified in 1993, he was both exhilarating to watch, and highly effective. Like his brother Gilbert, he had electrifying pace, as well as - perhaps more importantly - a tremendous change of pace. He also possessed extraordinary skills of evasion, and was a deadly kick for goal. Had he been capable of exhibiting these skills at the highest level for longer than a solitary season he might well have verged on genuine greatness.

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Interchange - Gary Dhurrkay (Wanderers, East Fremantle, Fremantle, Kangaroos, Darwin)

A supremely talented footballer, Gary Dhurrkay should probably have achieved more than he did. A member of Fremantle's inaugural AFL team in 1995, he played a total of 51 games with the Dockers over four seasons, but frustrations over the spasmodic nature of his contributions led to his ultimately being delisted. His last game in Western Australia was the 1998 Westar Rules grand final in which he was a solid contributor to East Fremantle's comfortable victory over West Perth. Dhurrkay had earlier played in the Sharks' 1994 premiership-winning team.

Picked up by the Kangaroos in 1999 he failed to impress and, after just 14 more games, his AFL career came to a premature and disappointing end.

A joy to watch when on song, Dhurrkay was probably just one of those players whose natural talents end up being stifled by the rigours of AFL football. Quick, agile, highly skilled, and a superb kick, his place in this team is earned on the basis of his very best performances, which were of the highest quality.

In addition to his two premierships with East Fremantle, Gary Dhurrkay was a member of the Wanderers team which defeated St Marys by 51 points in the 1992-93 NTFL grand final.

In August 2005, aged just thirty-one, Dhurrkay was tragically killed in a car accident near Nhulunbuy in the Northern Territory.

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Interchange - Kevin Caton (Darwin, Swan Districts, West Coast, Fitzroy, Brisbane)

Kevin Caton began his senior football career with Darwin, playing on the wing in that club's losing 1983-84 grand final side. In 1984 he joined Swan Districts, which at the time was one of the strongest club sides in Australia, having won both of the previous 2 WAFL premierships convincingly. Coached by former South Fremantle champion John Todd, Swans played an ebullient, aggressive, attacking style of football to which Caton, "a tall and talented wingman or half forward who has patches of brilliance and can be a match winner on his day" (see footnote 2), was soon making a significant contribution. When the club went '3 in a row' in 1984, Caton was a member of the team which overran East Fremantle in the grand final. The following season he represented Western Australia against South Australia at Subiaco.

Caton continued to give Swan Districts strong service over the next couple of seasons. In 1987 he topped the club's goal kicking list with 47 goals, and at the end of the year was drafted by West Coast. Unfortunately for Caton, the Eagles were blessed with a proliferation of players of his type - medium sized speedsters with good all round skills - and he managed just a single game for the season. In 1989, he found himself at Fitzroy, where he managed another 9 senior games, before being traded to Brisbane the following season for the last 8 games of his AFL career.

Returning to Swan Districts in 1992 he performed strongly, gaining selection in the Western Australian state league team which lost narrowly to South Australia at Football Park, and topping the WAFL goal kicking list with 51 majors for the year. He carried on with Swans for another couple of seasons, taking his final career total of WAFL games to 118.

In common with quite a number of his Territory compatriots it would probably be fair to suggest that Kevin Caton did not entirely do himself justice in southern state league football. Nevertheless, his versatility, pace, and acute goal sense would make him a worthy addition to this squad.

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Interchange - Russell Jeffrey (Wanderers, Geelong, St Kilda, Brisbane, Palmerston)

After spending his junior career with St Marys Jeffrey joined Wanderers in 1984. After an aborted attempt to break into the VFL with Geelong (he played a solitary night game with the Cats, seriously injuring his knee in the process) Jeffrey returned south, this time to St Kilda, in 1987 but once again his career failed to take off. After spending the 1989 southern season with Jerilderie he was lured back to the saints the following year and on this occasion enjoyed considerably more success, albeit of a fleeting nature. Indeed his 1990 form was so good that he became the first, and to date only, Northern Territory born footballer to play so called 'state of origin' football for Victoria. (Two years earlier he had represented his actual territory of origin at the Adelaide Bicentennial Carnival.)

A tough, determined, highly courageous footballer, Jeffrey has an inspirational side to his play which has stood him in good stead as a coach. After spending 4 seasons as coach of Wanderers he moved to Palmerston in 1997/98 where he was successful both on a personal front, winning the club's best and fairest award, and in steering the Magpies to a grand final. A member of 17 NTFL representative teams as well as the side's coach on 5 occasions, Russell Jeffrey continues to perform with distinction at a high level.

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Interchange - Warren McCoy (North Darwin)

Arguably North Darwin's greatest product, Warren McCoy played 217 games for the Magpies between 1978 and 1990. Despite being lightly built he was a powerful player and was also blessed with tremendous pace. He could play equally well at both ends of the ground, or across midfield. Four times voted North Darwin's best and fairest player, he was a member of the club's inaugural premiership side in 1980-81. He represented the NTFL against Glenelg in 1985, when he was awarded the Australia Day medal for best afield, and against Essendon the following year. Further evidence of his versatility is afforded by the fact that he was selected in the 'Northern Territory News' Team of the Year on 3 occasions, each time in a different position. Although he received a number of offers from clubs in southern state leagues he declined them all.

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Footnotes

1. The South Fremantle Story volume 2 by Frank Harrison and Jack Lee, page 198. Return to Main Text

2. Who's Who in Western Australian Football 1986, page 28. Return to Main Text