Right Forward Pocket - Robbert Klomp (Sturt, Carlton, Footscray)

In 1979 Klomp moved to Victoria where he joined Carlton which, like Sturt, had been in the throes of re-building.  Often unfairly remembered for being awarded a sponsor's prize of a TV after a mediocre display in a night game, he actually gave Carlton sterling service, mainly as a defender, in 84 games over 5 seasons.  One of the Blues' best in their 1979 grand final defeat of Collingwood, Klomp missed the 1981 premiership win, but was back in the side in 1982 as Carlton overcame Richmond.

After playing briefly with Footscray in 1983 and 1984, Robbert Klomp headed back home in 1985 for one final season with Sturt to bring up the 200 game milestone with that club.  All told, if you include his 7 interstate match appearances, he played a total of 305 senior games, almost all of which exuded pride, determination and dependability.

Full Forward - Alex Ruscuklic (Fitzroy & Carlton)

Alex’s arrival at Fitzroy in 1966 was surrounded by controversy: he was cleared to the Lions by his Latrobe Valley Football League club Morwell, but the Latrobe Valley League refused to sanction the transfer. In a sequence of events which attracted enormous media attention at the time Fitzroy took the case to the VFL which ultimately endorsed the clearance, ruling that such matters were of concern purely to the two clubs involved and that the LVFL had had no business interfering. Ruscuklic was thus free to embark on his VFL career, but it was not to be the last time he was the subject of controversy. While his uninhibited determination and spectacular aerial ability (he was the top mark taker in the VFL in 1971) made him a popular figure among the Fitzroy faithful he repeatedly locked horns with officialdom, particularly as represented by the club committee. After several well-publicised disagreements things finally came to a head just prior to the start of the 1974 season when Ruscuklic was suspended by the committee and, although an uneasy truce was concocted which saw Ruscuklic play the opening game of the season for the Roys, relationships quickly soured again resulting in the hasty arrangement of a transfer to Carlton where he saw out the remainder of what was to be his final League season.

In 108 games with Fitzroy Alex Ruscuklic amassed 189 goals and was the club’s top goalkicker in 1970 with 49. In 9 games with Carlton during 1974 he added a further 20 goals. He was also Fitzroy’s leading vote recipient in the 1971 Brownlow Medal with 16, just 5 shy of eventual winner Ian Stewart. With his blond hair and gravity defying aerodynamics Ruscuklic was seldom less than eye-catching but his continual run-ins with authority would almost certainly have undermined his effectiveness.

Left Forward Pocket - Robin Mulholland (Central District)

Although it would perhaps be fair to observe that his kicking lacked penetration, in every other respect Mulholland - imaginatively nicknamed 'Irish' by his teammates - was a top quality player.  As Central District's on field fortunes improved, so did the visibility of Mulholland's contribution: he was best afield in the Bulldogs' first ever finals match in 1971, and the following year he played in all 3 of South Australia's matches in the Perth Carnival, won the Bulldogs' best and fairest award for the 2nd time, and topped the club's goalkicking with 46 goals.  There seems little doubt that, until the arrival of Jim Stynes and Sean Wight in the 1980s, Robin Mulholland, along perhaps with Stuart Magee, was the most successful Irishman to play top level Australian football.

Mulholland's career came to a premature end after the 1974 season.  All told, he played 112 games for Centrals and kicked 146 goals.  Later, he maintained involvement with the club through its past players association.