OTHER NATIONALITIES TEAM OF THE 20TH CENTURY

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Right Back Pocket - Warren Jones (Carlton & St Kilda)

Underrated at times by all except his own teammates, Warren Jones was a huge, fearsomely aggressive ruckman who could intimidate opponents with just a glare.  For much of his Carlton career he played second fiddle to the more  ostensibly glamorous Mike Fitzpatrick but his worth to the side was never better exemplified than in the 1982 VFL grand final when he came off the bench to nullify Richmond's imposing ruckman Mark Lee, contributing significantly to the Blues' eventual win.

Fitzpatrick's departure allowed Jones brief tenure as Carlton's 1st ruckman but a bout of glandular fever diminished his effectiveness and he was soon superseded by Justin Madden.  At the age of 32, and after 92 games for the Blues, he crossed to St Kilda where his career underwent a brief renaissance under the appreciative eyes of the Moorabbin faithful.  He retired at the end of the 1988 season after having been controversially suspended from the last few matches of the year - a sad but perhaps perversely appropriate end to a colourful League career.

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Full Back - John Scarlett (Geelong, South Melbourne, Geelong West)

In a 12 season, 212 game career with Geelong and South Melbourne John Scarlett proved himself one of the most dependable full backs in the VFL.  Equally capable of taking a big mark or spoiling forcefully Scarlett was not averse to taking a run on the ball or spending some time in the forward lines.  Scarlett's failure to win a club best and fairest award or poll heavily in the Brownlow should not disguise the fact that his play was frequently  eye-catching in the extreme; his careering runs out of the backline carrying the ball, for example, were as spectacularly effective as any.  

After 183 games with Geelong between 1967 and 1977 he was the subject of a highly unusual transfer arrangement whereby he joined finals qualifier South Melbourne 'on loan'.  The arrangement was ostensibly for the duration of the finals, but after the Swans capitulated to Richmond in the elimination final the clubs unexpectedly agreed to make the deal permanent.  John Scarlett is best remembered as a Geelong player, however, and it is therefore highly appropriate that his son, Matthew Scarlett, is carrying on the family tradition at Skilled Stadium.

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Left Back Pocket - Sean Wight (Melbourne)

Sean Wight was born in Glasgow, moved with his family to Ireland, and was the first Gaelic footballer to be brought to Australia by Melbourne's Barry Richardson and Ron Barassi as part of that club's 'Irish experiment' of the early 1980s.

Although it would be Dubliner Jim Stynes who would garner most of the accolades Sean Wight's career in Australian football was also highly commendable.  In 150 games with Melbourne between 1985 and 1995, mainly as a defender, Wight established a reputation for the spectacular and the unexpected.  Because he had not been brought up within the traditions of Australian football he frequently performed actions which appeared idiosyncratic: for instance, he often spoiled opponents' attempts to mark from the side, tapping the ball back over his head rather than forwards.

While it would probably be fair to say that Wight's spectacular marking ability was the most memorable feature of his game he was also a stern, resolute defender who rarely conceded an easy possession. 

And Wight's own evaluation of his stint in the game?  "If I had played any other sport, my body would have been a lot better, but this has been a lot of fun," he told Glen Quartermain during his final season.  "This is one of the best games in the world."  (See footnote 1)

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Footnotes

1.  From 'Wight Hits His Stride' by Glen Quartermain, in 'Sports Weekly', 3 May 1995, page 23.  Return to Main Text