Greatest Ever Western Bulldogs Team: Non-Best-and-Fairest Winning Edition

Given the success of the last team we revealed consisting of the best Bulldogs players to have played under 50 games, we've decided to try our hand at making another side: the greatest lineup of Bulldogs to have never won a best-and-fairest award.

Since the Charles Sutton Medal (originally named the Con Curtain Trophy) was first introduced in 1927, there have been 83 medals shared between 30 recipients, and although that may not seem like many, it does rule out a plethora of club legends from this list. The criteria for this team is very simple: if you haven't won a best-and-fairest for the Bulldogs, you're eligible. Just like last time, currently-listed players are not eligible, even if they haven't won a best-and-fairest award yet. So once he retires, we may well see Jack Macrae in this side, but not today. With that in mind, let's take a look at the team:

Back Pocket: Len McCankie, 143 games, 1941-50

How different things could have been. One of Footscray’s finest players during the 1940s, making a name for himself as a courageous defender, McCankie’s value to Footscray was self-evident as he spent several seasons as vice-captain to the Arthur Olliver-led side. Upon Olliver’s retirement at the end of 1950, McCankie was even considered to take over as non-playing coach. Ultimately, Footscray opted for Charlie Sutton, instead. Sutton would go on to captain-coach Footscray to the ultimate success in 1954, while McCankie left to captain-coach North Hobart after Footscray elected Sutton.

Full Back: Herb Henderson, 130 games, 1950-58

Fair warning: there will be a few names in this team that will make you question “How on earth did he never win a best-and-fairest?”. Full back in the Bulldogs Team of the Century, and arguably one of the greatest defenders of all time, Henderson was a key pillar in one of the most miserly defences in recorded history, and was critical in Footscray’s 1954 Premiership success, but alas, he never won a best and fairest award.

Back Pocket: Dale Morris – 254 games, 2005-19

If the Charles Sutton Medal was voted on by the fans, Dale Morris would have won about a dozen of them by the time his career ended late last year. It’s unlikely that there has ever been a Bulldog as universally loved as Morris, and it’s not hard to see why. His ability to swiftly recover from serious injuries is legendary, and his tackle on Lance Franklin in the 2016 Grand Final is one of the most iconic moments in Bulldogs history. 2016 was also the closest Morris came to a best-and-fairest award, finishing second.

Half Back Flank: Robert Murphy – 312 games, 2000-17

Of the seven Bulldogs to play 300+ games, two of them never won a club best and fairest, and no Bulldog played more without winning one than Robert Murphy. We all know about the story of 2016 that cruelly robbed the captain of ultimately playing in a Premiership, but his career was about so much more than one injury. Equally adept across both half-forward and half back, he was twice in the All-Australian Team, including being named captain in 2015, where he also finished as runner-up in the Charles Sutton Medal.

One of the greatest players ever to pull on the red, white and blue: Robert Murphy. Source: Getty Images

Centre Half Back: John Hoiles, 117 games, 1957-65

After struggling to establish himself as a ruckman earlier in his career, a shift to centre-half back brought out the best in Hoiles, who managed to play 107 consecutive games for Footscray until he left the club in 1965. Also managed to play every game for Footscray in 1961, including the Grand Final loss to Hawthorn.

Half Back Flank: Jim Gallagher – 151 games, 1951-60

Another regular defender for Footscray during the 1950s, Gallagher stood alongside Henderson in the half-back flank in the Bulldogs successful 1954 Premiership. Given how well the defence worked as a whole throughout the 1950s, it was difficult for any one individual to stand out and achieve personal success, yet Gallagher’s feats through the decade were not to go unnoticed despite his lack of a best and fairest award, underlined by his place in the Bulldogs Team of the Century.

Wing: Rohan Smith – 300 games, 1992-2006

We mentioned earlier that only one Bulldog other than Robert Murphy had played 300+ games without winning a Charles Sutton Medal, and that man is Rohan Smith. Retiring on exactly 300 games after the 2006 Finals Series, Smith closed the book on an exceptional 14-year career that saw him play with enormous heart and passion. Smith gained All-Australian honours twice in his career, in 1997 (as a half-forward), and in 2003 (as a half-back), and his customary long-range goals became a feature of his game that Bulldogs fans never tired of.

Centre: Adam Cooney – 250 games (219 with WB), 2004-14

Of the 10 Brownlow Medallists the Bulldogs have produced, only Adam Cooney failed to win a Charles Sutton Medal. 2008 was the closest he came, finishing second only to Daniel Cross. It was an elite season from Cooney, as he added All-Australian honours to go with his Brownlow, but he spent the rest of his career managing a debilitating knee injury which robbed Bulldogs fans of seeing the absolute best of a player who, on his day, was among the most damaging in the competition.

Wing: Ian Bryant - 160 games, 1960-69

An ever-present performer during the 1960s, Bryant was primary a back-pocket player during his time, but was also deployed on the wing to great effect. Another member of the 1961 Grand Final, but his best individual season was in 1966, where he finished 9th in the Brownlow. Amazingly, during that season, Bryant recorded 188 kicks in 16 games, and just two(!) handpasses. In fact, across his career, he averaged roughly 13 kicks for every handpass; an almost unthinkable statistic in the modern game.

Half Forward Flank: Nathan Brown – 219 games (137 with WB), 349 goals (206 with WB)

His departure from the Bulldogs at the end of 2003 has arguably tainted the general perception that Bulldogs fans would otherwise have of Nathan Brown, but it cannot be disputed what a tremendously gifted footballer he was. Twice named as an All-Australian and twice the leading goalkicker for the Bulldogs, including in his last season for the club (2003) where he registered 56.51 – a particularly extraordinary feat given that the Bulldogs finished last on the ladder with just 3 wins that season.

His departure may have left a sour taste in Bulldogs' fans mouths, but there was never any denying Nathan Brown's brilliance. Source: Getty Images

Centre Half Forward: Bill Wood – 115 games, 294 goals, 1944; 1946-51

With a staggering nine goals on his league debut, no Bulldog has ever bettered such a feat on debut and, at the time, it was also a league record, and remains the second-most on debut by any player in league history. Wood also broke the club record for the most goals in a home-and-away season with 75 goals, a record which stood for nearly 30 years. Yet, despite finishing third in the Coleman Medal and being a beacon of hope up forward in a difficult season for the Bulldogs, Wood didn’t win the best-and-fairest award.

Half Forward Flank: Jim Edmond – 188 games (154 with Foots.), 287 goals (226 with Foots.)

It was a shame that Edmond left Footscray over a contractual dispute at the end of the 1985 season, because he was a very talented footballer with an obvious passion for the club. Led the club’s goalkicking in 1981, and took over the reigns as captain from 1983-85, including leading the club to the Preliminary Final in 1985, before leaving for stints with Sydney and the Brisbane Bears.

Forward Pocket: Daniel Giansiracusa – 265 games, 331 goals, 2001-14

Alternating between wing and half-forward for much of his career, Giansiracusa finally settled on a small-forward role as his career came to an end. Twice a leading goalkicker for the club and twice more a runner-up, Giansiracusa developed a reputation for being a sharp shooter (a career accuracy of 65%), and being able to come off the bench as a substitute and turn the game in his teams’ favour. The Substitute Rule was only deployed for a few seasons, but Giansiracusa regularly won games for the Bulldogs upon being introduced in the second half.

Full Forward: Simon Beasley – 154 games, 575 goals, 1982-89

Can you imagine kicking over 100 goals in a season and not winning the best-and-fairest award? Granted, kicking 100 goals in a season was much more common in 1985 than it is today, but you can’t help but think that Simon Beasley might feel at least slightly aggrieved. Given he kicked over 60 goals in seven of his eight seasons at the club, and the fact that he is the Bulldogs all-time leading goalkicker, it’s very hard to believe that he never won a club champion award, but it’s true.

Forward Pocket: Liam Picken – 198 games, 89 goals, 2009-17

From his debut in Round 2, 2009, Liam Picken missed just nine games to injury, which is both a testament to his durability, and an indication of just how serious his ongoing concussion battles are, which forced him to retire during the 2019 season, more than 12 months after the original incident took place. His football journey was an immensely underrated one, highlighted by the fact that his best placing in a Charles Sutton Medal count was third place in 2012, but his progression from a dour tagger to a match-winning forward was a true indication of just how good a role-player he was.

Who could forget Liam Picken's finals series in 2016? Source: Getty Images

Ruck: Will Minson - 191 games, 2004-16

Of the 83 Charles Sutton Medals that have been awarded since 1927, Gary Dempsey, John Schultz, Norm Ware, and Arthur Olliver have combined for 18 of them; in fact, there aren’t many Bulldogs ruckman that haven’t won the coveted medal, but Will Minson is one of the few. Spending much of the early years of his career as the back-up ruckman, Minson thrived on the responsibility of shouldering the majority of the workload through the backend of his career, managing 3rd place in the count in his All Australian season of 2013, before being phased out towards the end of his career as coach Luke Beveridge opted for more mobile ruck options.

Ruck Rover: Steve Wallis - 261 games, 1983-96

While Mitch Wallis is still ineligible due to being a current player, his father Steve is most certainly a candidate for this team, and is arguably one of the better players in this side. A quality midfielder capable of everything from creating to tagging, Wallis was a cornerstone in the Bulldogs midfield for well over a decade, and managed feats such as captaining the club and representing Victoria; he even finished equal-4th in the Brownlow in 1985, yet somehow, the much-loved figure never won a best-and-fairest award.

Rover: John Kerr – 81 games, 1953-58

Kerr was only at Footscray for a few seasons, but that was all the time he needed to make a lasting impact. Although there were no awards for it at the time, it is generally accepted that Kerr was the best player on the ground in the 1954 Grand Final victory over Melbourne, and he finished top-10 in the Brownlow Medal count the following season.

Interchange: Dave Bryden – 147 games, 56 goals, 1947-55

A versatile defender, capable of providing more than adequate assistance in the ruck, Bryden was a reliable cog in the famous Bulldogs defence of the early 1950s, and was named in the back-pocket in the 1954 Premiership side. Upon retiring, Bryden would win three consecutive best-and-fairest awards for Sunday League side Kensington, but never won the award for Footscray.

Interchange: Leo Ryan – 119 games, 3 goals, 1934-41

Playing alongside stars such as Arthur Olliver, Norm Ware and Alby Morrison, it was quite easy to fly under the radar during the 1930’s at Footscray, and that’s exactly where Leo Ryan flew. A nifty back-pocket player with excellent kicking skills, Ryan was a fixture of the Bulldogs defence for several years, and has the honour of being a member of the first team Footscray ever fielded in a final.

Interchange: Doug Reynolds – 95 games (80 with Foots.) 1952-58

Named on the wing in the 1954 Premiership side, it was a whirlwind season for Doug Reynolds, who started the season in the reserves, but forced his way into the seniors by Round 4 through a string of impressive performances, and he never looked back. Also kicked a memorable running goal during the Grand Final, which iced the game for Footscray during the final quarter.

Interchange: Steven Kolyniuk – 177 games, 198 goals, 1987-2000.

It’s a testament to the determination of Steve Kolyniuk to persist with a 14-year long career at the Bulldogs, despite going through various stages of being out of the side throughout his career. His best was very good, and it was even enough to see him represent Victoria in 1992. He was also the catalyst in some famous Bulldogs wins, including kicking 3 goals to end Essendon’s unbeaten run in 2000, as well as that matchwinner against Collingwood in 1990. “Will he take Wright on? Yes he does; I thought he would…”

Full Team:

B: L. McCankie; H. Henderson; D. Morris HB: R. Murphy; J. Hoiles; J. Gallagher C: R. Smith; A. Cooney; I. Bryant HF: N. Brown; B. Wood; J. Edmund F: D. Giansiracusa; S. Beasley; L. Picken

R: W. Minson; S. Wallis; J. Kerr

I/C: D. Bryden; L. Ryan; D Reynolds; S. Kolynuik