1. Doug Nicholls
Fitzroy - 1932-37, 54 matches, two goals
He was a great story. He came down from Cumeroogunja and slept in boxes at Victoria Market. He fought in the tents (Jimmy Sharman's boxing tents) and won professional running races and went to play with Carlton where the trainers wouldn't rub him. He ended up going to Fitzroy and there is this great story where he doesn't know if he'll be accepted and Haydn Bunton told him to put his bag next to his. Haydn Bunton was the king, so that made Doug Nicholls immediately accepted into Fitzroy, where he became a very much loved figure and played for Victoria. I think he's really important. David Wirrpanda and Nathan Lovett-Murray are descendents of Doug Nicholls. He is an enormously significant figure in all sorts of ways. Doug Nicholls is one of the great Australian sporting stories and he's a movie waiting to be made.
2. Graham 'Polly' Farmer
Geelong - 1962-67, 101 matches, 65 goals
Polly Farmer is extremely important. He was the subject of a pretty serious biography by Steven Hawke (the son of former Australian prime minister Bob Hawke). In that biography, Steven Hawke basically argued that Polly Farmer was the Bradman of Australian football. He's important for all sorts of reasons. Did he revolutionise the game with handball? Well, that's the Geelong view. He had many, many achievements, in terms of the medals he won. He's a legend of the Geelong footy club and Geelong may not have seen the best of him because he did his knee. The question is: did we ever see the best of him over here in Victoria?
3. Syd Jackson
Carlton - 1969-76, 136 matches, 165 goals
He was superbly skilful and a magnificent footballer - a beautifully balanced footballer and he played in those great Carlton sides. He played in the 1970 and 1972 premierships.
4. Barry Cable
North Melbourne - 1970 and 1974-77, 115 matches, 133 goals
A champion little man who came to Victoria with a huge reputation and then proceeded to prove himself as good as he'd been said to be.
5. Stephen Michael
South Fremantle - 1975-85, 243 matches, 231 goals
Why? Because he's the one I never saw that everyone talks about.
6. Maurice Rioli
Richmond - 1982-87, 118 matches, 80 goals
He was a player who oozed class and immediately won a place in a club that was at the height of its powers. He also won a Norm Smith Medal - the first indigenous player to do so. Rioli also opened our eyes to the fact that football was being played in far north Australia.
7 and 8. The Krakouer brothers
Jim Krakouer
North Melbourne - 1982-89, 134 matches, 229 goals
St Kilda - 1990-91, 13 matches, 7 goals
Phil Krakouer
North Melbourne - 1982-89, 141 matches, 224 goals
Footscray - 1991, 7 games, 7 goals
The Krakouer brothers are really important because they were the first pair of Aboriginal players to play the Aboriginal way. All sorts of things changed around them, and certainly in my time in Victoria, the worst racism I ever heard was directed against Jimmy Krakouer and Chris Lewis, without any question.
9. Nicky Winmar
St Kilda - 1987-98, 230 matches, 283 goals
Western Bulldogs - 1999, 21 matches, 34 goals
Nicky Winmar is important, if for no more than that one photograph, when he lifted the jumper at a hostile Victoria Park. Collingwood then had the worst reputation, they don't any longer and credit must go to Eddie McGuire, Mick Malthouse and Nathan Buckley - those people who were involved in revolutionising the culture of that club. That's an iconic photo in the history of Australian sport and it will continue to be so. With apologies to Byron Pickett and Gavin Wanganeen, who are both wonderfully gifted footballers, I'd probably side with Winmar, simply because he was the player with that historic moment. Wayne Ludbey's photograph is one of the great sporting pictures of the 20th century.
10. Michael Long
Essendon - 1989-2001, 190 matches, 143 goals
The next really important Aboriginal footballer is Michael Long. He produced one of the most memorable grand final performances in 1993 and he then went on to revolutionise the culture of the game on the issue of race. Michael Long single-handedly changed the culture of Australian football. He's an historic figure and he'll be seen as such in 100 years.
11. Peter Matera
West Coast Eagles - 1990-2002, 253 matches, 217 goals
A player of the highest class, he was a player of genuine pace and magnificent balance who could kick goals regularly from 50 or 60 metres out.
12. Andrew McLeod
Adelaide - 1995-present, 336 matches, 272 goals
He won two Norm Smith Medals, but who knows, he might've won three or four had Adelaide made more grand finals. He played with utter command on the big stage. No one who saw those two performances would question that he is a great player. He is often underrated in Melbourne-centric summaries of the game - in regards to great players of those eras.
13. Adam Goodes
Sydney Swans - 1999-present, 260 matches, 285 goals
Goodes is just the perfect machine for the game of Australian football. He's swift, he's tall and he's physically powerful. He is just a magnificently equipped footballer.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
