The MFC Centenary Organising Committee is very pleased to present the preliminary squad of 40 players and 4 coaches for the Mulgrave FC Team of the Century.

The pre-requisite for selection in the squad was 50 senior games for Mulgrave as a player or coach.

Congratulations to those recognised in the squad, all of whom are special figures in our club’s 100-year history.

A final team of 22 players and one coach will be selected from this squad.

The team will be announced at our Centenary Gala at the MCG on May 31st.

TEAM OF THE CENTURY SELECTORS

Rod Andrews
Lesley Bienaik
Gerry Bieniak
Gail Hewitt

SQUAD

ADAM BOOTH 309 SENIOR GAMES
Boothy, our senior games (309) and goals (771) record holder. Big, prolific key forward with a vice-like pair of hands who has been a key figure at the club for over 20 years.

ALLAN CLEVEN 153 SENIOR GAMES
Premiership and best-and-fairest winning ruckman. Cleven was a great ruck technician whose tapwork so often led directly to centre clearances. Great mark around the ground.

ANDREW FREEMAN 235 SENIOR GAMES
The super-durable Freeman played over 200 senior games as a running wingman who could both attack and defend. Won a lot of the football as a result of his terrific running ability.

BRAD FOWLER 194 SENIOR GAMES
A tough midfielder / wingman who was always in the action, Fowler was a relentless ball winner who could will the team to greater heights. Ran himself ragged every week and left nothing out on the ground. Dual best-and-fairest winner and premiership captain.

CHAD RICHARDSON 103 SENIOR GAMES
Big, strong and dominant with a fantastic set of hands, Richardson was a handful for opponents in the air and kicked goals. Best-and-fairest winner in a very strong team in 2002.

CHRIS DOYLE 165 SENIOR GAMES
Highly skilled, smooth mover who played mostly at half-back. Doyle was a very capable defender but his ability to run the lines and launch attacks was what set him apart. A hard runner, good kick and strong in the air.

CONNOR TILYARD 74* SENIOR GAMES
Our current senior captain, the brilliant Tilyard is already a two-time best-and-fairest winner. An elusive midfielder with a great turn of speed who loves to lay tackles and kick goals.

DALE CHAPMAN 112 SENIOR GAMES
Best-and-fairest winner who could play both back and forward. Chapman had a high leap and great hands, well known for his frequent spectacular marks.

DARRELL CLARKE 89 SENIOR GAMES
A big, dependable and somewhat awkward ruckman, Clarke loved the body contact and was always an extremely difficult task for his opponent. Very rarely beaten. A three-time best-and-fairest winner.

DAVID BARCLAY 57 SENIOR GAMES
A dual best-and-fairest winner and young playing coach, Barclay was a strong midfielder who loved going forward and kicking a goal.

DEAN SIAKOULIS 203 SENIOR GAMES
An exceptionally clever footballer, Siakoulis’ toughness and ability to win the ball belied his size. A star midfielder who could kick important goals, Siakoulis won six best-fairest awards.

DOMINIC BARKER 218 SENIOR GAMES
A utility who could be deployed in multiple areas of the ground, Barker was quick, elusive, at home in traffic and a lovely kick. Tireless, durable and a quick thinker who read the play very well.

DARREN LINKINS 145 SENIOR GAMES
Linkins was a star who had the lot. He was a tough, strong onballer who could read the play as well as anybody and find the ball at will. He was also strong overhead and could run all day. A six-time best-and-fairest winner in the 1980s while the club was playing Division 1 football.

DON ANDREWS 250 SENIOR GAMES
A durable and decorated utility, the versatile Andrews could play either on the ball or in the backline. Best-and-fairest winner and a three-time premiership player.

FRANK CLIFFORD 117 SENIOR GAMES
Extremely fit and professional, Clifford was ahead of his time and would run in the midfield all day, very rarely changing off the ball. A reliable kick who provided forwards with great delivery. Also an accomplished playing coach.

GARY WINTERTON 75 SENIOR GAMES
Best-and-fairest winning midfielder who possessed a damaging burst of speed and a great kick. Winterton spent the majority of his time on the ball but also kicked plenty of goals.

GERRY BOONKKAMP 195 SENIOR GAMES
A legendary name in the club’s history, Boonkkamp won a record seven club best-and-fairest awards. The dominant midfielder brought a new level of professionalism to the club when he arrived from the VFA. Won a heap of the footy and kicked goals.

GORDON ARNOTT 80 SENIOR GAMES
A tall key forward, Arnott’s height was matched with a great pair of hands that ensured he was very rarely outmarked. A very tough match-up for opponents. Best-and-fairest winner.

GREG O'CONNELL 110 SENIOR GAMES
A two-time best-and-fairest winner, O’Connell was a fixture in the backline where he marked the football as well as anybody.

HERB BAPTIST 68 SENIOR GAMES
A tough-as-nails on-baller who relished the contest and was exceptionally clean as an inside player. Ran all day.

JARROD FEARON-BROWN 91 SENIOR GAMES
Spectacular player who thrilled onlookers with his prodigious leap and spectacular marks. At home both in defence and attack, “Fez” was also a booming kick and could turn a game on his own in a matter of minutes.

JAXON GERVASONI 68 SENIOR GAMES
A fearless midfielder, Gervasoni’s exploits earnt him a league best-and-fairest award at just 19 years of age. Always has time in traffic and a great reader of the play.

JOHN FARLEY 95 SENIOR GAMES
A classic full-forward, Farley was a joy to watch. A spectacular mark thanks to his huge leap and a prolific goalkicker.

JOHN GUNTHER 105 SENIOR GAMES
Gunther played in the centre all of his career and was a dominant midfielder, illustrated by his then-club record five best-and-fairest wins.

JOHN KELLY 174 SENIOR GAMES
Midfielder, best-and-fairest winner, playing coach. Kelly was quick, a great kick, had a strong workrate and loved to hunt the football. A renowned leader.

KEITH ROBINSON 54 SENIOR GAMES
Robinson could play at either end of the ground, though mostly spent his time down back where his intelligence and ability to read the play made him extremely effective. Possessed a unique ability to change direction quickly, delivering the ball reliably with either foot.

KEVIN DAVIS 94 SENIOR GAMES
Davis played across half-back, where he would stand the opposition's most dangerous forward and give them hell. Strong as an ox and a great mark and kick.

PAUL DICKSON 134 SENIOR GAMES
Dickson played mostly as a defender but could also move into the midfield if required. Defended hard, but was also a strong, attacking kick, which made him a very difficult match-up.

PETER KINSELLA 170 SENIOR GAMES
An ultra-reliable key defender, Kinsella was a rock at centre half back and a two-time best-and-fairest winner. Extremely good in the air, where he’d cut off endless opposition attacks.

PETER REECE 63 SENIOR GAMES
Reece was a big man who could and did play almost anywhere from key forward to midfield, where his size made him a nightmare match-up. A fearless leader as playing coach, he was immensely strong and a great kick.

RAY ARMSTRONG 156 SENIOR GAMES
A dual best-and-fairest winner, Armstrong was a strong midfielder and a very long, accurate kick, known particularly as a great exponent of the torpedo.

RAY THOMAS 89 SENIOR GAMES
An exquisitely skilled midfielder with good pace and a precise kick on either foot. Thomas won two Mulgrave best-and-fairest awards as well as a league medal.

RHETT WILSMORE 239 SENIOR GAMES
A dependable backman who was always handed a defensive job, Wilsmore was a great stopper but could also win his own football. Dual best-and-fairest winner.

ROD KENT 109 SENIOR GAMES
A tough midfielder who relished the contest, Kent was very strong over the football and a prolific ball winner.

RUSSELL CONWAY 57 SENIOR GAMES
A flashy midfielder with a fantastic burst of speed and a long, penetrating kick. Conway was never far from the footy and got a lot of it. Two-time best-and-fairest winner.

SEB HENDERSON 73 SENIOR GAMES
Dynamic powerhouse who could play at either end of the ground. A brilliant swingman, Henderson was strong, quick, a great mark and a booming kick. League best-and-fairest winner.

STEVEN GRENDA 121 SENIOR GAMES
Playing in defence and also on the ball, Grenda was a superb reader of the game and a great runner. A strong mark and a good kick who got plenty of the ball.

TERRY WOODS 81 SENIOR GAMES
A wingman who could go forward, he was built like the proverbial brick outhouse yet boasted good speed and a penetrating kick. Woods won plenty of the footy and was a League best-and-fairest winner.

TOM CLEARY 108 SENIOR GAMES
Cleary was already a star in local footy circles when he arrived at Mulgrave. He was a classic ruckman who could sit just behind the play and cut off endless opposition attacks with his marking ability. Had a somewhat strange kicking style that was nonetheless effective as he hit targets.

TOM JOBLING 90 SENIOR GAMES
A dominant ruckman who could go forward, Jobling combined his height with an enormous leap that at times made him impossible to beat in the air. Best-and-fairest winner in a dominant 1979 premiership team. Then left Mulgrave for the VFL, where he was curtailed by injury

COACHES

BRIAN PARKER
1971 – 1973
47 wins, 10 losses
Premiership 1971 (Division 3)
Preliminary Final 1973 (Division 2)

FRANK CLIFFORD
1975 - 1977
46 wins,14 losses
Runners-up 1975, 1976, 1977 (Division 2)

HAYDEN STANTON
2007 – 2011
60 wins, 36 losses, 1 draw
Premiership 2010 (Division 2)
Runners-up 2008, 2009 (Division 2)
Semi Final 2007 (Division 2)

IAN BREMNER
1981 – 1983
26 wins, 27 losses, 1 draw
Preliminary Final 1983 (Division 1)