Local footy: WRFL’s best 20 players ranked from 2010-2019
There’s no shortage of talent in the Western Region Football League, so ranking the best 20 players of the past decade is an tough task — but Luke D’Anello has had a crack. Did he get it right?
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The Western Region Football League has been home for countless gun players over the last decade.
Our top-20 players from 2010-2019 includes six Barry Priest medallists and five members from Deer Park’s all-conquering side.
Players had to complete four seasons to qualify, while champions such as Brad Julier (Port Melbourne Colts), Lachlan McGhie (Spotswood) and Russell Douglas (Sunshine) missed out because their best football came before 2010.
Did we get it right? Vote in our poll down the bottom.
20. JASON BUTINA (ALBION)
The loyal stalwart reached 350 games at Albion last season and has been regarded as one of the competition’s elite defenders for a long time. Butina won a club best-and-fairest in 2012 (his second overall) and was named at full back in the WRFL’s Team of the Year in the same season. He was sidelined for the club’s 2010 premiership because of a broken leg and has remained loyal through Albion’s struggles in recent years. Universally respected and among the best players in the Cats’ history.
19. JACK PURTON-SMITH (DEER PARK)
The former VFL player is among the best onballers in the WRFL’s top flight and has been one of the keys to Deer Park’s era of dominance. Purton-Smith is a five-time premiership player at the Lions (it would have been six if he didn’t tear a hamstring in the warm-up before the 2016 decider) and has captained the past three flags. He is a two-time Team of the Year member (2015, 2016) and represented the WRFL’s interleague side and Vic Metro in the same year (2015). A genuine star.
18. BRADEN FERRARI (HOPPERS CROSSING)
The star defender regularly takes the opposition’s best forward and delivers more often than not. Those in the know say he’s Hoppers Crossing’s most important player these days, underlined by four impressive seasons in succession. Ferrari has been selected in the competition’s Team of the Year (2016, 2018) twice and is a three-time interleague representative (2016, 2017, 2019). He’s also capable of hitting the scoreboard.
17. ANDREW PANAYI (WERRIBEE DISTRICTS)
Panayi has been a constant threat in the attacking half since Werribee Districts joined the WRFL in 2014, bagging 163 goals in the Tigers’ first three seasons. He has 241 majors to his name from 83 games, has been picked in the Team of the Year three times (2015, 2016, 2017) and donned the WRFL’s interleague jumper on three occasions (2015, 2016, 2019). His exploits at suburban level led to a two-year stint with Footscray in the VFL.
16. REECE MILES (ALTONA, HOPPERS CROSSING)
Miles is rated among the best midfielders of the decade and among the most consistent, as evidenced by four Team of the Year selections (2010, 2011, 2012 and 2016). He was a member of Altona’s 2012 premiership before returning to Hoppers Crossing, where he featured in the 2016 decider against Deer Park. He is a best-and-fairest at both clubs and represented the WRFL’s interleague side in 2016 and 2017.
15. MATTHEW DEAN (WERRIBEE DISTRICTS)
The star midfielder has been a model of consistency since Werribee Districts crossed to the WRFL six years ago. He made an immediate impact on the competition, winning the Barry Priest Medal for the best-and-fairest player in Division 1 in 2014. The Tigers skipper has claimed two club best-and-fairests (2014, 2015) since his club made the move from the VAFA and has been selected in the Team of the Year twice (2014, 2015).
14. JORDAN ROBBINS (ALTONA)
The Altona skipper is a damaging midfielder and dangerous in the attacking half, causing opposition coaches no shortage of headaches. Robbins was a member of the Vikings’ 2012 premiership side, contributing 36 goals, and has 150 majors to his name from the same number of games. He has earned four Team of the Year selections in the past decade (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016) and has twice been named captain (2014, 2016). He’s also an Altona best-and-fairest winner (2016) and WRFL interleague representative (2014, 2015).
13. JACKSON BARLING (DEER PARK)
Barling arrived at Deer Park in 2013 as a dominant defender after a successful stint with coach Marc Bullen at Maribyrnong Park. The robust backman, who spent time at state league clubs West Adelaide and Williamstown, is capable of stopping the competition’s best forwards and is assured overhead. Bullen – a former Essendon player – has regularly declared Barling the best defender in local football in recent years. Barling has featured in four flags at Deer Park (2013, 2014, 2016, 2019) and been named in the Team of the Year twice (2013, 2014). A gun.
12. WAYDE SKIPPER (HOPPERS CROSSING)
Former Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn big man Skipper made a sizeable impact at Steve Kretiuk’s Hoppers Crossing during a four-year stint at the club. A force in the ruck and dangerous up forward, Skipper was a runaway winner of the Barry Priest Medal in 2015 after finishing third the previous year. He is a two-time best-and-fairest winner at the Warriors (2014, 2017) and also made the WRFL’s Team of the Year twice (2014, 2015). Skipper featured in Point Cook’s Division 2 flag in 2018.
11. JASON CLOKE (SPOTSWOOD)
Cloke caused myriad headaches for opposition defenders and played a major role in Spotswood’s run of four consecutive grand final appearances between 2011 and 2014. He returned season tallies of 91, 84, 50 and 76 goals during that period, totalling 301 majors from 81 games, with his battles against Altona’s Joseph Halloran memorable. Cloke bagged 16 goals against a hapless Glen Orden in a 2011 fixture and bagged 118 for Parkside in Division 3 in 2017. He was selected in the Division 1 Team of the Year three times (2011, 2012 and 2014).
10. JAYDEN POST (ALTONA)
You could make a good case to have former Richmond player Post as the WRFL’s best current player. Capable of shining at both ends, Post bagged 72 goals from 19 games for junior club Altona in 2013 after exiting the AFL system and has since made a habit of dominating in the defensive 50m arc. The Vikings skipper has made the WRFL Team of the Year in the past two seasons and won his club’s best-and-fairest in 2015.
9. STEVE KENNEDY (ALTONA)
Hard to tag and harder to stop, the prolific Kennedy is among the top flight’s best midfielders and has won league best-and-fairest medals in the WRFL and Ballarat competitions. He was crowned Barry Priest medallist in 2017 after returning to Altona, is a three-time best-and-fairest winner (2013, 2017, 2019) and earnt Team of the Year honours in the same three seasons. He was a member of Altona’s 2012 premiership side after a stint with Werribee at VFL level.
8. TODD FINCO (ALBION)
Finco featured in Albion’s last senior premiership as a teenager in 2010 before establishing himself as a genuine matchwinner. While his Cats made consecutive grand finals at the start of the last decade, they found themselves relegated by the end of it, but Finco won several games for his club along the way. The forward has 205 goals from 136 games to his name with a career-best haul of seven against Sunshine in 2016. He was picked in the WRFL’s Team of the Year four times (2011, 2013, 2014, 2015) and is a dual best-and-fairest winner (2013, 2015).
7. TOM LANGLANDS (SPOTSWOOD)
The running machine left taggers with their hands full (and exhausted) over several seasons chock-full of elite performances in the midfield. Opposition coaches have marvelled at Langlands’ enormous work rate and he has been rewarded with three best-and-fairests (2012, 2016, 2017) at Spotswood and an incredible six Team of the Year nods (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018). He was a member of the club’s 2011 premiership side and was a playing coach for three years from 2014-2016. He could also find the goals, nailing seven against Port Melbourne Colts in June, 2014.
6. JASE PERKINS (PORT MELBOURNE COLTS, DEER PARK)
Perkins has been the competition’s most feared forward in the past 10 years, keeping defenders busy by slotting 436 goals from 125 games. His best season came in 2012, when he bagged 101 majors from 18 games for Port Melbourne Colts. Perkins spent the last four years of the decade with Deer Park, where he was a triple premiership player, contributing season tallies of 66, 59, 68 and 76 goals. He won the Andrew Gibson Medal for the leading goalkicker in Division 1 three times (2012, 2016, 2019) and was picked in the Team of the Year five times (2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019). Perkins has signed with the Colts for 2020.
5. MURRAY BOYD (SPOTSWOOD)
The former Carlton rookie has been a magnificent servant at Spotswood since returning to his junior club in 2013. Boyd has been a dominant presence in the ruck and more-than handy in the forward half, resulting in three best-and-fairests (2014, 2015, 2018) and six Team of the Year selections in a row (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018). He was also awarded the competition’s MVP in 2015, which is voted by the coaches and has played 134 senior games and kicked 158 goals. A champion of the WRFL.
4. CHRIS O’KEEFE (SPOTSWOOD, ALBION)
The gun onballer and inspiring leader spent the first four years of the decade with Spotswood before later having two years at Albion. He led the Woodsmen to three consecutive grand finals as a playing coach, with the club winning the ultimate prize in 2011 before two consecutive one-point losses in the decider. O’Keefe was crowned the WRFL’s best-and-fairest player in consecutive seasons (2012, 2013) and made the Team of the Year four times (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013) and won Spotswood’s top individual award and the competition’s MVP once (both in 2013) during the decade. One of the best the WRFL has seen.
3. TIM JENKINS (ST ALBANS)
The St Albans champion was locked in a close contest with O’Keefe for this spot, but his longevity and accolades gave him the No.3 position. Jenkins is a dual winner of the Barry Priest Medal (2010, 2011), a three-time best-and-fairest winner and four-time runner-up. He has also been named in the best 22 of the season a staggering seven times in the past 10 years (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017), underlining his incredible consistency. Jenkins has 252 goals to his name from 168 games. He may be small in stature but you’d have to go a long way to find a better CV.
2. CHRIS STEWART (DEER PARK)
Stewart has played at least 16 games for Deer Park in each of the past seven seasons and seldom puts in a poor performance. A proven star ruckman and dangerous forward, he has been among the WRFL’s best performers since arriving at John McLeod Oval in 2013. He is one of only two players (alongside Kwame McHarg) to feature in all of Deer Park’s seven premierships and has been unlucky not to win a Barry Priest Medal. The big-game player was best-afield in the Lions’ 2018 flag, is a three-time best-and-fairest winner (2015, 2017, 2018) and has been named in the Team of the Year four times (2013, 2017, 2018, 2019). The match-winner has kicked 236 goals from 143 games and captained four premiership sides along the way.
1. KWAME MCHARG (DEER PARK)
Who else? McHarg could be the best player in the WRFL’s history, boasting a resume chock-full of accolades. Dynamic in midfield and lethal in the attacking half, he is a Barry Priest Medal winner (2016) and two-time Herb Pascarl medallist (2014, 2015) for the best player on grand final day. Throw in seven premierships, four best-and-fairest awards in flag-winning seasons (2013, 2014, 2016, 2019) to go with WRFL Team of the Year honours in each of his seven seasons at Deer Park, and you have the complete player. Plenty of pundits reckon he could have cut it at a higher level (he spent 2012 with VFL club Williamstown), but he has inspired the Lions to a metropolitan record run of premierships and given countless spectators joy with his eye-popping exploits. After 355 goals in 133 games, McHarg has put pen to paper with Port Melbourne Colts for 2020.