Every club’s best AFLX team, including retired champions

HIGH octane, fast paced, tighter spaces, AFLX is footy’s answer to T20 cricket. We look at your team’s players, current and former, to see who’s best equipped to make the grade.

Dustin Martin is a superstar. Picture Sarah Reed

DEPENDING on your point of view, AFLX is either an exciting, high octane new form of footy, or a complete waste of time.

But it looks like the AFL’s abbreviated form of the game will make its debut in 2018.

So with games of 10 minute quarters played on soccer-sized grounds, with seven players on field and three on the bench for each team, AL PATON and MICHAEL RANDALL have run the rule over each club to pick their optimal line-up.

EXCLUSIVE: AFL ROUND 1 2018 FIXTURE REVEALED

HAWK OUT: SPEEDSTER BILLY HARTUNG DUMPED BY HAWTHORN

BUCKENARA: IS GAZ ENOUGH TO GIVE CATS FLAG?

And the best thing is, the AFL is encouraging clubs to look at retired players.

Remember, there is one umpire, no centre bounces — making the talls less imperative — and kick-ins from fullback after each goal.

So who will be in your club’s best team and which retired legend could make a contribution.

TELL US WHO WE MISSED FROM YOUR CLUB IN THE COMMENT BOX BELOW

The current-day Crows would be dangerous, especially if you added Andrew McLeod to the mix.

ADELAIDE

STARTING 7:

Eddie Betts

Rory Sloane

Tom Lynch

Rory Laird

Brodie Smith

Bryce Gibbs

Taylor Walker

BENCH:

Paul Seedsman

Hugh Greenwood

Richard Douglas

The Crouch brothers are notable omissions, but we’re after pace and we have Rory Sloane to do the extracting work. We might be a little bit tall with Walker and Lynch, but they are both mobile and great users of the footy. Eddie Betts was made for AFLX.

IMAGINE IF: Andrew McLeod would be the poster boy of AFLX. Lightning fast, able to find a ton of the footy and with impeccable use, at his peak he’d be the Crows’ first picked.

BRISBANE

STARTING 7:

Dayne Zorko

Eric Hipwood

Daniel Rich

Lewis Taylor

Luke Hodge

Dayne Beams

Jason Akermanis (Retired)

BENCH:

Alex Witherden

Jake Barrett

Allen Christensen

Wouldn’t Jason Akermanis love a go at AFLX? The triple premiership Brownlow Medallist would be slotting them from everywhere — and telling everyone about it. Buddy-like young buck Eric Hipwood is Brisbane’s fastest player and would be a nightmare in the abbreviated form of the game. We want good users in Taylor, Rich and Witherden and new man Hodge to direct them all.

IMAGINE IF: The Lions have a host of legends that could fill this slot but, with apologies to Nigel Lappin, Shaun Hart is our man. The mighty mouse would have been devastating rebounding off the backline, playing in the middle or sneaking forward.

CARLTON

STARTING 7:

Charlie Curnow

Anthony Koutoufides (Retired)

Patrick Cripps

Sam Docherty

Marc Murphy

Matthew Kreuzer

Kade Simpson

BENCH:

Sam Petrevski-Seton

Dale Thomas

Denis Armfield (Retired)

Retired legend Anthony Koutoufides looks like he could still play AFL footy and some think that young gun Charlie Curnow is his reincarnation. The Blues would look the part with those two leading the way. We’re sure Armfield would play and the Blues would be happy to have him, given he was their quickest player last season.

IMAGINE IF: They still had Eddie Betts? That’s a bit of a low blow. Craig Bradley would be perfect. Great at finding the footy, can play inside and outside and never, ever got tired.

Pendlebury to Didak ... oh, they were the days, Pies fans.

COLLINGWOOD

STARTING 7:

Scott Pendlebury

Jamie Elliott

Nathan Buckley (Retired)

Jeremy Howe

Travis Varcoe

Steele Sidebottom

Adam Treloar

BENCH

Taylor Adams

Will Hoskin-Elliott

Alex Fasolo

Just like in the long form of the game, they really, really want the ball in Scott Pendlebury’s — or Nathan Buckley’s — hands. The coach has been retired a long time, but, provided his hamstrings hold up, he’d still be the best user on the ground. Howe is a must, given the lack of height, while Hoskin-Elliott is the club’s quickest player and was their best recruit.

IMAGINE IF: Alan Didak would be the man and AFLX would be his colosseum. Didak had a special X-factor that Collingwood fans would well know and he’d be a walk up start for the Pies. Ditto Peter Daicos.

ESSENDON

STARTING 7:

Adam Saad

Devon Smith

Jake Stringer

Anthony-McDonald Tipungwuti

Orazio Fantasia

Dyson Heppell

Joe Daniher

BENCH:

Conor McKenna

Josh Green

Zach Merrett

Stringer up forward, Daniher doing the big man work and blistering pace all over the field. All three recruits slot in beautifully to the AFLX premiership favourite.

IMAGINE IF: It would be impossible to leave James Hird out. Was there anything he didn’t do well? A superstar who would have run the side like a general on the field.

Whatever the ground, whatever the conditions, Hirdy was a star.

FREMANTLE

STARTING 7:

Nat Fyfe

Michael Walters

Stephen Hill

Bradley Hill

Harley Bennell

Hayden Ballantyne

Cam McCarthy

BENCH:

Connor Blakely

Matthew Pavlich (Retired)

Brandon Matera

Reckon the Pav would go well taking up space up forward and using his big tank to get up the ground and impact, while the likes of Walters, the Hill brothers and Bennell would be irresistible in the shortened format.

IMAGINE IF: Don’t you just wish the AFLX game was around when Jeff Farmer was out there being a wizard?

GEELONG

STARTING 7:

Patrick Dangerfield

Gary Ablett Jr

Joel Selwood

Mitch Duncan

Daniel Menzel

Mark Blicavs

Nakia Cockatoo

BENCH:

Corey Enright (Retired)

Cam Guthrie

Zach Tuohy

Yep, we said we need quick players who can run all day. But you need good footballers too and Corey Enright was one of the most reliable players ever to set foot on a grass field. Whether it’s PadSelBlett, SleBlettField, or any other name you want to give the Cats’ new trio, you just know they will be very, very competitive.

IMAGINE IF: Three words: Gary Ablett Senior. That is all.

Imagine Gary Ablett Jnr bombing it long to his famous father.

GOLD COAST

STARTING 7:

Lachie Weller

Jack Leslie

Tom Lynch

Aaron Hall

Jack Martin

Jarrod Harbrow

BENCH:

Jarryd Lyons

Jack Scrimshaw

Jack Bowes

Just give us all the Jacks. With the addition of Weller, this team has pace to burn and while Lynch is the only really big name with Ablett gone, this team could surprise.

IMAGINE IF: Jared Brennan would have found his own unique way to star in the new format. And even if he didn’t dominate, he’d look damn good doing it.

GWS GIANTS

STARTING 7:

Josh Kelly

Dylan Shiel

Tom Scully

Toby Greene

Lachie Whitfield

Callan Ward

Jeremy Cameron

BENCH:

Steve Johnson (Retired)

Zac Williams

Brett Deledio

This line-up oozes with talent and the Giants can go all-out offence, not worrying about any of that boring two-way running. Hard head Callan Ward is there to win the ball then it’s off to the races.

IMAGINE IF: Not a big field of retirees to pick from but superboot Josh Hunt, who played 14 games for the Giants in 2014, would be very handy kicking out after goals and behinds. The field is only about 100m long so he could play on to himself, run his full measure then kick to the hot spot in front of goal at the other end.

Ryan Burton is the modern-day Hawk. Picture: Getty Images

Darren Jarman’s exquisite foot skills would be handy in AFLX. Picture: Getty Images

HAWTHORN

STARTING 7:

Jarman Impey

Cyril Rioli

Shaun Burgoyne

Paul Puopolo

Isaac Smith

Tom Mitchell

Ryan Burton

BENCH:

Grant Birchall

Jack Gunston

Taylor Duryea

Pace has been a problem for the Hawks in recent years, so the new game might be tough to crack for the Hawks. But you can never write off Clarko and, with lightning fast recruit Jarman Impey spearheading an attack of Cyril Rioli, Shaun Burgoyne and Paul Puopolo, there’s reason for hope.

IMAGINE IF: Darren Jarman had the sublime skills to dominate a game in any sort of space and any length. A flat out superstar.

MELBOURNE

STARTING 7:

Jayden Hunt

Clayton Oliver

Jack Viney

Jeff Garlett

Christian Petracca

Michael Hibberd

Jake Lever

BENCH:

Billy Stretch

Alex Neal-Bullen

Bernie Vince

With Oliver winning the hard ball there’s no room for skipper Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson or Jordan Lewis. Recruit Lever sets things up with his intercept marking then it’s a slingshot through Hunt and Hibberd to a two-pronged forward line of speedster Garlett and the explosive Petracca.

IMAGINE IF: ‘The Flash’ Aaron Davey is the sensible choice but we want to drag the crowds through the gates and that means making a call to Allen Jakovich. Pull Garlett and Petracca outside the forward 50 and let him work his magic.

Brent Harvey had a gazillion touches and a bazillion goals playing for North Heidelberg in 2017. We reckon he’d still go OK in AFLX. Picture: Alex Coppel.

NORTH MELBOURNE

STARTING 7:

Brent Harvey (Retired)

Jack Ziebell

Shaun Atley

Shaun Higgins

Jy Simpkin

Jamie Macmillan

Marley Williams

BENCH:

Ryan Clarke

Nick Dal Santo (Retired)

Majak Daw

Welcome back, Boomer. He’s been retired for more than 12 months but the 432-game superstar is still killing it for North Heidelberg. Jack Ziebell provides the midfield grunt and can change at full-forward. Dustin Martin or Josh Kelly would have been handy but we’ve thrown in Majak — this game is all about highlights reels and you just never know what he could produce.

IMAGINE IF: Winston Abraham. Speaking of X-factor, imagine this bloke dodging around tacklers and jumping on people’s heads.

PORT ADELAIDE

STARTING 7:

Robbie Gray

Chad Wingard

Steven Motlop

Travis Boak

Hamish Hartlett

Jared Polec

Jack Watts

BENCH:

Ollie Wines

Sam Powell-Pepper

Jake Neade

Maybe Port’s recruiting team had this format in the back of their minds when they signed free agent and AFLX prototype Steven Motlop. Jack Watts could be very handy too, with slick delivery crucial. Gray and Wingard are as good a one-two punch as you’ll find.

IMAGINE IF: Gavin Wanganeen was a supremely skilled rubber man who could kick goals or create out of defence. We’d love to see him take this game on.

Dusty is in everything, so he’d have to be a key part of the Tigers’ AFLX side. Then afterwards, he and ‘KB’ could party all night. Picture: Sarah Reed

RICHMOND

STARTING 7:

Dustin Martin

Trent Cotchin

Alex Rance

Jack Riewoldt

Dion Prestia

Shane Edwards

Daniel Rioli

BENCH:

Jason Castagna

Shai Bolton

Connor Menadue

The ‘big four’ all earn starting spots and the rest of the squad is loaded up for speed — that plan won an AFL premiership, so why not AFLX? Grand Final sprint winner Connor Menadue edges out the likes of Shaun Grigg, Brandon Ellis and Dan Butler for the last bench spot.

IMAGINE IF: It’s been a while since he’s featured in any kind of AFL fixture but we reckon Kevin Bartlett would jump at the chance to pull a Richmond jumper on again (not the clash one, obviously). The player nicknamed ‘Hungry’ was deadly around goals but it’s easily forgotten that at the peak of his powers in 1972-73 he had more than 600 kicks for the season (Dusty had 479 this year).

ST KILDA

STARTING 7:

Jack Steven

Seb Ross

Jack Newnes

Jade Gresham

Sam Gilbert

Dylan Roberton

Nick Riewoldt (Retired)

BENCH:

Jack Sinclair

Leigh Montagna (Retired)

Nathan Freeman

St Kilda’s midfield is stacked with tough ball-winners but Jack Steven and Seb Ross will have to do the heavy lifting here to release the likes of Newnes and Gresham. Nick Riewoldt could run his opponent ragged and Leigh Montagna can still go all day. We don’t know much about Nathan Freeman except he’s bloody quick. Just hope his hammy holds together.

IMAGINE IF: Robert Harvey wasn’t the fastest player in the AFL but he was smart enough to beat his opponent to the footy every time. Rooey would love those dinky passes hitting him lace-out.

Adam Goodes’ versatility would hot the spot in AFLX. Picture: Getty Images

SYDNEY

STARTING 7:

Lance Franklin

Josh Kennedy

Luke Parker

Dan Hannebery

Kieren Jack

Gary Rohan

Zak Jones

BENCH:

Jake Lloyd

Jarrad McVeigh

Nick Smith

A core of midfield guns who know how to find the footy with a rocket on each wing — Gary Rohan has had his issues but it’s as if this game was invented with him in mind. Zak Jones would be just as damaging and Buddy is the icing on the cake.

IMAGINE IF: Adam Goodes could play anywhere and while he wasn’t super quick he would have plenty left in the tank after 40 minutes. And he would outmark just about everyone else out there.

WEST COAST

STARTING 7:

Luke Shuey

Sam Mitchell (Retired)

Andrew Gaff

Lewis Jetta

Elliot Yeo

Jeremy McGovern

Josh Kennedy

BENCH:

Mark LeCras

Shannon Hurn

Chris Masten

This game is brand new so even though pace seems to be the key, having two guys who can mark the footy at each end could be the secret to success — and West Coast has the best two in the game. Midfield is a bit thinner than other teams, but Sam Mitchell can help by returning as a playing coach.

IMAGINE IF: The man who revolutionised the wing position, Peter Matera would tear this game to shreds.

Peter Matera goes bang in the 1992 Grand Final. His run and long bombs would be pretty handy.

WESTERN BULLDOGS

STARTING 7:

Marcus Bontempelli

Jason Johannisen

Jack Macrae

Easton Wood

Toby McLean

Lachie Hunter

Luke Dahlhaus

BENCH:

Bailey Dale

Lin Jong

Bob Murphy (Retired)

The Dogs have a seemingly inexhaustible list of quick, versatile players to pick from and would be one of the teams to beat based on this top 10. Not sure if there will be any ruck contests (maybe at the start of each quarter?) but Bont could take care of that.

IMAGINE IF: Brad Johnson could play tall, small and in just about any position, making him perfect for this game. He knew how to find the goals, too.