The 20 best University Blues players of the last 50 years
A host of VAFA champions helped University Blues spend more seasons in the top division than any other team over the past 50 years, with some even going on to achieve fame and fortune in the AFL. These are the 20 greatest Blues.
AFL
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
University Blues have spent more seasons in the top division of the VAFA than any other team in the past 50 years, but despite 21 finals appearances in those 44 seasons in Premier Grade, the 2019 premiership was only their second in that span.
Not surprisingly, there have been many great players in that time.
Trying to whittle down the best Blues of the last 50 years from my original 50 to a list of 20 was a tough task. Picking the top three was the easiest bit.
Mike Yeo dominated A Grade Amateur football for a decade from 1978 winning five Blues best and fairest awards in that time. He was a tough player with a great leap and marked everything that came his way. He is clearly number one.
Second on my list is Ross Young whose remarkable football career has seen him play in both Blues Premier Grade flags — 15 years apart. During that time, he also played at Carlton, captained Perth in the WAFL, won a Sandover Medal, and captained Richmond’s Reserves team in its first year back in the VFL. Ross has won four Blues B&Fs as well as the Woodrow Medal for the top Premier Grade player in 2015.
It is a big call to name a player who has only played two seasons with the club as the third best Blues player of the past 50 years, but there has never been another two-year period like Ayce Cordy’s.
After careers at Western Bulldogs and Williamstown, Ayce came to Blues at the start of the 2018 season. In his first season he won the Blues B&F and the Woodrow. In his second season he went one better, again winning the B&F and the Woodrow, as well as captaining the Blues 2019 premiership team.
Jack Watts (not the Port Adelaide player) won two Blues B&Fs as well as the 2008 Woodrow.
He also captained Blues and the Victorian Amateur team. A similar player to Yeo, he could play in the ruck or a key position, and was rarely beaten in a marking contest.
Coming in fifth is one of the stars of the 2004 premiership, triple B&F winner, “The General” Mark Paterson, who earned his nickname by controlling games from the centre of the ground.
Barry Church captained the Blues for five years in the early 70s and was a classic old-fashioned rover, while teammate Simon Trumble played great football for Blues at centre half back interspersed with stints for Adelaide Uni and Old Melburnians.
The most prominent AFL player in the list is Richie Vandenburg who played three seasons with the Blues winning the B&F in 1996 before going on to captain Hawthorn.
Other stars of the 90s who made the top 20 were dual B&F winner Joe Sturrock and Amateur legend John Kanis who joined Blues after an illustrious career at Caulfield Grammarians and went on to captain Blues for four seasons before coaching the 2004 premiership team.
Apart from Mike Yeo, other representatives of possibly the Blues strongest era in the late 70s and early 80s were skilful winger Steve Dobbie, the mercurial forward Mike Sleeman, inspiring captain Mark Tyquin, and the silky Bernie Angel.
Chris Brown had a brilliant couple of years at Blues winning the 1978 B&F and becoming our youngest ever captain, before being tragically killed in a motorbike accident. The Blues captain has worn the Number 12 ever since in his honour.
The 2004 premiership team is well represented with captain Quinton Gleeson who won the Woodrow that year, and vice-captain Andrew Lowcock and Matt Torney who both went on to captain the Blues for three years each and were regulars in the Big V. Pete Summers won two B&Fs in 2012 and 2014 after coming to Blues following a fine VFL career.
Last, but by no means least, at Number 20 on the list is AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan who was another in a long list of dominant Blues ruckmen, who also captained the Blues in 2001 and 2002 teams as well as captaining the Big V after coming over from Adelaide.
With apologies to Jim Sharp, Mick Jennings, Mike Yandell, Mark McCarty, Hamish Worsley, Richard Furphy, Jimmy Hayter, Ben McConnell, 2019 premiership players Jeremy Mugavin, Marshall Rippon, Kieran Harper, Jeremy Taylor and Connor Lappin, and many more.
PETER BRUKNER’S TOP 20 UNIVERSITY BLUES
1. Mike Yeo
2. Ross Young
3. Ayce Cordy
4. Jack Watts
5. Mark Paterson
6. Barry Church
7. Simon Trumble
8. Richie Vandenburg
9. Andrew Lowcock
10. Mark Tyquin
11. Steve Dobbie
12. Pete Summers
13. Mike Sleeman
14. Bernie Angel
15. Matt Torney
16. Joe Sturrock
17. John Kanis
18. Chris Brown
19. Quinton Gleeson
20. Gill McLachlan
Dr Peter Brukner has been involved at Uni Blues for 50 years as player, president, doctor and patron.
MORE LOCAL FOOTY
BEST 50 PLAYERS IN THE VFL SINCE 2000