Which VFL/AFL footballers make the cricketers’ XI?

THE Aussies are down a couple of gun batsmen for the summer series against India with Steve Smith and David Warner suspended, but are there a couple of AFL players who could fill the void?

Which current and former VFL/AFL players could have been cricketers?

THE Aussies are down a couple of gun batsmen for the summer series against India with Steve Smith and David Warner suspended, but are there a couple of AFL players who could fill the void?

Here’s a look at some of the gun footballers, past and present, who are more than handy with the willow, the rock — or both.

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Did we miss anyone? Tell us in the comments below or tweet us @heraldsunsport

BATSMEN

Alex Keath has had a hard time choosing between cricket and footy.

Alex Keath (Adelaide)

The 26-year-old probably has the strongest pedigree of any current AFL player, having played first class cricket with Victoria and in the Big Bash with the Melbourne Stars. He also lifted the U19 World Cup in 2010, playing in a side that featured current Test opening fast bowler Josh Hazlewood, Mitch Marsh and Nick Maddinson. Usually bats at four and bowls a bit of medium pace, but he’s been elevated to face the new rock in our Aussie rules XI.

Which one is GWS star Stephen Coniglio and which is Ausse fast bowler Pat Cummins?

Stephen Coniglio (GWS)

The midfield star was one of the most talented young cricketers in WA when he was drafted at No.2 by the Giants in 2011. Owns a century at the U15 national championships for WA and played first grade cricket as a 16-year-old — for the same club that produced Test cricketers Simon Katich, Tom Moody and spinner Bruce Yardley. Usually bats at three, but has opened and he’ll do the job for us a the top of the order.

Gold Coast Sun George Horlin-Smith was a handy young cricketer before he was snapped up by Geelong.

George Horlin-Smith (Gold Coast)

Once captained an U16 national team and was known as a graceful middle order batsman before he was drafted by Geelong and put down the bat for good. As a 17-year-old, Horlin-Smith concentrated almost exclusively on cricket. “He has never done a proper football pre-season in his life,” South Australian U18 football coach Brenton Phillips said at the time. Will lock down the key No.3 position.

Craig Bradley (Carlton)

A gun batsman who actually played first class cricket while he was a contracted VFL/AFL player. The Blues’ games record holder could have chosen either sport and excelled. Played U19 cricket for Australia with legendary seamer Craig McDermott and managed four Sheffield Shield games for Victoria and South Australia.

Sam Sturt (Fremantle)

The Freo draft bolter’s school cricket commitments prevented him from getting a game with Mt Eliza’s U19 side, but he still managed to catch the eye the Dandenong Stingrays. A handy batsman whose first love was cricket, he had a trial with Cricket Victoria in September. He says the trial changed things for him though: “The first game I played I made a golden duck, the second game I made 12 and then the third game I made another duck so it was not successful at all.” We’re still backing him in.

ALL-ROUNDER

Blues gun Marc Murphy (second from right), pictured with father John and brothers Leigh and Brett, played Premier Cricket with Melbourne University as a 16-year-old.

Marc Murphy (Carlton)

When you’ve represented Victoria at U17 level, playing with the likes of Aaron Finch, you’ve got enough talent with the bat to hold up No.6. Murphy was a talent with both bat and ball, good enough to play Premier Cricket with Melbourne University as a 16-year-old.

St Kilda legend Nick Riewoldt was almost turned into a cricketer by former English fast man Frank Tyson.

Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda)

The St Kilda great’s dad reckons fearsome English seamer Frank Tyson almost had the blond bombshell over the line as a cricketer. Tyson was Riewoldt’s bowling coach in the late 1990s, his father Joe once told SEN. The left-arm bowler and right-hand batsman made the state schoolboys cricket team as an all-rounder. A bloke with that much ticker has to be in your team.

KEEPER

Young Pie Nathan Murphy gets the gloves in our all-footballer XI. Picture: Michael Klein

Nathan Murphy (Collingwood)

At the beginning of 2017, Collingwood’s Nathan Murphy was hoping to make the Australian U19 World Cup team after playing with the likes of Will Pucovski and Will Sutherland for Vic Metro. By the end of that year he was on the Magpies’ list after being nabbed at pick 39 in the draft. Hasn’t completely given up on the cricket dream either, so we’ll take his silky hands behind the stumps. “They say you play your best cricket at 26 so there’s so much time to go back to cricket.”

BOWLERS

Nick Smith (Sydney)

The gun Swan admits he “tried to do what Warnie did” at Scotch College and, if you look at the stats, he did a pretty good impersonation. He is believed to be one of only four cricketers in the history of Melbourne’s Associated Public Schools competition to take 100 wickets in first grade — Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland is another. He can weave a web for our AFL XI.

You can bet Lids was first-picked at Richmond and now GWS charity cricket matches.

Brett Deledio (GWS)

The late former Victorian coach David Hookes famously offered Deledio a two-year contract in a bid to keep him away from footy before he was snaffled by Richmond. Played for the Bushrangers at U17 level with Murphy and Finch. Ran all day for the Tigers and did the same with the pill whenever it was thrown to him.

Jordan Clark (Geelong)

Throw the new Geelong draftee the new rock and watch the wickets tumble. The WA teenager has a junior hat trick for his country, rifling through Pakistan in an U16 ODI in Dubai to claim 5-39 in January 2017.

New Geelong draftee Jordan Clark after taking a hat-trick against Pakistan.

12TH MAN

Jonathan Brown (Brisbane)

Any bloke who can trouble one of the greatest batsmen of all time has to be a part of the team. While he’s bee retired a few years, big Browny’s heavy pills almost killed legendary Aussie batsman Ricky Ponting during an episode of The Footy Show in 2007.

“I thought this was my opportunity to shorten up the Australian captain,” Brown said.

“I was actually out in the car park practising before the show.

“Ricky Ponting said, ‘Now mate, just make sure it’s a nice half volley for me, Browny’.”

“I said, ‘No worries, Punter’.”

Brown says he would have played cricket, but chose footy because there was greater opportunity than just the 11 spots in the international team.

The Brisbane legend is our 12th man, but we all now how often Lids gets injured...

Jonathan Brown gave Punter a fright on the Footy Show. Picture: Peter Wallis