What do you think of his choices? Today Grey names his BACK LINE selections.

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IT’S the great unanswered question in the long history of the AFL — what would a Northern Territory side look like if it was a fully-fledged team playing premiership matches every week?

Many theories have been put forward on the ‘whys’ and ‘why nots’ of a Darwin-based Territory AFL side, most of them surrounding the infrastructure and long-term viability of a team from Australia’s far north.

But what really matters to the average punter is the 18 players on the field and four interchange players waiting for their chance to wear the ochre, white and black jumper against AFL heavyweights like Collingwood, Essendon, Richmond and West Coast.

I have chosen Territory players from 38 years of AFL representation through several clubs and placed them in a 22-strong side I believe would have competed on a level playing field with any of the elite in this country.

Former Western Bulldogs and Brisbane utility Michael McLean would be my captain, freeing up the likes of Maurice Rioli Sr, Nathan Buckley, Michael Long and Andrew McLeod to play their own leadership roles.

This is not intended to be a best-of-side, even though there are several superstars in the starting XVIII who made their name with rival clubs.

What I have looked for is balance, experience and the all-important ‘X’ factor Territory footballers have always delivered on Australia’s greatest sporting stage.

— GREY MORRIS

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FULL BACK LINE

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Matthew Whelan (Melbourne)

Position: Back Pocket

Games: 150

MATTHEW Whelan’s nickname among his adoring Melbourne fans was “Whelan The Wrecker’ and they meant every word of it.

The hard as nails, straight-ahead defender, who made his name as a midfielder with NTFL club Darwin, never took a backward step in an AFL career that ran from 2000-2009.

Known for his big bumps on more illustrious opponents like Essendon’s James Hird, St Kilda’s Luke Ball and Hawthorn’s Shane Crawford, Whelan’s immaculate long kicking from the last line of defence and strength in the clinches was an integral part of the Melbourne sides of the early noughties.

He missed the 2000 grand final loss to Essendon with a serious neck injury and played his 150th and last game in 2010 on one leg after recurring hamstring injuries.

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Russell Jeffrey (St Kilda and Brisbane)

Position: Full Back

Games: 50 (42 St Kilda, 8 Brisbane)

Honours: AFLNT Hall Of Fame

THE man they called “RJ”, during a six-year AFL career with St Kilda and Brisbane, is the ideal player to hold down the important full back position.

Capable of big marks in a pack, or one-on-one with bigger or smaller opponents, Jeffrey’s upper body strength also won him a lot of contested possession he was able to turn into an offensive weapon.

One of Territory football’s most identifiable players, Jeffrey was strong in the clinches and a linchpin when delivering the ball out of defence to midfield teammates relying on his ability to get hold of the football.

A member of the great NT side that won the 1988 Bi-Centennial Division 2 title, his contribution to the game as a tough, hard-at-the-ball player, and later as a deep thinking coach, can never be underestimated.

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Joel Bowden (Richmond)

Position: Back Pocket

Games: 265

Honours: 2-time Richmond B&F, 2-time All-Australian, AFLNT Hall Of Fame

THE third of four Bowdens to play league football for Richmond, after his father Michael and older brother Sean, and before younger brother Patrick, Bowden left the AFL’s centre stage in 2009 with several accolades to his name.

The driving left foot kicks and creative handball that earned him a regular spot in the Tigers’ lineup for 14 seasons, his skill and knowledge of the game earned him All-Australian honours in the back-to-back seasons of 2005 and 2006.

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Responsible for a rule change in 2008 when he ‘walked’ the ball through the goals for rushed behinds in the dying seconds against Essendon, Bowden’s pinpoint disposal from the last line of defence will be important assets in a Territory side fully endowed with leg speed.

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SO, that’s GREY MORRIS’ Territory AFL team back line. WHAT do you think of his picks?

DON’T forget to check back here tomorrow when GREY selects his HALF-BACK LINE choices