One thing that stuck in my claw as we were being raped and pillaged in the 1980s was that you couldn't go down to your home ground and watch the best of your club take on the best of another club.
E.g I would have loved to have seen S Kernahan up against G Phillips in the 1990 GF, or see McGuinness lock horns with Tony Francis or John Platten at Elizabeth or the Parade.
I'm biased but can not think of a better home grown half forward line in Australia, in 1990, than R Jameson, S Kernahan T Hall. FWIW I can not think of a better home grown centre line of B Abernethy C Bradley G Wanganeen (I know he also played on the ball and half forward but R Smith was handy too!!)
So in 1990 if we hadn't been plundered by the VFL/AFL sharks I believe our GF side would have been:
M Liptak J Fidge N Chigwidden
R Jameson, S Kernahan T Hall
L Bow D Marshall T Symonds
D Kernahan J Seebohm R Thompson
R Gibbs C Duthy J West
C Melican C McDermott T McGuinness
Int A Bartlett S Salisbury (Bartlett only in as ruck relief)
Players in AFL circa 1990
Apologies to D Mansell, P Maynard, P Rouvray, M Murphy, C Budarick and M Donovan last two crippled in their prime by ACL injuries
Couldn't select G Christie and C Lamb form our 1990 side as they would have been playing for South and West respectively.
I'd be interested to see other people think their best side would be if they hadn't been plundered by the VFL/AFL.