Italian Team of the Century

Selection Criteria

Considerations

There are chiefly two criteria considered in selecting those who made it into the final team. They are:

  • Such a person must have played at the senior level of AFL/VFL football.
  • The player must be born in Italy or be of Italian origin of the first or second generations.

We cannot discuss the selection process without mentioning the people who made the selection. We can state that the integrity of the selection process and the people selected can be based on the quality of those who occupy the selection committee. This selection committee consisted of veteran players of the game.

Ron Barassi

Born in 1936 in Castlemaine, Barassi, the chairman, was both a player and a coach. He is one of the most decorated in the history of the game. He is Ron Barassi (Snr), who was also a successful player but whose care was unfortunately cut short due to war. He had a successful career spanning between 1953 and 1969, splitting time between Melbourne Football Club (where he spent most of his career) and Carlton. Cumulatively, he played 254 games for both teams and found the net 330 times. He later had an illustrious career as a coach from 1965 to the mid-1990s, in a stint spanning North Melbourne, Melbourne, Carlton, and Sydney. He has attained Legend Status in the Hall of Fame of Australian Football.

Kevin Bartlett

Bartlett has one of the longest runs of any player in both the AFL and VFL. He was active for almost 20 years between 1965 and 1983, all of which was at Richmond Football Club, where he played 403 games and scored 778 goals. For this remarkable record, he has been awarded richly. He won Richmond’s Best and Fairest Medal for a record five times, the Championship of Australia three times, and the VFL Premiership equally five times. He has been inducted into the Hall of Fame of Australian Football as a Legend. After his retirement, he launched a career as a broadcaster and sports analyst, both on radio and television. He has been part of the selection team for various awards, such as the AFL Rising Stars and All-Australian Team.

Frank Costa

Although he is not a player, Costa is an influential participant in the Australian Football space. An entrepreneur, he is at the helm of affairs at the Costa Group, a listed conglomerate. He is the president of the Geelong Football Club. A philanthropist, he is the holder of multiple national awards.

Brendon Gale

Richmond Football Club’s CEO, Gale, was a Richmond veteran, being active between 1990 and 2001. He played a total of 244 games and scored 209 times.

Kevin Sheedy

A holder of the Legend Status in the Hall of Fame, Sheedy had quite a long run as a player and another long one as a coach. He was active between 1967 and 1979, spending time at Richmond and playing 251 games, scoring 91 times.

He later picked up a career as a coach, with stints at Essendon and Greater Western Sydney. The other members include Bob Skilton, a Southern Melbourne veteran and later as a coach. Then there is Bill Stephen, who was also a coach and player at Fitzroy.