With the much-anticipated home and away season of the new decade all but on us, and Chris Judd and co. surely striving for future on-field successes, all that remains is for the naming of the best Carlton Team of the Noughties (or should that read “Naughties” given the three wooden spoon years for the period from hell?).

Of course, there can never be a right answer here, for the selection process is purely subjective. But the following team for 2000-2009 - effectively Carlton’s Team of the 21st Century (and undoubtedly a work in progress) - is hopefully an accurate reflection of the selection criteria used.

The team of 18 plus four interchange comprises those who have played a minimum 50 senior matches for Carlton within that ten-season period. Accordingly, the likes of club best and fairests Matthew Allan, Fraser Brown, Chris Judd, Corey McKernan and Stephen Silvagni, together with Brown’s and Silvagni’s premiership teammates of 1995 Ang Christou, Dean Rice and Michael Sexton, are all ineligible for selection. So too the club’s 43-game No.1 (priority) selection Mattthew Kreuzer.

But David Teague, the club’s inaugural John Nicholls Medallist, scrapes in with precisely 50 Carlton season appearances between 2004 and ’06.

The likes of Camporeale, Koutoufides, McKay and Ratten pick themselves - each one of them premiership players, and all earning All-Australian selection in this period. Matthew Lappin and Lance Whitnall, who never savoured premiership success at the highest level, were also recognised with All-Australian selection.

Among the Carlton players eligible for selection, but overlooked, include another ’95 premiership player Glenn Manton, Jordan Bannister, Simon Beaumont, Adam Bentick, Brad Fisher, Simon Fletcher, Anthony Franchina, Trent Hotton, Michael Mansfield, Corey McGrath, Setanta O’hAilpin, Ian Prendergast, Jordan Russell, Trent Sporn, Andrew Walker and Simon Wiggins.

Anthony Koutoufides, the dual club best and fairest in 2001 and ’07, and the Carlton captain for three season from 2004, lands the captaincy, while Brett Ratten earns the coaching mantle for having coached his team in 51 matches in the period for a 45 per cent win/loss ratio. Denis Pagan, the only other Carlton coach for more than 50 matches, ended with a win/loss ratio of 25 per cent from 104 hit-outs.

Finally, of the 22 players named as follows, only one, Ryan Houlihan, represented Carlton in each season of the previous decade.

So here goes . . . and feel free to commend or condemn, as your feedback is welcome.

Carlton Football Club
Team of the Decade, 2000-2009

note: team members must have played a minimum 50 senior matches for Carlton within the decade

Backs: Andrew Carrazzo, Bret Thornton, Jarred Waite
Half-backs: Andrew McKay, Anthony Koutoufides (capt.), Heath Scotland
Centres: Scott Camporeale, Brett Ratten, Craig Bradley
Half forwards: Kade Simpson, Lance Whitnall, Bryce Gibbs
Forwards: Adrian Hickmott, Brendan Fevola, Matthew Lappin
Followers: Barnaby French, Nick Stevens, Marc Murphy
Interchange: Eddie Betts, Ryan Houlihan, Darren Hulme, David Teague
Coach: Brett Ratten

Have Your Say
CLICK HERE to have you say on carltonfc.com.au’s Carlton Team of the Decade.

Please Note: the views expressed in the above article are solely the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Carlton Football Club.

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