Micro Noises 79: The great 58s
A new coach-to-B
The 2015 season will see two new names join the AFL coaching ranks, with Luke Beveridge and Phillip Walsh to take over the reins at the Western Bulldogs and Adelaide respectively this year. Beveridge will become the 27th AFL coach with a surname that begins with the letter B, strengthening that letter's hold on fifth place overall in the alphabet coach ranks, behind M (34 coaches), S (32) C (31) and H (31). In sixth place is the letter R, with 24 coaches with surnames beginning with that letter having been at the helm, while Walsh's Adelaide appointment will consolidate W (22) in seventh position on the 'Coaching Ladder of Letters'.
While many fans believe that the big question to be asked of the new coaches is whether they can lift their charges into the top eight, we believe the most important question almost certainly: Is Luke Beveridge's middle name "Warm"? We'll be happy to shout a tepid drink to anyone who can provide a definitive answer.
At the other end of the scale, there have not been any coaches in VFL/AFL ranks to have surnames beginning with the letters U, X, Y or Z. The letter I has been represented by only one coach, by Len Incigneri, who coached Richmond and Melbourne between 1911 and 1914, but with just nine wins in 36 matches, Len unfortunately didn't get to say "I-1" ("I won") very often.
A long run of uniqueness
On the subject of names - this time in the player category - the VFL/AFL has seen hundreds, if not thousands, of surnames that have been represented by a single player since 1897. But as many of those as there have been, it's difficult to find a long, uninterrupted consecutive alphabetical "run" of such surnames. The longest we have come across so far is 14. Between Cam Ellis-Yolmen and Ralph Empey (inclusive) are 14 players with surnames that no other player has borne. There could well be a longer run, but we haven't spotted it yet. If you do, let us know via the comments section below.
The fourteen unique players in the run are:
1 | Cam ELLIS-YOLMEN | Adelaide (2014) |
2 | John ELMER | South Melbourne (1962) |
3 | Robert ELPHINSTONE | St Kilda (1980 - 1989) |
4 | Tony ELSHAUG | Melbourne, Essendon, Collingwood (1979-88) |
5 | Bill ELSTON | Melbourne (1915) |
6 | Bill ELSWORTH | Hawthorn (1955-56) |
7 | Todd ELTON | Richmond (2012) |
8 | John ELWARD | Hawthorn (1958-60) |
9 | Ross ELWIN | South Melbourne (1968-70) |
10 | Andrew EMBLEY | West Coast (1999-2013) |
11 | John EMBREY | Fitzroy (1960) |
12 | Steve EMERY | Hawthorn (1978-79) |
13 | John EMIN | Essendon (1973) |
14 | Ralph EMPEY | Richmond (1924-30) |
A one of a kind team (part 3)
Still on the subject of names, our plan of putting together a team of players whose first names and surnames are unique in VFL/AFL history (discussed in Micro Noises 77 and 78) is slowly coming together. With Enrico Misso, Trojan Darveniz and Urban Duniam already in the side, this week we add Orazio Fantasia, who made his debut for Essendon last season, to the squad. That's four down, with at least 14 to go. If you can come up with a player name that fits the bill, let us know in the comments section below.
A bunch of great 58s
Continuing our countdown of player numbers, this week we look at VFL/AFL footballers who have donned the number 58. 13 players have worn the third highest number seen in the league, beginning with Trevor Heath, who played his only game for Essendon in 1971 and ending 20 years later with Footscray's Darren Stanley wearing the number in the last three rounds of 1991. Richmond's Dean Notting made the number his own over 28 games and three seasons in the '80s, with Fitzroy's Mark Dwyer the only other player to have put on the number 58 more than 10 times. Interestingly, it appears that both Dwyer and Jim Wynd wore the number 58 in the same season - 1986. Perhaps it was a compulsory practice at the Lions in that year if your surname contained the letters "wy".
PLAYER | NO. 58 | GAMES | OTHER NUMBERS |
Trevor Heath (Essendon) | 1971 | 1 | - |
Daryl Freame (Richmond) | 1977 | 1 | 16 games wearing no. 44 from 1978 to 1981 |
Michael Howard (Melbourne) | 1984 | 2 | - |
Dean Notting (Richmond) | 1985-87 | 28 | - |
Mark Dwyer (Fitzroy) | 1986 | 11 | 2 games for Fitzroy wearing no. 8 and 1 game wearing no. 47 for St Kilda |
Jim Wynd (Fitzroy) | 1986 | 2 | 19 matches wearing number 30, 116 games wearing number 8 |
Michael Edmonds (Colingwood) | 1986 | 2 | - |
Sean Denham (Geelong) | 1987 | 2 | 42 games in no. 18 for Geelong, 142 games wearing no. 38 for Essendon |
Simon Taylor (Collingwood) | 1989 | 2 | - |
Lazar Vidovic (St Kilda) | 1989 | 1 | 9 matches wearing number 50, 70 matches wearing number 9 |
Anthony Stevens (North Melbourne) | 1989 | 4 | 13 matches wearing number 46, 275 matches wearing number 10 |
Jeff Hilton (St Kilda) | 1991 | 5 | 1 match wearing no. 11, 43 matches wearing no. 22 for Melbourne |
Darren Stanley (Footscray) | 1991 | 3 | - |
Ridiculous footy anagram of the week
A bright season ahead can suddenly and cruelly turn to disaster and sadness, as was unfortunately the case for Demon rookie Christian Petracca this week, who unfortunately ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). The injury will require a full knee reconstruction, and will see Petracca sit out what would have been his debut AFL season in its entirety. Poignantly, CHRISTIAN PERTRACCA, MELBOURNE is an anagram of ABRUPT: ACL REACTS. I'M IN NO CHEER.
Micro Noises is Andrew Gigacz's regular, quirky look at all things footy. The name Micro Noises is an anagram of Enrico Misso, who played one game for St Kilda in 1985. He remains the only Enrico and the only Misso to have played footy at the highest level.
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