Carey, Longmire reunited in NSW's greatest-ever AFL team
Former North Melbourne teammates Wayne Carey and John Longmire have been reunited in the forward line of NSW's Greatest Team of All Time, unveiled on Thursday.
Carey, a dual-premiership skipper for the Kangaroos, was named as skipper of the star-studded team, which was compiled by a panel of experts headed by ex-Sydney Swans chairman Richard Colless and announced at the Carbine Club of NSW's AFL luncheon.
With Carey at centre-half forward, Longmire was picked in a forward pocket opposite Swans legend Paul Kelly - one of two vice-captains, along with Ungarie product Terry Daniher.
There was a strong Swans flavour in the team with 10 players to have represented the club earning a nod in the final 35-man squad, including three current players - Jarrad McVeigh, Kieren Jack and Dane Rampe.
Allan Jeans, the iconic VFL premiership coach of St Kilda and Hawthorn, was named coach of the team with Neale Daniher his assistant.
Colless served as chair of the selection panel, which also included former News Corp writer Mike Sheahan, commentator Gerard Healy, Ian Granland, the president of the NSW AFL History Society, AFL NSW/ACT chief executive Sam Graham and AFL commissioner Gabrielle Trainor.
It was a painstaking task for the panel, who had to balance the quirks of 140 years of history with the achievements of nearly 500 players from NSW who played senior football in the VFL/AFL, as well as those who reached the SANFL and WAFL.
NSW GREATEST TEAM OF ALL TIME
FB: Chris Lethbridge (Sydney YMCA/Fitzroy), Leo Barry (Deniliquin/Sydney Swans), Ross Henshaw (North Albury/North Melbourne)
HB: Jarrad McVeigh (Pennant Hills/Sydney Swans), Gordon Strang (East Albury/Richmond), Dennis Carroll (Albury Tigers/Sydney Swans)
C: Shane Crawford (Finley/Hawthorn), Lenny Hayes (Pennant Hills/St Kilda), Neil Davies (Central Broken Hill/Glenelg)
HF: Terry Daniher (vice captain - Ungarie Football Club/Essendon), Wayne Carey (captain - North Wagga/North Melbourne), Luke Breust (Temora/Hawthorn)
FF: Paul Kelly (vice captain - Wagga Tigers/Sydney Swans), Bill Mohr (Wagga Tigers/St Kilda), John Longmire (Corowa-Rutherglen/North Melbourne)
R: Bruce McGregor (West Broken Hill/West Adelaide), Brett Kirk (North Albury/Sydney Swans), Haydn Bunton (West Albury/Fitzroy)
INT: Mark Maclure (East Sydney/Carlton), Isaac Smith (Wagga Tigers/Hawthorn), Kieren Jack (Pennant Hills/Sydney Swans), Tom Hawkins (Finley/Geelong)
EMERGENCIES: Dane Rampe (UNSW Bulldogs/Sydney Swans), Stan Lloyd (Newtown/St Kilda), David Murphy (Finley FC/Sydney Swans), Rick Quade (Ariah Park-Mirrool/Sydney Swans), Don Ross (North Albury/Footscray), Bernard Toohey (Barooga/Sydney Swans), Geoff Kingston (Wagga Tigers/West Torrens), Daniel Cross (Albury/Western Bulldogs), Perc Bushby (Narrandera/Essendon)
COACH: Allan Jeans
ASSISTANT COACH: Neale Daniher