160 Years of Australian Rules Football (Video Game)/Positions

In the sport of Australian rules football, each of the eighteen players in a team is assigned to a particular named position on the field of play. These positions describe both the player's main role and by implication their location on the ground. As the game has evolved, tactics and team formations have changed, and the names of the positions and the duties involved have evolved too. In total there are 18 positions in Australian rules football, not including 4 (sometimes 6 - 8) interchange players who may come onto the ground at any time during play to replace another player.

The fluid nature of the modern game means the positions in football are not as formally defined as in sports such as rugby or American football. Even so, most players will play in a limited range of positions throughout their career, as each position requires a particular set of skills. Footballers who are able to play comfortably in numerous positions are referred to as utility players

Utility Players
There are very few players in the AFL league who possess the skill and poise to be able to consistently perform to a very high standard in many different positions. Some of these players do not receive the recognition they deserve, while others, such as Matthew Pavlich and Adam Goodes, are praised for their versatility and ability to influence a game from any position.

Traditionally, a utility player is an unheralded but nonetheless important player. He does not dominate one position, instead he is like a "spare parts" player because he can fill in at a variety of positions and do a good job in each.

Nowadays, the need for more versatility in players has resulted in many players "doubling up" their roles. Practically every midfielder can play Forward Pocket, Back Pocket, Half-Forward Flank or Half-Back Flank. Most, if not all, starting ruckmen can play as tall forwards, or in rarer cases, tall defenders. Some tall defenders can play as tall forwards and vice versa. This means that most AFL players have a specialist position and one or two "fill-in" positions.

One exception to this would be a player who is actually a specialist at two positions, not just a fill-in (i.e. Adam Hunter, the Eagles' best Centre-Half Back, is also one of their most dominant Full Forwards). Another exception would be midfielders, such as James Hird and Anthony Koutoufides, who have the height and strength to play key positions. This requires an extremely rare blend of skills and abilities.

Below are a number of players who are notable for their ability to dominate various positions.

Notable players:


 * Bernie Quinlan - Ruck-rover, Centre-Half Forward, Full Forward
 * Malcolm Blight - Ruck-rover, Wing, Half Forward Flanker, Full Forward
 * Barrie Robran - Centre, Ruck-rover, Centre-Half Back, Centre-Half Forward, Full Forward
 * Alex Jesaulenko - Centre, Ruck-rover, Half Back Flank, Half Forward Flanker, Full Forward
 * Gary Ablett Wing, Half Forward Flanker, Half Back Flank, Forward Pocket, Full Forward
 * Peter Knights - Centre-Half Back, Half Back Flank, Centre-Half Forward, Half Forward Flanker, Full Forward
 * Phil Carman - Centre, Ruck-rover, Centre-Half Forward, Half Forward Flanker, Full Forward
 * Francis Bourke - Wing, Half Back Flank, Full Back, Full Forward
 * Brent Crosswell - Centre, Ruck-rover, Half Forward Flanker, Centre-Half Forward, Centre-Half Back, Half Back Flank
 * Terry Daniher - Full Forward, Centre-Half Forward, Half Forward Flanker, Half Back Flank, Centre-Half Back, Full Back
 * Neale Daniher - Full Forward, Centre-Half Forward, Half Forward Flanker, Half Back Flank, Centre-Half Back, Ruck-Rover
 * Anthony Koutoufides - Wing, Centre, Ruck, Ruck-rover, Rover, Centre-Half Back, Centre-Half Forward, Full-forward.
 * Matthew Pavlich - Centre-Half Forward, Centre, Full Forward, Centre-Half Back, Fullback
 * Luke Hodge - Centre, Ruck-Rover, Centre half back, Half Back Flank, Back Pocket, Wing, Half Forward Flanker, Forward Pocket
 * James Hird - Forward Pocket, Half Forward Flank, Wing, Rover, Ruck/Rover, Half Back, Centre-Half Back, Centre-Half Forward
 * Chad Cornes - Centre-Half Back, Half-Forward flank, Centre, Wing, Ruck rover, Back Pocket, Tagger
 * Matthew Richardson - Centre-Half Forward, Full-Forward, Wing
 * Brendon Goddard - Half Back Flank, Centre-Half Forward, Wing, Half Forward Flanker, Forward Pocket, Back Pocket, Full Forward, Centre-Half Back, Center