The Top 5 Expats - Who is the King Expat?

While many Expats have done great work growing our game off the field, we obviously can’t ignore the deeds of the Expats on the field; the players who left their own homes to forge careers in non-traditional football territories. To honour their enormous contribution to footy in the Queensland and New South Wales, I’ve come up with my top 5 Footy Expat players of all time and, in the process, crowned the King Expat.

Before opening any envelopes, I’ll briefly touch on the selection process used and what it tried to achieve.

With the Expat concept born back in 1982 when South Melbourne shifted to Sydney, there was a clearly long list of exceptional players to choose from. To qualify, however, it couldn’t be just about awards or playing ability. First and foremost, the player had to have shown loyalty and commitment to the Expat cause – in other words, a one-club player. Secondly, they must have been a great ambassador for AFL over the course of their career; a role model that had a positive influence on the game and was able to reach people outside AFL fences.

So, without further ado, here are the five greatest Expats in my eyes:

5. Michael O’Loughlin (Sydney Swans)

Perhaps doesn’t have the acclaim of some players, but his contribution to the Swans, the code in Sydney, and especially the indigenous community can’t be underestimated. Recruited from Central District in the SANFL, “Mickey O” passed the previous games record holder John Rantall in 2007, became the first Swan to play over 300 games and booted 521 often sublime goals in a career that also included the drought-breaking 2005 premiership.

4. Simon Black (Brisbane Lions)

Black was actually born in Mt. Isa, Queensland, but the fact he moved to Perth before he could kick a footy and grew up as a proud Sandgroper saw him sneak in. He collected a whole swag of honours over a club-record 322 games with his unique mix of contested grunt and silky disposal, but it was his humility and pure ball-playing style that earned him just as much admiration. In fact, I can’t remember anyone having a bad word to say about Simon Black!

3. Jonathan Brown (Brisbane Lions)

Living in Queensland during the ‘00s, there was no one bigger in AFL than the big country lad from Warrnambool in South West Victoria. Even league followers and people who had nothing to do with footy knew about “JB”. Brown’s commanding presence, famous courage and ability to dominate a game drew fans to our sport and it’s a shame that injury stopped the legend from reaching even higher levels.

2. Adam Goodes (Sydney Swans)

His playing record speaks for itself with Brownlow Medals, premierships and All-Australian selections over 16 glittering years with the Sydney Swans since being recruited from Horsham, Victoria. He even managed to surpass the games record of his good mate Michael O’Loughlin in 2012. In addition to all those on-field achievements, Goodes is fast becoming a powerful force off it by winning the Australian of the Year award in 2014 for his community work and anti-racism advocacy.

1. Michael Voss (Brisbane Lions)

Born in the Victorian town of Traralgon and moving interstate as an 11 year old, Voss was the fearless leader of the mighty Brisbane Lions in the golden era of football in Queensland. That alone had him near the top of the list, however it was his efforts during the dark days that elevated him to King Expat status in my opinion. Voss was the face of football in Queensland when the “bad news Bears” were on the nose and basically carried the code until better days arrived. His playing career was unquestionably brilliant, but it was his service and loyalty during this extremely difficult period that puts him at No.1.

What do you think about my top 5 Footy Expat players of all time? Is there someone I’ve missed? Who else do you think gave great service to footy in Queensland and New South Wales? 

In the next post I’ll take a look at the Expats with impact – the players who might not have hung around as long, yet brought great success, excitement and hope to footy in the expansion states.