Legendary sports presenter and South Australian icon Bruce McAvaney has entered the ongoing discussion regarding former Carlton star Craig Bradley and his senior games tally, a debate that has resurfaced this week.
As the AFL world prepares to celebrate Collingwood champion Scott Pendlebury's AFL/VFL games record on Saturday, many fans believe Bradley has been overlooked despite playing 98 games for Port Adelaide in the SANFL and 375 games for Carlton in the AFL.
Of course, Bradley's remarkable achievement is not officially recognised by the AFL because his time at Port Adelaide was in the SANFL, before Port joined the AFL in 1997. Just as the AFL does not acknowledge Port Adelaide's SANFL premierships, Bradley's SANFL games do not count in AFL/VFL records.
McAvaney's perspective
“It's always contentious, and it's something you wrestle with,” McAvaney said. “The AFL record book, the annual book … certainly lists the achievements of people like Craig Bradley. If you look at the AFL season guide, on page 640 under 'most national games at senior level', Craig Bradley's No.1 and Peter Carey's No.2 and Greg Phillips is No.3 and Russell Ebert's No.4 and Brent Harvey is No.5.”
Bradley was a classy champion for Carlton from 1986 to 2002. Carey played 448 SANFL games for Glenelg in the 1970s and 1980s, while Phillips (father of former AFLW superstar Erin Phillips) and Ebert are all SANFL greats.
Conflicted views
McAvaney admits he is conflicted over the issue. “There are still 10 Victorian teams in the 18-team competition. We sort of joined their competition — they didn't join ours,” he told the ABC.
He also says it is impossible to deny Pendlebury's AFL record given all of his 433 games (he debuted in 2006) are actually in the AFL. “He actually does have the record for AFL footy — and that's what, really, this is all about,” McAvaney said. “I don't think there's anyone in football who would deny Scott Pendlebury's place in history.”
Social media reaction
The debate has spilled over onto social media, with many fans less measured than McAvaney. “Excluding Craig Bradley from this club is an injustice to the great man that will one day be fixed,” one fan vented. Another wrote: “Sorry Scott but Craig Bradley is the REAL games record holder.” And another added: “Craig Bradley has the real record but the VFL doesn't think other states count.”
