Peter Riccardi's 288 games for Geelong touched two great eras, one forever tinged with near-miss regret, the other an ongoing romp that continues to delight all who are Geelong. His time was up just before the party began, but he played alongside the greats of both ages.

''Good luck with that,'' Riccardi says of bringing the two together as one by selecting a best Geelong team of the past 25 seasons. ''You might need an extended, extended bench.''

Billy Brownless. Credit:Terry Phelan

Cameron Ling sat in the MCG stands as the team he's loved all his life lost four grand finals in seven seasons from 1989-95, and was out in the middle with the cup in 2007, '09 and '11. He reckons it wouldn't be too hard to find a spot for Gary Ablett snr and jnr, but beyond that, separating his childhood heroes from his premiership teammates is too hard by far.

As the Cats ready themselves for another celebration - a first game under lights at their home ground of 72 years - here is an exercise in grading greatness that could keep fans going long after the towers are extinguished. Billy Brownless and Ian Cover put their necks on the block, and even with Brownless' confession to a couple of ''my era'' picks, produced composites that highlight the weight of premiership medals in such a debate.