There might never be agreement on which is the greatest football team of all time, but one side that will always feature in those discussions is the Brisbane Lions of the early 2000s.
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Names like Black, Akermanis, Brown, Voss and so many others were instrumental in helping the Lions win premierships between 2001 and 2003, writing their names in the record books.
However, there was a cast of other players, one in particular from western Victoria, that also played crucial roles in helping create on of the strongest dynasties Australian football has ever seen.
Tim Notting was one of the players.
An early move
Notting was born in Wycheproof in northern Victoria in the late 1970s.
He spent time in various country towns before his family settled in Stawell, where he fostered his love of football.
“I played in the under 13s and 14s in Stawell which had some very good footballers and was quite competitive,” he said. “It was a good way to start my footy career.”
A career in Stawell was off the cards for Notting however, making the move to neighbouring club Navarre as a 14-year-old.
“My brother went out with some mates from Stawell, then Dad ended up moving too and Mum played some netball out there so I was the last one to get across,” he said.
Notting competed in the under-16 competition as a bottom-age player, helping his football ability along quickly.
“I learnt a lot in my time there,” he said.
“I would top up the reserves side as a young guy which was a good experience.
“Navarre has always been a strong team so you always try and pinch a bit out of everyone when you can.”
‘I thought my dream was gone’
Notting’s ability as an up and coming forward was recognised, invited to play with the North Ballarat Rebels in the TAC Cup competition.
Despite impressing at club level, it took time before Notting was given a chance with the Rebels in his final year of high school in 1996.
“I trained all preseason and was pretty fit but I just wasn’t getting a go,” he said.
“I was about to pull the pin on the whole lot. I was going to training every night and playing good footy, kicking five or six goals in Navarre’s senior side as a centre-half-forward, but still wasn’t getting a look in.
“James Walker, who ended up at Fremantle, then got injured and I got a chance at about round 10.
“Once I got picked I never looked back.”
An impressive run of 10 games for the Rebels and four with Richmond’s reserves side put him right in the mix to be drafted.
“Halfway through the year I thought my dream was gone since I wasn’t playing for Ballarat,” he said.
“But once I got picked I had the fire in the belly once again, which burned even more when I got to play for Richmond’s reserves.
“Richmond spoke to me before the draft saying they would take me but that never happened.”
Dream becomes a reality
Notting was taken with pick 26 to join the newly created Brisbane Lions, the merged club of Fitzroy and Brisbane Bears.
“I didn’t really care where I went, but it was a very interesting situation to be in,” Notting said.
“Going into a merged team was strange. It was like having two teams in one jumper, it just didn’t work at all.”
Notting said it wasn’t until Leigh Matthews arrived at the club in 1999 that things made a turn for the better.
“Once Leigh came in he changed the whole club, he weeded out the people he didn’t want there,” he said.
“He was a tough coach but he was fair. He would give me a role and as long as I played that role I’d be selected the next week.”
Reaching the pinnacle... twice
From a struggling merged side, the Lions ascended to the highest heights of the AFL in 2001, defeating a strong Essendon team in a historic occasion for the club.
“It was mostly a feeling of relief because we had a lot of expectations to win the new club’s first ever premiership,” Notting said.
“Looking back, it was just an amazing feeling that can never be taken away from you.”
Notting played 24 games that season, with one of his 25 goals coming in the grand final.
In what has gone down as one of the greatest ever grand finals, the Lions went back-to-back with a nine-point win over Collingwood in 2002.
“Winning the second one felt different. It was such a tough game and it was just so special to know we had done something not many other teams had,” Notting said.
“We didn’t want to be the team with a premiership hangover so Leigh made sure we bounced back well from each win, which was one of the reasons why he was such a great coach.”
Loss still hurts
Notting missed the historic third consecutive premiership, but was part of their 2004 loss to Port Adelaide. He said that defeat still sticks with him.
“There are little parts in that game I think about every now and again, like I missed a shot at goal,” he said.
“You play it in your mind thinking ‘far out, we could have rolled those blokes’.
“We got shafted a bit by the AFL. We had to play a home preliminary final in Melbourne then go back to Brisbane before coming back to Melbourne.
“We were also carrying a few injured guys.”
Coming home
Notting’s long and decorated career came to an end in 2009 after 208 games. He has made Brisbane his home, but has still managed to get back for a season with the Grasshoppers.
In 2017 he helped Navarre to another grand final, but they were unable to get across the line for a fifth consecutive premiership.
“I played about six or seven games and loved every one of them,” he said.
“I had a great time playing back at my old club, it was just a shame we couldn’t get up in the grand final.
“It was great to see some old faces and play with some of the kids of guys I played reserves with years ago.
“Not much has changed – it is a club where everyone helps everyone to be the best they can.”
Although having played in two AFL premierships, Notting said one of the biggest things that stands out from his career has been the people he has met and the relationships he has forged.
“It has been incredible the opportunities I had and the people I met through football. I have also set up a home in Brisbane, a place I just love,” he said.
