Big Bodied Midfielders

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Shaneprice97

Norm Smith Medallist
Sep 24, 2013
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The AFL is slowly steering into a direction when in 10 years time, each club will have at least 1 big bodied mid in there starting Midfielder. Freo are the best at this with Mundy, Fyfe, Barlow and Crowley.

-The usual Big Body midfielder is about 188-192cm's tall and weighs 88+kgs

-Contested Possessions. Usually what you will be looking for in your Big Bodied mid is Contested Possesions, a lot of Big body midfielders are contested beasts, being so big that oppositions struggled to tackle or beat you in a 1v1 contest.

-Cleareances. The big body midfielder (with a decent ruck) should dominate clearences, out muscling the opponent and getting first touch on the pill.

-Presence. Tackles, Bumps and a bit of Mongrel all that jazz, the big body mid needs to make the opponent fear for there own safety, and make them think twice with ball in hand.

From the top of my head i will list a few.

Scott Pendlebury.
191cm, 92kg.
5 years ago Pendles was one of the only 190cm mids out there, he could very well be the reason clubs are after the rare breed of massive mids. Pendles has the rare ability to be such a big unit, but also have brilliant uncontested possessions as everyone knows, but he also has underrated contested possesions. Pendlebury can play as a big body 190cm mid or a 180cm wing.

Josh P. Kennedy.
188cm, 96kg.
If you googled imaged Contested Beast, or Clearance King, a photo of this testosterone mammoth should show up. His 2012 was sensational, he had the rare ability to gather contested Possesions (average 17 contested, 29 total possesions)

Jobe Watson.
191cm, 95kg.
Like the other two listed players, Watson is the complete package. Absulutley dominated 2012 topped off with a well deserved Brownlow medal and he played awesome in 2013. Kicks goals, dominates clearances and is a Ball magnet having an average of 25 disposal throughout his whole career.

David Mundy.
192cm, 91kg.
Probably more less known and more underrated than the other players listed but regularly steps up to a tough contest. He was robbed of the Norm Smith, after breaking tackles, dominating contests and getting bulk contested possys he was Freos best and was better than anyone from Hawthorn. If Freo kicked straight and won he would have 2 medallions instead of none.

I deliberately left some big mids that i know of so others can list them, comment some of your teams big body mids or some others that i haven't mentioned
Also if your team or another team has some unknown Big Body mids that either are still devoloping or are just underrated, list them and tell us your thoughts on them.
 
Oct 9, 2009
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Midfield, forward...wherever you need him.

Hard to push off the ball, too.
 

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Jul 7, 2013
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The game is certainly trending towards 190+ cm mids being regular. I watched the 89 grandfinal a month ago, crazy seeing dipper looking like a man amongst boys in the middle, he was listed at 185cm/93 kg. Thats Dane swans size, who while known as impressively strong for his height, isnt thought of as big (apart from when people accused him of being overweight.)

Still think it'll be a while off before most teams having a starting mid thats 190cm/90 kg +. Just not many guys that size who grow up playing mid, so many end up as flankers due to spending their early teens playing as KP players due to their size advantage, and end up as tweener style players who never develop the skills needed to play inside.
 

BC9_

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Jan 31, 2013
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Josh P. Kennedy.
188cm, 96kg.
If you googled imaged Contested Beast, or Clearance King, a photo of this testosterone mammoth should show up. His 2012 was sensational, he had the rare ability to gather contested Possesions (average 17 contested, 29 total possesions)

The only contested beast I came across on google images was Nicholas Sarkozy.
Tom Liberatore is the clearance king...so is Elmo.
 
The AFL is slowly steering into a direction when in 10 years time, each club will have at least 1 big bodied mid in there starting Midfielder. Freo are the best at this with Mundy, Fyfe, Barlow and Crowley.

-The usual Big Body midfielder is about 188-192cm's tall and weighs 88+kgs

-Contested Possessions. Usually what you will be looking for in your Big Bodied mid is Contested Possesions, a lot of Big body midfielders are contested beasts, being so big that oppositions struggled to tackle or beat you in a 1v1 contest.

-Cleareances. The big body midfielder (with a decent ruck) should dominate clearences, out muscling the opponent and getting first touch on the pill.

-Presence. Tackles, Bumps and a bit of Mongrel all that jazz, the big body mid needs to make the opponent fear for there own safety, and make them think twice with ball in hand.

From the top of my head i will list a few.

Scott Pendlebury.
191cm, 92kg.
5 years ago Pendles was one of the only 190cm mids out there, he could very well be the reason clubs are after the rare breed of massive mids. Pendles has the rare ability to be such a big unit, but also have brilliant uncontested possessions as everyone knows, but he also has underrated contested possesions. Pendlebury can play as a big body 190cm mid or a 180cm wing.

Josh P. Kennedy.
188cm, 96kg.
If you googled imaged Contested Beast, or Clearance King, a photo of this testosterone mammoth should show up. His 2012 was sensational, he had the rare ability to gather contested Possesions (average 17 contested, 29 total possesions)

Jobe Watson.
191cm, 95kg.
Like the other two listed players, Watson is the complete package. Absulutley dominated 2012 topped off with a well deserved Brownlow medal and he played awesome in 2013. Kicks goals, dominates clearances and is a Ball magnet having an average of 25 disposal throughout his whole career.

David Mundy.
192cm, 91kg.
Probably more less known and more underrated than the other players listed but regularly steps up to a tough contest. He was robbed of the Norm Smith, after breaking tackles, dominating contests and getting bulk contested possys he was Freos best and was better than anyone from Hawthorn. If Freo kicked straight and won he would have 2 medallions instead of none.

I deliberately left some big mids that i know of so others can list them, comment some of your teams big body mids or some others that i haven't mentioned
Also if your team or another team has some unknown Big Body mids that either are still devoloping or are just underrated, list them and tell us your thoughts on them.

This has been ongoing for MANY years now. The success of Geelong back in 07 & beyond was based largely on Joel Corey (190, 87), Cameron Ling (189, 94), MaxRooke (189, 87), Corey Enright, as well as Bartel, and Kelly. All big bodies. Chappy and Ablett were not lacking in core strength either. Good topic, as we have been discussing on our board potential replacements for these BIG BODIES; not easy. Caddy, Murdoch maybe, not any clear-cut down at the Cattery as we type.
 

Purple Maverick

Let the cobblers do the cobbling
Sep 6, 2012
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Natanui shows glimpses as a midfielder. Even though he has all the attributes required, obviously he will never be close to the names mentioned in the OP, one of the worst readers of play in the AFL
 

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Kreuuuzeurns

Brownlow Medallist
Sep 25, 2013
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Carlton have plenty, probably hurts us sometimes. Bell, Judd, Robinson, Cachia, arguably Gibbs and now Cripps are all big bodied mids.

Fyfe and Mundy are an absoloute beast pair. Kennedy and Goodes would he on par if Adam played in the midfield more.
 
Ryan Griffen 188cms, 86 kgs. Of all the big bodied mids, he's probably one of the most gifted athletically. Strong as an ox but quicker and more agile than most in the league. Can kick the ball too, off both feet. Equally at home busting packs on the inside as he is taking a bounce and baulking his man.

Some of the highlights here are insane:


Schools Gary Ablett at 2:56 - gary had hair then
 

liz

Norm Smith Medallist
Nov 14, 2001
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Larger midfielders may be increasing in quantity but they are not a new phenomenon. James Hird, Anthony Koutoufides, Adam Goodes all dominated as midfielders in their prime. Ricciuto wasn't as tall but was still a very strong body.

There seems to be a trend of larger / taller players being recruited for many positions. Until very recently, 198-200cm was considered to be a very respectable height for ruckmen. Now most of that height are described as tweeners, and several clubs have developing rucks who are 205cm or so. Go back another generation and you'll find top rucks barely in the 190cms.

Similarly, up and coming tall forwards and defenders are routinely described as potential "thirds", lacking the height to play as true key position players. Yet Carey was 192cm, Lockett 191cm, Dunstall 188cm, Brereton 186cm and Ablett 185cm. At the other end of the ground, it wasn't so long ago that Leo Barry was holding down the fullback position for the Swans at 184cm tall.
 

POKsPies252

Club Legend
Apr 25, 2013
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As a Pies supporter I don't classify Pendles as a big bodied mid. Yes he's tall and is certainly well built but he just doesn't play like a raging bull who you'd be scared of. Same goes for Fyfe who uses his height for marking ability more than anything else. I'd say Kennedy is the perfect example of a big bodied mid who uses his height/weight for contested possessions, clearances etc. Although these taller midfielders are becoming desirable, the Pies would be looking at Taylor Adams and Josh Thomas to be doing the contested possession, clearance work etc after Bally retires. Both are under 180cms
 
I think this push for 6 ft 4 inch big bodied midfielders is a bit overrated

If i was picking 2 midfielders with my life riding on the result - id pick Selwood and Mitchell - and there both 5 ft nothing

I think the blend IS critical; our success was the amazing variety we had; Corey, Ablett, Kelly, Ling, Bartel, Rooke, and Selwood, last but not least, not to mention Chappy spending time there. They ALL were important in our makeup, and if you're talking about your life depending on 2 mids, could you really say no to Ling or Rooke?
 

Goggin Our Best

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May 23, 2011
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I think the blend IS critical; our success was the amazing variety we had; Corey, Ablett, Kelly, Ling, Bartel, Rooke, and Selwood, last but not least, not to mention Chappy spending time there. They ALL were important in our makeup, and if you're talking about your life depending on 2 mids, could you really say no to Ling or Rooke?


If you watch this years PF which i painfully have - Mitchell with his 37 possessions basically got Hawthorn over the line - the last qtr he killed whoever he was playing on

Rooke was a fans favourite- but hes not in the same street as Mitchell as a footballer
 
Ryan Griffen 188cms, 86 kgs. Of all the big bodied mids, he's probably one of the most gifted athletically. Strong as an ox but quicker and more agile than most in the league. Can kick the ball too, off both feet. Equally at home busting packs on the inside as he is taking a bounce and baulking his man.

Some of the highlights here are insane:


Schools Gary Ablett at 2:56 - gary had hair then

We were at that game when he beat Ablett; amazing performance. Ablett was not what he is now, obviously slowed down by that mop of hair, but Griffen was year 1 or 2, and certainly heralde his potential as a top 5 player in the comp. Not sure why he has taken a while to finally emerge as the #2 or 3 mid in the comp.
 
If you watch this years PF which i painfully have - Mitchell with his 37 possessions basically got Hawthorn over the line - the last qtr he killed whoever he was playing on

Rooke was a fans favourite- but hes not in the same street as Mitchell as a footballer

You go back and tell me how many times Mitchell dominated us when we had Ling. Not saying Mitchell is no good, he's clearly brilliant/elite, BUT the combo of big bodied taggers= Ling/Crowley, and the superskills of {Ablett,} Griffen, Pendlebury, and the incessant ball getting of Corey, Watson and the desperation of Max are great examples of the OP's point, I think.

And, we would not have won the 09 GF without Max Rooke, no way, whether or not he even got 10 possessions.
 

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