wayne carey v gary ablett snr

[M Malice]

2 all time greats, both top 10 all time in my opinion. who would you take if you could only have 1?

wayne carey- 272 games, 727 goals. 2x premiership player. 7x all australian. 4x best and fairest. nth. melbourne team of the century. 5x nth. melbourne leading goal kicker.

gary ablett snr.- 248 games, 1030 goals. 4x all australian. 4x team of the year (pre all australian) 1x best and fairest. geelong team of the century. AFL team of the century. 3x coleman medalist. 9x geelong leading goal kicker. 1x norm smith medalist.

 

[Bobby_]

While including All Australians, it is important to note that Ablett was named in the 84, 86, 89 & 90 teams of the year which was the equivalency of what we all know the All Australian team today.
1989 particularity, that was some of the finest football you would ever see from an individual cultivating in games played as an attacking defender, midfielder and obviously forward.

 

[M Malice]

While including All Australians, it is important to note that Ablett was named in the 84, 86, 89 & 90 teams of the year which was the equivalency of what we all know the All Australian team today.
1989 particularity, that was some of the finest football you would ever see from an individual cultivating in games played as an attacking defender, midfielder and obviously forward.

thanks will adjust.

 

[Bobby_]

thanks will adjust.

use the AFL website http://www.afl.com.au/allaustralian
they've made updates in recent times.

 

[footyfan1978]

Ablett.
Carey was very good, but not THAT good.

 

[Nostradumbass]

Ablett snr is the greatest footballer I've ever seen play.

 

[MinerBoy]

Carey. Best player since Lethal.

 

[The Bomb]

Ablett easily.

 

[ManOfClay]

Ablett comfortably based on just the individual. Carey might have the flags but Ablett was easily a better player

 

[SwampCreature]

It's weird, Carey's on-field rep has somehow grown in the wake of his off-field forgiveness, after a period of persona non grata in the late 2000s.

Conversely, Abblett's rep appears to have waned since the beginning of Geelong's golden era, when they found new champions who achieved something Abblett's didn't.

Anyone who never saw either should not be fooled - Carey was a champion of his era, capable of winning games off his own boot. But Ablett is a champion of all time. He was that good.

 

[MinerBoy]

Ablett easily.

Lol. As soon as anyone says easily, comfortably, by the length of.....referring to either one, then their opinion becomes void.

There's no player in the history of the sport who is easily better than either of these players.

 

[MinerBoy]

It's weird, Carey's on-field rep has somehow grown in the wake of his off-field forgiveness, after a period of persona non grata in the late 2000s.

Conversely, Abblett's rep appears to have waned since the beginning of Geelong's golden era, when they found new champions who achieved something Abblett's didn't.

Anyone who never saw either should not be fooled - Carey was a champion of his era, capable of winning games off his own boot. But Ablett is a champion of all time. He was that good.

Carey was considered by a great many to be the best player of his era when he played. An era that included GAS, Dunstall, Lockett etc...

 

[Adam H]

The only player close to Ablett is Lockett.

 

[footyfan1978]

The only player close to Ablett is Lockett.

Mid 80's onwards would agree. Cannot say before that.
Alex Jesaulenko, John Coleman, Laurie Nash. Bob Pratt and Haydon Bunton I sense were very very talented players that could well be even better.

 

[The Bomb]

Lol. As soon as anyone says easily, comfortably, by the length of.....referring to either one, then their opinion becomes void.

There's no player in the history of the sport who is easily better than either of these players.

in 93, 94 & 95 Ablett played 64 games scored 375 goals 224 behinds going at 9.4 shots on goal a game.
Best 3 seasons I have ever seen from any player and Carey never got close to this type of peak.

Ablett at his best is amazing.

 

[Bobby_]

Carey was considered by a great many to be the best player of his era when he played. An era that included GAS, Dunstall, Lockett etc...

Not really. The era Carey played in was virtually at the tail end of Senior's career. Carey took a while to get going, wasn't until 1993 that he started becoming a force in his own right. By that stage, Ablett had become a forward on a permanent basis. Was arguably the best player in the league that season and would go on to kick three consecutive centuries (possibly four had he not been rubbed out for five weeks his final year).

Ablett was always a different beast to Dunstall & Lockett. Personally, Dunstall shouldn't be in any conversation involving Carey or Ablett (I'd even have Lockett comfortably ahead of him) as truth be told, had Ablett stayed in the goal square on his debut in 1984, he very well may have booted 500 more goals.

 

[SwampCreature]

Carey was considered by a great many to be the best player of his era when he played. An era that included GAS, Dunstall, Lockett etc...

Carey's peak was arguably about five or so years after the height of the A/D/L era (although their careers did cross).

Admittedly it's hard to compare CHFs with FFs, especially at the time (not as interchangeable as now).

Also worth considering Ablett did a lot of damage earlier in his career (which was later than most given the bizarre Haw/Myrtlefird years) on a wing/HFF.

Still: one on one you'd take Ablett.

 

[Lethality]

in 93, 94 & 95 Ablett played 64 games scored 375 goals 224 behinds going at 9.4 shots on goal a game.
Best 3 seasons I have ever seen from any player and Carey never got close to this type of peak.

But that's not even exceptional stat-wise. Jason Dunstall scored 369 from 63 games (92, 93 and 94) and if you add the next game(Rd 1 1995) to even it up at 64 games apiece, he surpasses Ablett with 381 from 64 games.

So Ablett's record there isn't special at all . . .

 

[SwampCreature]

Your opinion and selective stats are not only void HP, they actually poison threads you choose to waft them in to.

Go away.

 

[Lethality]

Your opinion and selective stats are not only void HP, they actually poison threads you choose to waft them in to.

Go away.

Nothing selective about the stats, The Bomb used a 3 year 64 game period, and I showed that those stats were nothing exceptional, and in fact bettered by stats across an equal span from that same era. And that's only by Jason Dunstall who was the first player I thought of, I'm sure there are others.

 

[SwampCreature]

Thread is now officially dead, poll is void. Move along...

 

[MinerBoy]

Thread is now officially dead, poll is void. Move along...

Presented with a reasonable counter argument.

Throws toys out of cot.

 

[Adam H]

Nothing selective about the stats, The Bomb used a 3 year 64 game period, and I showed that those stats were nothing exceptional, and in fact bettered by stats across an equal span from that same era. And that's only by Jason Dunstall who was the first player I thought of, I'm sure there are others.

Stats don't tell the whole story and you know it.

 

[MinerBoy]

Stats don't tell the whole story and you know it.

They never do. About either player though.

As I said earlier, and while their careers weren't in complete symmetry, there was enough of a cross over for a reasonable career comparison.............and for the better part of the 90s Carey was considered by a very many to be the best player of his era and the best player since Matthews.

It is certainly a view I hold, having watched football from the early 80s. However there isn't a right or wrong answer here except for those that say that either one or the other was easily or clearly better. I have no issue with anyone suggesting that Ablett was the better player, or Lockett or Dunstall for that matter (both of whom I also have ahead of Ablett).

Ablett was without doubt the most freakish, although there wasn't a lot he could do that Carey couldn't anyway. However when you weigh up their respective abilities with their leadership and ability to deliver often and when most needed and be a central figure as to why his team did when Premierships, then I have Carey as the No.1 player I have seen, having only seen the final years of Lethal's playing days.

 

[Lethality]

Stats don't tell the whole story and you know it.

The Bomb was using stats to make his case though, so I think I have shown the stats aren't particularly impressive, particularly when making a case against a player like Carey.