What unpopular AFL opinions do you have? (Part 1 - cont in Part 2)

[Richo83]

They played good footy when they needed too, in finals. The champion teams step up in finals no matter how good the individual talent the oppositions team has. This works for Port against us in 2013, they were a champion team in finals who nearly knocked off Geelong the week after they gave us a reality check.

Port had a good finals campaign too remember. And Collingwood didn't play good footy when they needed to, they lost to Geelong and didn't make the grand final. I'm still not convinced you were the second best team though, just because you had one good game doesn't change the rest of the season. And let's not forget that Geelong dominated that match, they had 74 more touches, 18 more inside 50s 23 more contested disposals. Looking at one particular game can be misleading, in 2003, Collingwood beat Brisbane in a final, yet it means little.

 

[Papa G]

A few facts about Collingwood's 2007 season

0-3 against Port and Geelong
10th highest percentage
11th best attack
8th best defense

Record against top eight teams:

Collingwood 6-6
Port 7-6

Record against top four teams:

Port 5-2
Collingwood 2-4

Just because Collingwood played one good game against Geelong doesn't mean they were the second best team.

If anything West Coast were probably the second best team. They should have beaten Port in the Qualifying final but had some bad luck, then they would have a home prelim. Judd, Kerr, Cox, Cousins were still pretty close to their peak (Cousins did his hammy in the qualifying final which swung the game back to Port).

 

[Partridge]

A few facts about Collingwood's 2007 season

0-3 against Port and Geelong
10th highest percentage
11th best attack
8th best defense

Record against top eight teams:

Collingwood 6-6
Port 7-6

Record against top four teams:

Port 5-2
Collingwood 2-4

Just because Collingwood played one good game against Geelong doesn't mean they were the second best team.

Great, great post. It's amazing how many people form an opinion of an entire season off the back of ONE game. Especially as when they did play Port at the MCG - Collingwood's home game - they couldn't beat them!

 

[Richo83]

If anything West Coast were probably the second best team. They should have beaten Port in the Qualifying final but had some bad luck, then they would have a home prelim. Judd, Kerr, Cox, Cousins were still pretty close to their peak (Cousins did his hammy in the qualifying final which swung the game back to Port).

Good point, for some reason I thought that Cousins did his hamstring against one of the Adelaide finals. With a fit Cousins, West Coast would have undoubtedly been the second best team, and an eagles cats grand final (with Ablett no less) would've been great (well, for us non Port fans )

 

[Papa G]

Good point, for some reason I thought that Cousins did his hamstring against one of the Adelaide finals. With a fit Cousins, West Coast would have undoubtedly been the second best team, and an eagles cats grand final (with Ablett no less) would've been great (well, for us non Port fans )

As it turned out I would have been happy with a Cats/Eagles GF too.

 

[Collins-Langford-Ayres]

People do forget what happens in seasons.

 

[Hens Hall]

Midfields/midfielders are vastly overrated....there I said it.

Why? Because everyone gets excited by their raw stats which in a lot of cases are worth jack shite. It's the age of stats Chapmion Data, Dream Team etc etc



It’s been well documented that over the last couple of decades the Brownlow medal has now become the midfielders medal with KPP finding it extremely difficult to do well.

Not only have they struggled to poll well the midfielders that are winning it are doing so with a massive amount of votes well and truly above what they used to get when they won.

What does this mean? Are midfielders so much better now than what they were 20 or 30 years ago or are the KPP not as good as they once where? Or could be the third option that in the stats obsessed frenzy that has been building up over the last two decades, so much attention is put on the quantity of the ball a player gets and the media attention they then receive. Unfortunately, this makes it hard for umpires (who are only human) to have an unbiased and unaffected view of a players impact/ability on a game and thus go with the safe option of the guy who racks up a lot of the pill.


Look at the hawks top 10 in the 2013 b&f, only 2 full time midfielders in there (Mitchell and Smith). It was won by a defender with several other defenders and forwards in there. I personally don't think the Hawks midfield is anything special but they gelled well with backs and forwards to win us the premiership.

From memory Enright won the b&f a couple of times in the Cats premiership years. Not only that everyone bangs on about the Cats midfield back in hey day (and it was good) but their defence, I believe, was the linchpin for their success.

I'm not saying midfield aren't integral, of course they are, but they get more praise than what is warranted.

 

[carnthedons]

Geelong makes more money off home games at the MCG against those big clubs than they do from a sell out at Simmonds. Plus playing big games on the big stage like that is great preparation for finals.

Could not agree more on the second point, one good season does not make a great player.

Maybe this is an unpopular opinion but I think playing big games at the G as prep for finals is a good justification of why you should play there. Playing there because it's financially advantageous compared to playing at your home ground is an example of what is wrong with society and why our sport has lost the emotional tribalism it once had.

This is coming from an Essendon fan who hates that the docklands are our home ground and wouldn't be too miffed at being locked out of a Geelong home game at KP.

 

[El Dubya]

Maybe this is an unpopular opinion but I think playing big games at the G as prep for finals is a good justification of why you should play there. Playing there because it's financially advantageous compared to playing at your home ground is an example of what is wrong with society and why our sport has lost the emotional tribalism it once had.

This is coming from an Essendon fan who hates that the docklands are our home ground and wouldn't be too miffed at being locked out of a Geelong home game at KP.

I genuinely reckon it's a bit of both. The backroom boys rub their hands together when there's a Geelong-Hawthron game at the 'G, because nothing would make the club more money. At the same time the coaches and players would look at it as great finals preparation. I'll declare that I'm a MCC member and love these games being at the 'G for selfish reasons too.

 

[Partridge]

Look at the hawks top 10 in the 2013 b&f, only 2 full time midfielders in there (Mitchell and Smith). It was won by a defender with several other defenders and forwards in there. I personally don't think the Hawks midfield is anything special but they gelled well with backs and forwards to win us the premiership.

From memory Enright won the b&f a couple of times in the Cats premiership years. Not only that everyone bangs on about the Cats midfield back in hey day (and it was good) but their defence, I believe, was the linchpin for their success.

I'm not saying midfield aren't integral, of course they are, but they get more praise than what is warranted.

He did. Won it in 2009 (tied with Ablett), and did not poll one single Brownlow vote. I'll never forget the look on Brad Scott's face when he was told that. His comment about the Brownlow afterwards kind of summed up your thoughts exactly.

 

[El Dubya]

Partridge an increasingly unpopular opinion is that GHS will be a gun midfielder, or even a best 22 midfielder.

 

[TheWoodenSlug]

Partridge an increasingly unpopular opinion is that GHS will be a gun midfielder, or even a best 22 midfielder.

I think that is largely due to the tendency of supporters to only remember a player's recent form. Admittedly, GHS had a shocker in the GF, but he certainly wasn't alone. Nor is it an indication that he can't stand up under pressure - look no further that the previous GF.

I can understand the main knock on him - namely his lack of pace. He is slow, there is no doubt about that. But it only seems to be an issue when he has a bad game (which all players do from time to time), and I have seen enough slow players make it in the AFL to suggest that pace is not the necessity it is sometimes made out to be. Very handy to have, sure, but there are other skills and attributes that can allow a player to overcome this, and I think GHS has the determination and application to do that. Will be a star IMO.

Anyway, don't mean to make this thread all about Geelong, so I will add a seemingly unpopular opinion - Dane Swan is/has been the second best midfielder, behind Ablett, of this generation and is very underrated on bigfooty and in the media. Extremely consistent and (this is the part that seems unpopular) very damaging with his run and disposal. I think he gets unfair criticism because his kicks aren't always pretty (though are usually effective) and his running action looks a little ungainly. IMUO.

 

[joop]

If the 2010 grand final went to extra time Collingwood would've won. Everyone says we would've, but collingwood were so well drilled that year that even a ten minute break to compose themselves would've been enough.
We had to and should've beaten them then and there after they didn't put us away in the first half.

 

[Ian Dunross]

Don't follow Swan closely, but doesn't he go missing in finals? Recall he had quiet GFs in 2010/11. Obviously best players get tagged etc.

 

[Quivorir]

Trying to figure out who GHS is...

 

[Ian Dunross]

If the 2010 grand final went to extra time Collingwood would've won. Everyone says we would've, but collingwood were so well drilled that year that even a ten minute break to compose themselves would've been enough.
We had to and should've beaten them then and there after they didn't put us away in the first half.

Big players for Pies were not standing up in the last qtr IMO - Swan, Pendle, Cloke, Didak, etc. Was left to Maxwell and Shaw out of defence. Saints best players in last qtr were dotted over the ground - Hayes, Goddard, Fisher, Riewoldt, Milne. Would have been a big turnaround for Pies to rest control across midfield, forward as well as defence.

 

[Big Fresh]

Trying to figure out who GHS is...

George Horlin-Smith

 

[The Punter]

I think Swan gets some criticism/lack of love because of his persona, his artwork, and his body type, but another reason I can't really warm to him is his fanatical commitment to ensuring he doesn't get tackled with the ball. I mean, he always gets rid of it just before he is tackled, often to the detriment of this disposal efficiency. He just really doesn't want to be tackled.

I think the players who break tackles or manage to efficiently dispose of the ball while being tackled garner a bit more admiration.

 

[DangerSloane]

Brilliant at?

The worst gf performance from a player in my recent memory

His antics and stuff is entertaining and adds something to the game we don't see much these days but I wonder how many will yap back to him about his embarrassing gf display

Its not like he was alone.
And looking back at past grand finals there are 5-10 players every year who have stinkers.
I'm sure if you look at the Hawthorn v Sydney grand final you could find 5 hawks who had absolute shockers.

 

[DangerSloane]

Trying to figure out who GHS is...

George Horlin-Smith you'd think.

 

[Richo83]

Partridge an increasingly unpopular opinion is that GHS will be a gun midfielder, or even a best 22 midfielder.

IMO he's a victim of Geelong's success and depth, not his own inadequacies. And if we're not rating players by their latest VFL GF performance, then none of the Geelong starters are any good. They made the GF for a reason.

 

[BrockBlitz]

Here's a bomb - Justin Westhoff would be considered one of the best players in the game if he was allowed to play permanently on the wing and didn't have to plug holes most of the time.

 

[Ashton Agar]

Here's a bomb - Justin Westhoff would be considered one of the best players in the game if he was allowed to play permanently on the wing and didn't have to plug holes most of the time.

 

[Ian Dunross]

Here's a bomb - Justin Westhoff would be considered one of the best players in the game if he was allowed to play permanently on the wing and didn't have to plug holes most of the time.

A natural winger in a tall man's body?

One of those tall players that is a natural follower/winger but forced to play a key position?

Eg, Nick Riewoldt to an extent, Matthew Robran, Leigh Brown, Adam Goodes early career, any others?

 

[carnthedons]

A natural winger in a tall man's body?

One of those tall players that is a natural follower/winger but forced to play a key position?

Eg, Nick Riewoldt to an extent, Matthew Robran, Leigh Brown, Adam Goodes early career, any others?

Richo?