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This will not age well at all.

Peaked at 21 has he?

He’s on track to play 300 games and go down as one of the best defenders of his generation - capable of completely blanketing opponents both tall and small despite his light frame, exceptional reading of the play and of the ball in flight, midfield craft outstanding and rebounding ability like a knife slicing through butter. Courage, determination and grit - outstanding leadership qualities.

Really poor take.
I like Max but let's be honest, he's a B grade player currently. Doesn't mean he can't develop into what you've written here.
 
I like Max but let's be honest, he's a B grade player currently. Doesn't mean he can't develop into what you've written here.
I'd like us to free him up and let him play the Tom Stewart role. He's got the potential to offer a lot of run out of defence. I think he's wasted slightly in the Luke Brown role.
 
This will not age well at all.

Peaked at 21 has he?

He’s on track to play 300 games and go down as one of the best defenders of his generation - capable of completely blanketing opponents both tall and small despite his light frame, exceptional reading of the play and of the ball in flight, midfield craft outstanding and rebounding ability like a knife slicing through butter. Courage, determination and grit - outstanding leadership qualities.

Really poor take.
Yep, I am not getting the put down of Max at all. He is so composed under pressure, plays tall and small and uses the ball really well and reads the game exceptionally well. Has 300 game player for us written all over him barring injury
 
I like Max but let's be honest, he's a B grade player currently. Doesn't mean he can't develop into what you've written here.

Agree to disagree.

He walks into any backline in the comp. If you had to pick one medium-tall sized defender to completely shut down the opposition’s most dangerous small forward, or reliably play undersized against one of their better talls, how many names could you come up with that are ahead of him (especially at his age)?
 

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Agree to disagree.

He walks into any backline in the comp. If you had to pick one medium-tall sized defender to completely shut down the opposition’s most dangerous small forward, or reliably play undersized against one of their better talls, how many names could you come up with that are ahead of him (especially at his age)?

Doesn't mean Max isn't a B grader currently. After all, shutdown work isn't that valuable and you can find a lot of players who'll do a solid patch up job in this space.

You can't be an A grade defender without a highly productive offensive profile in this league. That's Max's next step in his development, should we allow Max the time to make a more offensive role his own (and there is no guarantee we will, seeing it depends on who else is on our list). If we keep him as that mid sized guy who is stuck on the oppositions most dangerous forward, he'll have a very long and valuable career, but he'll always be a B grader.
 
You can't be an A grade defender without a highly productive offensive profile in this league.
Given that Max already averages about the same disposals, R50s, 2x as many I50s and 50% more M/disposal than the best defender in the comp who is an absolute A-grader, I think you're wrong.

Unless you only mean that medium defenders have to do this. Or by 'highly productive' you mean playing the Zorko type 'QB' role.
 
Doesn't mean Max isn't a B grader currently. After all, shutdown work isn't that valuable and you can find a lot of players who'll do a solid patch up job in this space.

You can't be an A grade defender without a highly productive offensive profile in this league. That's Max's next step in his development, should we allow Max the time to make a more offensive role his own (and there is no guarantee we will, seeing it depends on who else is on our list). If we keep him as that mid sized guy who is stuck on the oppositions most dangerous forward, he'll have a very long and valuable career, but he'll always be a B grader.
Its relative. Harris Andrews has a low metres gained so he is not attacking in that sense...but he takes a lot of intercept marks both contested and uncontested and shuts his guy down 9 times out of 10 (like Max generally shuts his guy down). Would you say he is a B grader?
 
Its relative. Harris Andrews has a low metres gained so he is not attacking in that sense...but he takes a lot of intercept marks both contested and uncontested and shuts his guy down 9 times out of 10 (like Max generally shuts his guy down). Would you say he is a B grader?
No, because Andrews took 3x the intercept marks as Michalanney last season.

I like Max – I think we all do – but I also don't think the comment that until he adds an attacking layer to his game, his ceiling will be below the best defenders in the league, is wrong.
 
Doesn't mean Max isn't a B grader currently.

You can't be an A grade defender without a highly productive offensive profile in this league. That's Max's next step in his development, should we allow it (and there is no guarantee we will, seeing it depends on who else is on our list). If we keep him as that mid sized guy who is stuck on the oppositions most dangerous forward, he'll have a very long and valuable career, but he'll always be a B grader.

That is just a fundamental misunderstanding of grading talent.

Are you trying to tell me that Harris Andrews, Sam Taylor and Jacob Weitering aren’t A graders, because they don’t offer enough offensively? Because Max offers as much rebounding output as all three, who are all AA quality.

Comparing him to those closer to his height, he absolutely stacks up with present and recent AA medium-tall defenders for his rebounding ability and ability to nullify the opposition’s biggest offensive threats, a combination of qualities that few AA defenders possess year on year. Those picked are usually very good at one, not so much the other, and are selected for that reason. Very few can admit to having both in their repertoire.

He has league-wide respect from the past and present coaching and playing fraternity.

Edit: MarcusP2 got in before me.
 
No, because Andrews took 3x the intercept marks as Michalanney last season.

I like Max – I think we all do – but I also don't think the comment that until he adds an attacking layer to his game, his ceiling will be below the best defenders in the league, is wrong.
And Michalanney had 50% more metres gained than Andrews - so he was more attacking?
 
Luke Brown was a great small defender but he too was only ever a B grader compared to all players in the league
 
Agree to disagree.

He walks into any backline in the comp. If you had to pick one medium-tall sized defender to completely shut down the opposition’s most dangerous small forward, or reliably play undersized against one of their better talls, how many names could you come up with that are ahead of him (especially at his age)?
He's either an A grader or he isn't. "At his age" doesn't come into the discussion on current ability.

Tom Stewart is twice the player Max is for example.
Isaac Quaynor would be ahead.
Bodhi Uwland is very good too.
 

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The player that comes to mind to me, as a comparison, is Z Guthrie. Max is a little behind him, but not far.

Edit - this is a weird thing to be arguing about. We all agree Max is a good player, he is undeniably young, and likely to be well off his peak still. Least of our concerns.

guthrie?
 
He's either an A grader or he isn't. "At his age" doesn't come into the discussion on current ability.

Tom Stewart is twice the player Max is for example.
Isaac Quaynor would be ahead.
Bodhi Uwland is very good too.

Tom Stewart is elite, there is a difference between elite and A grade.

Stewart is also a 191 game, almost 33 year old veteran Premiership player and multiple AA. I guarantee you when Max has played 191 games, he will be as respected as Tom Stewart is currently.

Quaynor doesn’t hold a candle to Michaelanney, you won’t convince me otherwise.

Uwland I respect as a quality rebounding defender. His younger brother will be elite, while Bodhi will very likely develop into an A grader and is already not far off that mark.
 
Tom Stewart is elite, there is a difference between elite and A grade.

Stewart is also a 191 game, almost 33 year old veteran Premiership player and multiple AA. I guarantee you when Max has played 191 games, he will be as respected as Tom Stewart is currently.

Quaynor doesn’t hold a candle to Michaelanney, you won’t convince me otherwise.

Uwland I respect as a quality rebounding defender. His younger brother will be elite, while Bodhi will very likely develop into an A grader and is already not far off that mark.
I think you have some serious crowse coloured glasses on.
 
Agree to disagree.

He walks into any backline in the comp. If you had to pick one medium-tall sized defender to completely shut down the opposition’s most dangerous small forward, or reliably play undersized against one of their better talls, how many names could you come up with that are ahead of him (especially at his age)?
Regardless of definition of an a grader it’s probably time to remove hall of famer from 1990 crow avatar. If you have to denigrate Mac I’m not sure why he follows our club. I’m not replying to him directly as I have him on ignore but alas I see other people’s records replying to him or her.

For the record Max was in all oz under 22 this year and it was when he and Rachelle got injured that we lost incredible talent at both ends of ground and were rushed back in hope of finals success

Btw is it a prerequisite of 75% of bloggers to be negative
 

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No, because Andrews took 3x the intercept marks as Michalanney last season.

I like Max – I think we all do – but I also don't think the comment that until he adds an attacking layer to his game, his ceiling will be below the best defenders in the league, is wrong.
And so he should, Andrews is 11 years into his AFL career and is the leader in the Lions defence, not to mention he's 200cm tall. Michalanney plays the role the coaches want, the intercept marking/attacking layer you speak of is clearly the domain of Josh Worrell and Mark Keane.
 
And so he should, Andrews is 11 years into his AFL career and is the leader in the Lions defence, not to mention he's 200cm tall. Michalanney plays the role the coaches want, the intercept marking/attacking layer you speak of is clearly the domain of Josh Worrell and Mark Keane.
Don't disagree - just think we should tap the brakes a little on Max. There's more to come.
 
Regardless of definition of an a grader it’s probably time to remove hall of famer from 1990 crow avatar. If you have to denigrate Mac I’m not sure why he follows our club. I’m not replying to him directly as I have him on ignore but alas I see other people’s records replying to him or her.

For the record Max was in all oz under 22 this year and it was when he and Rachelle got injured that we lost incredible talent at both ends of ground and were rushed back in hope of finals success

Btw is it a prerequisite of 75% of bloggers to be negative
What a load of rubbish.
 

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