A vs B

[standupand]

I'd go Scarlo then Boris then Stewart but Stewart isn't as far behind Boris in my opinion, and I loved Boris. Some days I think I've even started to think Stewart might be ahead.

I'd choose Enright ahead of Scarlett just.

Scarlett at his peak was possibly the better player - the era when he would defeat key forwards 1 v 1 and be an attacking weapon at the same time. But it was actually a short period. Harley, Taylor and Lonergan took the best key forwards in our dominant era. Scarlett was used as a loose man in d50 organizing the defence.

But Enright for a much longer period of his career consistently locked down and beat the best of the opposition small to medium forwards all while being like an extra playmaking midfielder. Because he was so reliable, it allowed others to really shine.

Stewart is still a way back imo. He's a fantastic intercepting back and excellent user of the ball, but not a defender who you would put on a dangerous forward and think that will solve that problem. Has had a few failures it that regard during his career which means that he's very rarely entrusted to do a critical defensive job on a damaging opposition player.

 

[Baudolino]

Enright is the best ever player in his position, not just at the club, but in the history of the game. Scarlett would be in the top 5 for his position, but not best ever. For that reason Enright > Scarlett.

 

[Lingsface]

How about Joel Corey

Joel Corey

Age

43

Ht

191cm

Wt

88kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

22.4

5star

K

11.5

4star

HB

11.0

5star

M

4.0

4star

T

4.1

5star

CL

3.9

5star

No current season stats available

D

12.4

4star

K

7.8

3star

HB

4.6

4star

M

2.2

3star

T

1.6

4star

vs Mitch Duncan

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Enright.
Scarlett.




Stewart.

There's that question answered.

 

[Baudolino]

Enright.
Scarlett.




Stewart.

There's that question answered.

This.

And I say that as someone who absolutely loves Stewart. Enright was a footballing god.

 

[Cursed Cat]

I wouldn’t call Mansfield laconic. He was more intense than Kenny. But Kenny was a much better player.

Thompson and Blight both were flawed geniuses. Both had success and both underachieved. It would have been fascinating to see how Bomba’s coaching career played out if his personal life didn’t spiral out of control. Neither are anywhere near as good as Scott as a coach. Call it a tie between them.

Stewart vs scarlo vs Boris is not close - scarlo wins in a canter. He is our greatest defender ever (malarkey? Don’t make me laugh) and probably the greatest defender in the afl of the modern era. Boris is second, but never had the burden that scarlo had to carry in our team. Stewart is a fair way back in third.

thought ''laconic'' was an odd description of Mansfield myself.

also agree that Scarlett>Enright>>Stewart.

 

[dangerwood]

How about Joel Corey vs Mitch Duncan

Corey for me. I think he was underrated amongst the stars in our golden era but he had periods where he was our most important player amongst a midfield we may never see again.

Not as good but a bit like Lappin in the Lions era.

Duncan was sometimes our most important player during an era when I thought our midfield was pretty shit.

In years to come when my son asks about Duncan I'll say "Good player, great career" when he asks about Corey I'll say "Geez, shit he was good, very good player Joel Corey".

 

[Cursed Cat]

How about Joel Corey vs Mitch Duncan

much like dangerwood I'd pick Joel Corey, but it's a good A vs B for sure - both Western Australians, both very strong runners at their peak.

Duncan the better ball user, Corey stronger in the contest.

Overall though Joel Corey should get a lot of credit for backing up week after week after week doing a ton of gut running and putting his head over the ball contest after contest.

 

[Cursed Cat]

Robert Scott or Sean Denham?

 

[iameviljez]

Paddy dangerfield vs joel selwood (battle for who was our second best mid in the past 50 years)

I'd take Dangerfield if it was one game, Selwood if it was a career AND I didn't have an obvious captain.

Dangerfield the better player, Selwood the better leader. That said, it is hard to judge Dangerfield as a leader because he walked into a club that already had excellent leadership.

 

[iameviljez]

Malcolm blight vs john devine (battle for geelongs worst coach)

You're joking, surely. Blight was outstanding and frankly turned Geelong around.

Blight was harshly judged at the time by people who looked at the superstars on Geelong's list; they underestimated the importance of having a great bottom six, or just a half-decent fullback.

Guys like Couch, Brownless and Hinkley speak so highly of Blight, and with good reason.

The guy finally managed to crack flags as a coach with two of the greatest September coaching performances we've seen, up there with Beveridge in 2016 and Clarkson 2008. Those Adelaide sides had no right to win those flags and yet, when luck finally fell his way, he got them.

 

[iameviljez]

Both super courageous. I think Hocking was the more skillful but Bartel the better big-game player. I'd take Jimmy if I was picking sides.

Hocking was less versatile, but still the better player IMO. Would have been a star in a better side.

 

[iameviljez]

Cam was the clear winner and a great player when we needed him a dual best and fairest winner and hard to pass, but his brother just has that extra athleticism and flexibility. I think I can finally say I will take Zac!

As much as Zuthrie is playing well, Cam was the better player and frankly it's not all that close.

Cam could do what Zach currently does. Zach couldn't player as a ruck-rover like Cam did at his best.

 

[Baudolino]

Jake Kolodjashnij

8

Jake Kolodjashnij

Age

30

Ht

193cm

Wt

100kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.4

3star

K

6.9

3star

HB

5.6

4star

M

4.2

4star

T

2.0

4star

MG

148.5

2star

D

10.6

3star

K

7.0

3star

HB

3.6

2star

M

4.6

4star

T

1.2

2star

MG

115.6

2star

D

11.8

3star

K

5.4

2star

HB

6.4

4star

M

2.6

3star

T

3.2

5star

MG

69.4

1star

vs. Lachie Henderson vs. Jared Rivers

 

[iameviljez]

3 premierships v 2. You’d have to say Hickey but I don’t know enough about him

Premierships are counted very differently in a 12 team comp with 3 also rans

 

[Cursed Cat]

Hocking was less versatile, but still the better player IMO. Would have been a star in a better side.

he was a star regardless - a flag would have cemented his legend.

I think he's probably the best centre clearance Cat I've seen, Danger very close and Ablett jr up there too.

 

[iameviljez]

Jake Kolodjashnij vs. Lachie Henderson vs. Jared Rivers

Hendo. Was a brave brave boy who looked the goods in 2016 till he got that awful concussion.

 

[Baudolino]

Best 21st century HBF not named Corey Enright or Tom Stewart:

Andrew Mackie

Andrew Mackie

Age

41

Ht

193cm

Wt

82kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

19.2

5star

K

12.6

5star

HB

6.6

4star

M

5.7

5star

T

2.1

4star

MG

346.7

5star

No current season stats available

D

9.0

3star

K

6.2

3star

HB

2.8

3star

M

2.6

3star

T

2.2

4star

vs. Darren Milburn

Darren Milburn

Age

48

Ht

189cm

Wt

92kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

19.7

5star

K

10.6

4star

HB

9.1

5star

M

6.2

5star

T

2.3

4star

No current season stats available

D

15.0

4star

K

7.4

3star

HB

7.6

5star

M

5.6

5star

T

2.2

4star

 

[Lingsface]

Best 21st century HBF not named Corey Enright or Tom Stewart:

Andrew Mackie vs. Darren Milburn

I think I am taking Milburn, Mackie was more damaging but defensively Milburn could play on Jeff Farmer or Jonathon Brown and still do an amazing job. Tough as nails and I find it hard to give him a comparison as a player around the league, maybe Ben Stratton?

 

[Mr Meow]

Yeah that was more a bit about blight being the greatest coach at times and the worst coach at other times.

As for scott vs thompson its thompson for me. And easily. Thompson has 2 flags from far less games then scott. He also took over a side at it lowest and built it up. Scott inherited arguably the best side in the land and only had to make tweaks to get a flag, which thompson clearly had a massive hand in. You could really say its thompson 2.5 flags vs scott 1.5 and from far less games then scott.

Scott also wasted a gun side between 2016-21 with a deplorable ultra defensive strategy that simply did not hold up in finals. We should have won flags from the team when danger, selwood, hawkins and taylor were at their peaks along with a great support cast around them. Ironically we only won it once they were well past their peaks and taylor was gone. Just because we switched back to a more balanced game plan between defence and attack that everyone could see was required years ago except scott. Thompson stuffed up premiership runs in 2008 and 2010 and 2006 should of been a far better season. But scott stuffed up 2013,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2021. 2014 and 2012 should of also turned out far better. Its not even close to be honest. Scott has time to even the ledger. Get a flag this year and it becomes a much closer debate.

2016-2018 were not even close to gun sides. Look at the bottom 10 to 12 players.

2019-2020 was closer, but still had pretty bad forward lines, not enough line breaking runners and was a bit slow for finals footy - particularly against Richmond.

2022 there were no other great teams but most importantly we had a stunning overhaul of the forward line - Cameron a top 3 player in the league (2021 he was unfit), Stengle an All Australian small forward, while Miers and Close took big steps. Then we had the running power of Holmes and Smith, along with SDK giving us a more agile look in defence (Taylor/Henderson/Lonergan etc again was too slow for finals).

A lot of this is personnel based. Although I do wish Scott made Blicavs a permanent defensive midfielder earlier to balance out the attacking nature of peak Selwood, Dangerfield, Guthrie, Kelly etc. Or maybe Atkins. That worked really well in 2022 but again, having an incredible forward line was the biggest change.

 

[Lingsface]

much like dangerwood I'd pick Joel Corey, but it's a good A vs B for sure - both Western Australians, both very strong runners at their peak.

Duncan the better ball user, Corey stronger in the contest.

Overall though Joel Corey should get a lot of credit for backing up week after week after week doing a ton of gut running and putting his head over the ball contest after contest.

From the same WAFL club as well, Duncan is under rated in some of his finals performances, one of the best to never make All Australian in the league, had my fingers crossed many times. Corey was a great player you are right was so consistent and could play offensively and defensively so well, when they were playing, I found it hard to separate him and Enright as player ratings. Enright's role allowed him a lot more accolades though.

Answer- Joel Corey.

 

[Baudolino]

2016-2018 were not even close to gun sides. Look at the bottom 10 to 12 players.

Agree although I think you can make a very strong case that 2016 was a missed opportunity simply by virtue of the fact that there were no gun sides that year and the competition was historically weak. That Bulldogs side was the worst side to win a premiership this century by an absolute street. We were a wildly unbalanced side that year (our lopsided midfield of the basically unstoppable Dangerwood combination supported by three fifths of **** all being emblematic of that), but there wasn't a team in 2016 without significant weaknesses.

 

[cats_09]

For some fun, what about looking at a few fringe or whipping boy pairings:

• Charlie Constable or George Horlin-Smith
  33

  George Horlin-smith

  Age

  32

  Ht

  188cm

  Wt

  84kg

  Pos.

  D/M

  Career

  Season

  Last 5

  D

  15.6

  4star

  K

  7.8

  3star

  HB

  7.8

  5star

  M

  2.1

  2star

  T

  3.4

  5star

  MG

  183.6

  3star

  No current season stats available

  D

  19.2

  5star

  K

  9.2

  4star

  HB

  10.0

  5star

  M

  1.8

  2star

  T

  4.0

  5star

  ?
• Ryan Gamble or Charlie Gardner?
• Jordan Murdoch or Brandan Parfitt
  3

  Brandan Parfitt

  Age

  27

  Ht

  180cm

  Wt

  82kg

  Pos.

  Mid

  Career

  Season

  Last 5

  D

  16.6

  4star

  K

  8.4

  3star

  HB

  8.2

  5star

  M

  2.1

  2star

  T

  4.8

  5star

  CL

  1.9

  4star

  D

  15.3

  4star

  K

  8.5

  3star

  HB

  6.8

  4star

  M

  1.5

  2star

  T

  7.8

  5star

  CL

  3.2

  4star

  D

  14.8

  4star

  K

  6.4

  3star

  HB

  8.4

  5star

  M

  2.8

  3star

  T

  4.0

  5star

  CL

  0.6

  3star

  ?

 

[Mr Meow]

Agree although I think you can make a very strong case that 2016 was a missed opportunity simply by virtue of the fact that there were no gun sides that year and the competition was historically weak. That Bulldogs side was the worst side to win a premiership this century by an absolute street.

True about 2016 being a terrible quality year.

If we won it though, it would've been the strongest example of 2 players (Dangerfield, Selwood) dragging a club to a premiership in the AFL era. We still had some other good players (Hawkins, Duncan, Blicavs and a few others), but the slow defence wasn't really finals-capable, Guthrie hadn't reached his potential, wings were dodgy and the forward line was a mess.

 

[Mr Meow]

For some fun, what about looking at a few fringe or whipping boy pairings:

• Charlie Constable or George Horlin-Smith?
• Ryan Gamble or Charlie Gardner?
• Jordan Murdoch or Brandan Parfitt?

Too difficult. All walk-up hall of famers.