Akermanis v Matera

[footscore]

Jason Akermanis played 325 matches, averaged 18 touches, 4½ marks, 2½ tackles & kicked 421 goals.
4 x All Australian
3 x Premiership winner
2 x Best & Fairest
Brownlow Medalist


Peter Matera played 253 matches, averaged 19 disposals, 3½ marks, 2½ tackles & kicked 217 goals.
5 x All Australian
2 x Premiership winner
1 x Best & Fairest
Norm Smith Medalist

 

[willoblue]

Wally Matera?

 

[Catfish Alley]

Would have been awesome to see those two head-to-head on a wing. Don't know who I'd pick to be honest. Maybe Akermanis. He seemed a bit more damaging with goals. And yes, I understand the irony of that from a Geelong supporter

 

[Upgrayedd]

Matera for mine.

 

[jod23]

Matera pretty easily. Aker was good but not in Matera's class.

 

[Dom PC]

Akka was better kick on either side of his body than Peter. Akka is pure class. Akka for sure! Can't believe some people suggesting Petter >> Akka

Akka's game breaking best is Far better IMO

 

[DivideandMultiply]

Akka was better kick on either side of his body than Peter. Akka is pure class. Akka for sure! Can't believe some people suggesting Petter >> Akka

Akka's game breaking best is Far better IMO

Acker was a game breaker and had fantastic finishing skills but Matera truly was the prototypical wingman.

He could lay a ferocious tackle, or run 50m to receive the ball on the HBF, run the lines for another 50 along the wing leaving players in his wake and deliver a long range bullet into the forward 50, straight into a forwards arms.

With just a few possessions in a half a quarter Matera could bust a game open with his run down the centre or along the wing leaving the opposition and fans simply shaking their heads. He was the 100m player, the consummate coast to coast specialist that typified our game style in our best ever period.

Simply watch his performance from the 92 grand final, or dwell on the fact he commanded enough fear and attention to have opposition fans singing waltzing Matera in a still largely VFL-centric era.

Maybe it is your bias, maybe you never watched football (especially WC) in that period.

Matera was a true giant of the 90's and it is no slight on Ackers ability that I rate Matera as the better player.

 

[Dom PC]

Acker was a game breaker and had fantastic finishing skills but Matera truly was the prototypical wingman.

He could lay a ferocious tackle, or run 50m to receive the ball on the HBF, run the lines for another 50 along the wing leaving players in his wake and deliver a long range bullet into the forward 50, straight into a forwards arms.

With just a few possessions in a half a quarter Matera could bust a game open with his run down the centre or along the wing leaving the opposition and fans simply shaking their heads. He was the 100m player, the consummate coast to coast specialist that typified our game style in our best ever period.

Simply watch his performance from the 92 grand final, or dwell on the fact he commanded enough fear and attention to have opposition fans singing waltzing Matera in a still largely VFL-centric era.

Maybe it is your bias, maybe you never watched football (especially WC) in that period.

Matera was a true giant of the 90's and it is no slight on Ackers ability that I rate Matera as the better player.

Dude, everything I've bolded goes for Akka as well. Did you not watch any of the Lions 4 Grand Final seasons ?
Akka's 5 goal 20 disposal GF game, matches Metera's GF for sure. Its just Black had one of the best individual's performances ever in a GF to claim that years normsmith.

Akka was the bigger game breaker of the two. Little bias over in your corner I think.

 

[DivideandMultiply]

Dude, everything I've bolded goes for Akka as well. Did you not watch any of the Lions 4 Grand Final seasons ?
Akka's 5 goal 20 disposal GF game, matches Metera's GF for sure. Its just Black had one of the best individual's performances ever in a GF to claim that years normsmith.

Akka was the bigger game breaker of the two. Little bias over in your corner I think.

He could do them to a degree, but not as well.

They were very different kinds of player, Metera had a monstrous workrate and constantly ran the lines with the ball. The kind of player Fremantle fans hope Stephen Hill can become. Like I said, the prototypical wingman. The dash, the tackle, the run from flank to flank and bullet pass.

Acker kicked more goals and was a brilliant finisher, he definitely did the magical but IMO he did a lot of his best work on the HFF.

The fact that you cannot differentiate between the way the two players played again confirms for me that Matera was either before your time, or you had rare opportunity to watch WC in the early 90's.

 

[Armored Switch]

Peter Matera for me

 

[Upgrayedd]

Aker was a more polished player and you could rely on him to kick goals and be a spark

However im 100% sure that people forget how good Matera was, Imagine Stephen Hill from Freo, Hard tag or not collecting 20 touches a game (keep in mind the possession footy was not around back then) and burning off guys on the wing making them look third rate. Every damn game.

He's West Coast's second best Midfielder ever and hurt guys with his skill and hard work, Nobody has roamed the subiaco wings like Matera did. Nobody probably will

 

[Monkey King]

Dude, everything I've bolded goes for Akka as well. Did you not watch any of the Lions 4 Grand Final seasons ?
Akka's 5 goal 20 disposal GF game, matches Metera's GF for sure. Its just Black had one of the best individual's performances ever in a GF to claim that years normsmith.

I rate Matera's game better though. One of the great Grand Final performances. Forget the stats, Matera took that game apart when it was needed.

As for the poll, I just can't for the life of me decide. Good poll, even though they were different players with different attributes. When I think I'm about to go one way it just doesn't feel right, then I go with the other and it doesn't feel right either. Both really great players. I suppose if you put a gun to my head I'd have to go with Aker, only for the fact he offered more up forward ... but again, that just doesn't feel right.

 

[footscore]

I reckon Matera was breathtaking.

Although again, like one of my other threads...I only saw Matera play twice at the cattery and the rest was TV but my god he was phenomenal.

Akermanis may have spoiled his reputation by later on/off field indiscretions but in his prime, that shimmy or side step when running at full speed
I have never seen a player kick the footy at full speed like Aker and that was on both left or right foot.
He could also kick 50+ quite effortlessly.

 

[RAFIKI]

I used to love when Essendon played WC and always think of Long vs Matera on the wings, very rarely did I anticipate a match up so exciting unless it was 2 of the absolute gun forwards like Ablett snr, Carey, Dunstall, Lockett ect.
Matera could do things on the wing not many have ever been able to do.

Aker I loved watching as a player but has since lost a lot of my respect, Bris and WB thing didn't end well, Aker was the problem.

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

Aker. Kill you with both feet.

 

[Slattery_20]

Aker. Kill you with both feet.

And mouth.

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

And mouth.

Irrelevant. I saw both their careers in their entirety and was able to watch a fair bit of them both due to them not being Victorian teams so they were on tv a lot.

 

[Upgrayedd]

Another thing people overlook with Aker is that he had no preferred side, he was as good as anyone on either side of the foot/hand, people rave about Steve Johnson and Mitchell but Akermanis was the prototype of any player being able to dispose off either foot