Best 5 Midfields in the Comp.

[jod23]

Thoughts?

Mine are in no particular order:

Essendon
WCE
Richmond
Carlton
Freo (when on song)

 

[The Dutchman!]

Last year's form:

1. Essendon
2. Melbourne
3. Carlton


This year (maybe)

1. Freo/ Brisbane/ Melbourne/ Carlton?

Maybe Essendon if they ever turn up to play with an interested & fit team...

WCE?? Seriously?

 

[Hit The Boundary Saints]

Melbourne (Woewodin, Yze, Rigoni, Powell + plenty of others)
Sydney (if Kelly is fit)
Freo
Brisbane (if Voss is fit)
Carlton, if you include Kouta as an onballer.

Wouldn't put WCE in the top 14.

 

[Grendel]

Where are the Doggies?

For me, Blues, Dogs, Swans, Dons and Lions.

 

[Blues2001]

I think the Carlton midfield was definitely the best combination in the league last year, followed by Melbourne and Essendon.

I think this was pretty widely acknowledged last year.

If we get all of Kouta, Bradley, Campo, Ratten and Allan and Porter alternating then there is no reason why we can't again:

Carlton
Essendon
Fremantle
Melbourne
Bulldogs

[This message has been edited by Blues2001 (edited 06 March 2001).]

 

[sabre_ac]

Well on paper

Freo (Bell,Fletcher,cook,Haselby)
Carlt(Camporeale,Ratten,Kouta,Bradley)
Melb (Woewodian,etc)
Rich (Cambell,nights,Daffy)
WCE (Cousins,Kemp,Braun,Matera)

 

[ant]

Adelaide (Seriously

)
Essendon
Melbourne
Bulldogs
Richmond

 

[Richmondfan#1]

Essendon (when performing

)
Carlton
Richmond
Adelaide
Melbourne



[This message has been edited by Richmondfan#1 (edited 06 March 2001).]

 

[eagleskickass]

Yes WCE seriously, it wasn't my post but I sure would put them in the top 6, probably 5th or 6th. They have a really good Midfield in Kemp, Cousins, Braun, Gardiner, Fletcher, Phil.Matera sometimes, probably sometimes wirrapunda. Not bad at all if you think about it.

 

[WCE2000]

West Coast has a brilliant midfield.
We've just got an average backline and a shit forward line.
Any side would like to go out with Gardiner, Kemp, Matera and Cousins.

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[walshy1993]

i think the strenght of a midfield comes out during rotations
so teams that have midfielders that can go back and fill up a hole or go forward and kick a goal have to be rated as the best, 4 good midfields really isnt enough anymore

having that said, the best in no order
ess - caracella, johnsons, rioli, hird, blumfield, rama, misiti, mercuri, solomon, etc
brisbane - voss, lappin, black, etc
bulldogs - johnson, west, and even brown amoung others can be rotated with players like libba etc
melb
wce

 

[Crows.ok]

Originally posted by walshy1993:
i think the strenght of a midfield comes out during rotations
so teams that have midfielders that can go back and fill up a hole or go forward and kick a goal have to be rated as the best, 4 good midfields really isnt enough anymore

having that said, the best in no order
ess - caracella, johnsons, rioli, hird, blumfield, rama, misiti, mercuri, solomon, etc
brisbane - voss, lappin, black, etc
bulldogs - johnson, west, and even brown amoung others can be rotated with players like libba etc
melb
wce

I agree that it is necessary to have a number of players that a team can rotate through the midfield.

Crows are not too badly served here with Ricciuto, McLeod, Edwards, Bode, Eccles, Burton, Bickley, Ladhams, Shir, possibly Stenglein and even Johnson, Jarman and Goodwin in a pinch.

Probably some of these names don't have much recognition, but they are not bad players at all. I thought they got the better of Carltons and Bulldogs midfield, but they were probably beaten by Brisbane.

Don't know how they would rank with respect to the top five as midfields go, but they might rate a mention.


[This message has been edited by Crows.ok (edited 06 March 2001).]

 

[choppyhard]

Originally posted by jod23:
Thoughts?

Mine are in no particular order:

Essendon
WCE
Richmond
Carlton
Freo (when on song)

Yes that Freo midfield is right up there. Yes they've got Bell and um um....... Bell and then theres .............. Bell and there ruckman ......... Bell.
And there rotations are pretty good when Bell goes of thay can swap him with ...... Bell.

 

[Visro]

The freo midfield has the potential to be superstars....problem is though..it isnt. It starts with them not having a good ruckman and sabre, please dont insist that michaels is a good ruck.

[This message has been edited by Visro (edited 06 March 2001).]

 

[jod23]

Originally posted by The Dutchman!:
Last year's form:

1. Essendon
2. Melbourne
3. Carlton


This year (maybe)

1. Freo/ Brisbane/ Melbourne/ Carlton?

Maybe Essendon if they ever turn up to play with an interested & fit team...

WCE?? Seriously?

Yes seriously. If you had put down some good points to tell me otherwise then definitly yes.
Cousins Kemp Braun and take your pick from Banfield Matera Fletcher Wirrpunda and with a great ruckman in Gardiner then why not?

 

[StrengthThroughLoyalty]

for the 2000 season:

1. essendon
2. carlton
3. melbourne
4. bulldogs

 

[Tom FC]

On paper, best four in the square.

1. Carlton- Camporeale, Bradley and McKay with Allan in ruck. Four of the best players in the league.
2. Melbourne- Woewoedin, Powell, Yze and White.
3. Essendon- Mercuri, Misiti, Johnson and Barnes
4. Brisbane- Voss, Black, Akermanis and Keating.
5. Bulldogs- West, Johnson, Romero and Darcy.

West Coast would probably make sixth or seventh, but they don't have the depth that most other sides have.

 

[The Dutchman!]

Jod

You know I respect what the Eagles have achieved over their relatively brief history so you'll forgive me if I don't agree with you.

You've got Cousins - great at getting the ball but disposal... erm...

Kemp - all time great of the club - particularly good in 92-94 - erm 7 years ago.. now looking set for his over 60's bus pass...

Braun - erm

Wirrapunda - excellent half back and back pocket player erm...

Gardiner... erm White, Allen, Porter, erm.. Barnes err...

Matera - now working for Rotary as a fund organiser for fellow Septegenarians... erm - gun in his day but...

Sorry mate, but just CANNOT go with you here...

Personally I think you're going to miss my ol pal Chad Rintoul in the trenches...

Anyway no offence.
Take it easy
Dutchy

 

[TigerTank]

Rather than pick a "best" midfield based on the rated quality of players overall, I believe that "most balanced" is a better measure.

Hawthorn's midfield has "talented" players like Crawford and Harford, and when no pressure is placed on them they look fantastic.

But they lack defensive midfielders (apart from Woods, an average defensive midfielder) who can stop an opposing team that is running riot. Hawthorn tend to win by a lot or lose by a lot.

At the other end of the equation, the Bulldogs have great defensive midfielders (Libber, Romero, even West to a point) who grind an opposition midfield down, but don't have the ability to rip an opposition team to pieces on the scoreboard. In other words, they seldom overwhelm a team.

In my opinion the most balanced midfields are:

Brisbane
Carlton
Sydney
Essendon
Melbourne

Each of these teams have two or more classy midfielders and wingmen, and also two or more good defensive midfielders


------------------
TT - Obligatory bad-tempered Richmond supporter

 

[ah_19]

Eagles midfield
Gardiner - was best ruckman last year before being injured in hitouts, hes only 21 this year, agile, very fit, and getting stronger, hes the tip of most people to be all australian ruckman this year, he woudl have had it last year if he didnt get injured.
cousins - is a superstar at 22, disposal lets him down sometimes but not often, but i can bet that any team would give up any other midfielder for him, the best young midfielder in the comp
Braun - was runner up B&F in 1999, averaging 25 possesions per game, hes quick and skillfull and has bulked up and works hard, doesnt have the physical strangth of most players but is still very good
Wirrapunda- will play in the midfield this year a lot i beleive, maybe the most explosive player in the afl, can outrun almost anyone and his skills are almost flawless
fletcher- i wanted him to be delisted last year, but so far this year hes been awesome, getting lots of possesions and kicking regular goals, i am surprised
kemp/matera while old can still get 20 possesions a game, and make them very effective, need some support due to thier age, but if they get it they are very good

wirra or cousins or gardiner could easily be traded for a # 1 draft pick, wirra and gardiner were # 1 draft picks in a way
and cousins is my tip for the brownlow

why do we loose? no hf line, average backline

 

[elt]

Carlton
Essendon
Melbourne
Bulldogs

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It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye .)

 

[Olmy]

The stand-outs are:
* Brisbane Lions
* Carlton
* Western Bulldogs

Next you have:
* Essendon
* Melbourne
* Sydney

Erratic performer:
* Geelong

Possible/likely improvers this season:
* Fremantle
* Collingwood
* Port Adelaide

 

[Olmy]

Originally posted by TigerTank:

Hawthorn tend to win by a lot or lose by a lot.

You're right. When the Hawks win, it is often a good win (bar the few games towards the end of last season), with the team looking good. When they lose, they often look terrible - especially in the midfield.

 

[ant]

I can't believe no one is rating Adelaide's midfield, it the only thing keeping us from finishing in the bottom three. I think last year we were in the top four for entries into the 50 (of course we couldn't convert) and we have 3 current All Australians in there. I know our other sections of the field leave a little to be desired but in the middle I reckon we're right up there.

 

[shack]

I can't belive no one is rating the ROOS midfield. It has to be the most maligned mid field in football.

Every year including 96 and 99 they are old and slow!!!! Apparently our midfiled played like s**t last year, gee they must have we were one win away from another GF. We have one of the most accountable mid fields in the comp (with ESS and Carlton). Brisbane's midfield and Freo's and Hawthorns etc would not know what accounatble means let alone practise it!!!

Nearly everyone hear has selected the mid fields based purely on attacking ability.

When you make 7 prelims in a row for 2 premierships and 2 night prems's surely you must rate the mid field!!!!

With the inclusion of 3 top 15 draft picks, and the potential move of Byron Pickett together with King in there they could be awesome this year.

I have a strong feeling, a very, very strong feeling the ROOS are going to be hard to beat this year, provided mighty Mick and the "The King" stay fit, which maybe a big "if".

Cheers

Shack