Best midfield ever?

[PhatBoy]

How tf do you think AFL awards are won buddy, by playing chess?

We are talking about a teams midfield here. So there obviously has to be a relevant time. You must be from the Twilight Zone or something man.

And actually when I think about it Geelong 11 can’t be included either because Ablett wasn’t in it. Unless you think the Geelong midfield was better when he wasn’t there.

Anyways I’m leaving it. You’ve lost the plot, making imaginary midfields and Shakespeare references. Weird unit.

Like I said, they’re pretty much all won by being at the very least a GOOD player, but they don’t inherently make you a BETTER player than someone that hasn’t won the equivalent award.

That you don’t understand this is no one else’s issue.

Sorry you can’t work that out, and I’m sorry you still see this as such a big red rag to a bull rather than actually realising I’ve said half a dozen times that I rate the lions midfield at the top.

 

[GastevsBeard]

Reid, Kelly, Yeo

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

Well

 

[Mr Meow]

Wells

Wells was a decent midfielder, but not one of the best ever.

 

[Seeds]

Brisbane’s for me. Voss, Lappin, Power, Aker, Black..and Keating / maybe another Ruck? Always peaked at finals time.

Power, aker and lappin were more fill in mids though. Not centre square mids. Also keating ruck lets em down.

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

Power, aker and lappin were more fill in mids though. Not centre square mids. Also keating ruck lets em down.

Dusty and Cotch gotch ya

 

[Yoda_]

Power, aker and lappin were more fill in mids though. Not centre square mids. Also keating ruck lets em down.

uh hem, Clark Keating?

that 3 time premiership player Clark Keating?

 

[Yoda_]

I dont think the younger generation of posters appreciate just how powerful and deep that Lions midfield really was.

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

I dont think the younger generation of posters appreciate just how powerful and deep that Lions midfield really was.

One of the best ever. We've been blessed with many great mids

Crows
Eagles
Lions
Cats
Hawks

Since 97

 

[Yoda_]

One of the best ever. We've been blessed with many great mids

Crows
Eagles
Lions
Cats
Hawks

Since 97

I would almost take the Lions over all of them and thats coming from someone who supports a team they over ran in 2001

Voss, Black, Ashcroft, Lappin, Akermanis, MacCrae Power and Shaun Hart all played over 200 AFL games

 

[Fadge]

Collingwood:
N. Daicos
J. Daicos
Pendlebury
Sidebottom
Crisp
Long
Mitchell (when he returns)

Elite.

 

[PhatBoy]

uh hem, Clark Keating?

that 3 time premiership player Clark Keating?

You can be a 3 time premiership player and let a side down when being compared to other 3 time premiership players, you realise.

 

[beerbandit]

Tony Shaw, Mick McGuane & Tony Francis

 

[PhatBoy]

I would almost take the Lions over all of them and thats coming from someone who supports a team they over ran in 2001

Voss, Black, Ashcroft, Lappin, Akermanis, MacCrae Power and Shaun Hart all played over 200 AFL games

So did Ablett, Bartel, Selwood, Corey, Johnson, Chapman, Ling and Kelly.

 

[Yoda_]

So did Ablett, Bartel, Selwood, Corey, Johnson, Chapman, Ling and Kelly.

More Brownlow's in that Lions side, CBF looking but could assume more AA &/or more club B&F's amongst the group as well

 

[PhatBoy]

More Brownlow's in that Lions side, CBF looking but could assume more AA &/or more club B&F's amongst the group as well

You’d be assuming wrong.

Every player I just named from Geelong was an AA.
Not every Lions player was.

Selwood and Ablett had 14 AA blazers between them.

Ablett 8
Selwood 6
Johnson 3
Bartel 2
Corey 2
Chapman 2
Kelly 1
Ling 1

Voss 5
Lappin 4
Akermanis 4
Black 3
Power 1
Aschroft 0
Hart 0
McRae 0


I can’t be f**ked going through best and fairests either but the last four didn’t win any.

Ling, Corey, Chapman, Selwood and Ablett all won B and Fs - Corey and Selwood multiple times.

 

[Seeds]

More Brownlow's in that Lions side, CBF looking but could assume more AA &/or more club B&F's amongst the group as well

Ablett two brownlows and bartel one

Brisbane 3 brownlows.

Geelong far more all australians.

 

[Seeds]

Tony Shaw, Mick McGuane & Tony Francis

Dont forget scott russell and darryn millane.

 

[Seeds]

Collingwood:
N. Daicos
J. Daicos
Pendlebury
Sidebottom
Crisp
Long
Mitchell (when he returns)

Elite.

Russell
Francis
Shaw
Millane
Daicos
Mcguane

Elite.

 

[Seeds]

You’d be assuming wrong.

Every player I just named from Geelong was an AA.
Not every Lions player was.

Selwood and Ablett had 14 AA blazers between them.

Ablett 8
Selwood 6
Johnson 3
Bartel 2
Corey 2
Chapman 2
Kelly 1
Ling 1

Voss 5
Lappin 4
Akermanis 4
Black 3
Power 1
Aschroft 0
Hart 0
McRae 0


I can’t be f**ked going through best and fairests either but the last four didn’t win any.

Ling, Corey, Chapman, Selwood and Ablett all won B and Fs - Corey and Selwood multiple times.

And dont forget enright who won 5 all australians and could easily pitch hit in the midfield.

Lappin was a defender and mcrae was a foward. If they count then so does enright.

 

[Mr Meow]

I would almost take the Lions over all of them and thats coming from someone who supports a team they over ran in 2001

Voss, Black, Ashcroft, Lappin, Akermanis, MacCrae Power and Shaun Hart all played over 200 AFL games

That's an incredible line up for sure.

Ablett, Bartel, Selwood, Corey, Ling, Kelly, Johnson, Chapman comfortably matches that group though. The latter two played at least as much midfield as a few on your list.

 

[PhatBoy]

And dont forget enright who won 5 all australians and could easily pitch hit in the midfield.

Lappin was a defender and mcrae was a foward. If they count then so does enright.

Boris literally lined up in the midfield for most of 2007. It was only when it became apparent just how deep it batted and that he was easily capable of being full time in defence that he moved and stayed there. He’s listed in the middle in our gf team sheet

 

[Schauermann]

Ablett two brownlows

I am pretty sure he won one in midfield that is not in the mix here...

 

[RonnieRaven]

Hopefully the anchors can jag a flag or two and in 5-8 years Jackson Brayshaw Serong and Young can enter the conversation

 

[Cyclops]

Hopefully the anchors can jag a flag or two and in 5-8 years Jackson Brayshaw Serong and Young can enter the conversation

Flags not necessary to be a great midfield.

Tuddenham Price Greening Waters 2x Richardsons Britt etc, with Len Thompson in ruck is as good in its day as any, all time.

Ditto Geelong under Blight: Bairstow (superb ruckrover) G Hocking (like Selwood, except better in every way) and Couch who is criminally under rated. The brilliance of those three equalled the 5 flag Hawks best in the centre square. Fellas like Lindner and Bews and Yeates were on the fringe so it was deep and loaded with skill and hardness, maybe lacking a true stopper.

The quality of the top 3 was so high they could spare Ablett to play FF. That's worth thinking about.

Pies were cursed, and Geelong had a short defence and injury prone forwards. The midfield carried those sides.