Best Performances in a Grand Final by a player?

Which Player produced the best football on Grand Final Day?

  • 1989 G Ablett

    Votes: 18 62.1%
  • 1992 Peter Matera

    Votes: 3 10.3%
  • 1993 Michael Long

    Votes: 1 3.4%
  • 1995 D Williams

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 1997 & 1998 - D Jarman

    Votes: 3 10.3%
  • Other

    Votes: 4 13.8%

  • Total voters
    29

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He really did have the best hands in the business.

Kicks 5, misses a couple of other gettable ones, and sets up Sticks for three of his handful.

And he put up with a lot of cheapies from oppo players back in those days (and was well within his rights to give a few back in return...)
 

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Martin is unquestionably one of the best big game players I've seen.

Wouldn't put him alongside Ablett (and there are very, very few that are), but those 3-4 seasons he was pretty awesome.
Needless to say, but I will anyway, Gaz Sr was phenomenal. I remember a day we had at the G where he kicked 14(?) against the Tiges. The game was a non-event as a contest well before half time (as many of our matches tended to be those days, especially against the Cats 🤦‍♂️), so by about goal number 9 for Gaz in the 3rd quarter we were all just egging him on to kick more.

I also recall going to a Coodabeens Brownlow night (in the year Scott Wynd won it, whenever that was), and during the pre-festivities they had a big screen showing a Gaz Sr highlight reel. It went for about 25 minutes - we thought it must've been on repeat over and over, but it was actually all different spectacular highlights of the man.
 
Gary Ablett the best of the last 40 years but Peter Matera has got to be right up there. (And I am a Docker's supporter)
 
Post 2000 does feel skinnier. Maybe improved fitness and tactics has reduced the gap between best and worst.

Buckley in 02 was collossal. He was frankly our only top tier play we and repeatedly carried that side, so much so his 40 possession games were considered 7/10. Voss' last quarter was incredible, as was Aker (from memory all game in both 92 and 93), under rated I feel.

Boyd was grand in 16, more so than Johanesson who did turn it over a bit. It felt like chaosball-pinball early and Johanesson was a flipper, whereas Boyd was breaking the flow and reorienting the whole game like an icebreaker.

Jezza in 70 flipped the game on its head on a half. Utility moved to CHF, murdered the great Ted Potter (one of the very great CHBs with a record of beating CHFs like Hart and Baldock) and set up Hopkins umpteen times. People talk about the handball in that game but Jezzas marking and relentless run were critical. Hopkins himself says so in his analysis.
I'm obviously biased, but Darren Jarman's six goals, in the context of actually winning the premiership by a margin of six goals, was sensational. Had Jarman not played for the Crows, the club would have no premierships.
Arguably the best GF quarter ever. Hawkins in 11 GF last Q was close, the kid finally woke up and it was glorious:mad:.
 
Gary Ablett the best of the last 40 years but Peter Matera has got to be right up there. (And I am a Docker's supporter)
Matera cut Geelong to ribbons in 92 GF en route to winning the Norm Smith
I remember his opponent on the day Mark Bairstow (who was a very good player) just shaking his head behind him trying to keep up
Interestingly, and prob a stat he wouldn't like airing, but Barstows opponent in the 94 GF also won a Norm Smith
 
Black 03
Goddard and Hayes 10
Shuey 18
Martin 20
Petracca 21

My standouts post 2000

Non Norm Winners
Voss 02
Akermanis 03
Ablett 08
Mitchell 14
Goddard 10
Fritsch 21
Dangerfield 22
Voss robbery was so blatant that they changed the rules so it wouldn't happen again.

Buckley should have given the medal back.

Aker very unlucky that Black had a blinder, the best GF preference I've seen that didn't deserve the Norm.
 
Matera cut Geelong to ribbons in 92 GF en route to winning the Norm Smith
I remember his opponent on the day Mark Bairstow (who was a very good player) just shaking his head behind him trying to keep up
Interestingly, and prob a stat he wouldn't like airing, but Barstows opponent in the 94 GF also won a Norm Smith

Are you saying he should be re-named Mark Bairslow?
 

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