Best player of the 21st century?

[Meteoric Rise]

Ablett has been the best mid, clearly.

Franklin has been the best forward, clearly.

Martin has been the best mid-forward, clearly.

Martin was instrumental in 3 flags the other two in two flags. Martin was incredible and proved unstoppable in those 3 finals series, nobody we can verify has ever come close to that.

But it is the age old argument we have been through many times with many of the same protagonists. Some prefer goal totals, some prefer disposals tallies in home and away games, and some prefer big game performance. So it just boils down to what you prefer.

Fadge prefers to make a fool of himself rating Dusty outside the top 50 players of all time and outside the top 15 this century cos....well I am still not sure why. Something about Pendlebury has played 19 of the best 32 seasons between he and Dusty and Pendlebury despite being Collingwood's least successful of their last 3 captains was a great captain or something and this puts him ahead of Dusty. Oddly enough, he doesn't argue that Nick Daicos won't become the GOAT due to Patrick Dangerfield being the least successful of the last 3 Geelong skippers. Fadge will also inform this court that the AFL suddenly got really bad for 4 years while Dusty dominated, but recovered just in time for the 30 something highest rated player in 2025, Master Daicos, to be on track to be the GOAT. It is complex, I will leave Fadge to explain it, nobody could do it greater justice.

 

[Chronz]

GAJ, easily.

 

[Aristotle Pickett the3rd]

Not yet, but give it time...

How much time do you want? He's played 83 games for 1 contested mark. He also can't handle a tag that well.

 

[Chronz]

How much time do you want? He's played 83 games for 1 contested mark. He also can't handle a tag that well.

What was Dusty doing at 22?

 

[Meteoric Rise]

What was Dusty doing at 22?

Cotchin at 22 was unifying the Brownlow & Coaches MVP titles. There again, he didn't jump out of the way when someone was coming.

 

[Mr Meow]

Ablett has been the best mid, clearly.

Franklin has been the best forward, clearly.

Martin has been the best mid-forward, clearly.

Martin was instrumental in 3 flags the other two in two flags. Martin was incredible and proved unstoppable in those 3 finals series, nobody we can verify has ever come close to that.

But it is the age old argument we have been through many times with many of the same protagonists. Some prefer goal totals, some prefer disposals tallies in home and away games, and some prefer big game performance. So it just boils down to what you prefer.

Fadge prefers to make a fool of himself rating Dusty outside the top 50 players of all time and outside the top 15 this century cos....well I am still not sure why. Something about Pendlebury has played 19 of the best 32 seasons between he and Dusty and Pendlebury despite being Collingwood's least successful of their last 3 captains was a great captain or something and this puts him ahead of Dusty. Oddly enough, he doesn't argue that Nick Daicos won't become the GOAT due to Patrick Dangerfield being the least successful of the last 3 Geelong skippers. Fadge will also inform this court that the AFL suddenly got really bad for 4 years while Dusty dominated, but recovered just in time for the 30 something highest rated player in 2025, Master Daicos, to be on track to be the GOAT. It is complex, I will leave Fadge to explain it, nobody could do it greater justice.

Martin best mid-forward?

He's not in the 600+ goal/goal assist club like Ablett (over 700!) and Dangerfield. Tapped out at 569. Those two are also #1 and #2 on the all time Brownlow votes leaderboard. Martin is 8th with Neale and Bontempelli on his tail.

 

[tropicaltiger]

easy

 

[RUNVS]

Martin has been the best mid-forward, clearly.

Yes, because everyone talks about the much celebrated "mid/forward" position. Look at all the threads on bigfooty discussing the best mid/forward

 

[Headless]

Ablett
Franklin
Judd

 

[Aristotle Pickett the3rd]

Yes, because everyone talks about the much celebrated "mid/forward" position. Look at all the threads on bigfooty discussing the best mid/forward

Leigh Mathews and Kevin Bartlett weren't too bad.

 

[nineteen eighty]

Yes, because everyone talks about the much celebrated "mid/forward" position. Look at all the threads on bigfooty discussing the best mid/forward

Leigh Mathews says hi. Probably the greatest ever individual season was played by Leigh as a mid forward. Almost 600 disposals and 90’ish goals. Phenomenal!!!

AP has also called out KB. Good call.

Just because Bigfooty doesn’t talk about mid forwards doesn’t mean at club land it’s not valued. In fact, I assert that at club land it would be the most highly valued role…along with power forwards.

Mr Meow covered it off earlier in this thread for mine. I love Dusty and rate him higher than most and wouldn’t swap him for anyone. Ablett though has him covered for careers. Dangers h&a record is better than Dusty’s but Dusty has him covered for mine. Pendlebury is not in the discussion. Great Collingwood champion…let’s leave it at that.

 

[Farm Boy]

The list should start after Ablett jr.

 

[kid_a]

Hard to argue with this.

If you don't have GAJ and Buddy as 1 and 2 (in either order) you fall into one of the following categories:
1. You don't understand football.
2. You're too young to have seen and appreciated GAJ and Buddy at their peaks.

(Note, when referencing Buddy from 2008 onwards, you are excluding of of the greatest individual finals ever seen by a player - his 2007 Elimination Final.)

There is a third category....people who just hate the cats and hoks that damn much

 

[Fadge]

There is a third category....people who just hate the cats and hoks that damn much

I put them in the 'don't understand football' category.

 

[Seeds]

Dusty Martin for me. Brownlow, 3 Norm smiths and 3 flags. The. Best.

Lol. Not even top 5

 

[Seeds]

Martin for me too.

Always turned up when it mattered most.
Didn't need to stat pad, converted possession into scores.
Won it all three times with less help than other candidates from dynasty sides.
Did it with a basket case club.
Did it his own way and wasn't a robot.

Martin didnt always turn up. Had a number of dud finals like everyone else despite playing nearly all of them in his prime unlike all the other gun players who played plenty out of their primes.

The period when he was arguably best player in the game was also a lot smaller then other guns.

 

[Seeds]

In rough order.

Ablett
Franklin
Judd
N.riewoldt
Dangerfield
Voss (counting pre 21st century years as well)
Martin
Fyfe
Hird
Gawn/cox (cant split them)
Scarlett

 

[Meteoric Rise]

Yes, because everyone talks about the much celebrated "mid/forward" position. Look at all the threads on bigfooty discussing the best mid/forward

I seem to recall one or two people talking about it after the 2017, 2019 and 2020 seasons. You obviously didn't hear any of that talk Run my man, as you are by now very well known to believe that finals performances should be taken with a grain of salt.

 

[Dark Eagle 9]

easy
View attachment 2345852

If only Cousins had had a moment of clarity after the 06 GF. I wonder how many more accolades he would of achieved.

 

[Lingsface]

The mid forward comment is desperate, Ablett played 55 more games and still averaged more possessions, goals, goal assists.

 

[Daka]

Typical Cats supporters talking down Dusty as usual nothing ever changes with that mob.

 

[Fadge]

Typical Cats supporters talking down Dusty as usual nothing ever changes with that mob.

Who would have guessed that a thread like this would have turned into a group of desperate Richmond supporting Martin fanbois craving relevance.

Seems it's time to pull out the data to show how far Pendlebury is ahead of Martin when I have more time later in the day...

 

[Daka]

Who would have guessed that a thread like this would have turned into a group of desperate Richmond supporting Martin fanbois craving relevance.

Seems it's time to pull out the data to show how far Pendlebury is ahead of Martin when I have more time later in the day...

People should just name who their best player is and not downgrade anyone else is it that hard?

 

[STPer18]

Montagna last night said his Mt. Rushmore since 2000 is Ablett, Franklin, and Sir. Patrick F. DANGERFIELD.

 

[Fadge]

Montagna last night said his Mt. Rushmore since 2000 is Ablett, Franklin, and Sir. Patrick F. DANGERFIELD.

I thought there were 4 heads on Mt. Rushmore?