Opinion Best & Worst Crows Players of the Decade

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Hi Adelaide Board,

As the preseason of lock out training sessions crawls on we need some time fillers to get us through.

So.... (drum roll) ...Who was the Best Crow from 2010-2019???

And, just because we're all so negative... Who was the Worst Crow from 2010-19???

Rules
Voting is pretty straight forward. Just name your best and worst 10 in order. And either message them through to me or post them in this thread for everyone to laugh at discuss.

Players can be from any time in our last 10 years.

Only their Adelaide football deeds can be considered. Eg the footy Jarryd Lyons is producing for Brisbane doesn't count.

Deeds prior to 2010 don't count so for instance Tyson Edwards' 1995-2009 output can't be considered but his 2010 season can.

Opposition fans are welcome to contribute, but any obvious "joke votes" from opposition fans will be met with an eye roll smilie. Consider yourself warned. So make your trolls subtle.

Voting
I don't want to get too prescriptive with what votes need to be based on, so I'll leave it as the players you consider to be our best/worst over the last 10 years.

Some people will lean towards players who have been here the bulk of the decade, others will be swayed by shorter term impact.

Some will be heavily influenced by finals performances. There's no right or wrong... everyone values things differently and that's all part of the fun.

Only black and white rule is that the players must have played at least one game for Adelaide during the 2010-19 period.

Votes
I'm not going to reveal the voting system or points because people stuff up whether to start at 1 or 10 for the best player. Also people will try to pick holes and come up with "better" systems which is tiresome and I really hate getting advice. Please use this complex template:

Best players
1st (best)
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th

Worst players
1st (worst)
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th

You don't have to give a 'worst' list if you don't want to. Deep down we love all the boys after all.

So have a think, have a ponder, go through your Name A Game library and submit your votes.

Voting closes on Friday January 31 with the big reveal in the week following.

There might be things I haven't covered (I said Crows players, right?) so if you have any questions please ask.

Go Crows.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

If some stats boffin was able to post a list of all our players 2010-19 I would be forever in your debt

 

[Thetrader15]

Too hard...for a Sunday night.

How long is the PS break again?

 

[jackster83]

Best players
1st (best) - Betts (absolutely brilliant player who was a big part of why we did fairly well in 2015-17. Massive impact off field too)
2nd - Sloane (heart and soul of the club)
3rd - Dangerfield (we still haven't replaced him. Still think he played within himself slightly when he was here)
4th - Talia (a rock down back)
5th - Jacobs (pretty consistent up until 2018 when the decline set in)
6th - Thompson (a few really good years before the decline set in)
7th - Laird (great player rebounding from HB. Not sure the new rules suit him)
8th - Walker (nearly forgot him. Match winner at his best)
9th - M. Crouch (midfield equivalent of Laird. Big year coming up for him)
10th - Smith (arguably has underachieved slightly but a rare metres gained player, who is vital to us doing well)
Unlucky - Lynch, Jenkins, VB, Douglas, Brown

 

[Golumless]

10 and 10 eh?

Best

1: Patrick Dangerfield
2: Rory Sloane
3: Taylor Walker
4: Daniel Talia
5: Matt Crouch
6: Eddie Betts
7: Scott Thompson
8: Brodie Smith
9: Sam Jacobs
10: Rory Laird

Worst:

1: David Mackay
2: Curtly Hampton
3: Bryce Gibbs
4: Troy Menzel
5: Mitch Grigg
6: Brad Moran
7: Tony Armstrong
8: James Sellar
9: Myke Cook
10: Brad Symes

I'd say the best 10 are all self-explanatory. Dangerfield gets no.1 because he is the best player we produced, even when he was here.

Sure, there are spuds who play 5-10 games and are worth forgetting about, the biggest problem a club has is the players who aren't up to it but are lucky enough to keep their heads above water, or able to put themselves in a position that coaches rate what they bring off the field that they're willing to overlook the fact they're mediocre. That's why Mackay is number 1. I doubt this club will ever have a more frustrating player.

Hampton gets 2nd for being the biggest waste of potential I've seen this decade at this club. Troy Menzel 4th and Mitch Grigg picks up 5th for similar with raising my hopes, but not ever going on with it.

Gibbs gets 3rd worst is purely on that we paid a big price for him, and he just didn't live up to it.

 

[Scorpus]

Best

1) Patrick Dangerfield

Didn't win the Brownlow while with us but was clearly one of the best midfielders in the competition, if not he outright best, for four straight seasons. 3x All Australian and a B&F winner

2) Eddie Betts

Hard to go past Betts here, another "best in his position" player for four straight seasons, all 50+ goals, all leading goal kicker, plus 3x All Australian

3) Scott Thompson

The prime of his career was during this decade, especially during the early parts (2010-2014) where he was one of the most prolific midfielders in the competition. Carried our midfield during that period. All Australian and 2x B&F, well deserved

4) Daniel Talia

To get high up on this list I think you need to be a "best in position" type player, and all three of the guys before him are this. Talia is too, I'd say there was a period during the mid 2010s where he was the best lockdown key position defender in the league, culminating in 2x All Australian selections. Our best defender of the 2010s

5) Rory Sloane

Undoubtedly a very good player and probably would be higher on this list if his last few years were as strong as a couple of years back. A workhorse player that never quite elevated to being an absolute superstar, but still a great of the club

6) Sam Jacobs

Was in the conversation as the best ruck in the competition for a few years, and carried our ruck division for basically the entire decade. Very consistent player up until a few years ago and was unlucky not to be All Australian in that period

7) Taylor Walker

Our best key position forward of the 2010s and had one year (2012) where he was legitimately one of the best in the league. Unfortunately never quite reached that level again due to his knee injury but definitely still one of our best

8) Matt Crouch

Took over the reigns from Thompson and replicated his extreme ball winning ability, with an All Australian award and B&F to his name. Not quite as consistent for as long as Thompson in the 2010s but still in his prime and should be one of our best for the next few years.

9) Rory Laird

Our best half back across the 2010s with two All Australians. I don't rate him quite as highly as the others but he also has claims for being one of the best in his position and has been reasonably consistent

10) Tom Lynch

This was the hardest position to pick, with several other contenders (such as Smith). But I think Lynch has been a great player for us, five seasons averaging nearly 20 touches and a goal per game in the 2010s is an elite effort, plus our only 10 goal player in that period.

Worst

1) David Mackay

Absolutely no contest with this one. Not the outright worst player to play for us, but he has been consistently poor for basically the entire 2010s period, somehow reaching 200 games. If you summed up every bad game he played in this period, his output of shitness would dwarf any other Crow that played for us during that time

2) Curtly Hampton

Only played 12 games for us but finishes in the #2 spot after managing the single worst game of any Crow in the 2010s, never to be seen again.

3) Jared Petrenko

Another player that finishes high on the list based on sheer volume of bad games. Played 67 for us in the 2010s, most of which were below average, finishing as a small forward that averaged 0.66 goals per game. Whipping boy extraordinaire.

4) Matthew Wright

Like Petrenko, gets in the list for playing 94 mediocre games in the 2010s as a half forward who seemed always on the verge of getting dropped, but never was. Ran around doing not much, didn't kick goals, wasn't a great distributor of the ball inside 50. Luckily we can exclude his Carlton output when making this list

5) Richard Tambling

Putting him so high based on us paying a first round pick to get him. Played 16 of the most forgettable games you'll ever see, offered us literally nothing and we paid a massive price

6) James Sellar

9 games in the 2010s for 1 goal, a couple of hitouts and nothing else. Tall player that had no good position on the ground and never even remotely looked like making it

7) Brodie Martin

Can you believe this guy played 36 games in the 2010s? Seemed to be a stopgap player that couldn't really play anywhere very well. Trialed him on the wing, forward, midfielder. Sucked at them all.

8) Sam Shaw

Best known for having the worst hamstrings in Crows history, and also for routinely kicking it out on the full. Some people really rated this guy, I didn't, played 24 crap games and was generally very overrated.

9) Brad Moran

Terrible. 4 games in the 2010s means you have to be really bad to make the list. Couldn't play any position on the ground, looked legitimately hopeless

10) Kurt Tippett

Definitely not the worst player based on actual on field output in the 2010s. But it was a toss up here between crappy no-name 15-20 gamers and a guy that wasn't bad on field, but was the cause of lasting damage off the field. Second biggest piece of s**t to ever play for us in our entire history (after Brett Burton)

 

[Stephen2]

Holy s**t roasted.... amazing post Scorpus!

 

[PCORF]

Best

1. R. Sloane
2. P. Dangerfield
3. S. Thompson
4. E. Betts
5. M. Crouch
6. T. Walker
7. R. Douglas
8. D. Talia
9. R. Laird
10. B. Crouch

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Best

1) Patrick Dangerfield

Didn't win the Brownlow while with us but was clearly one of the best midfielders in the competition, if not he outright best, for four straight seasons. 3x All Australian and a B&F winner

2) Eddie Betts

Hard to go past Betts here, another "best in his position" player for four straight seasons, all 50+ goals, all leading goal kicker, plus 3x All Australian

3) Scott Thompson

The prime of his career was during this decade, especially during the early parts (2010-2014) where he was one of the most prolific midfielders in the competition. Carried our midfield during that period. All Australian and 2x B&F, well deserved

4) Daniel Talia

To get high up on this list I think you need to be a "best in position" type player, and all three of the guys before him are this. Talia is too, I'd say there was a period during the mid 2010s where he was the best lockdown key position defender in the league, culminating in 2x All Australian selections. Our best defender of the 2010s

5) Rory Sloane

Undoubtedly a very good player and probably would be higher on this list if his last few years were as strong as a couple of years back. A workhorse player that never quite elevated to being an absolute superstar, but still a great of the club

6) Sam Jacobs

Was in the conversation as the best ruck in the competition for a few years, and carried our ruck division for basically the entire decade. Very consistent player up until a few years ago and was unlucky not to be All Australian in that period

7) Taylor Walker

Our best key position forward of the 2010s and had one year (2012) where he was legitimately one of the best in the league. Unfortunately never quite reached that level again due to his knee injury but definitely still one of our best

8) Matt Crouch

Took over the reigns from Thompson and replicated his extreme ball winning ability, with an All Australian award and B&F to his name. Not quite as consistent for as long as Thompson in the 2010s but still in his prime and should be one of our best for the next few years.

9) Rory Laird

Our best half back across the 2010s with two All Australians. I don't rate him quite as highly as the others but he also has claims for being one of the best in his position and has been reasonably consistent

10) Tom Lynch

This was the hardest position to pick, with several other contenders (such as Smith). But I think Lynch has been a great player for us, five seasons averaging nearly 20 touches and a goal per game in the 2010s is an elite effort, plus our only 10 goal player in that period.

Reckon you are around the mark.

Ranking on All Australians, then Malcolm Blight medals...

1. Dangerfield (8 years) - 3xAA, 1xB&F
2. Betts (6 years) - 3xAA
3. Laird (7 years) - 2xAA, 1xB&F
4. Talia (10 years) - 2xAA, 1xB&F
5. Thompson (7 years) - 1xAA, 2xB&F
6. Sloane (10 years) - 1xAA, 2xB&F
7. M Crouch (7 years) - 1xAA, 1xB&F
8. Smith (10 years) - 1xAA
9. B Crouch (8 years) 1xB&F
10. Walker (10 years) - 2xAFLPA best captain

Jacobs unlucky as was robbed of an AA & should be in our top-10.

 

[Jcpdragonx]

Best
1. Sloane - Was nominated for a players MVP one year and has many top 10 Brownlow finishes. Literally tagged every second week as well and he's still number one. Should be Dual AA. Still think we underrate him here.

2. Talia - Dependable for a very long time, feels like he wins 90% of his match ups.

3. Dangerfield. Didnt hit his peak til Geelong but still 3x AA for us.

4. Betts - Best Small forward of our era. Loses points because he always struggled against big victorian clubs.

5. Thompson - Carried the team during lean years

6. Laird - Dependable, always played well whether win or loss

7. Smith - Second most important player during our premiership window. When he was tagged we weren't the same team. Can go missing though

8. Jacobs - 3x AA squad, durable and until later years rarely had a bad game. Usually been in the top bracket of rucks.

9. M.Crouch - Dependable, at his best probably a top 15 midfielder. Havn't seen it for 2 years though.

10. Douglas - At peak was a very good player, made one or two AA squads. Had a few down years in between

Honorable - Walker and Lynch

Worst
Can't remember enough but for those who got regular games, pick from Atkins, MacKay, Jenkins. Massive liabilities in big, tight games. Van Berlo played 4 years too long. Gibbs first month was great for but been a liability since

 

[1970crow]

Best

1) Patrick Dangerfield

Didn't win the Brownlow while with us but was clearly one of the best midfielders in the competition, if not he outright best, for four straight seasons. 3x All Australian and a B&F winner

2) Eddie Betts

Hard to go past Betts here, another "best in his position" player for four straight seasons, all 50+ goals, all leading goal kicker, plus 3x All Australian

3) Scott Thompson

The prime of his career was during this decade, especially during the early parts (2010-2014) where he was one of the most prolific midfielders in the competition. Carried our midfield during that period. All Australian and 2x B&F, well deserved

4) Daniel Talia

To get high up on this list I think you need to be a "best in position" type player, and all three of the guys before him are this. Talia is too, I'd say there was a period during the mid 2010s where he was the best lockdown key position defender in the league, culminating in 2x All Australian selections. Our best defender of the 2010s

5) Rory Sloane

Undoubtedly a very good player and probably would be higher on this list if his last few years were as strong as a couple of years back. A workhorse player that never quite elevated to being an absolute superstar, but still a great of the club

6) Sam Jacobs

Was in the conversation as the best ruck in the competition for a few years, and carried our ruck division for basically the entire decade. Very consistent player up until a few years ago and was unlucky not to be All Australian in that period

7) Taylor Walker

Our best key position forward of the 2010s and had one year (2012) where he was legitimately one of the best in the league. Unfortunately never quite reached that level again due to his knee injury but definitely still one of our best

8) Matt Crouch

Took over the reigns from Thompson and replicated his extreme ball winning ability, with an All Australian award and B&F to his name. Not quite as consistent for as long as Thompson in the 2010s but still in his prime and should be one of our best for the next few years.

9) Rory Laird

Our best half back across the 2010s with two All Australians. I don't rate him quite as highly as the others but he also has claims for being one of the best in his position and has been reasonably consistent

10) Tom Lynch

This was the hardest position to pick, with several other contenders (such as Smith). But I think Lynch has been a great player for us, five seasons averaging nearly 20 touches and a goal per game in the 2010s is an elite effort, plus our only 10 goal player in that period.

Worst

1) David Mackay

Absolutely no contest with this one. Not the outright worst player to play for us, but he has been consistently poor for basically the entire 2010s period, somehow reaching 200 games. If you summed up every bad game he played in this period, his output of shitness would dwarf any other Crow that played for us during that time

2) Curtly Hampton

Only played 12 games for us but finishes in the #2 spot after managing the single worst game of any Crow in the 2010s, never to be seen again.

3) Jared Petrenko

Another player that finishes high on the list based on sheer volume of bad games. Played 67 for us in the 2010s, most of which were below average, finishing as a small forward that averaged 0.66 goals per game. Whipping boy extraordinaire.

4) Matthew Wright

Like Petrenko, gets in the list for playing 94 mediocre games in the 2010s as a half forward who seemed always on the verge of getting dropped, but never was. Ran around doing not much, didn't kick goals, wasn't a great distributor of the ball inside 50. Luckily we can exclude his Carlton output when making this list

5) Richard Tambling

Putting him so high based on us paying a first round pick to get him. Played 16 of the most forgettable games you'll ever see, offered us literally nothing and we paid a massive price

6) James Sellar

9 games in the 2010s for 1 goal, a couple of hitouts and nothing else. Tall player that had no good position on the ground and never even remotely looked like making it

7) Brodie Martin

Can you believe this guy played 36 games in the 2010s? Seemed to be a stopgap player that couldn't really play anywhere very well. Trialed him on the wing, forward, midfielder. Sucked at them all.

8) Sam Shaw

Best known for having the worst hamstrings in Crows history, and also for routinely kicking it out on the full. Some people really rated this guy, I didn't, played 24 crap games and was generally very overrated.

9) Brad Moran

Terrible. 4 games in the 2010s means you have to be really bad to make the list. Couldn't play any position on the ground, looked legitimately hopeless

10) Kurt Tippett

Definitely not the worst player based on actual on field output in the 2010s. But it was a toss up here between crappy no-name 15-20 gamers and a guy that wasn't bad on field, but was the cause of lasting damage off the field. Second biggest piece of s**t to ever play for us in our entire history (after Brett Burton)

Pretty good, agree with pretty much everything. Reckon you’re a bit harsh on Martin and Shaw. Reckon both could play, cruelled by injury and opportunity at times in Martin’s case..

 

[Golumless]

Pretty good, agree with pretty much everything. Reckon you’re a bit harsh on Martin and Shaw. Reckon both could play, cruelled by injury and opportunity at times in Martin’s case..

Martin especially. He was electric until he broke his leg twice.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Full player list 2010-2019:

Games Player Years active

198 Rory Sloane (2010-19)
190 Richard Douglas (2010-19)
186 Daniel Talia (2011-19)
184 Sam Jacobs (2011-19)
181 David Mackay (2010-19)
175 Taylor Walker (2010-19)
167 Brodie Smith (2011-19)
153 Scott Thompson (2010-17)
150 Luke Brown (2012-19)
147 Josh Jenkins (2012-19)
143 Rory Laird (2013-19)
133 Tom Lynch (2012-19)
132 Eddie Betts (2014-19)
131 Patrick Dangerfield (2010-15)
109 Matt Crouch (2014-19)
108 Nathan Van Berlo (2010-16)
103 Ben Rutten (2010-14)
101 Kyle Hartigan (2013-19)
97 Rory Atkins (2015-19)
94 Matthew Wright (2011-15)
90 Ricky Henderson (2010-16)
90 Brent Reilly (2010-14)
83 Brad Crouch (2013-19)
83 Andy Otten (2011-19)
75 Jake Kelly (2015-19)
74 Matthew Jaensch (2010-15)
74 Bernie Vince (2010-13)
73 Charlie Cameron (2014-17)
67 Jared Petrenko (2010-14)
65 Michael Doughty (2010-12)
62 Jason Porplyzia (2010-14)
61 Kurt Tippett (2010-12)
60 Wayne Milera (2016-19)
58 Graham Johncock (2010-13)
56 Jake Lever (2015-17)
55 Jarryd Lyons (2012-16)
54 Riley Knight (2015-19)
52 Paul Seedsman (2016-19)
51 Hugh Greenwood (2017-19)
48 Mitch McGovern (2016-18)
44 Kyle Cheney (2015-18)
39 Cameron Ellis-Yolmen (2014-19)
36 Brodie Martin (2010-15)
34 Bryce Gibbs (2018-19)
33 Shaun McKernan (2011-14)
32 Ian Callinan (2011-13)
32 Lachlan Murphy (2018-19)
30 Alex Keath (2017-19)
27 Jordan Gallucci (2017-19)
27 Sam Kerridge (2012-15)
27 Ivan Maric (2010-11)
26 Chris Knights (2010-12)
24 Sam Shaw (2012-2015)
24 Brad Symes (2010-12)
21 Tom Doedee (2018-19)
21 James Podsiadly (2014)
20 Mitch Grigg (2013-15)
20 Reilly O'Brien (2016-19)
20 Scott Stevens (2010-11)
20 Luke Thompson (2011-14)
18 Phil Davis (2010-11)
18 Chris Schmidt (2010-11)
16 Simon Goodwin (2010)
16 Richard Tambling (2011-13)
14 Tony Armstrong (2010-11)
14 Darcy Fogarty (2018-19)
14 Jack Gunston (2010-11)
13 Nathan Bock (2010)
12 Curtly Hampton (2017-18)
12 Andrew McLeod (2010)
12 Aidan Riley (2011-13)
11 Myke Cook (2010-11)
11 Jonathon Griffin (2010)
11 Myles Poholke (2018-19)
10 Tyson Edwards (2010)
9 James Sellar (2010-11)
8 Elliot Himmelberg (2018-19)
8 Lewis Johnston (2012-14)
8 Chayce Jones (2019)
6 Brett Burton (2010)
5 Sam Gibson (2018)
4 Troy Menzel (2017)
4 Brad Moran (2011)
3 Jono Beech (2017)
3 Trent Hentschel (2010)
2 Tyson Stengle (2019)
2 Patrick Wilson (2018-19)
2 Will Young (2010)
1 Ben Davis (2019)
1 Tim McIntyre (2012)

Drugs Are Bad Mackay? I will accept payment in the form of car washes and babysitting.

Wow!

January 7th and already we have a contender for Poster of the Year

 

[Scorpus]

Martin especially. He was electric until he broke his leg twice.

Are you confusing him with someone else? Martin did his ACL but never broke his leg, and he only had played 2 games at that point. He then had a few other more minor injuries.

Aidan Riley broke his leg. Can't think of another fringe Crow that broke their leg twice

 

[Danger in Texas]

Wow!

January 7th and already we have a contender for Poster of the Year

A first post after being a member for over 3 years, no less

 

[Golumless]

Are you confusing him with someone else? Martin did his ACL but never broke his leg, and he only had played 2 games at that point. He then had a few other more minor injuries.

Aidan Riley broke his leg. Can't think of another fringe Crow that broke their leg twice

I might be, it's been a while.

That said, Martins second LTI might just be the Mandela effect for me.

 

[Danger in Texas]

Best:
1: Patrick Dangerfield. No contest here I reckon, was a true top midfielder in the comp for a good four year stretch before leaving. Amazing to see him at 1 after playing only half the decade
2: Eddie Betts. Singlehandedly made us an extremely fun team to watch with his freakishness. The best small forward in the game for a solid three year stretch
3: Rory Sloane. Heart and soul of the club, ever so consistent over the decade, maybe not ever in the top echelon of comp midfielders but someone who undoubtedly stepped up in Danger's absence
4: Scott Thompson. Was an absolute bull, albeit during some questionable years for our team as a whole. Cleaned up on the inside time and time again for the first half of the decade
5: Daniel Talia. Again, a true model of consistency, a key defender that you could count on week in, week out. Among the top key defenders in the comp right until the end of the decade, and might still be going into 2020
6: Taylor Walker. The captain for half the decade, and easily our best key forward over this time, despite some struggles with consistency. Could absolutely dominate on his day
7: Sam Jacobs. Some monster Showdown performances and some supreme overall ruck work will see him go down as the second best ruck the club's ever had. An absolute monster who was basically our ruck for the whole decade
8: Rory Laird. Close between him and Mrouch, but his longer time spent as a best 22 player, as well as his additional AA selections, get him over the line. One of the most prolific half backs the club has ever seen
9: Matt Crouch. His 2017 was nothing short of amazing, a fine ball winner up there with the likes of Thommo. Hasn't been in the 22 for a long period, nor has he been as impactful as someone like Betts from an on-field perspective, but still an amazing player
10: Brodie Smith. Someone who could break open zones like no tomorrow, the best of Smith is IMO some of the best footy we've seen from anyone who's played for our club. A great half back tandem with Laird

Worst:
This is hard, so I'm not doing writeups here. Minimum 10 games
1: Curtly Hampton
2: Richard Tambling
3: Bryce Gibbs
4: Jared Petrenko
5: Brodie Martin
6: Myles Poholke
7: Myke Cook
8: Tony Armstrong
9: Mitch Grigg
10: Luke Thompson

I refuse to put someone who's played 200 games for the club (even if it's undeserved) in the 'worst' list

 

[WeeBlake]

Betts
Dangerfield
Sloane
Talia
Thompson
Jacobs
Laird
Walker
Smith
MCrouch

Not gonna do worst, can’t be bothered getting cranky and mean

 

[mistylake]

Best
1. Sloane - Was nominated for a players MVP one year and has many top 10 Brownlow finishes. Literally tagged every second week as well and he's still number one. Should be Dual AA. Still think we underrate him here.

2. Talia - Dependable for a very long time, feels like he wins 90% of his match ups.

3. Dangerfield. Didnt hit his peak til Geelong but still 3x AA for us.

4. Betts - Best Small forward of our era. Loses points because he always struggled against big victorian clubs.

5. Thompson - Carried the team during lean years

6. Laird - Dependable, always played well whether win or loss

7. Smith - Second most important player during our premiership window. When he was tagged we weren't the same team. Can go missing though

8. Jacobs - 3x AA squad, durable and until later years rarely had a bad game. Usually been in the top bracket of rucks.

9. M.Crouch - Dependable, at his best probably a top 15 midfielder. Havn't seen it for 2 years though.

10. Douglas - At peak was a very good player, made one or two AA squads. Had a few down years in between

Honorable - Walker and Lynch

Worst
Can't remember enough but for those who got regular games, pick from Atkins, MacKay, Jenkins. Massive liabilities in big, tight games. Van Berlo played 4 years too long. Gibbs first month was great for but been a liability since

I thought you don’t rate Tex at all. Or is it more off field than on?

 

[Coopers]

Are you confusing him with someone else? Martin did his ACL but never broke his leg, and he only had played 2 games at that point. He then had a few other more minor injuries.

Aidan Riley broke his leg. Can't think of another fringe Crow that broke their leg twice

Didn't shaw have that huge gobbet of flesh removed from his leg? I remember the pictures.

 

[Vader]

I thought you don’t rate Tex at all. Or is it more off field than on?

Walker just hasn't done enough on the field to be rated in our top-10 players of the decade. He's never been AA and never gone close to winning the B&F.

On the positive side of the ledger, he was our leading goal scorer in 2011 & 2012, and was selected as the AFLPA's best Captain on two occasions.

His CV just isn't good enough to put him above 9th or 10th, and there's a fair argument for having him 11th or 12th at best.

 

[Elder van Berlo]

Ok I've got some time on my hands so I'll join in. The "good" list is heavily weighted towards who has contributed to our success (such as it was) in the decade - for that reason a solid contributor like Richard Douglas misses out. It's honourable to play to a higher level when your team sucks, but it doesn't get you in the top 10.

1. Rory Sloane
Enough said. Played the most games and was comfortably our best contributor over 10 years. The dumbest thing our club did this decade was accept his suspension for round 23, 2016. Well, it would have been the dumbest thing at any other club.

2. Taylor Walker
It's fashionable not to rate Tex. It's also stupid. The bloke has spent the last 10 years doing the following: getting dicked around by Neil Craig, dominating, recovering from an ACL, captaining the club through its hardest period while playing at a very high level (and in 2017, dominating), being thrown to the wolves while half fit in a dysfunctional team on and off the field, whilst still being rated by Champion Data as elite for his position. He's become our 2nd highest goalkicker of all time and by this time next year will be 1st. When we were a kick away from a GF, who got us there? That one time this decade we won a final in Melbourne, who won it? In 2017, Tex was ******* awesome until he was stupidly played injured against Essendon, aggravated his injury in the first contest of the night, and couldn't raise a trot for the rest of the year. Tex has been awesome. He's number 2 on this list and it's not close.

3. Eddie Betts
Remember how I said number 2 on this list wasn't close? If Eddie came over a few years earlier, it would have been. Say it quietly but he dropped off a cliff in mid-2017 but our team was so good nobody noticed. He's cooked and it's better he's gone, but he gave us an incredible 3-4 years there.

4. Daniel Talia
Absolute gun. His career is the reason I'm not cranky that we drafted a KPD at 6 this year.

5. Patrick Dangerfield
Our best player this decade by a stretch. I reckon he cost himself and the club at least 1 premiership by leaving - 2016 at least was there for the taking - and I will never forgive him for that.

6. Scott Thompson
A warrior who carried us through the dark early years of the decade. I did an analysis I think in 2015 of our B&F votes that showed that when fresh, he was still our best player or close to it. Would have benefited from some sensible management in the last few years of his career but you try telling him he's not playing.

7. Sam Jacobs
It would not be easy to find a better performing ruckman in the league for the 2010s. Incredibly consistent and resilient, and was always a bit of a barometer for us. Bonus points for being BOG 3 times in his career, all against our friends from down the road. It's a shame things went sour in the end.

8. Matt Crouch
Our best player in our best year for the decade, and otherwise a solid contributor in the half decade he's been with us. Getting this bloke back to top form would go a long way towards turning us around.

9. Rory Laird
Another one who it's become fashionable not to rate. His 2019 was pretty s**t but he had some mates there. Has otherwise been the best small defender in the comp for half a decade. When we were good, he was a huge part of it.

10. Brodie Smith
He's been solid at worst and breathtaking at best for the whole decade. I can't help wondering how different the GF might have been with him and McGovern out there. As a kid he was our best player in the 2012 finals series. He was also a crucial cog in the "good Pyke" team that moved the ball with breathtaking speed. I wonder whether he would be higher on this list if we had ever seriously committed to playing him in the midfield. Can't help thinking his broken collarbone in the 2013 pre-season was a bit of a fork in the road on that score.


Worst

1. Myke Cook
This guy was hot garbage. Athletic freak who really excited me, which is why I'm so mad that he was so bad. Doesn't count for this list, but does anyone remember his debut v Collingwood at the MCG (same game as Tex/Petrenko debuts) where, a few points up deep in the last quarter, he took a hanger at the top of the goalsquare and went back and missed it? That summed him up.

2. Curtly Hampton
Has dodged top spot on this list because I reckon some bad s**t went down on that camp and ****ed him up good and proper. He wasn't good before that, though.

3. David Mackay
The personification of the last 10 years of this club. Fun fact: we drafted Mackay with the pick that we should have had to spend on Gibbs under the F/S rule. At the start of the decade, my honest opinion was that I was glad it didn't pan out with Gibbs because we got the better player. That opinion changed over the course of the decade. Now I don't know how I feel.

4. Troy Menzel
In his first pre-season game with us against Freo, he kicked an absurd snap around his body that went fully 50m for a goal. It was super exciting. Can't help feeling that some of the blame for us never getting the best out of him lies with the club.

5. Jake Kelly
Hopefully he doesn't become the personification of the next 10 years of this club. It's fashionable to rate Kelly but here's the thing - he's really bad at football. There's no room in a decent AFL side for a mid-sized defender who is slow and can't kick. Spare me the "plays to his limitations" bullshit. Play Will campaignering Hamill. He'll stuff some things up but we'll be no worse for it immediately and susbtantially better in 12 months.

This bloke was rightfully on his way to the delist pile after being ignored at selection for the entire 2016 season until the Burton/Hass combo managed to strike both Kyle Cheney and Tom Doedee in pre-season and Kelly was the last man standing. Through a stunning combination of incumbency and incompetence at the selection table, a clearly too-good-for-the-SANFL Doedee then spent the whole year calmly dominating while the Bull in headlights was panicking his way through an AFL season masked by 21 outstanding teammates (20 the weeks Beech played).

And then the club had the temerity to call it a win for development when to the surprise of absolutely ******* nobody who had ever watched Doedee play in the SANFL, he came in and calmly dominated from his debut. Jake ******* Kelly. Spare me.

6. Myles Poholke
Jeez this bloke is bad. I was mildly confused by people calling the Jarryd Lyons trade a win the night we drafted Poholke. "But Lyons was pretty good. If this Hokey Pokey bloke was obviously better than Lyons why did we get him at pick 40-odd", I said to Mrs EVB. "I really don't give a *", she said. And now neither do I. Was emergency in round 1 2017, his first game on the list. Hasn't improved since. He's actually quite impressive at instinctively getting himself out of trouble, but then the brain kicks in and he freezes.

7. Tony Armstrong
The most impressive thing he did in his career was convince two other clubs that he was worth a second (and third) shot.

8. Sam Shaw
The injuries were a shame but realistically the only thing they limited was the number of times he kicked the ball out on the full in his career.

9. Luke Thompson
I actually didn't mind Luke Thompson. Goal on debut in a Showdown (was it his first kick? Let's say yes). He was the same draft class as Talia and I liked Luke better at first. But I will never, ever, ever, forgive him for being outmarked by Cyril Rioli after Johncock gave us the lead in the 2012 PF.

10. Brett Burton
Of the 90 (I counted that list) players who played for us in the 2010s, none damaged the club as much as this guy.

 

[Scorpus]

Some dishonorable mentions for worst player that haven't been mentioned yet:

Lewis Johnston - a great set shot kick who was completely hopeless at anything else, with a poor work rate
Jono Beech - some people really rated this guy from his SANFL work, but he sucked. Too slow to play his role
Patrick Wilson - massive difference between his SANFL performances and AFL. Far too slow and doesn't make up for it in other ways
Sam Gibson - this guy was never good at North, don't know why we traded for him, plus we stuffed his fitness
Sam Kerridge - he was better at Carlton than Adelaide. For us he was a disappointing, low possession midfielder who once kicked 6 goals to win versus North and did nothing else
Shaun McKernan - add him to the pile with Brad Moran and James Sellar, but to a lesser degree. Another one of our tall ruck-forwards who wasn't good in the ruck or up forward
Riley Knight - a 50+ game half forward who has struggled to play well in any position despite being tried in most of them. If Bryce Gibbs is making people's list, this guy should be well ahead of him

And some honorable mentions for best

Luke Brown - has held our lockdown small defender position for the best part of the decade and performed really well. We always look worse when he gets injured
Brad Crouch - hasn't had the bulk of work to make our top 10 but is now a B&F winner and has looked really good at times
Ben Rutten - didn't play his best football for us in the 2010s and was mostly on the decline, but I feel he held our defence together well through the transition period as we brought Talia and Davis up to speed.
Kyle Cheney - obviously is far from our best 10 players, but this guy was the most criminally underrated player for us in the 2010s. By far our best medium defender, we refused to give him a good run at the position despite being strong overhead, great on a variety of opponents and an elite kick
Bernie Vince - if Richard Douglas is good enough to be thereabouts for top 10, so is Bernie Vince. Went on to better things at Melbourne but always felt he was pretty good

 

[Morning_Fog]

Walker just hasn't done enough on the field to be rated in our top-10 players of the decade. He's never been AA and never gone close to winning the B&F.

On the positive side of the ledger, he was our leading goal scorer in 2011 & 2012, and was selected as the AFLPA's best Captain on two occasions.

His CV just isn't good enough to put him above 9th or 10th, and there's a fair argument for having him 11th or 12th at best.

Complete nonsense

404 goals in 175 games @ 2.3 goals per game is good enough to get in any top 10 liat for the Adelaide Crows.

 

[Elder van Berlo]

And some honorable mentions for best
...
Bernie Vince - if Richard Douglas is good enough to be thereabouts for top 10, so is Bernie Vince. Went on to better things at Melbourne but always felt he was pretty good

Strongly disagree. Rested on his laurels from 2009 and pretty much phoned it in for 4 years before being (rightfully) shipped off and pulling his finger out. He was pretty close to my worst 10 list.