Analysis Brownlow, Norm Smith, how we value players etc

Sep 22, 2011
40,573
87,819
Your girlfriend's dreams
AFL Club
Essendon
Thought the grand final summed it up once again.

Every year (around Brownlow time) people whinge about the “midfielders medal” and how forwards and back are unfairly undervalued.

Many blame the umpires, ignoring the fact that basically every media award plus the players and coaches awards are strictly midfielders awards too.

Can fans and others come to terms with the fact that midfielders are simply more important when it comes to winning?

Look at the Norm Smith. Really, what more could Bayley Fritsch do?

He played near enough to the perfect game for somebody in his position. And when it mattered most, when his team looked gone, it was him who produced and provided the spark.

The ex players and media voting had Petracca as a unanimous Norm Smith medalist. I’m inclined to agree with them.

Petracca’s numbers, though high, are not unheard of today. Every week we have mids having those sorts of games in terms of stats.

You just won’t find many people who rate Fritsch’s game above Petracca’s. Yet Fritsch could hardly have done more in his role.

Can people just accept it’s a game of midfields, and everybody else is secondary to it? Should they?
 
Sep 28, 2019
4,750
8,287
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Thought the grand final summed it up once again.

Every year (around Brownlow time) people whinge about the “midfielders medal” and how forwards and back are unfairly undervalued.

Many blame the umpires, ignoring the fact that basically every media award plus the players and coaches awards are strictly midfielders awards too.

Can fans and others come to terms with the fact that midfielders are simply more important when it comes to winning?

Look at the Norm Smith. Really, what more could Bayley Fritsch do?

He played near enough to the perfect game for somebody in his position. And when it mattered most, when his team looked gone, it was him who produced and provided the spark.

The ex players and media voting had Petracca as a unanimous Norm Smith medalist. I’m inclined to agree with them.

Petracca’s numbers, though high, are not unheard of today. Every week we have mids having those sorts of games in terms of stats.

You just won’t find many people who rate Fritsch’s game above Petracca’s. Yet Fritsch could hardly have done more in his role.

Can people just accept it’s a game of midfields, and everybody else is secondary to it? Should they?
Fritsch had a terrible second quarter, he played better then and he was in with a shout.

It was hands down Trac’s medal. He’s the one who lifted the dees out of the middle. Throw in supporting acts from Oliver and Jackson. But Trac was the main man.
 
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