Considering Hawthorn finished 15th this year and beat you pretty easily I’m not sure Hawthorn is the team you want to really be compared to. Of those 3 teams the Hawks were probably the weakest (and any dynasty really should be compared to Hawthorn of the 80’s to really measure up to an all time great team) with the Lions the strongest IMO.
The relative lack of finals appearances (compared to the periods both immediately before and after his career) for Crawford shows how foolish it is to base opinions on players solely on finals appearances. But regardless of that, my point with Crawford wasn’t to include him based on his finals performances, but that if the criteria is extended to include the players in the Hawthorn 08 team, his career stacks up as well as anybody else’s in those teams
It’s probably harder to name more than 5 current Richmond players who have what I consider above replacement level skill. Martin, Cotchin, Reiwdolt, Lynch and in time Rioli. The rest would all be replaceable skills wise, and have only achieved what they have thru discipline in their adherence to the game plan and hard work. Once again that’s not said to diminish their achievements or as if they are any less worthy winners of those particular seasons because if it. But you’re not going to convince me there is going to be a massive drop off in talent if you replaced Richmonds 3rd/4th best midfielders with North’s. By comparison, there is nobody from the Freo midfield in 01 (or Carlton in 02 or us in 03) that would come close to being able to push out someone from the Brisbane midfields of the same year.
Having seen my coach consistently use regular mids as rucks I only 1/2 take the piss suggesting he could hold out someone like Ottens/Hale out of the squad as he is clearly more talented as a footballer than those two. Looking back over the rest of the players named, the only other ones I’d say after reconsidering he was more talented than is Gunston and possibly the Scott’s, but even then I’d still back them to win their fair share of contests against him. But the KPD’s named would all nullify him as a forward, he is not a good enough forward to keep out the KPF’s, and wouldn’t be able to hold out any of the 3 Brisbane HoF’ers in the midfield without worrying about Hodge, Ablett, Selwood, Bartel etc
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