Cripps Bontempelli Merrett Kelly - the next big 4?

[Yellow Feathers]

Merrett’s career is teetering on the edge right now. Nobody takes that many concussions and keeps going. Each one you take makes you more fragile and prone to them.

Shame, because I had Merrett clear #1. Essendon have McGrath so they’ll be OK. What a star.

 

[JG22]

Crouch should definitely be in this group. He's just as good as Merrett.

if they were drafted by the opposing clubs then he definitely would be

 

[carnthedons]

No Kelly is the best kick I have ever seen.

D Jarman?
L Gilbee?
Dozens of others?

 

[ManOfClay]

Kelly is a safe kick. Not necessarily the best.

Players like Gilbee etc were hitting the passes Kelly does but with an extra 15m

 

[The 747]

Yes your opinion. Premiership is also a team achievement.

Kelly was simply better in 2017 than bont 2016.

A B&F is an individual achievement. To do it in a flag year is quite significant.

 

[carnthedons]

Merrett’s career is teetering on the edge right now. Nobody takes that many concussions and keeps going. Each one you take makes you more fragile and prone to them.

Shame, because I had Merrett clear #1. Essendon have McGrath so they’ll be OK. What a star.

Well if the opposition would stop hitting him in the head, that’d be great. Amazing how somebody maligned as such an outsider keeps getting hit in the head.

Douglas last night was crude but not that malicious, Macintosh in the JLT similar, Levi Greenwood last year was a straight dog act.

 

[ManOfClay]

Kelly was simply better in 2017 than bont 2016.

In your opinion

 

[Blackhawk42]

Kelly was simply better in 2017 than bont 2016.

I will respectfully disagree with this statement also.

I see people have been arguing about Jack Billings when it comes to this topic. It's an interesting one. He isn't in the same bracket as these 4, let me start off by saying. BUT, he has genuine match winning capabilities that i'd argue Zach Merrett doesn't quite possess (yet). I was lucky enough to be there live last year when he had 30 disposals and kicked 5 goals against Carlton. He looked a class above. The Saints only won by 19 points too. If you are getting 30 touches and 5 goals from a small midfield/forward you have a star on your hands. There was also the game against the Bulldogs a few years ago when they made that huge comeback. He kicked 3 (I think) in the last quarter when it really mattered. He has shown he is the genuine match winner that Bont is, and Kelly and Cripps can become (Toby Greene is still the man at the Giants and Cripps and Curnow are going to share the mantle in the coming years for the Blues).
So a little off the main topic, but Billings at least rates up with these guys on 1 major (and essentially unmeasurable) factor.

 

[RedmanWasHere]

Blackhawk42.

What I'm getting out of that is Billings is the clear 6th or 7th with Crouch 5th and Ben Brown 6th.

Or are we strictly talking about the 2013 draftees born in 1995?

 

[Donakebab]

Blackhawk42.

What I'm getting out of that is Billings is the clear 6th or 7th with Crouch 5th and Ben Brown 6th.

Or are we strictly talking about the 2013 draftees born in 1995?

Fantasia > Billings

 

[RedmanWasHere]

Fantasia > Billings

I completely forgot Fantasia was drafted in 2013 and born in 1995.

A tenuous 6th or 7th.

But we have a clear 5.

 

[FlowersByIrene]

I think we can probably take Bont out of this list and add crouch

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[90N90S]

It could definitely be argued that the style of a player like Cripps suits you much better than a guy like Merrett would while rebuilding.

Yeah very true Merret is a gun as wellI hate putting down any players.

But it suits the blues having Cripps and we have done will with getting a few others.

SPS, Kennedy etc to help out.

I reckon if Kruz, Kennedy weren't injured we would have matched the Tigers and would have been a lot closer.

But glad we have Cripps and Curnow we can even play him in the middle but that's for a future date.

 

[the harry]

I think we can probably take Bont out of this list and add crouch

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I think most will strongly disagree.

 

[Juddernaut08]

I will respectfully disagree with this statement also.

I see people have been arguing about Jack Billings when it comes to this topic. It's an interesting one. He isn't in the same bracket as these 4, let me start off by saying. BUT, he has genuine match winning capabilities that i'd argue Zach Merrett doesn't quite possess (yet). I was lucky enough to be there live last year when he had 30 disposals and kicked 5 goals against Carlton. He looked a class above. The Saints only won by 19 points too. If you are getting 30 touches and 5 goals from a small midfield/forward you have a star on your hands. There was also the game against the Bulldogs a few years ago when they made that huge comeback. He kicked 3 (I think) in the last quarter when it really mattered. He has shown he is the genuine match winner that Bont is, and Kelly and Cripps can become (Toby Greene is still the man at the Giants and Cripps and Curnow are going to share the mantle in the coming years for the Blues).
So a little off the main topic, but Billings at least rates up with these guys on 1 major (and essentially unmeasurable) factor.

lol

 

[FlowersByIrene]

I think most will strongly disagree.

You just don't get enough impact out of a bloke who only picks up 20 possessions.

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[Juddernaut08]

I think we can probably take Bont out of this list and add crouch

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no, crouch can move in there if he can become more damaging. not the level of the other 4 yet though

 

[90N90S]

..

 

[Golden_6]

You just don't get enough impact out of a bloke who only picks up 20 possessions.

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Geez you’re right. Those two extra possessions that Cripps gets makes the world of difference doesn’t it?

 

[eaglespremiers]

Kelly and Bontempelli currently playing directly on each other in the WB v Giants game.
Kelly has run amok in this first quarter.

 

[Back One Out]

Speaking as an unbiased football purist and neutral observer....

1. Josh Kelly
2. daylight
3. more daylight
4. Cripps, Bontempelli, Merrett

I like Cripps, Bont and Merrett, good footballers and no doubt will keep developing into star footballers over the next decade, but I reckon they stand out due to the lack of star power around them.

Carlton are a bit short on quality and they're a dour defensive team. Cripps is their Great White Hope. He could be the next Josh Kennedy.

The Bulldogs don't really have any champions, they're a really even blue-collar bunch and Bont is the closest thing they've got to a champion. On his good days, you'd say "Yep, he is a champion" but I don't think he is quite there yet. He doesn't bring it every week.

Essendon have Daniher, Hurley, Merrett and bunch of pacy, flashy types, but no real grunt. Merrett kind of stands out as a result. Heppell is alright, but Merrett is clearly the pick of their on-ballers, so he gets pumped up by the Bomber faithful

If Josh Kelly played for any of these other three teams, there would no argument from their fans that he was the best.
As it is, I reckon there is no argument. Clearly the Giants' most brilliant footballer (and they have a few)

 

[The Joker]

Cripps is brutal and Kelly is poetic. Take your pick, there is no air between them!!!

 

[The Joker]

Speaking as an unbiased football purist and neutral observer....

1. Josh Kelly
2. daylight
3. more daylight
4. Cripps, Bontempelli, Merrett

I like Cripps, Bont and Merrett, good footballers and no doubt will keep developing into star footballers over the next decade, but I reckon they stand out due to the lack of star power around them.

Carlton are a bit short on quality and they're a dour defensive team. Cripps is their Great White Hope.

The Bulldogs don't really have any champions, they're a really even blue-collar bunch and Bont is the closest thing they've got to a champion

Essendon have Daniher, Hurley and bunch of pacy, flashy types, but no real grunt. Merrett kind of stands out as a result.

If Josh Kelly played for any of these other three teams, there would no argument that he was the best.
As it is, I reckon there is no argument. Clearly the Giants most brilliant footballer (and they have a few)

So, how good do you think the others would be in this GWS team?

 

[Back One Out]

So, how good do you think the others would be in this GWS team?

They would just as good as they are now for their current teams...

Players don't lose their skills or pace or agility (or gain ability) based on the ladder position of the team they play for.

All 4 of these young mids are instigators of play. They're not reliant on teammates around them to win the ball and make things happen

 

[Thrawn]

Merrett’s career is teetering on the edge right now. Nobody takes that many concussions and keeps going. Each one you take makes you more fragile and prone to them.

Shame, because I had Merrett clear #1. Essendon have McGrath so they’ll be OK. What a star.

Wtf is that in your avatar?