Dusty v Gary Ablett Junior

[yyou]

I've loved Dusty since I saw him tear it up in a practice game in his first year in the AFL, but
This discussion would not be happening if norm Smith judges voted slightly differently in the first 2 flags.
Obviously he was a standout in last years gf, but had Houli won it in 2017, which he certainly could have, Dusty wouldn't be considered close to GAJ.
IMO

On SM-G960F using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Marcel Proust]

I've loved Dusty since I saw him tear it up in a practice game in his first year in the AFL, but
This discussion would not be happening if norm Smith judges voted slightly differently in the first 2 flags.
Obviously he was a standout in last years gf, but had Houli won it in 2017, which he certainly could have, Dusty wouldn't be considered close to GAJ.
IMO

On SM-G960F using BigFooty.com mobile app is

Martin had twenty two contested possessions... The first time.

DE 90odd %

He was the deserving winner as good as bacha is

 

[Xtreme]

Ablett didn't drag his side from certain defeat, to a magnificent victory kicking 4 goals against the odds in a grand final!

Dusty is the best player in the AFL era.

 

[juss]

It's still GAJ for mine. However it will be really interesting in 3-5 years to revisit this as Dusty still has a lot of time left.

GAJ was just a supremely dominant player through the home and away series, but I can't help but think moving to Gold Coast was a shame, we missed seeing him in finals and that's ultimately where things matter in our game. Thats where the performances mean more than any other game, and that's the area I have Dusty ahead of GAJ.

 

[Marcel Proust]

 

[Aristotle Pickett the3rd]

Gary jnr was an accumulator and Martin is more of a match winner .Leigh Mathews says Dusty so I'll agree with that

 

[Elite Master]

Matthews is respected for his views but he is as fickle and flip floppy as anyone when it comes to best player discussions.

 

[The Cryptkeeper]

Ablett didn't drag his side from certain defeat, to a magnificent victory kicking 4 goals against the odds in a grand final!

Dusty is the best player in the AFL era.

I'd have him in the top 5 but don't know that I would have him as the best player of the AFL era. However he is, alongside Luke Hodge the best big game player I have seen in the last 30 years. Mind you, he also has probably another 3 years left at the very top so who knows where his career ends up. He might even win another Norm Smith.

Carey, Franklin, Martin, G Williams (although there is 80's overlap) and GAJ would be my top 5 in rough order.

 

[The Cryptkeeper]

Matthews is respected for his views but he is as fickle and flip floppy as anyone when it comes to best player discussions.

Yep, Matthews has repeatedly said that Buddy's 2008 season is the greatest season ever by an individual player.

Lethal loves a big statement. As most of us do to be fair.

 

[Sonny Hayes]

As great as Dusty is it just isn't close

Ablett was the best player in the comp for pretty much a decade, Dusty maintains this level for another 5 years and we can talk.

 

[00Stinger]

It’s damn close. GAJ has him on longevity and accolades. 3 Norm Smith’s do carry a lot of weight though. Stats wise they’re almost identical. Dusty probably has him on his peak performance. Once both retired it’s still going to be hard to split them, like a lot of these discussions going one way or another will come down to personal opinion.

I am a big fan of GAJ as a player, however Dusty’s absolute best is a hair better than Gaz’s best for mine.

The issue is Gaz's best/peak was in an abysmal side so he never got the chance in his true peak to showcase himself in finals.

But in 2014 Ablett was literally single handedly carrying a poor Gold Coast team full of 21 years old to the finals by himself. He was going at 33 touches and 1.7 goals a game that year. That ****ing insane and how anyone can call him a stat padder beggars belief (not saying you did)

Dustys has the 3 Norm Smiths which is unmatched but does that better 5 MVP's? I'm not sure tbh

Dusty maybe gets the tick in big games but Ablett's consistency to be in the best 5-6 players in almost every game he played for about 10 years is a phenomenal achievement

I can't go passed Ablett as the best but the longer Martin career goes on the more valid the comparison is imo

 

[kozi]

The issue is Gaz's best/peak was in an abysmal side so he never got the chance in his true peak to showcase himself in finals.

But in 2014 Ablett was literally single handedly carrying a poor Gold Coast team full of 21 years old to the finals by himself. He was going at 33 touches and 1.7 goals a game that year. That ******* insane and how anyone can call him a stat padder beggars belief (not saying you did)

Dustys has the 3 Norm Smiths which is unmatched but does that better 5 MVP's? I'm not sure tbh

Dusty maybe gets the tick in big games but Ablett's consistency to be in the best 5-6 players in almost every game he played for about 10 years is a phenomenal achievement

I can't go passed Ablett as the best but the longer Martin career goes on the more valid the comparison is imo

That’s why this comparison is one of the better ones on the polls board.

Here’s another angle. Without stats accolades teams etc, take their best (50?) games each and watch with no pre convinced ideas. If having to pick who would you say at the end?

Taking off my beer goggles I’d still probably have Dusty by a whisker.

 

[00Stinger]

That’s why this comparison is one of the better ones on the polls board.

Here’s another angle. Without stats accolades teams etc, take their best (50?) games each and watch with no pre convinced ideas. If having to pick who would you say at the end?

Taking off my beer goggles I’d still probably have Dusty by a whisker.

Off top of my head I have no idea tbh

Martins best has been more recent and in finals so it sticks out in memory more

But Ablett was freakish at his best

One of the main things that sticks out and makes the comparison even tougher is the sides they did it in. Martin did his best in the top team in the biggest games which always rightly gets acknowledged. Whereas Ablett did it in a great side and the knock on him was he was protected by Geelong ext. Then he went to Gold Coast which were one/if not the worst team the league has ever seen and he just destroyed it like no other player has in such a poor team despite the opposition putting so much work into him

I went to Hawthorn v Geelong in 2009 with a Hawthorn mate. I remember sitting there watching the game thinking this is the best game of live AFL I had seen in a long time. The game was so hotly contested, no players had time but still managed to look good. Then Ablett would get the ball and just waltz through the crowd like he knew where/how to move without getting caught, that always sticks out in my head when I remember watching him play.

Now I'm sure as a Richmond supporter going to watch them live you would regularly see the same thing with Martin in big games too so I'm not saying he doesn't do that

 

[The Cryptkeeper]

No team deliberately went out of their way to stop Luke Hodge from sea gulling behind the ball, they should have mind you, but they didn't. This is the difference between the truly great match winning footballers and those like a Hodge or McLeod (great players but not GOAT status great).
In Carey's day, opposing teams were solely focused on stopping him entirely as they knew it would win the game by doing so. Same with Ablett Snr.

You really don't see many taggers in today's game. If you happen to be naturally brilliant around goals, and you can gut run at an elite level, you will have your way against most teams just as the likes of Martin, Bontempelli, Fyfe and Dangerfield do today.

I would personally pick James Hird ahead of Martin given he could also take contested marks and win games off his own ball as frequently as what Martin does. But supporters quickly forget how good past players were.

Pathetic veiled sledge at Luke Hodge.

Luke Hodge won plenty of games with incredible performances. His 2008 GF was a masterpiece. His 2014 GF almost as good.

Hodge and McLeod are two of the greatest players of all time. Only an idiot would argue otherwise.

 

[Marcel Proust]

I said they were two great players but no one is ever going to put them in the greatest of all time discussion, correct?
In fact, was Hodge ever Hawthorn's number one player?

I say again, he was a brilliant midfielder who became an even better player as a half back flanker but I am positive opposing teams were far more worried about nullifying Franklin's 4 goals per game than worrying about Hodge's 30 disposals and 1 goal every second match.

Poor man's vlastuin IMHO.

Don't get me wrong very solid and silky.

Playing back pocket takes some gloss off

 

[The Cryptkeeper]

Poor man's vlastuin IMHO.

Don't get me wrong very solid and silky.

Playing back pocket takes some gloss off

This is revenge for the 'dickhead' comment in the other thread, right?

Love your work.

 

[Marcel Proust]

This is revenge for the 'dickhead' comment in the other thread, right?

Love your work.

Na I don't really read the name if it's got a Geelong or hawthorn flag next to it just skim to text

Vlastuin is indeed a gun. Dimma had him for norm smith before danger had a change of plans.

No.1 the league for intercept marks he ain't that big. But like I said I was high on Hodge to and a bit jealous when 5he tigers were no good

 

[Sonny Hayes]

Poor man's vlastuin IMHO.

Don't get me wrong very solid and silky.

Playing back pocket takes some gloss off

Yeah true i can see that, similar to how Cotchin is just a poor mans Liam Shiels

Good solid role player who helps the better players around him win games

 

[Marcel Proust]

Yeah true i can see that, similar to how Cotchin is just a poor mans Liam Shiels

Good solid role player who helps the better players around him win games

Who?

 

[freddy mercury]

If Dusty was to retire right now today, I would have GAJ ahead, by the smallest of margins.
But considering Dusty is still on top of his game and Richmond are not sliding down the ladder anytime soon, I have no doubt Dusty will overtake GAJ.

 

[Daka]

I'm going to try not to be biased, I do not think Dustin Martin has overall caught Gary Ablett Jr yet as a player but I do think Dusty has been the better bigger game/finals player I mean it's not even close Ablett didn't win a Norm Smith which possibly hurts his CV a little given he had chances but got outshined by Steve Johnson & Paul Chapman

Paul Chapman

Age

44

Ht

179cm

Wt

87kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

19.7

5star

K

12.8

5star

HB

6.9

4star

M

4.7

4star

T

3.5

5star

G

1.3

5star

No current season stats available

D

6.6

2star

K

4.0

2star

HB

2.6

3star

M

1.0

1star

T

1.8

4star

G

0.2

3star

respectively wasn't in the top 3 votes both those GF's. It got me thinking I wonder if Ablett regrets leaving Geelong they went on to win another flag & had they him while he was in he's prime at the Suns he might've have won another 2-3 flags with a Norm enhancing his legacy making him near impossible to catch.

 

[RichLeMonde]

If Dusty went to the same GC team GAJ did, I don't think he would have been dragging them towards finals by the scruff of the neck like GAJ (before he did his shoulder).

Having watched a lot of Dusty, much as I love him I think he'd be a much diminished player in a weak side.

So GAJ for me, comfortably.

 

[Floki2011]

Ablett jnr by a long way

 

[Stevi_Tigers]

I’d take dusty in finals but yeah gaj

 

[RichLeMonde]

Dusty’s 3rd goal in the GF sums him up as a player (the tumbling top spinning kick that bounced through).

Freakish skill, sized up the options and made the best decision in a split second, seized the moment like few (no one else?) can.

But, it all happened because as soon as the centre bounce occurs Dusty cheats by drifting to high half forward, backing his teammates to cover him defensively and to win the footy themselves and get it forward. That’s how he got the space to win and kick that ball. Not sure how that would work if he played for North Melbourne