Greatest Player This Decade

[NewBabyBombaz]

Recently I have heard a few passiante fans claiming that Gary Ablett Jnr is the greatest player this decade, slightly premature? So I created a poll with his opposition, all great names, hopefully I havent left anyone out but this seems fair to me. This applies to the players brilliance over a one to two year period rather than consistency over 5 years. A judge of them as a player at their peak. Please concentrate on those nominated rather than noominating new ones.

 

[Big Nasty]

Ablett has only just started hitting his straps, so you can't really include him. I would say Hird.

 

[Campbell's Chunky]

Woewodin?

First brownlow medallist of the millenium!!

 

[NewBabyBombaz]

Woewodin?

First brownlow medallist of the millenium!!

Yeh, I originally had him in there, but I just don't think he is on this level of elite!

 

[Heater39]

Voted for Black because he has been so consistently good, then I read the opening post. At their absolute peak I would probably say Judd.

 

[drew_j]

Voted for Black because he has been so consistently good, then I read the opening post. At their absolute peak I would probably say Judd.

At thier absolute peak Kouta would have been considred the best player of all time. But he only did it for about half a season.

 

[murph#3]

at their peak i think everyone would agree it was kouta. overall, most would agree it was judd. at the moment, i think it's probably ablett.

 

[hellfire]

Probably Jimmy Hird.

 

[marcmurphy3]

At their peak Kouta no contest.

 

[doggiesin08]

Kouta for mine. Showed some of his stats for a 12 week period the other week on On The Couch and they were incredible.

 

[swiftdog]

I said Voss, he stood up when it counted

 

[tintin]

y am i think only one voting cousins?
even before all his problems were know to the public, i thought (and so did alot of other people) he was the hardest workin player in the league.
just like voss he could spur on his team to a win and not just drag them over the line

 

[Power King]

Bartel and Ablett don't even deserve to be mentioned in this poll.

For a midfielder I'd go Black, Cousins or Judd (the more famous greats had a significant part of their career played in the 90's)

No key position players?

edit: in terms of the 3 I listed, I'm going with Judd, because the question specifically asks "greatest player AT THEIR PEAK" and I believe Judd at his best is ____ing ridiculous

 

[hellfire]

I don't buy into the Kouta love. Sure, at his best he was something else. Fair enough if sustained brilliance isn't the criterion here, but his period of dominance was tiny. It's like saying Buster Douglas is the greatest heavyweight because of one night in Tokyo, when guys like Ali and Louis (and tens and tens of others) showed consistent brilliance.

 

[Salopek31]

It's amazing how different perception is from reality sometimes. The decades enjoyed by the likes of Brent Harvey, Warren Tredrea, Brad Johnson, Scott West & Matthew Richardson equal or better those had by at least half of the players on that list yet because they play for smaller/less successful clubs they are overlooked when one compiles a list of 'elite' performers. It really is tragic and it's sad that the majority of football supporters fall for this sort of nonsense.

 

[Mike_blues]

id say kouta but i am bias
so id take jimmy hird anyday of the week
was a dead set champion

 

[Carl Hooper]

The Thousands has belonged to C.Judd no doubt.

 

[Salopek31]

The Thousands has belonged to C.Judd no doubt.

I would argue there is plenty of doubt over that statement.

Didn't play from 2000-2001, was a good young player without being even near the elite category from 2002-2003, was in the elite bracket from 2004-2006, and his last 1 and a half years are not noteworthy except to say he has shown an inability to play injured (something the likes of Voss & Hird could do continually).

So really Judd has only had 3 truly elite seasons. Compare that to others in the poll and the handful of underrated superstars that I mentioned in my previous post and Judd doesn't even make the top 10, realistically.

The thing is, we are talking the greatest player of this decade so we are talking sustained brilliance not short periods of time where a player is the best in the league (eg Ablett & Judd). For short periods of time it'd be hard to go past Kouta out of everyone in this poll, he was unstoppable in 2000.

 

[murph#3]

except to say he has shown an inability to play injured (something the likes of Voss & Hird could do continually).

honestly that is easily the most ridiculous statement i've ever read on bigfooty. absolute garbage.

he shouldn't have even played the last half of last year.

in the 06 grand final, he popped his shoulder out in the 3rd 1/4 yet still was one of his team's best in the final quarter and broke the record for most contested possessions in any finals game.

not many specific incidents are springing to my mind right atm but i've always admired judd for his ability to play through an injury.

just last week, he sustained concussion (rumoured to be fractured cheekbone or broken jaw) yet still played out the whole game.

you have just got no clue at all mate. what a stupid assessment of someone, absolutely stupid and plus there is absolutely no way you can know what kind of injury any player in the league has played through, what are you a club medico or something??

 

[Power King]

I would argue there is plenty of doubt over that statement.

Didn't play from 2000-2001, was a good young player without being even near the elite category from 2002-2003, was in the elite bracket from 2004-2006, and his last 1 and a half years are not noteworthy except to say he has shown an inability to play injured (something the likes of Voss & Hird could do continually).

So really Judd has only had 3 truly elite seasons. Compare that to others in the poll and the handful of underrated superstars that I mentioned in my previous post and Judd doesn't even make the top 10, realistically.

The thing is, we are talking the greatest player of this decade so we are talking sustained brilliance not short periods of time where a player is the best in the league (eg Ablett & Judd). For short periods of time it'd be hard to go past Kouta out of everyone in this poll, he was unstoppable in 2000.

^I agree with everything you wrote except this. The poll question (not thread title, so that makes interpretation confusing for us posters) asks who the greatest is, when AT THEIR PEAK. I don't believe it involves consistency and hence sustained brilliance, just who is the greatest when they're playing the best footy they can play. For me that is Judd. If we're talking consistency this decade, he doesn't get the vote from me due to having just 3 elite seasons as you said.