Greg Williams vs Gary Ablett Jr.

[Kong]

IMO, the greatest pure midfielders of their respective eras/decades.*

Williams, from the years I can remember of him during the 90s, was an absolute machine. Just didn't lose a clearance, and racked up possessions at will.

Ablett in the late 2000s was/is actually similar in that he's a clearance unit and ball magnet, though their styles of play are obviously very different.

Who do you rate as being the better player?


* I realise that Ablett's also a pretty handy forward, but to clarify I mean I rate their midfield work as the best of any players. There are others that I rate on par or higher that have rotated between midfield and other positions.

 

[BrownPearHookers]

Ablett Jnr has become the best mid I have ever seen play the game, His goal kicking makes him so much more dangerous. Williams would be 2nd, maybe Judd 3rd

 

[HyperAgressiveDonk]

Ablett. He is just as prolific in the ball winning department as Diesel, but is vastly superior in almost every other aspect. Williams was an all-time great, but GAJ is better by a fair margin.

 

[donbooger]

Ablett is the best midfielder I have ever seen, Williams is within that time frame.

 

[Elite Master]

Ablett is a far superior talent, he's the definition of a complete midfielder. Wins his own hard ball, breaks away on the outside, makes good decisions under pressure, shows leadership and kicks goals.

 

[Monkey King]

Williams easily for mine. The best midfielder I've seen. A Daicos/Ablett level of freak in his own podgy way.

Ablett. He is just as prolific in the ball winning department as Diesel, but is vastly superior in almost every other aspect.

May I ask Donk, how much you saw of Williams play? How many games did you catch when he played for the Swans? Because this seems to be a really poor reflection of the actual player.

Williams was as good by foot, if not better and much, much better by hand than Ablett; he was a better clearance player and had genius vision and play reading ability, setting up his teammates unlike any player I've ever seen. Diesel had plenty of attributes Ablett doesn't even come close to matching - and vice versa mind you.

 

[Gone Critical]

This as a good comparison but GAJ is a little behind the 8 ball as his career still has a lot of time left in it. Not sure about the assessments that have one or the other easily above or far superior to. These are 2 absolute elite talent at the very top of their eras.

My view is Williams wins just because he has a whole career to role out. If we just took a snapshot of 5 years though very few have dominated the competition like GAJ has in 2007-11. Williams as good as he was, and I would throw Buckley/Voss/Hird and Judd in as well, those 5 have never had a 5 year period like GAJ has

Both were/are bigtime performers. I have declined to vote as on whats been done to date Diesel is ahead but by the time Gary junior has finished I think he will have gone to a level just beyond Williams

 

[Hodgepodge]

Diesel. NBA was big in the 90s and I always compared him to John Stockton.

 

[Domenic Fotia]

Your selling Diesel a bit short. He was the no.1 centreman in the comp in the 80's as well as the 90's.

Diesel has Ablett covered in ball winning ability and disposal. Ablett has better outside pace. Diesel wins.

 

[T2B_]

I like GAj but I have to say Diesel. Yes, physically Ablett is the more well rounded technically superior player but that's one of the things that makes you realise why Diesel was so great. For all his physical limitations, the sheer impact he could have on a game was incredible and his skills amazing.

I think he had a what, 52 possie and 6 goal game as a personal high? Which would be amazing today, let alone then when possession counts etc were less.

Anyway, Gary still has plenty of footy ahead of him at least.

 

[maryjames]

Diesel. NBA was big in the 90s and I always compared him to John Stockton.

NBL was big in the early 90's and I always compared Diesel to Phil Smyth..
If Ablett keeps playing like he is the next 4 years or so he will go down as the best midfielder of all time..

 

[Hodgepodge]

NBL was big in the early 90's and I always compared Diesel to Phil Smyth..
If Ablett keeps playing like he is the next 4 years or so he will go down as the best midfielder of all time..

Will never go close to Leigh matthews' record. Maybe Kevin Bartlett?

 

[Donakebab]

Your selling Diesel a bit short. He was the no.1 centreman in the comp in the 80's as well as the 90's.

Diesel has Ablett covered in ball winning ability and disposal. Ablett has better outside pace. Diesel wins.

Have to disagree. Ablett has just the same ability to find the ball but is well ahead of Williams when it comes to disposing of the ball.

Both are/were outstanding footballers and both are destined for not only the HoF but imo legend status, but if Ablett can continue the way he is (as is expected) then he's got it in himself to be up there with Carey as one of the greatest players of all time.

 

[Trav 20]

I'm a little surprised by this poll. I saw both and have Williams ahead. Williams is the best hand-baller and decision maker I've seen in the game. He had a footy brain that was virtually unmatched and was consistently brilliant for his entire career. He won a B&F at Geelong before he ever went to Sydney and then Carlton.

Ablett is a terrific player with great pace and strength, but lacks the creativity of Williams. Ablett only averaged 15 possessions per game for his first 100. He's been phenomenal since, but Williams was a machine for his entire career.

They were different types, Ablett more a finisher and Williams the tough contested ball winner, athough I acknowledge that both could do either better than most.

Williams for me.

 

[T2B_]

Interesting, I always thought Ablett was a very good user of the ball but not necessarily elite by any means in terms of pure disposal. I could be wrong though.

If we're talking by foot though, Diesel in his latter years would have been down quite a bit due to his knee problems, I imagine. By hand he was always phenomenal and the best exponent of it in his era.

 

[OnceWeWereKings]

Both are jets.

Diesel could play forward as well as Ablett but never wanted to.

Was made to spend time forward in the 95 Grand Final

Result......

31 possessions, 5 goals and the Norm Smith medal.

 

[Donakebab]

Have you even seen that game or are you just spouting stats for the fun of it? Williams spent a shitload more time as a mid than a forward both in that game and for his entire career. For a ball winning machine like himself sticking him in the forwardline was a complete waste of talent. Diesel was an absolute superstar midfielder, but to even begin to compare him to Ablett as a forward is just ridiculous.

 

[Monkey King]

I'm a little surprised by this poll. I saw both and have Williams ahead. Williams is the best hand-baller and decision maker I've seen in the game. He had a footy brain that was virtually unmatched and was consistently brilliant for his entire career.

Me too, but this is BF, half the voters probably didn't even see Diesel's career in it's entirety. GAJ is bloody good, but Williams was just a magician; took out the MVP when guys like Ablett Snr, Carey, Lockett and Dunstall were dominating, that's how good he was.

Those suggesting Ablett has better disposal crack me up the most; by foot, Diesel could get the ball the dip/drop into a hole and had probably the best handball disposal I've ever seen - but what amplified his disposal quality was his vision and play reading. He would get teammates into dangerous positions before disposing of the ball and literally manufacture goals.

 

[Domenic Fotia]

Have to disagree. Ablett has just the same ability to find the ball but is well ahead of Williams when it comes to disposing of the ball.

we will have to agree to disagree... Williams is the best user of the football I have seen in 30 years +.

Williams only weakness was pace.

 

[Chism]

Williams for me and not just because i support Carlton either.

Diesel has the best handball the game has ever seen and was a Midfield machine and i think most who say Ablett have not seen much of Diesel at his best or are remembering his twilight years etc.

Ablett is a freak and a gun i admit that but with both players in their prime give me Diesel any day of the week.

 

[Old Skool]

Williams. He was more creative and the better team player.

He brought his team mates in to the play much more.

Ablett utilises his team mates on far too many occasions for 1-2 run around hand ball gives and receives, whereas a Diesel handball almost always set up a team mate in space.

 

[Wallaby]

Williams. Best mid I saw.

2nd is between Junior, Judd, and Ian Stewart (although I was very young when I saw him - but he also had enormous influence on games - like the other 3).

 

[crazywildhorse]

It took me awhile to get on the Ablett bandwagon, but now I am convinced he is the best player I have seen in the last 20 years. Williams was good but Ablett is better.

 

[one_twelve112]

Williams. The best I have seen in 30 yrs of footy. How 1 man could control what was happening with 40ish others is beyond me.

 

[larson]

Ablett, he is the best player I have seen.