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Rawlings: 28.3 disposals at 82.5% efficiency
O'Brien: 15.7 disposals at 73.7% efficiency.
Rawlings also heads O'Brien for rebounds, tackles, 1st possessions and contested possessions.
Every year or two the AA selectors make an absolute howler of a decision and in 2010 it was O'Brien ahead of Rawlings.
O'Brien: 15.7 disposals at 73.7% efficiency.
Rawlings also heads O'Brien for rebounds, tackles, 1st possessions and contested possessions.
Every year or two the AA selectors make an absolute howler of a decision and in 2010 it was O'Brien ahead of Rawlings.
A better statistic would be meterage gained per possession to go with the disposal efficiency. I'd take 70% disposal efficiency with someone that runs and carries and kicks it long, than 90% efficiency for someone that is giving off handballs all game (see Watson against us Round 20).
Playing midfield obviously influences a lot of those stats also.
Certainly at this stage Rawlings is the more accomplished player, and I partly agree that O'Brien was a bit of a dodgy choice for AA, due to inconsistency. Yet I don't think if anyone had the choice they would choose Rawlings over O'Brien. Harry is nowhere near reaching his potential, where Rawlings just had what will likely be his career best season. Plus they are different players. Harry is a genuine mid sized defender that can play on talls or smalls, Rawlings is a genuine small defender/midfielder.
A better comparison would be to Heath Shaw, who would be averaging similar possession numbers if we had a need for him in the midfield, which we certainly don't with our current depth. And even then I'd take Shaw. Like Harry, just far more damaging with the run and carry, plus he kicks it.
