Hawthorn's top 10 mids ever

[toomanysquibs]

Based on pure talent and more than a season or two in the middle

Matthews
Jarman
Platten
Mitchell
Crawford (went down a place only because of his few off years. He was brilliant when he was on)
Hodge
Bertie
Pritchard (way more talented than you would immediately think, and cut down in his prime by a broken leg)
Tuck (would feel bad leaving him out, though can see arguments for the three below based on ability not durability)

Apologies

Condon
Burgoyne
Allan


I'm likely biassed on the last two, but Condon's best was insanely good. Big, tall, strong bodied mid with pace... again cut down by injury in his prime. Allan was something else, super strong in the contest with a booming kick and high level ball winning ability. Super classy player.

 

[Furn2]

Does Terry Wallace get a run ? 2 B&Fs one on a flag year, 3 flags and basically 3 AAs. 2 more B&Fs at Bulldogs not that that counts but he could play.

 

[WWSD]

If Tom Mitchell’s career keeps heading towards this trajectory, then I do believe he will be in the top 10 Hawthorn midfielders of all time.

 

[Fastback]

In no order and just my opinion

S Mitchell
Hodge
Burgoyne
Platten
Lewis
Crawford
Matthews
Tuck
Pritchard
Wallace

 

[Brant]

What about Eade? Or Russell Greene?

Are they in consideration?

 

[toomanysquibs]

Does Terry Wallace get a run ? 2 B&Fs one on a flag year, 3 flags and basically 3 AAs. 2 more B&Fs at Bulldogs not that that counts but he could play.

I picked Mitchell over him, the one thing I noticed when putting the list together was that we seemed to be slowish. I factored that in, with Apologies to Eade.

 

[grumbleguts]

I wonder where Worpel's name will sit once all is said and done.

 

[flinchfree]

Platten
Sam
Crawf
Tuck
Lethal
Athur
Dip
Rowlings
Condon
Wallace

Lewis at 11 & Bucky at 12 just outside this group, while Burger/Hodge/Jarman could all have forced one of the above 10 out on sheer talent and effect, however I just don't think they played enough of the position as a 'mid' when I run the names though my mind.
My chosen 10 were all genuine midfielders and stars, many superstars.
Contrary to a post earlier, I don't think outside of the Eagles there's another teams group who's class is in the conversation......

 

[Davo-27]

Hello all,

Thought it might be interesting for us to have a go at ranking Hawthorn's best ever midfielders. Unlike a lot of other clubs, when we list our greatest ever players, many of the names are key forwards, utilities and key defenders - whilst other sides tend to have long lists of pure midfielders. This balance and versatility across a number of eras has no doubt been a contributor to our incredible success over the past 5-6 decades but certainly makes picking a list of our best ever midfielders quite the challenge.

For me, I think the top of the list picks itself...

1. Leigh Matthews
2. Sam Mitchell
3./4. John Platten/Shane Crawford in whatever order you prefer

Then it starts to get really tough with options such as: Tuck, Bohan, Edwards, Wallace, Austen, Crimmins, Law, Dipper, Pool, Spinks, Lewis, Albiston, Sewell, etc.

and then there's the utilities who played midfield such as: Hodge, Arthur, Burgoyne, Ayers, Greene, Simmonds, Buckenara, Jarman, etc. Even these groupings are debatable.

So, have a go at picking your top 10+ Hawthorn mids. Who makes the cut? Where do you place players who were part time midfielders?

i will have a stab at my top 10

Darren Jarman - he was a special talent, amazing skills, tough as nails and could cut open defensive structures with ease
Sam Mitchell - had very high disposal efficiency as well as for the first 2/3rds of his career being one of the best in and under mids in the comp
Shane Crawford - was super consistent and was just unlucky to be in ordinary teams during our troubled years off the field, true champion of the club
Darrin Pritchard - amazing pace and skill, had to be tough in a time of footy thugs, one of the best wingers of all time
Luke Hodge - i consider him a midfielder, even though he spent a lot of time off the half back and wasted first years as a small forward, absolute champion, absolute leader and was a guy you would follow into battle with the knowledge he will put his body on the line to win
Leigh Matthews - a great midfielder and small forward, one of the best ever, if not the best player ever, tough, uncompromising and like Hodge, would do anything to win.
Robert DiPierdomenico - tough, warrior, never back down, anything to win, this was Dipper as well as being skilful and a great character around the club
Jordan Lewis - never got a lot of glory for being a great midfielder, but he was lethal with his left foot, he would always fight for his team mates and put his body on the line
Isaac Smith - his gut running and goal kicking put him in the top 10, his charming country attitude has also been a plus for most of his career, a great winger no doubt
Michael Tuck - a legend at the club, durable, tough as nails for a guy skinny as he was, champion
John Platten - the rat was an out and out champion, in and under specialist, seeing him play in the mud was a treat and his running goals were also great, champion

i might have missed 1 or 2, but im gonna cheat and have a top 11

 

[Tall poppy Syndrome]

Based on pure talent and more than a season or two in the middle

Matthews
Jarman
Platten
Mitchell
Crawford (went down a place only because of his few off years. He was brilliant when he was on)
Hodge
Bertie
Pritchard (way more talented than you would immediately think, and cut down in his prime by a broken leg)
Tuck (would feel bad leaving him out, though can see arguments for the three below based on ability not durability)

Apologies

Condon
Burgoyne
Allan


I'm likely biassed on the last two, but Condon's best was insanely good. Big, tall, strong bodied mid with pace... again cut down by injury in his prime. Allan was something else, super strong in the contest with a booming kick and high level ball winning ability. Super classy player.

Yeah Benny Allan winning the club best and fairest in that ridiculously talented 91 premiership team shows how good he was.

Wasn’t with us for long though which counts against him in Top 10 calculations.

 

[A Cut Above]

Matthews, Mitchell, Crawford & Platten are the clear top four, amazing to think the best of the lot is the only one without a Brownlow.

I don't see how Hodge can be rated ahead of Mitchell as an onballer when he seldom played in the middle. He may have been superb when he did, but no way I'm not putting a specialst ahead of a part-timer in any position.

Jarman was easily in the top group on his day and on his own in terms of talent, but didn't have the sheer consistency of output of those four.

 

[KermitJagger]

I reckon we have a shallow list of champion mids - only four all time greats (Matthews, Platten, Mitchell and Crawford). Compare this to our all time KPPs - Moore, Langford, Knights, Mew, Franklin, Brereton, Hudson and Dunstall would be eight of the best 30 KPPs ever, yet perhaps only four of the top 100 mids.
I reckon it proves that KPPs wins you premierships.

I don't think so, I think we have some absolutely elite midfielders who are simply overlooked or not seen as 'Champion Mids' purely for two reasons:

1. Our Key Position Players were in another league entirely, and it overshadowed our mids.
2. We have always, particularly recently, valued versatility in our players - meaning that midfielders were rarely just that.

Hodgey could have been in the discussion for the best midfielders had he stayed in that role permanently. Silk could have come across and continued to be a pure stoppage player. I feel that we've still historically performed above the league average when it comes to star midfielders.

 

[Nick the Pig]

Surprised there is not more love for Crimmins.

 

[LuckyHawk]

Matthews, Mitchell, Crawford & Platten are the clear top four, amazing to think the best of the lot is the only one without a Brownlow.

I don't see how Hodge can be rated ahead of Mitchell as an onballer when he seldom played in the middle. He may have been superb when he did, but no way I'm not putting a specialst ahead of a part-timer in any position.

Jarman was easily in the top group on his day and on his own in terms of talent, but didn't have the sheer consistency of output of those four.

In 3 years add Tom Mitchell to make up the fab 5.

 

[QuietB]

Based on pure talent and more than a season or two in the middle

Matthews
Jarman
Platten
Mitchell
Crawford (went down a place only because of his few off years. He was brilliant when he was on)
Hodge
Bertie
Pritchard (way more talented than you would immediately think, and cut down in his prime by a broken leg)
Tuck (would feel bad leaving him out, though can see arguments for the three below based on ability not durability)

Apologies

Condon
Burgoyne
Allan


I'm likely biassed on the last two, but Condon's best was insanely good. Big, tall, strong bodied mid with pace... again cut down by injury in his prime. Allan was something else, super strong in the contest with a booming kick and high level ball winning ability. Super classy player.

Loved Ben Allen - another great #15

 

[luciien]

Matthews, Tuck, Platten, Mitchell, Albiston, Edwards, Crimmins, Dipper, Crawf, Lewis.

 

[moginie]

Matthews, Tuck, Platten, Mitchell, Albiston, Edwards, Crimmins, Dipper, Crawf, Lewis.

That's about as close as I could get it too.

Any Hawthorn top mids "ever" must include Brendan Edwards.

Nobody has mentioned Geoff Ablett either and he was an absolute workhorse for us during the 70s.

 

[Tassie Cryptik]

Surprised there is not more love for Crimmins.

Only those 55ish and over have any memories of him playing.

 

[The Cryptkeeper]

Jordan Lewis incredibly underrated here.

 

[Pessimistic]

A lot of very good players who aren’t in the top 10

 

[MasterSamurai]

Between 2005-2011 Hodge was an out and out Top 3 mid in the comp! Add his brilliant 2015 season as mostly a goalkicking mid and then it gets really difficult to NOT consider him as All time great midfielder imo. Burgoyne and Hodge suffer from their selfless role playing for their club but pound for pound they were as good as any mids going around.
Sam Mitchell
Luke Hodge
Shaun Burgoyne
Jordan Lewis
I will never forget their contributions to our great success in the clarko era!
Other mids to consider are
Platten
Matthews
Pritchard
Tuck
Condon
Crawford
Wallace
Jarman
Dipper
Smith

 

[Tomohawks]

My list in order

Matthews
Mitchell
Platten
Crawford
Tuck
Dipper
Crimmins
Pritchard
Jarman
Smith

 

[Jables]

LOL at all the people who think rovers aren't midfielders.

Yeah even most modern midfielders go everywhere around the field, you can call them rovers if you want but Lethal was still a midfielder. There's a lot of semantics about old names for positions, I hate it when my family try to tell me oh but Buddy isn't a real Full Forward or Centre Half-Forward (it changes on the day), yeah ok he's a flanker for all the difference it makes, but he sure lines up in the positions a key forward does.

Jordan Lewis incredibly underrated here.

Lewis is near top 5 if you only look at his peak, but it's easy to forget he was a very distant third best midfielder for half his career here. So if anything I reckon he has recency bias in his favour.

 

[HairyO]

Matthews
S. Mitchell
Platten
Crawford
Dipper
Pritchard
Tuck
Bateman
Lewis
Edwards / Arthur / Crimmins (Only really watched from 1978 onwards so I cant pick from these for the last spot)

 

[Guardian Hawk]

Matthews
S. Mitchell
Platten
Crawford
Dipper
Pritchard
Tuck
Bateman
Lewis
Edwards / Arthur / Crimmins (Only really watched from 1978 onwards so I cant pick from these for the last spot)

Good list...but Bateman was a shock! Unerrated for sure but there are others who deserve the spot well ahead of him IMO (some of whom I'll elaborate on later given they've not really had any fanfare in this thread). I think Chance would be stoked but a bit embarrassed to be 8th all time best mid ever at Hawthorn ahead of Arthur, Crimmins, Edwards, Bohan, Law, Lewis, Wallace, etc.