Is Nick Daicos The Best First Year Player Of All Time?

[HairyO]

Peter Hudson kicked 57 goals from 17 games in 1967.

Solid.

Salmon kicked 60-something from a dozen games at 19.

Lockett kicked about 80 goals when he was 18.

 

[marcmurphy3]

I have been watching football since the early 2000s and he is the best I have seen. I would go.

1. Daicos
2. Walsh
3. Selwood.

 

[SuperVolley11]

Flag is a nice, but not sure you can tack it on given Selwood probably wasn't in the best 10 players that day.

Selwood also didn't finish in the Top 15 in the Carji Greeves that year - Daicos should finish in the Top 5 (at worst) in Collingwood's BnF this year.

Not sure you can compare BnF results when one side was a 20 goal better side compared to its closet rival and the other is hoping to make finals.

 

[Kreuuuzeurns]

Playing off half back for a reason.

 

[Gavin Excell]

Would he be leading the BF?

 

[marcmurphy3]

Would he be leading the BF?

No where near. Would be surprised if he is top 5 at this stage but he could push up if he continues his recent form.

 

[La Dispute]

Playing off half back for a reason.

Because he has elite kicking skills and sets them up perfectly? Saad also plays in defence for a reason - because he's bloody good at it.

Eventually he will transition into the midfield and be as dominant (IMO), but starting across half back is fairly typical - Hodge, Goddard, Gibbs etc.

 

[La Dispute]

No where near. Would be surprised if he is top 5 at this stage but he could push up if he continues his recent form.

Only Crisp, Moore, Pendlebury would be ahead IMO.

 

[WillHayward]

I think we all agree Daicos had been awesome so bravo to the kid.

But any "best ever" convo triggers me.

It's pretty much not possible to compare beyond a 10 year period.

He's probably not even top 20.

 

[brutus76]

John Coleman kicked 100 in his first year.

END THREAD

 

[WillHayward]

Salmon kicked 60-something from a dozen games at 19.

Lockett kicked about 80 goals when he was 18.

Both just freakish.

 

[WillHayward]

John Coleman kicked 100 in his first year.

END THREAD

Now that is going to be hard to top!

 

[Bunk Moreland]

The GOAT (Coleman) kicked 100, led the league goalkicking and won the B&F - in a premiership year.

He was 20, but he came straight from the bush, it’s not like came out of a state league or something.

Haydn Bunton won the Brownlow. He was 19 and straight out of the bush too.

So no, I don’t think Daicos is the best of all time.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

These threads are a lesson that often (usually by our moron media) some terms get thrown around too often for attention and are actually quite ridiculous.

I mean, there’s players who are good. There’s very good players. Brilliant players. Champions. We can debate where Daicos sits there I guess.

But past them there’s genuine legends who are still household names decades (and soon centuries) after they played. And for very good reason. These are all-time freaks.

 

[La Dispute]

Theres plenty of examples of talented key forwards emerging in their teens-early 20’s in an era where AFL wasn’t a professional sport and key forwards weren’t contending with a zone defence and often an extra sitting on then.

No key forward is doing that these days - guys like Lockett and Hudson would probably follow a similar trajectory to someone like Logan McDonald - and would probably spend plenty of time in the reserves.

You can watch games from the 70’s and 80’s and see why young key forwards could kick bags of goals - the standard of footy was shocking.

 

[Nostradumbass]

Yes. He's the best ever Macedonian first year player.

 

[Lingsface]

Classic bigfooty.

Such and such is the best "ever".

Then go back about 2 years.

It’s a forum that shares opinions big suprise….

 

[VinnieB]

Only Crisp, Moore, Pendlebury would be ahead IMO.

Crisp yes, Moore and Pendlebury I’m not so sure. Quaynor, Noble, JDG would be right up there.

However, if he continues with what we’ve seen past couple of weeks, then yes he could be top 5.

 

[VinnieB]

The GOAT (Coleman) kicked 100, led the league goalkicking and won the B&F - in a premiership year.

He was 20, but he came straight from the bush, it’s not like came out of a state league or something.

Haydn Bunton won the Brownlow. He was 19 and straight out of the bush too.

So no, I don’t think Daicos is the best of all time.

Game was very simple back then.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Game was very simple back then.

Yet nobody else ever did it.

 

[VinnieB]

Yet nobody else ever did it.

in comparison to today's game.
Better athletes, faster game, constant decision making made under pressure, more sophisticated coaching / strategy...
The game is alot more difficult to play today than 50+ years ago.

I don't really care about this topic much. Just have the view that current footballers are so much better than those from 50 years ago.

 

[footyfan1978]

Carlton supporter probably did this so people could say Walsh.

Walsh probably recently but Adrian McAdam in 1993 was also amazing.

 

[PhatBoy]

The GOAT (Coleman) kicked 100, led the league goalkicking and won the B&F - in a premiership year.

He was 20, but he came straight from the bush, it’s not like came out of a state league or something.

Haydn Bunton won the Brownlow. He was 19 and straight out of the bush too.

So no, I don’t think Daicos is the best of all time.

This reinforces something I was thinking before I actually read this far through the thread.

There are a lot of people here that have watched footy a lot longer than I have but across both the major codes in australia I’ve followed them pretty religiously for 32 years and I’m certain that the stigma attached to first year players in AFL has changed more than it has in any other sport I’ve ever really followed.

I was only young but when I was a little bloke teams would debut players and they would debut them because they thought they would make the team better than if they were left out. They were given a role to play and a job to do and game plans and other players were built around everyone, first year or not.

In most sports I think that’s still the case. It actually really shits me in afl that rookies are treated like they’re only in a side to get them experience for when they’re ready to actually play, like they’ve got to be transitioned into a meaningful role.

Obviously there’s exceptions, this year you’ve got Daicos, De Koning etc who are structurally important for teams and every year there are a handful of players like that but they are exceptions rather than rules.

But yeah it’s like the footy world is stunned when a grown adult who has played footy for 10+ years can actually execute basic skills etc

 

[Madblue]

Always impossible to compare players but no doubt Daicos is a gun

 

[HavUEvaSeenTheRain]

Theres plenty of examples of talented key forwards emerging in their teens-early 20’s in an era where AFL wasn’t a professional sport and key forwards weren’t contending with a zone defence and often an extra sitting on then.

No key forward is doing that these days - guys like Lockett and Hudson would probably follow a similar trajectory to someone like Logan McDonald - and would probably spend plenty of time in the reserves.

You can watch games from the 70’s and 80’s and see why young key forwards could kick bags of goals - the standard of footy was shocking.

The irony is that Daicos is playing the easiest role that there has ever been in football. He does it amazingly well but at the end of the day I think he has been in the coaches votes 3 times?