is there a better player in the AFL right now than Robbbbbbbbbie Gray?

[Some Idiot]

so cute how you chuck griffen in there and assume people will agree. No where near the players you mentioned

Last year he was considered better than all except Ablett and Pendles, how quickly things change after a couple of injuries.

 

[joop]

He's up there with Pendlebury, Griffen, Watson and Fyfe, just below Ablett

Lol!! Griffen is nowhere near those guys

 

[Footyfan85]

so cute how you chuck griffen in there and assume people will agree. No where near the players you mentioned

I laughed at that too

 

[theyellowsash]

i liked it when the umpire told him to stop diving

 

[tribey]

Oh is he the first person to come back from an injury?

A knee injury that particularly bad? Early indications were his career might be in jeopardy a la Trent Hentschel.

 

[final fight]

he is the 2nd best player in the comp behind one G.Ablett

 

[Footyfan85]

Did you know he was previously a meat-packer?

Not sure if it's been mentioned in any articles this week...

 

[Sttew]

cannot stand the sook!

Early signs of tall poppy syndrome?

 

[Toffee Lion]

A knee injury that particularly bad? Early indications were his career might be in jeopardy a la Trent Hentschel.

Not taking anything away from him for coming back and playing good footy.

But this thread is a massive circle-jerk about a guy who's had a breakout year after being in the system since 2007.

He did have a great year and will be a chance to win the brownlow but not even in the same breath as Gary Ablett.

 

[Nallad]

He's up there with Pendlebury, Griffen, Watson and Fyfe, just below Ablett

Lol

 

[Dylan8]

Not taking anything away from him for coming back and playing good footy.

But this thread is a massive circle-jerk about a guy who's had a breakout year after being in the system since 2007.

He did have a great year and will be a chance to win the brownlow but not even in the same breath as Gary Ablett.

That's just it - if you're going to detract from him because he has been in the system since 2007, you can't ignore injuries and notably that knee. No one should come back from an injury that gruesome to have arguably the best individual year of every player in the comp within 2 years of said injury. No one. What he's achieved is a magnificent feat.

 

[tribey]

Not taking anything away from him for coming back and playing good footy.

But this thread is a massive circle-jerk about a guy who's had a breakout year after being in the system since 2007.

He did have a great year and will be a chance to win the brownlow but not even in the same breath as Gary Ablett.

We get it, this is his first elite season. But it's also his second season unencumbered by injury.

In anyone's language a statline that reads,

24.88 dpg (11.92 contested), 5.80 cpg, 42 goals, 33 goal assists

Is insanely good and wouldn't look out of place under the name of any all-time great onballer.

 

[Brown n Gold]

he is the 2nd best player in the comp behind one G.Ablett

Buddy Franklin says Hi!!!

 

[wheels08]

We get it, this is his first elite season. But it's also his second season unencumbered by injury.

In anyone's language a statline that reads,

24.88 dpg (11.92 contested), 5.80 cpg, 42 goals, 33 goal assists

Is insanely good and wouldn't look out of place under the name of any all-time great onballer.

Agreed, I think he has had a great year. Very much in the elite bracket

 

[Sttew]

He's up there with Pendlebury, Griffen, Watson and Fyfe, just below Ablett

Where's Selwood on your list?

 

[wheels08]

Where's Selwood on your list?

Replace Griffen with Selwood.

 

[spannerSM]

In anyone's language a statline that reads,

24.88 dpg (11.92 contested), 5.80 cpg, 42 goals, 33 goal assists

Is insanely good and wouldn't look out of place under the name of any all-time great onballer.

It certainly looks good, and he's had a very good year, but Boak's stats are even better. More disposals, more of them contested, better efficiency, more tackles. Gray's best-performing area has been in getting loose and kicking goals, and in that respect he's been the best midfielder this year. But Boak is arguably the better player overall even just considering Port's list. Outside Port there's of course Ablett and plenty of other long-term performers, and even just on 2014 form it's hard to say Gray's been better than players like Fyfe, Priddis, Rockliff, Parker or JP Kennedy.

And if we're talking stats, it's worth pointing out that Gray has laid less than half as many tackles in 2014 as ten players in the comp: Liberatore, Rockliff, Priddis, Lobbe, Ebert, Parker, Sloane, Selwood, O'Meara and Cunnington. He's laid fewer tackles this year than Jobe Watson, despite playing ten more games of footy.

One stat isn't everything of course, but at the moment he's like an exceptionally good version of Nick Dal Santo, rather than someone like an Ablett who can do everything.

 

[Powerade 08]

It certainly looks good, and he's had a very good year, but Boak's stats are even better. More disposals, more of them contested, better efficiency, more tackles. Gray's best-performing area has been in getting loose and kicking goals, and in that respect he's been the best midfielder this year. But Boak is arguably the better player overall even just considering Port's list. Outside Port there's of course Ablett and plenty of other long-term performers, and even just on 2014 form it's hard to say Gray's been better than players like Fyfe, Priddis, Rockliff, Parker or JP Kennedy.

And if we're talking stats, it's worth pointing out that Gray has laid less than half as many tackles in 2014 as ten players in the comp: Liberatore, Rockliff, Priddis, Lobbe, Ebert, Parker, Sloane, Selwood, O'Meara and Cunnington. He's laid fewer tackles this year than Jobe Watson, despite playing ten more games of footy.

One stat isn't everything of course, but at the moment he's like an exceptionally good version of Nick Dal Santo, rather than someone like an Ablett who can do everything.

Watch a game.

 

[spannerSM]

Watch a game.

Watching a game tells you Gray is flashy. Boak is better.

 

[Bazza37]

Next year all coaches will tag him
The great midfield players like Swan, Ablett & Juddy
can still rake up 30+ and create/score goals with a tag

 

[Dylan8]

Next year all coaches will tag him
The great midfield players like Swan, Ablett & Juddy
can still rake up 30+ and create/score goals with a tag

Lol this line, every time

He plays forward too much to tag him, and letting Boak run amok is pretty much the dumbest thing a coach could do against Port.

 

[Bazza37]

Lol this line, every time

He plays forward too much to tag him, and letting Boak run amok is pretty much the dumbest thing a coach could do against Port.

He does get the ball forward of centre a lot
Yeah good call !

 

[Toffee Lion]

Lol this line, every time

He plays forward too much to tag him, and letting Boak run amok is pretty much the dumbest thing a coach could do against Port.

I do agree with this though.

Similar to how coaches tag Hanley because of how damaging he is, compared to Rockliff.

Gray had a very good year, I am not disagreeing with that and to come back from that knee injury is a great feat - I am disagreeing with how people are putting him in the same category as GAJ.

Just to put things straight.

 

[Fyfetheknife]

"Clearly the best player in the competition this year" -Ken Hinkley

Well shit I'm convinced!

 

[Dylan8]

Watching a game tells you Gray is flashy. Boak is better.

Watching a game shows you that Gray's clean work in traffic leads to Port getting in a better position to set up offensively as it catches the opposing team off guard. Gray has more score assists than anyone in the league, indicating how damaging he is offensively, not to mention he's kicked more than 40 goals this year. Undoubtedly his disposal numbers would be higher if he played as much midfield time as Boak, but he's too much of an asset up forward to do that.

Gray had a very good year, I am not disagreeing with that and to come back from that knee injury is a great feat - I am disagreeing with how people are putting him in the same category as GAJ.

Just to put things straight.

He obviously doesn't come near Ablett in terms of how consistently he's put together these top top seasons but the way he plays and his importance to our side makes it very easy to compare him to Gaz.