Perfect Match - favorite AFL matchups

[John Who]

Who do you look forward to see most on AFL weekends, with the key matchups?

Is it your favorite player matching up on his usual nemesis?

Is it a midfield matchup that is key to determining the outcome of the game?

Is it your favorite forward matching up against your favorite defender?

Is it a matchup that has nothing to do with your team, but you enjoy watching 2 great players going at it?

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Who is your current favorite matchup(s)?
Who is your past favorite matchup(s)?

 

[RUNVS]

Unfortunately unless it is forwards vs defenders we never get the best matchups because generally speaking coaches don't allow their best midfielder to be on the oppositions best midfielder.

 

[Snoozer]

Curnow v Howe

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[kid_a]

Rarely any player on player match ups these days. At least not for an entire game. Rotations, floating defenders etc have kind of killed off the old time `Player x v player y`duals.

I guess the closest we come now is key defenders up against a key forward, but even then they chop and change in the course of a whole match.

Probably the best now is when a super strong midfield takes on another super strong midfield, but sometimes the midfield battle doesnt even determine the outcome of a game.

 

[JG13]

Maynard v Greene


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[Since 2001]

Franklin vs Hooker

 

[HairyO]

Hawks vs Geelong
Hawks vs Swans
Showdown games are often good
Roos
Dogs
Richmond

We rarely see true player matchups. More tagging and 2 on 1 defences.

 

[Isaac Cumming No 1]

Maynard v Greene


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Toby was playing injured in the SF, I wouldn't get carried away.

 

[Brolga]

Occasionally you get an expectation about a head to head battle even if it isn't for the whole game, for example when Yeo took on Dusty Martin.

Of late it was more the tactics to combat the other team's strengths:
Ryan or Rioli manning up Sidebottom at the back of the square at the bounce before Hutchings then picked him up
Lycett and Vardy working over Gawn then Grundy
Forwards playing deep or dropping off the contest to try to take McGovern or Rance out of the play.
The Fox Footy analysis on Mason Cox showing the creation of space for him to lead into against the Tigers was enlightening, as was how hard the Eagles worked to prevent this.

Love the battles within battles.

 

[Isaac Cumming No 1]

Buddy and Davis is always interesting. There's a bit of feeling too. Phil believed Buddy deliberately pushed him into contact in round 22 when he received a bad corkie and had to play as a post in the forward line in the second half. They had not very pleasant words in the EF.

That matchup should be good again next year.

 

[Ocha905]

Player matchups are largely redundant unfortunately.

Team-wise I would watch footy the entire weekend if this round happened.

Fri Adelaide v Port Adelaide
Sat A Essendon v Carlton
Sat A Sydney v Melbourne
Sat T Brisbane v Collingwood
Sat N West Coast v Richmond
Sat N St Kilda v Geelong
Sun A Western Bulldogs v GWS
Sun A Gold Coast v Fremantle
Sun T Hawthorn v North Melbourne

 

[adammania9]

Toby was playing injured in the SF, I wouldn't get carried away.

That’s a common trend among players who get schooled

 

[Isaac Cumming No 1]

That’s a common trend among players who get schooled

Pffft
It's also pretty common for nuffies to brag without justification, wouldn't you say?

 

[adammania9]

Pffft
It's also pretty common for nuffies to brag without justification, wouldn't you say?

If Maynard is as bad as the people on this website say he is, surely a match fit superstar in Toby Greene has enough in the tank to beat him in a one-on-one.

 

[Isaac Cumming No 1]

If Maynard is as bad as the people on this website say he is, surely a match fit superstar in Toby Greene has enough in the tank to beat him in a one-on-one.

I wouldn't have raised it at all except for the mindless bragging.

Match fit Toby is the best player in the game isolated one on one deep. Absolutely I would back him to towel up anyone if we can get him isolated that way.

He wasn't match fit and was carrying an ankle injury in the SF though.

 

[adammania9]

I wouldn't have raised it at all except for the mindless bragging.

Match fit Toby is the best player in the game isolated one on one deep. Absolutely I would back him to towel up anyone if we can get him isolated that way.

He wasn't match fit and was carrying an ankle injury in the SF though.

Well not our defenders because Greene has only ever kicked one goal against Collingwood and that was in a game he played midfield.

Greene was match fit in that semi final. If he wasn’t, he would not have played.

 

[Isaac Cumming No 1]

Well not our defenders because Greene has only ever kicked one goal against Collingwood and that was in a game he played midfield.

Greene was match fit in that semi final. If he wasn’t, he would not have played.

He played but was not match fit, it's really not complicated.

Now, would you like to argue about whether the sky is blue?

 

[NonPhixion]

I wouldn't have raised it at all except for the mindless bragging.

Match fit Toby is the best player in the game isolated one on one deep. Absolutely I would back him to towel up anyone if we can get him isolated that way.

He wasn't match fit and was carrying an ankle injury in the SF though.

Stopped reading at best player In the game isolated one on one deep.
spare me. He is good sure, but Martin, Fyfe, Dangerfield, De Goey, Franklin all better In that spot.

 

[Isaac Cumming No 1]

Stopped reading at best player In the game isolated one on one deep.
spare me. He is good sure, but Martin, Fyfe, Dangerfield, De Goey, Franklin all better In that spot.

No they aren't.

Dangerfield has played well in that position as a surprise, as has Cogs.

Fyfe is class anywhere but that isn't his best role.

Martin I've never seen play that role, he's too valuable at HFF distributing the ball, when he isn't in the midfield.

Buddy is very good, but outmarking an opponent isn't his strength. His second efforts are though so maybe played in that role. He rarely plays deep forward though.

De Goey is very good and suited to that role. He's got a way to go against Toby who was an AA small firward and won the club B &F in a top 4 side in 2017. He missed too much footy to be eligible for either last year.

 

[Collins-Langford-Ayres]

Rioli on Tippett.

 

[John Who]

After making this thread, it sort of made me realise matchups are rarely seen as a constant in the modern game! Except when maybe a stay at home full forward playing against a regular full back, or perhaps maybe a designated tagger specific to a player of the opposing team.

Still, it's interesting to ponder through some matchups that I enjoyed in recent times:
- Riley Knight tagging Joel Selwood
- Matt Crouch vs Tom Mitchell (not direct matchups, but fun to see who gets more possessions when they're playing together)

In the past:
- Tredrea vs Rutten
- Carey vs Caven
- Riciutto vs Josh Carr

 

[eaglespremiers]

No they aren't.

Dangerfield has played well in that position as a surprise, as has Cogs.

Fyfe is class anywhere but that isn't his best role.

Martin I've never seen play that role, he's too valuable at HFF distributing the ball, when he isn't in the midfield.

Buddy is very good, but outmarking an opponent isn't his strength. His second efforts are though so maybe played in that role. He rarely plays deep forward though.

De Goey is very good and suited to that role. He's got a way to go against Toby who was an AA small firward and won the club B &F in a top 4 side in 2017. He missed too much footy to be eligible for either last year.

Martin plays the one-out role all the time.