The best midfield

[innocenthird]

Macrae > Bont?

Seems pretty wrong

 

[PieLebo87]

Primus and Francou were every bit as good as Brisbane's Ruck and best clearance player

Given we beat them often....and without them both when it mattered...

In no way being disrespectful of that Port midfield, just giving the troll some perspective since he thinks our midfield is the best thing since sliced bread.

 

[PetterdHoisted]

If Beams and Pendles were in their prime, and if Treloar could kick, there's an argument.

 

[ManOfClay]

Macrae > Bont?

Seems pretty wrong

Good problem to have. They can be hard to split.

Depends on if you’d rather a consistent high production mid (macrae) vs more of a game breaker in Bontempelli.

Macrae’s best keeps a team in the game. Bont’s best wins the game

 

[foodles05]

Kelly, Dangerfield, Selwood, Duncan, Ablett,

 

[philthy05]

I’ve seen people here making lists of the top 8-10 midfields and not include port.

I’m not going to make an argument for port being the best midfield, but they are being hugely underrated here.

Last year ports midfield performed well in some stoppage statistics, but let down in other areas.

This year rocky looks set to return to his better form, boak is back to a role and showing he looks as good as ever.

Rocky, boak, gray and wines is as good as just about any first 4 mids in the league.

It’s the next few that probably separates port from the top.

Ebert Motlop westhoff Amon Aren’t up to the same quality of many teams 5-8th but with SPP and drew emerging and the additions of Rozee butters and Duursma and atley patmore Mayes and Farrell in the wings we are looking much better with a lot of promise now in those 2nd groups of mids.

 

[SnusCG]

Good problem to have. They can be hard to split.

Depends on if you’d rather a consistent high production mid (macrae) vs more of a game breaker in Bontempelli.

Macrae’s best keeps a team in the game. Bont’s best wins the game

Give me Macrae every day of the week. Most underrated player in the game by a mile.

 

[Macpotata]

Top 3 no order
Best of the Best

Geelong
WCE
Pies


In Form
Lions

Still dangerous though not performing

Richmond
Melbourne ( serious question marks at this point in time )

Very Dangerous and performing

GWS

Joker in the Pack - Hawthorn

Question Marks - Adelaide and Port

 

[PAFC_1870]

Very Dangerous and performing

GWS

They belong in your top group

 

[PAFC_1870]

Polec (3rd best mid) - Lol, vs Ward, Pendlebury, Prestia, Viney, Yeo, GAblett, Zerrett, Hunter, Gibbs, Heeney? Not even in the same class

6th most metres gained last year, he's underrated.

He can do the odd dumb thing which everyone remembers, but he's still a very very good player, in the right situation.

He'd have more value today than Ablett at his age currently... Easily has Gibbs covered... the others aren't daylight ahead of him either.

 

[dave123]

We shall find out in a few weeks time when Geelong plays west coast ...

Will be a cracking game

Pies much vaunted midfield was brushed aside very easily by west coast

Gws midfield is still very good also

 

[blueiris]

Brisbane Lions midfield is looking great highly underrated
Neale Zorko Lyons McCluggage Berry Mathieson Robinson

 

[Happy Mastenator]

Melbourne midfield looking very exposed. Gawn, Oliver and Brayshaw are quality. Serious question marks over the next group being good enough.

 

[kaiserchief13]

Melbourne have no good outside midfielders so play about 4 or 5 inside mids - Oliver, Viney, Bradshaw (more outside than other 2 but no speed), Jones, Harmes (tagger). None of them are both inside / outside which is what makes the best midfielders e.g. Dangerfield, Martin, Shuey, Pendlebury, Yeo, Cotchin etc

 

[00Stinger]

Melbourne have no good outside midfielders so play about 4 or 5 inside mids - Oliver, Viney, Bradshaw (more outside than other 2 but no speed), Jones, Harmes (tagger). None of them are both inside / outside which is what makes the best midfielders e.g. Dangerfield, Martin, Shuey, Pendlebury, Yeo, Cotchin etc

This has been a problem for a while. There is not a good outside, pacey midfielder in our team. Someone likea Shiel is the exact type of player we are missing to compliment the rest of them

 

[The Falcon Strike]

WC definitely lack starpower - but we do seem to have cohesion and selflessness

It was our achilles heel for so long - now it's got to the point where it is at the very least competitive allowing our KPP to function.

Still staggered that Melbourne's has been so bad - that is laden with talent.

Ultimately I'll sit with the pies still having the best midfield.

 

[jackenny]

This has been a problem for a while. There is not a good outside, pacey midfielder in our team. Someone likea Shiel is the exact type of player we are missing to compliment the rest of them

Petracca needs to start living up to his potential, and Melbourne will be fine.

 

[dave123]

WC definitely lack starpower - but we do seem to have cohesion and selflessness

It was our achilles heel for so long - now it's got to the point where it is at the very least competitive allowing our KPP to function.

Still staggered that Melbourne's has been so bad - that is laden with talent.

Ultimately I'll sit with the pies still having the best midfield.

If Shuey played for pies or gaff for hawks

They’d be raving about them ...our midfield collectively in my view is number 1

Big call I know but it has the right balance of speed, height , skill, grunt ....

Ffs Dom sheed had 24 and kicked 3 goals against the best midfield....

We just don’t get the media articles

 

[Farang83150]

The most cohesive midfield should be judged the best as in a star team will always beat team of stars type stuff.

 

[Obeanie1]

WC definitely lack starpower - but we do seem to have cohesion and selflessness

It was our achilles heel for so long - now it's got to the point where it is at the very least competitive allowing our KPP to function.

Still staggered that Melbourne's has been so bad - that is laden with talent.

Ultimately I'll sit with the pies still having the best midfield.

Yeo, Shuey and Gaff arent stars?

Sheed getting pretty close.

All four are inside and outside mids. All can kick goals. Yeo and Shuey have great defensive games.

Eagles spread the load and dont have one standout who needs to carry the team.

The Vic media are starting to swallow their pride and eat some humble pie about the Eagles midfield. It helps when the team is so even across the ground which definately helps the mids.

 

[Obeanie1]

This has been a problem for a while. There is not a good outside, pacey midfielder in our team. Someone likea Shiel is the exact type of player we are missing to compliment the rest of them

Dees need a Darcy Parish recruit or to look for a Liam Ryan or Willie Rioli type flankers that can add outside speed plus defensive pressure.

That can happen quite quickly.

 

[00Stinger]

Dees need a Darcy Parish recruit or to look for a Liam Ryan or Willie Rioli type flankers that can add outside speed plus defensive pressure.

That can happen quite quickly.

that is why we went after KK.

His first couple of games haven't been good but he has hardly played for 18 months

 

[StillAtLarge]

I think Lycett could be a bigger loss than many realise by the end of the year. He's already transformed the look of Port Adelaide's stoppage setup (along with a chiselled Rockliff). Wines, Ebert, SPP & (a rejuvenated) Boak is a physically imposing midfield. They also have the wildcard option of throwing Ryder and Gray in there...two players that have the equal best ruck-rover chemistry in the league (Gawn and Oliver their equal).
Add Hartlett and Burton off half back- two guys that can kick 55 metre lasers to advantage and it's a scary looking team.
There's some serious depth at Alberton this year and barring any unfortunate injuries/absences they'll finish top 4

 

[Virgin Dog]

Top 3 no order
Best of the Best

Geelong
WCE
Pies


In Form
Lions

Still dangerous though not performing

Richmond
Melbourne ( serious question marks at this point in time )

Very Dangerous and performing

GWS

Joker in the Pack - Hawthorn

Question Marks - Adelaide and Port

Not sure if it was an oversight, or if you just don't rate them, but Dogs midfield is currently number 1 for clearance differential which I think is usually a pretty good indicator for midfield strength. We don't have the dominant ruck that most top midfields have, but the midfield strategy of sharking taps means they can cover for this weakness quite well

 

[Giant Pete]

It was hard to know how our midfield would fare... Ward and Kelly were out, and we didn’t even know where Whitfield would be played.
Fair to say Taranto and Hopper have started not too bad.
Wards back this week, Kelly with his second hitout off limited preseason.
So it’ll be Ward, Coniglio, Taranto, Hopper, Kelly, Whitfield with DeBoer occasionally doing run-with.
I think they’ll get a reality check this week with the Cats in super form.