The Greatest Finals Player Ever

[QuietB]

Ayres is the one, him and Dermie and Lethal.

Ayres very underrated.

Dusty hard to go past with all the goals he kicked - 10 in three grand finals.

Hard to know how Dusty's record would have stacked up if he had to play 8 grand finals like Ayres did

 

[Fadge]

Hard to know how Dusty's record would have stacked up if he had to play 8 grand finals like Ayres did

I think we know the answer to that given how he has performed in other finals outside his and his team's prime...

 

[Cleansweep17]

I think we know the answer to that given how he has performed in other finals outside his and his team's prime...

8 Norm Smiths for the big fella at 100% strike rate [emoji4]

And as we know with GAJ/Buddy they could play in an infinite amount of GFs and not win one and since your like your odds Fadge, you have a better chance of winning the lotto than a NS from one of them. Better get on it!!

I can feel the steam from your ears coming through my phone.

 

[Jim Prideaux]

Stewart Dew - end thread

 

[BobbyMorri]

Dusty.

Chris Judd was very good in finals as well.

 

[Robroy22]

Ayres very underrated.

Dusty hard to go past with all the goals he kicked - 10 in three grand finals.

Hard to know how Dusty's record would have stacked up if he had to play 8 grand finals like Ayres did

Look I respect Dusty as much as the next man but "Conan" would have chewed him up and spat him out if he'd played on Dusty.

 

[Noidnadroj]

Who is the Greatest Finals player ever? I will throw forward Gordon Coventry

111 Goals in finals

• 5 Premierships
• 9 goals in a Grand Final
• 7 goals in a Grand final
• 66% of the goals in another Grand Final including doubling the opposition Goal Tally
• 5 in a Semi Final
• 5 in a Preliminary Final
• 7 in a Semi Final
• 5 in a Semi Final
• 6 in a Preliminary Final
• 5 in a Semi Final
• 4 in a Preliminary Final
• 4 in a Grand Final
• 6 in a Semi Final
• 7 in a Prelim Final

Is that when teams were made up of the milkman and the local postie, and half the teams and players weren’t participating as they were at War? [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]


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[Noidnadroj]

Dustin Martin was Richmond’s best forward (most goals, most goal assists, most SI’s) AND best midfielder (most disposals, most CP’s, most inside-50s) across 3 x finals series and 3 x Grand Finals at the SAME time.

Can anyone name anyone else who has been their team’s best midfielder AND forward in a single final? Let alone across 3 x entire finals series and Grand Finals.

Coventry, KB, Barassi etc… from all reports were great finals players, but from what we know from stats, awards, flags etc… Martin is a clear #1 from 1980 onwards. But I’m reluctant to make too many assessments prior to then due to a relative lack of info … needless to say there’s nothing I’ve seen to suggest anyone has been BOG in 3 x Grand Finals and 3 entire finals series.


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[QuietB]

Might be worth mentioning Leigh Matthews who has a stellar finals record.

Grand finals;
21 and 1
21
21 and 1
28 and 4
16 and 6
16 and 4
14 and 1

Best in other random finals;
24 and 7
37 and 4
14 and 5
22 and 6

Remembering all of this was in a low possession era.

 

[pjcrows]

Dusty.

But will put forward Andrew McLeod

Andrew Mcleod

Age

49

Ht

181cm

Wt

82kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

19.8

5star

K

13.1

5star

HB

6.7

4star

M

3.1

3star

T

2.2

4star

No current season stats available

D

10.8

3star

K

6.8

3star

HB

4.0

3star

M

1.0

1star

T

1.6

4star

.

2x Norm Smith Medals.
7 goals as a rotating mid in the 1998 Prelim.
Turned the 2002 Semi off his own boot.

 

[Coach_Required]

2nd thread I've read today, MB standards have dropped massively.

 

[Wallaby]

As a Richmond fan - I'm going to say KB.

Bruce Doull was very good, too.

 

[Cyclops]

Dusty likely the best finals player in living memory. Has gone past Snake Baker and Billy Picken (and Carlton people have already mentioned Wayne Johnston) who were the Gods of my youth.

It's a huge call to say Dusty is better than Ayres and Brereton, but it too seems warranted.

Let's not overdo it, Barrassi was a titan and there are several members of the Collingwood Machine who cannot be dismissed, 2 Coventries and 2 Colliers for a start.

Dusty may not have the H&A form to be considered the best full stop, but as a finals (and especially Grand Finalist) he's the best since 1960.

 

[beerbandit]

So 3 come to mind:

Dustin Martin

Averages 22.0 disposals and 1.6 goals per game in finals (16 games). Grand final record: averages 24 disposals and 3.3 goals per game. He has played in 3 Grand Finals and kicked 10 goals

Steve Johnson

Averaged 19.6 disposals and 1.6 goals per game in finals (26 games). Grand Final record: averaged 20.0 disposals and 2.2 goals per game. He played in 4 Grand Finals and kicked 9 goals.

Paul Chapman

Averaged 18.5 disposals and 1.6 goals per game in finals (22 games). Grand Final record: averaged 23.2 disposals and 2.0 goals per game. He played in 4 Grand Finals and kicked 8 goals.

You asked me for 10, so I need to go back and look for 7 more - I've given 3 so far.

Luke Hodge and Scott Pendlebury as well

 

[caveman72]

KB did enough to be in the discussion.

Yep and over a long period of time. Better than Dusty for that alone

 

[Robroy22]

Brent Crosswell did it in finals like no other.

 

[Cleansweep17]

Yep and over a long period of time. Better than Dusty for that alone

You have pretty weird opinions ngl. Maybe read up on some football. KB wasn’t a Finals MVP 3 times and BOG in the GF 3 times. So he isn’t more consistent.

 

[FreddyTwoShoes]

You have pretty weird opinions ngl. Maybe read up on some football. KB wasn’t a Finals MVP 3 times and BOG in the GF 3 times. So he isn’t more consistent.

KB didn’t play in the post-2016 era so you may not be familiar with his work.
Ngl, he was a superstar.

 

[Cleansweep17]

KB didn’t play in the post-2016 era so you may not be familiar with his work.
Ngl, he was a superstar.

Look up what a TV is. It’ll blow your mind.

KB was a better player than GAS (not that hard to be) especially in finals, hence the Legend Status.

 

[Royce Hafey]

There's a probem imo in the AT part of GOAT. I don't think it's meaningful to compare players of different eras beacause the stats are meaningless. There are so many variables. Players in the past weren't professional. The population size from which they were selected was smaller. So, to give an example, if you compare any of the key position forwards of today with those of the past, they will statistically underperform because modern footy for various reasons had made it harder to kick multiple goals. How many goals would a Hawkins, a Cameron or a Riewoldt have kicked if they were playing in the 1980s? How many goals would a Dunstall or a Plugger have kicked of they were playing today? My favourite example of this intergenerational weirdeness is a stat regarding three Richmond greats, Jack Dyer (ruckman), Royce Hart (key position forward) and Dustin Martin (midfielder). All were exactly the same height. I remember reading an old newspaper report of a 1930s grand final on Trove and it listed the heights of all the players and there was only one player for either team that was taller than Dusty (and he spent the whole game on the bench).

 

[greening22]

Is that when teams were made up of the milkman and the local postie, and half the teams and players weren’t participating as they were at War? [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]


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I will check this out but I am pretty sure that Gordon Coventry played in the era between World War 1 & World War 2. OK. I think that his career commenced in the early to mid 1920's & he retired in the late 1930's well before World War 2 started. However I will get back to you on these points. Goodnight & good luck.

 

[South of the Yarra]

Is that when teams were made up of the milkman and the local postie, and half the teams and players weren’t participating as they were at War? [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]


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Might want to sharpen up on both your war and AFL/ VFL history.

 

[FreddyTwoShoes]

Look up was a TV is. It’ll blow your mind.

KB was a better player than GAS (not that hard to be) especially in finals, hence the Legend Status.

See, that’s the problem, in a nutshell, with your view of past players.
You watch a 5 minute YouTube clip and think that’s all you need.

 

[greening22]

I will check this out but I am pretty sure that Gordon Coventry played in the era between World War 1 & World War 2. OK. I think that his career commenced in the early to mid 1920's & he retired in the late 1930's well before World War 2 started. However I will get back to you on these points. Goodnight & good luck.

I have just checked Gordon Coventry's playing career at Collingwood. OK. His first game was 1920 & his last game was in 1937. Therefore his playing career ostensibly would been minimally affected by World War 1 (but unlikely) & certainly totally unaffected by World War 2. Goodnight & good luck.

 

[Roddy]

There's a reason why the Gary Ayres award is called the Gary Ayres award.

Could very well have had three Normies, was awesome in the '83 GF too....