Analysis Who are the 10 best players in the competition?

Remove this Banner Ad

Soggy2112 said:
I think Buddy is already the greatest indigenous player ever and he may lay claim to being the greatest full stop if he puts out another couple seasons at 2021 levels.

He’ll kick 1000+ goals as a KPF when his weakness is overheard marking, that’s insane to think about.
Click to expand...
Reckon his overhead marking is a bit of a furphy. He doesn't get off the ground particularly, but he uses his body well a bit like Lockett used to and takes the hits without being knocked off balance. Not as spectacular, but effective for a leading player. In 2008 he had the most marks inside 50 ever,
 
Grrr said:
Reckon his overhead marking is a bit of a furphy. He doesn't get off the ground particularly, but he uses his body well a bit like Lockett used to and takes the hits without being knocked off balance. Not as spectacular, but effective for a leading player. In 2008 he had the most marks inside 50 ever,
Click to expand...

You don’t see him taking the big overhead marks as frequently the way you see Kennedy, Lynch and those types do, not saying he’s bad at it but it’s the one element of his game he could improve.

The fact that he’s so damaging without that in an era which often denies forwards space to lead and work one on one is one of the many things I admire about him as a player.
 

Log in to remove this ad.

A lot of dees fans that watch us closely value Oliver higher than Petracca even though petracca might get a bit more external praise. Obviously they're both guns but if I had to offer anyone an 8 year contract for a million a year, it would be Oliver.

I would've said this before this season too. I've always thought his kicking deficiencies were greatly overstated. And now people are even calling him a great kick lol.
 
danster168 said:
A lot of dees fans that watch us closely value Oliver higher than Petracca even though petracca might get a bit more external praise. Obviously they're both guns but if I had to offer anyone an 8 year contract for a million a year, it would be Oliver.

I would've said this before this season too. I've always thought his kicking deficiencies were greatly overstated. And now people are even calling him a great kick lol.
Click to expand...
Watching live it's blindingly obvious how good Oliver is, special player.

Same goes for Gawn IMO, don't care that he was AA, just like McGovern at his best in that his position on the ground make the opposition doubt themselves for the long kick - just an excellent combo to have.
 
danster168 said:
A lot of dees fans that watch us closely value Oliver higher than Petracca even though petracca might get a bit more external praise. Obviously they're both guns but if I had to offer anyone an 8 year contract for a million a year, it would be Oliver.

I would've said this before this season too. I've always thought his kicking deficiencies were greatly overstated. And now people are even calling him a great kick lol.
Click to expand...
Oliver's the best player in the comp right now.
 
Lynch takes a mark said:
Watching live it's blindingly obvious how good Oliver is, special player.

Same goes for Gawn IMO, don't care that he was AA, just like McGovern at his best in that his position on the ground make the opposition doubt themselves for the long kick - just an excellent combo to have.
Click to expand...
Yeah Gawn is a disruptor to opposition teams and you don't fully see that until you see him live

A bit like McGovern was he makes teams try and kick the ball where he isn't and when he gets into the right spots it *s the oppositions ball movement
 
Was hard to pick just 10, but weighing up more recent form along with career consistent form here’s my list.


  • Dustin Martin: 3 Norm Smith medals and a Brownlow over the past 5 years
  • Nat Fyfe: 2 x Brownlow medalist, absolute star
  • Patrick Dangerfield: equal record 8 All Australians and a Brownlow medal
  • Marcus Bontempelli: emerged as the best player in the league this season, 2019 coaches champion.
  • Lance Franklin: On the verge of 1000 career goals, 8 All Australians, 4 Coleman medals. In his 17th season at age 34 averaged 2.83 goals a game, 2nd highest in the league.
  • Max Gawn: 5 All Australians over the past 6 seasons, current AA captain. 2018 coaches champion
  • Tom Hawkins: Best forward in the league over the last 3 years with 3 All Australians and a Coleman.
  • Lachie Neale: 2 All Australians over the past 3 years, reigning Brownlow medalist and coaches champion.
  • Clayton Oliver: Best contested player in the game and currently the most in form player in the comp. This seasons coaches champion.
  • Jack Steele: Best Two way player in the game, past 2 seasons have been top 5 in the league.
 
Last edited:
Blackas87 said:
Was hard to pick just 10, but weighing up more recent form along with career consistent form here’s my list.


  • Dustin Martin: 3 Norm Smith medals and a Brownlow over the past 5 years
  • Nat Fyfe: 2 x Brownlow medalist, absolute star
  • Patrick Dangerfield: equal record 8 All Australians and a Brownlow medal
  • Marcus Bontempelli: emerged as the best player in the league this season, 2019 coaches champion.
  • Lance Franklin: On the verge of 1000 career goals, 8 All Australians, 4 Coleman medals. In his 17th season at age 34 averaged 2.83 goals a game, 2nd highest in the league.
  • Max Gawn: 5 All Australians over the past 6 seasons, current AA captain. 2018 coaches champion
  • Tom Hawkins: Best forward in the league over the last 3 years with 3 All Australians and a Coleman.
  • Lachie Neale: 2 All Australians over the past 3 years, reigning Brownlow medalist and coaches champion.
  • Clayton Oliver: Best contested player in the game and currently the most in form player in the comp. This seasons coaches champion.
  • Jack Steele: Best Two way player in the game, past 2 seasons have been top 5 in the league.
Click to expand...

Reckon that's pretty close to the mark considering consistent career form. A few will drop out in the next year or so but that's inevitable.
 
Blackas87 said:
Was hard to pick just 10, but weighing up more recent form along with career consistent form here’s my list.


  • Dustin Martin: 3 Norm Smith medals and a Brownlow over the past 5 years
  • Nat Fyfe: 2 x Brownlow medalist, absolute star
  • Patrick Dangerfield: equal record 8 All Australians and a Brownlow medal
  • Marcus Bontempelli: emerged as the best player in the league this season, 2019 coaches champion.
  • Lance Franklin: On the verge of 1000 career goals, 8 All Australians, 4 Coleman medals. In his 17th season at age 34 averaged 2.83 goals a game, 2nd highest in the league.
  • Max Gawn: 5 All Australians over the past 6 seasons, current AA captain. 2018 coaches champion
  • Tom Hawkins: Best forward in the league over the last 3 years with 3 All Australians and a Coleman.
  • Lachie Neale: 2 All Australians over the past 3 years, reigning Brownlow medalist and coaches champion.
  • Clayton Oliver: Best contested player in the game and currently the most in form player in the comp. This seasons coaches champion.
  • Jack Steele: Best Two way player in the game, past 2 seasons have been top 5 in the league.
Click to expand...
There's a reason Petracca has been in the 18 in the last two AA's and Steele has been on the bench in the last two AA's.

Petracca is more damaging, more brilliant, kicks far more goals and has the same amount of disposals over that period.

You may be trying to be unbiased, but there's no way Steele covers Petracca in the best 10 players of the league.
 
Oliver shits on Petracca.
GastevsBeard said:
Agreed - I would be interested to see how the dees would go if he missed a game. He generates so much of their play from the contest with his elite hands. The fact he is hitting the scoreboard now too has propelled him to another level
Click to expand...
Second half would be where you really notice his absence. If we have a half time lead he alone almost makes it impossible for sides to catch up given the resistance he provides around stoppages. Esp early in the year there were a few games where it seemed like he (and Lever and May) was the only one that hadn’t fallen asleep once we’d gotten ahead.

Similarly, as we saw against Geelong and Brisbane (R12) no deficit is too high to reel back if he turns it on.

Kid’s a freak. Reckon he’s going to improve for at least the next four years, too.
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

Trav 20 said:
There's a reason Petracca has been in the 18 in the last two AA's and Steele has been on the bench in the last two AA's.

Petracca is more damaging, more brilliant, kicks far more goals and has the same amount of disposals over that period.

You may be trying to be unbiased, but there's no way Steele covers Petracca in the best 10 players of the league.
Click to expand...
I’m happy with the top 9 there, they aren’t in any particular order, but all have awards that consider them the best at some point, whether it’s a Brownlow or coaches award, or a Coleman as the best forward.

The last spot was a coin flipping contest between 4, Steele, Petracca, Naitanui and Harris Andrews.

Andrews the best key defender over 3 years.
Naitanui has had to elite years as a ruckman.
Petracca and Steele both have had arguably top 5 seasons the past 2 years

As I mentioned with Steele as the best 2 way player, his defensive side of the game is as good as his attack on the ball. Best in the league going both ways.

As for Petracca, similar type player to Dusty and Dangerfield as midfielders that go forward and kick goals, and the past 2 seasons have not been on their level.

So I went with Steele as the Best 2 way player over Petracca the 4th best goal kicking midfielder behind Dusty, Danger and Bont. But splitting hairs between the 2 for the 10th spot.
 
Trav 20 said:
I love Oliver, but this is a stupid comment.
Click to expand...
Yeah but you think everything that’s vaguely critical of Melbourne is stupid so what you say means less than nothing
 
Blackas87 said:
I’m happy with the top 9 there, they aren’t in any particular order, but all have awards that consider them the best at some point, whether it’s a Brownlow or coaches award, or a Coleman as the best forward.

The last spot was a coin flipping contest between 4, Steele, Petracca, Naitanui and Harris Andrews.

Andrews the best key defender over 3 years.
Naitanui has had to elite years as a ruckman.
Petracca and Steele both have had arguably top 5 seasons the past 2 years

As I mentioned with Steele as the best 2 way player, his defensive side of the game is as good as his attack on the ball. Best in the league going both ways.

As for Petracca, similar type player to Dusty and Dangerfield as midfielders that go forward and kick goals, and the past 2 seasons have not been on their level.

So I went with Steele as the Best 2 way player over Petracca the 4th best goal kicking midfielder behind Dusty, Danger and Bont. But splitting hairs between the 2 for the 10th spot.
Click to expand...
Give me brilliance and goal kicking over a two-way runner every day of the week.

Martin is the best player in the league, because of his brilliance, not two-way running.
 
Grrr said:
Reckon his overhead marking is a bit of a furphy. He doesn't get off the ground particularly, but he uses his body well a bit like Lockett used to and takes the hits without being knocked off balance. Not as spectacular, but effective for a leading player. In 2008 he had the most marks inside 50 ever,
Click to expand...

Most marks inside 50 ever recorded, which is a stat that has only been kept since 199.

Franklin took 125 marks inside 50 out of 158. I reckon Lockett and Dunstall probably eclipsed that mark. Doesn't detract from what was a once in lifetime season.

Franklin leads and marks like a traditional FF and has the goalkicking record to match, but he covers ground and has the stats of a CHF. Remarkable player. In 2016 he averaged 18 touches and 6 marks a game, kicked 81 goals and had 116 inside 50s. Backed it up with similar numbers in 2017.
 
PhatBoy said:
Oh ok I didn’t realise an arbitrary rating point system based on the current season and God knows what sort of form impact and influence metrics outweighs any other means of ranking the current player body
Click to expand...
hmm interesting given the others in the top 5 then
 
Scotland said:
'Rating points' are bullshit, but look at the company NicNat keeps in the top 10.

1 Naitanui
2 Bont
3 Petracca
4 Oliver
5 Martin
6 Liberatore
7 Macrae
8 Gawn
9 Steele
10 Wines

8 of those 10 made the AA side and Dusty is in everyone's top 10 players in the comp.
Click to expand...

Cool story bro. You already lost the Gawn v Naitanui debate. Come back next year :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

N
  • Poll
Opinion Who's the best player in the competition?
2 3 4 5 6
Replies
128
Views
6K
adammania9
adammania9
Toump Ass
Who will be the best player in the league in five years from now?
2
Replies
44
Views
1K
dogs105
dogs105
RUNVS
Who is the best player in AFL history for a clone team?
2 3 4 5 6
Replies
143
Views
6K
Enviable Tradition
Enviable Tradition
PowerfulPies2023
Who are the next break out players set to emerge in the game?
2
Replies
41
Views
3K
DEVO
DEVO
outabounds
Who exactly is going to end up the best Port midfielder?
2 3
Replies
51
Views
2K
adammania9
adammania9
RUNVS
  • Poll
Who is the best Ruckman of the 21st Century?
2 3
Replies
69
Views
4K
GoldbergsGold
GoldbergsGold
RUNVS
  • Poll
Who is the best midfielder of the 21st century?
7 8 9 10 11
Replies
254
Views
6K
RUNVS
RUNVS

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top