Opinion Who is currently the best player in the AFL

[RonnieRaven]

LOL. Albeit in 15th position.

FadgeRatings has Serong as the third best performed player on actual output since the start of 2023.

I’m not greedy just a top 10 player would be good recognition

 

[Maddo11]

 

[Mr Meow]

Thanks Padlocks V2.

Name calling and screeching "oh my" is all you have. Sad.

 

[Fadge]

I’m not greedy just a top 10 player would be good recognition

Nah, he's right up there in the very top echelon.

Despite regularly copping heavy opposition attention.

 

[Mr Meow]

What is amazing about Heeney is he is able to have huge impact in the midfield and drifting forward too.

I mean he is averaging 2.5 goals a game this season, which is better than most key forwards.

The guys who get 30+ disposals most weeks will dominate coaches and Brownlow votes more consistently, because they favour volume. I agree though, what Heeney brings is more valuable and he is more damaging.

 

[RUNVS]

Is it because he plays in Sydney, because Heeney has been consistently elite for years.

Truth be told I am still annoyed at Longmire for farting around with Heeney's position for years. He never got any consistency early on in his career.

 

[Mr Meow]

Truth be told I am still annoyed at Longmire for farting around with Heeney's position for years. He never got any consistency early on in his career.

Should have been made a midfielder who rotates forward around Ablett's age, 23 (maybe a year earlier) - instead of role swapping and then settling into several years as a forward.

The Swans had decent midfielders back then, but so did Geelong with Corey, Bartel and Ling.

 

[Fadge]

Truth be told I am still annoyed at Longmire for farting around with Heeney's position for years. He never got any consistency early on in his career.

Yep, this is spot on. Heeney's only had the one full season where he's been amongst the very top echelon of players (top 5) - 2024, where I personally rated him the #1 based on season output.

His two other AA years have been really good, but he was by no means amongst the top handful of players in the competition, based on season output. More like top 15 to 20.

 

[RCAB]

Heeney ended the match with

33 dispoals
2 goals
2 goal assists
12 score involvements
11 tackles
10 clearances
7 inside 50's
196 supercoach points

So a pretty good effort.

Why are you liking this post Fadge

 

[RCAB]

Yep, this is spot on. Heeney's only had the one full season where he's been amongst the very top echelon of players (top 5) - 2024, where I personally rated him the #1 based on season output.

His two other AA years have been really good, but he was by no means amongst the top handful of players in the competition, based on season output. More like top 15 to 20.

LOL

 

[FreoRicci]

Should have been made a midfielder who rotates forward around Ablett's age, 23 (maybe a year earlier) - instead of role swapping and then settling into several years as a forward.

The Swans had decent midfielders back then, but so did Geelong with Corey, Bartel and Ling.

Yep. Not 2023/24. He’s 30 now.
Should’ve been in that role by 2018/19. Not really elite midfielders back then, good enough but not exactly elite to push out Heeney

 

[RUNVS]

Yep. Not 2023/24. He’s 30 now.
Should’ve been in that role by 2018/19. Not really elite midfielders back then, good enough but not exactly elite to push out Heeney

Blame Longmire for it. He changed Heeney's role in the team more than he changed underwear.

 

[JHF1870]

 

[threenewpadlocks]

I made a comment earlier that there have already been 8 instances this year where the leading coaches vote recipients in games have been outside their top 9 rated players.

If you regularly miss the best player on the ground from the eyes of the coaches in your top 9 rated players, you're not doing a very good job of it.

You're missing the point though that I would expect you do do a better job, at least solely in terms of ranking within a game players (not to necessarily compare player output across games). It's because you can form your opinion via external research of the game (ie, you can look at stats), whereas the Player Ratings can't modify it's algorithm on a game to game basis after chatting with you.

I also don't expect you to do a better job than ratings points for each game since 2012 retrospectively

 

[threenewpadlocks]

Yep, this is spot on. Heeney's only had the one full season where he's been amongst the very top echelon of players (top 5) - 2024, where I personally rated him the #1 based on season output.

His two other AA years have been really good, but he was by no means amongst the top handful of players in the competition, based on season output. More like top 15 to 20.

I think Heeney was absolutely a top 5 player in the league last year. He kicked 39 goals from midfield. Richards and Bont were 2 and 3, but with 15 goals fewer.

 

[Fadge]

You're missing the point though that I would expect you do do a better job, at least solely in terms of ranking within a game players (not to necessarily compare player output across games). It's because you can form your opinion via external research of the game (ie, you can look at stats), whereas the Player Ratings can't modify it's algorithm on a game to game basis after chatting with you.

Huh?

I have the benefit of being able to look at 'Stats', which is basically the entire data set used to compute Player Ratings?

So you're now conceding that someone with a reasonable degree of knowledge of the game 'should' beat the all conquering Player Ratings?

 

[RCAB]

I think Heeney was absolutely a top 5 player in the league last year. He kicked 39 goals from midfield. Richards and Bont were 2 and 3, but with 15 goals fewer.

He was rank 1 on my model in 2025, Bont 2 and Rankine 3

 

[Fadge]

I think Heeney was absolutely a top 5 player in the league last year. He kicked 39 goals from midfield. Richards and Bont were 2 and 3, but with 15 goals fewer.

He was rank 1 on my model in 2025, Bont 2 and Rankine 3

66 coaches votes suggest your models need some work...

And it was 37 goals, spending a fair amount of time forward.

 

[Corn Cobbers]

Poor Bont looks a bit lost out there tonight, hope his ratings are holding up

 

[Mr Meow]

Poor Bont looks a bit lost out there tonight, hope his ratings are holding up

Hawthorn always seem to be his kryptonite.

I hope it carries into next week, but o doubt it.

 

[South of the Yarra]

Bont 46% Disposal Efficiency
12 Effective Disposals
5 Clangers

The question mark grows in big games

 

[South of the Yarra]

Oh and 10 turnovers

 

[Mr Meow]

Oh and 10 turnovers

Exactly, his worst game in a long time and statistics helped demonstrate your point, which backed up what we saw.

 

[Former Decathlete]

Right here right now it has to be Heeney.

Who else is getting 30 and 2 regularly?

 

[Fadge]

Bont 46% Disposal Efficiency
12 Effective Disposals
5 Clangers

The question mark grows in big games

I'm sure he'll still rack up a 25+ Player Rating.