Who is the best player in AFL history for a clone team?

[RUNVS]

Now I know the title may be a little confusing, but I think this is an interesting question. If you could clone one player 21 times, so have a best 22 of that one player playing in every position which clone team would be the better team? This isn't even quite asking who was the best player, but more who was the more well rounded player, who could play in every position at a high level rather than just a few.

For instance I don't think someone like Gary Ablett Jnr would do well in a clone team as yes he was an amazing player, but clone Ablett Jnr team would be pretty terrible in the ruck and is obviously not going to be good in the key position roles.

I have put up three examples of players who I think would do really well as a clone team, but I know there are more that I have not thought of, which is why I am definitely not creating a poll as I am sure there are many others.

6 - Matthew Pavlich

Matthew Pavlich

Age

42

Ht

192cm

Wt

99kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

17.5

4star

K

11.3

4star

HB

6.3

4star

M

5.6

5star

T

2.6

4star

G

2.3

5star

No current season stats available

D

16.8

4star

K

12.8

5star

HB

4.0

3star

M

8.8

5star

T

1.2

3star

G

3.4

5star

| 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
5 - Marcus Bontempelli

4

Marcus Bontempelli

Age

28

Ht

194cm

Wt

96kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

22.5

5star

K

12.3

5star

HB

10.3

5star

M

3.6

4star

T

4.8

5star

CL

4.4

5star

D

18.4

4star

K

9.7

4star

HB

8.8

4star

M

2.6

3star

T

4.1

5star

CL

4.0

5star

D

12.0

3star

K

5.8

3star

HB

6.2

4star

M

2.0

3star

T

3.8

5star

CL

1.8

4star

| 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023
4 - Adam Goodes | 2003, 2006, 2009, 2011

So for instance

B: Pavlich, Pavlich, Pavlich
HB: Pavlich, Pavlich, Pavlich
C: Pavlich, Pavlich, Pavlich
HF: Pavlich, Pavlich, Pavlich
FOLL: Pavlich, Pavlich, Pavlich
Int: Pavlich, Pavlich, Pavlich

vs

B: Goodes, Goodes, Goodes
HB: Goodes, Goodes, Goodes
C: Goodes, Goodes, Goodes
HF: Goodes, Goodes, Goodes
FOLL: Goodes, Goodes, Goodes
Int: Goodes, Goodes, Goodes

So in the history of the AFL, which clone team would be the best?

 

[RonnieRaven]

Now I know the title may be a little confusing, but I think this is an interesting question. If you could clone one player 21 times, so have a best 22 of that one player playing in every position which clone team would be the better team? This isn't even quite asking who was the best player, but more who was the more well rounded player, who could play in every position at a high level rather than just a few.

For instance I don't think someone like Gary Ablett Jnr would do well in a clone team as yes he was an amazing player, but clone Ablett Jnr team would be pretty terrible in the ruck and is obviously not going to be good in the key position roles.

I have put up three examples of players who I think would do really well as a clone team, but I know there are more that I have not thought of, which is why I am definitely not creating a poll as I am sure there are many others.

6 - Matthew Pavlich | 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
5 - Marcus Bontempelli | 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023
4 - Adam Goodes | 2003, 2006, 2009, 2011

So for instance

B: Pavlich, Pavlich, Pavlich
HB: Pavlich, Pavlich, Pavlich
C: Pavlich, Pavlich, Pavlich
HF: Pavlich, Pavlich, Pavlich
FOLL: Pavlich, Pavlich, Pavlich
Int: Pavlich, Pavlich, Pavlich

vs

B: Goodes, Goodes, Goodes
HB: Goodes, Goodes, Goodes
C: Goodes, Goodes, Goodes
HF: Goodes, Goodes, Goodes
FOLL: Goodes, Goodes, Goodes
Int: Goodes, Goodes, Goodes

So in the history of the AFL, which clone team would be the best?

PAV easy

 

[ioppolo]

Peak Koutoufides?

 

[Footy_Fan2007]

We are scraping the bottom of the barrel here aren’t we..?

 

[Caligo]

I agree with all the names listed. To be named I think you need good general skills, reasonable specific skills and be tall and preferably big. Pav, Goodes and Bont all fit these criteria.

I would add Roughhead and Cox to the list.

Pav probably still my choice though.

I wonder how Buddy would go though? He was too good to ever really get a chance to play anywhere but forward.

 

[RonnieRaven]

Peak Koutoufides?

Lacks a bit going forward
Never kicked 40 goals in a season

 

[RonnieRaven]

I agree with all the names listed. To be named I think you need good general skills, reasonable specific skills and be tall and preferably big. Pav, Goodes and Bont all fit these criteria.

I would add Roughhead and Cox to the list.

Pav probably still my choice though.

I wonder how Buddy would go though? He was too good to ever really get a chance to play anywhere but forward.

Never to good just always had the cattle around him.
Pav would have been Carey like if he had a team around him.
If the balls not coming down there why have your best player sit cold in the 50

 

[RUNVS]

I agree with all the names listed. To be named I think you need good general skills, reasonable specific skills and be tall and preferably big. Pav, Goodes and Bont all fit these criteria.

I would add Roughhead and Cox to the list.

Pav probably still my choice though.

I wonder how Buddy would go though? He was too good to ever really get a chance to play anywhere but forward.

I thought of Buddy too as he was an amazing midfielders actually, but we can only really guess how he would go in the other positions.

We are scraping the bottom of the barrel here aren’t we..?

Well I am having fun at least

 

[Hens Hall]

I'd go Wayne Carey.

Pretty much played in most positions during his career (vague memory of him briefly at CHB but not sure).

 

[Truckosaurus]

We are scraping the bottom of the barrel here aren’t we..?

Well if you visit the Main Board in the middle of the off-season you're pretty much asking for it.

Also at any time during the season.

 

[SC_Power]

Nathan Buckley for me.
Elite inside midfielder, pacy enough for a wing, strong leading forward, even played CHB on Carey once and recall he did a pretty good job on him.

 

[Caligo]

It will be really cool when Ai gets good enough to actually run reliable sims of 22 Wayne Careys vs 22 GASs.

 

[Oscarman]

What - nobody has said Nick Daicos yet?

Serious answer - Pavlich.

 

[South of the Yarra]

Nathan Buckley. Destroyed Carey at CHB, kicked 6 up forward, gun midfielder, magnificent kick in from fb, played HBF early and wing.

 

[Tarkyn_24]

I agree with all the names listed. To be named I think you need good general skills, reasonable specific skills and be tall and preferably big. Pav, Goodes and Bont all fit these criteria.

I would add Roughhead and Cox to the list.

Pav probably still my choice though.

I wonder how Buddy would go though? He was too good to ever really get a chance to play anywhere but forward.

Dean Cox? Never showed any aptitude as anything other than a ruck, was incredible for a ruck as a spare midfielder but would be exploited both forward and back. Goodes and Pavlich as a comparison I would think beats him comfortably in 17 of 18 positions.

 

[RUNVS]

Dean Cox? Never showed any aptitude as anything other than a ruck, was incredible for a ruck as a spare midfielder but would be exploited both forward and back. Goodes and Pavlich as a comparison I would think beats him comfortably in 17 of 18 positions.

Not relevant here but I have always wondered which team would win out of a team selected that was entirely under 180cm vs a team that was entirely over 200cm.

 

[H00t]

A team full of Buddy would be tough to stop. He was an elite kick, had an elite tank and pretty much unstoppable one on one.

Plus having 18 of him on the team the opposition couldn’t tag team him to stop him.

Any of GAS, Carey, Pav or Goodes would also be right up there. Maybe an athletic freak like Danger would also go well.

 

[Blackhawk42]

Josh Weddle.

Bookmark this.

 

[The King!]

I'd go Wayne Carey.

Pretty much played in most positions during his career (vague memory of him briefly at CHB but not sure).

What if Wayne sleeps with Wayne's missus

 

[Dazb86]

Maybe Franklin. Feel like he'd be hard to stop

 

[HairyO]

Rough literally played every position in the game and was very good at all of them, other than the ones where he was brilliant.

Did Pav ever rove centre bounces? Rough has nearly 6 times as many hitouts as well, in 70 fewer games.

 

[bobs head soup]

I'd take Ablett Snr. Was an unbeatable winger before his exploits deep forward.

Wins nearly every one on one.

 

[The 4th Horseman]

A Caleb Daniel

35

Caleb Daniel

Age

27

Ht

171cm

Wt

72kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

21.3

5star

K

11.5

4star

HB

9.8

5star

M

3.5

4star

T

2.9

4star

CL

1.4

4star

D

19.5

4star

K

11.1

4star

HB

8.4

4star

M

3.6

4star

T

2.0

3star

CL

1.0

3star

D

16.4

4star

K

7.2

3star

HB

9.2

5star

M

3.4

4star

T

2.6

4star

CL

0.2

2star

team. You could use two of him in the ruck.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

For each team?

Adelaide - Smart
Brisbane - Brennan over Voss
Carlton- Koutafides
Collingwood - Buckley
Essendon - Hird
Fremantle - Pavlich
Geelong - Ablett senior
Gold Coast - ?
GWS - ?
Hawthorn - Franklin
Melbourne - Lyon over Stynes
North Melbourne Archer over Carey
Port Adelaide - Westhoff
Richmond - Richardson
St Kilda - Goddard over Riewoldt
Sydney - Goodes
West Coast - Nic Nat over Embley
Western Bulldogs - Bontempelli

 

[PhatBoy]

If you’re talking hypothetically, probably Ablett Sr. I mean based on skill, athleticism, leap, mark, strength: he pretty much has the tools for literally every position bar maybe ruck and his leap probably covers that anyway.
Talking evidence based it’s probably Goodes