Universal Love Who is the best player who has played for the Melbourne Football Club since and including 2000? WINNER: Max Gawn

[Topkent]

Nah, Max has him now. Gawn is a much more impactful player. You and TK are letting your dislike of him as a person cloud your judgement of actually how good he is as a footballer.

He's a great player. Cox was better. Cox has a better goal rate, was better around the ground and a better tap ruck. Max is better at taking contested marks and a better defensive work rate. Cox was a better footballer imo. This is the same as when I don't think Olivers the best mid in the league or Petracca not the best mid in the league which gets spread around this part. Unless you rate Melbourne players the greatest of all time it's because you hate them

 

[A11dAtP0w3R]

Nah, Max has him now. Gawn is a much more impactful player. You and TK are letting your dislike of him as a person cloud your judgement of actually how good he is as a footballer.

More impactful? How so? Cox was basically a midfielder trapped in a rucks body. His disposal on both sides was better than 90% of mids nowadays. Far better tap ruck than Gawn also.

 

[A11dAtP0w3R]

He's a great player. Cox was better. Cox has a better goal rate, was better around the ground and a better tap ruck. Max is better at taking contested marks and a better defensive work rate. Cox was a better footballer imo. This is the same as when I don't think Olivers the best mid in the league or Petracca not the best mid in the league which gets spread around this part. Unless you rate Melbourne players the greatest of all time it's because you hate them

Being objective and ranking him second only behind Cox is disgusting. I'm a vile hater.

 

[Scythe94]

Don't think Max has passed Cox just yet, though I think the advantage he provides with his marking and his defensive work has him pretty close.

That aside, Gawn is really being taken for granted in this thread. Best Melbourne player I've seen, personally, and for all the questions about leadership, is still the only player who has captained us to a flag in the last 59 years.

 

[Topkent]

Don't think Max has passed Cox just yet, though I think the advantage he provides with his marking and his defensive work has him pretty close.

That aside, Gawn is really being taken for granted in this thread. Best Melbourne player I've seen, personally, and for all the questions about leadership, is still the only player who has captained us to a flag in the last 59 years.

Most of this is fine but being the captain who did it doesn't make him the best player. We pissed in the finals series against teams we were way better than. We could have won with Jackson as ruck and Neitz at FF

 

[00Stinger]

I propose next we do the greatest pickup from another club to play less than 75 games.

Darren Bennett

 

[Scythe94]

Most of this is fine but being the captain who did it doesn't make him the best player. We pissed in the finals series against teams we were way better than. We could have won with Jackson as ruck and Neitz at FF

Agree, just pointing out that his leadership, while leaving a bit to be desired at times, is better than the picture that is being painted atm.

Not 100% sure I'm onboard with the last part though – Gawn was dominant in 2021, whereas I feel Jackson would've been eaten alive if forced to be the #1 ruck all year. What made Jackson effective was his ability to roll through the ruck in bursts, as he did during the granny.

 

[00Stinger]

The thing that confuses me is the same posters who are saying all of these current players are over rated also keep telling us that the list isn't that good

Yet then tell us we have under performed

So do we have a good list that underachieved? or an average list that over achieved?

 

[Topkent]

The thing that confuses me is the same posters who are saying all of these current players are over rated also keep telling us that the list isn't that good

Yet then tell us we have under performed

So do we have a good list that underachieved? or an average list that over achieved?

Nice try but the argument is they are overrated because they are being talked about as legends and best in the league. I don't agree with those statements.

 

[A11dAtP0w3R]

The thing that confuses me is the same posters who are saying all of these current players are over rated also keep telling us that the list isn't that good

The list is overrated. We played great in a covid season.

I think at the end of the day we are where we deserve to be, somewhere between the 4th and 6th best team. If youre the 4th to 6th best team and havent won a final in 2 years while playing 4 finals on your home deck that is underachieving. Break even would be winning at least 2 finals minimum.

 

[Bluelegs]

Easy, top 4 is Powell, Vardy, Pedo and Cross

Pedo was so fun to watch when he was on, and no one besides Melbourne supporters knew who the * he was so he felt like our little secret.

 

[Scythe94]

The list is overrated. We played great in a covid season.

I think at the end of the day we are were we deserve to be, somewhere between the 4th and 6th best team. If youre the 4th to 6th best team and havent won a final in 2 years that is underachieving.

I don't really see how that makes a difference though, unless you're talking crowds/the mental game? Even then, the argument is a bit tenuous – games were normal length, normal amount of rounds, no finals were impacted by HS protocols etc. It's as legitimate of a flag as any other, IMO.

I agree we've underachieved when it's come to finals over the past two years – losing four in a row at home is pretty diabolical. I don't think that means we're overrated necessarily, as we've been the most consistent team over the past three years (68/70 rounds in the top-four consecutively). We just choked – I don't think the list is overrated, though I do think it has been coached poorly recently.

 

[Scythe94]

Byron would make it into the top 5. Man I loved him. Dont care how fat he was he was just a joy to watch play. Everything I like in a footballer.

This is do agree with – bloody loved Byron

 

[Topkent]

I don't really see how that makes a difference though, unless you're talking crowds/the mental game? Even then, the argument is a bit tenuous – games were normal length, normal amount of rounds, no finals were impacted by HS protocols etc. It's as legitimate of a flag as any other, IMO.

I agree we've underachieved when it's come to finals over the past two years – losing four in a row at home is pretty diabolical. I don't think that means we're overrated necessarily, as we've been the most consistent team over the past three years (68/70 rounds in the top-four consecutively). We just choked – I don't think the list is overrated, though I do think it has been coached poorly recently.

I genuinely hate this stat. We clung onto top 4 thanks to a soft draw at the start of the season in 22' and we barely held on again this year, we were bloody lucky that GWS and Carlton were pox to start the year. You wouldn't be proud of the team if we had finished 5th back to back but that's the level of team we have been the last couple years.

 

[A11dAtP0w3R]

I don't really see how that makes a difference though, unless you're talking crowds/the mental game? Even then, the argument is a bit tenuous – games were normal length, normal amount of rounds, no finals were impacted by HS protocols etc. It's as legitimate of a flag as any other, IMO.

Going off what we've seen the past two years I think it's very fair to say we would have choked in home finals at the G in 2021 also.

Us playing away home finals was a god send. We played far better footy away than at our home ground throughout the course of our premiership season which is pretty much unheard of. Very weird year.

 

[Bluelegs]

Meanwhile, Headless who has completely forgotten about this thread

 

[Scythe94]

I genuinely hate this stat. We clung onto top 4 thanks to a soft draw at the start of the season in 22' and we barely held on again this year, we were bloody lucky that GWS and Carlton were pox to start the year. You wouldn't be proud of the team if we had finished 5th back to back but that's the level of team we have been the last couple years.

Not saying I'm proud – I've been as critical of them as just about anyone since the season finished. Just saying that stat reinforces that the list has been pretty damn good still – however, there's clearly been some issues with mentality and coaching that held them back.

Going off what we've seen the past two years I think it's very fair to say we would have choked in home finals at the G in 2021 also.

Us playing away home finals was a god send. We played far better footy away than at our home ground throughout the course of our premiership season which is pretty much unheard of. Very weird year.

Hard to know I suppose, though my partner (who has next to no interest in footy) reckons that's the reason we won, and she could very well be right lol.

Anyway, main point I was trying to get across was that the list itself hasn't been overrated IMO, but they clearly haven't achieved as much as they could in finals.

 

[Scythe94]

Meanwhile, Headless who has completely forgotten about this thread

Headless isn't going to be around much over the next few weeks – I probably should've asked him whether he wanted a deadline on the comp, lol.

Anyway, both sides might still have some time to do some lobbying – have fun

 

[PerfectFooty]

Meanwhile, Headless who has completely forgotten about this thread

We'll go with 'forgot'

 

[Bluelegs]

Headless isn't going to be around much over the next few weeks – I probably should've asked him whether he wanted a deadline on the comp, lol.

Anyway, both sides might still have some time to do some lobbying – have fun

Dropped a grenade and ran for the hills. By the time he returns the board will have schismed into the Max Gawn board and the David Neitz board.

 

[Scythe94]

Dropped a grenade and ran for the hills. By the time he returns the board will have schismed into the Max Gawn board and the David Neitz board.

 

[Toump Ass]

You and TK are letting your dislike of him as a person cloud your judgement of actually how good he is as a footballer.

Me too, happy to admit it.

Two big chokes from him in the last game we played don’t help tho.

 

[stEdy]

Maybe Gawny offered for Clayton to live with him because he still felt bad about punching his game winning set shot from 50 into the post

 

[Headless]

 

[Scythe94]