2014 AFL Hall of Fame inductees

[Dirty Bird]

He should have won it in 2001. But back-to-back Norm Smith's is an enormous achievement that only Gary Ayers can share with him.

No, Ayres can only claim dual norm smiths.
McLeod is the only back-to-back winner.

fwiw - I feel the afl is going for too many "1st ballot inductees" It just means others who are eligible aren't getting looked at as they feel 'we need to get these guys in'

I wouldn't mind a rule that says '3 who retired in last 10 years, 3 who retired over 10 years ago' or something like that.

I don't know anything about that 1940s guy, but of the other 5.

McLeod - Was never any doubt. If he missed out, I may have started a riot.
Tredrea - I would've put him in this year too.
Richo - Starting to push my boundaries. I probably would've put him into the fall of fame too, probably 55 yes, 45 no

Johnson - Not this year, and probably not for a few years to come, maybe 10-15 years from now
Kouta - AFL HoF? No, never, Victorian sports HoF? Maybe, Carlton HoF? Yes.

 

[Chunderboy]

Tredrea was a gun make no mistake, he was an absolute machine. The only non-midfielder this century to be the raging hot brownlow favourite.

I'm not doubting it, I just thought he was more of a powerful contested mark type of player than a big lead running player, if that makes sense?

 

[El_Scorcho]

Agreed. Except you're being sarcastic, aren't you?

Good player, but Hall of Fame should be a higher standard. Clearly the AFL is happy thinking otherwise.

lolle

I'm only 19 and haven't even been following footy with any real interest all my life, so I never seen much of these guys or appreciated what I did see of them.

But without trying to add fuel to this fire, could people liken these guys to current players if possible? (Obviously not an exact match because they're HoF and current players are mid-career, but as best you can please?)

Kouta was the prototype modern midfielder a decade before Pendles. Enormous and powerful, but agile and graceful at the same time with pretty good skills. I was too young for the 1995 season, but in 2000 he activated god mode and was just unstoppable. If you ever saw Chad Cornes or Adam Goodes when they were playing as midfielders, think that sort of thing but in 2000, much better. Too big, too strong, too powerful. Josh Kennedy from Sydney has some similar traits but probably isn't as athletic.

Richo was an athletic power forward, I guess sort of in the Nick Riewoldt mould in terms of running power and marking ability, although probably not quite at the level of Riewoldt in terms of workrate, but a better mark. Elite workrate. A really brilliant player to watch. He would frustrate with set shots, and he wore his heart on his sleeve a bit too much some times, but he was incredibly consistent at a high level over a long time. 800 goals when his career coincided with the flooding era is incredibly impressive.

McLeod was a complete midfielder, and could really have played anywhere on the ground. Lighting fast, excellent in traffic, super silky skills, and had that inate vision and ability to read the game which would mean he would will himself into the right place at the right time and win games for the Crows on a regular basis. The epitome of a big game player. He was very unlucky not to win a Brownlow one year. I can't think of a modern comparison that is good enough. Maybe Chad Wingard but in a full time midfielder who was equally adept at playing anywhere.

Brad Johnson played a bit in the midfield but I remember him as a super dangerous forward. I guess Steve Johnson is the closest current comparison I can think of. A really difficult matchup because he was big bodied and strong for his height, but was really agile and could read the play and get free in the forward 50. Also like Stevie J, capable of the miraculous. Always dangerous. Performed at a really high level for a small forward for a long long time. 6 AAs mainly as a forward is pretty phenomenal.

Tredrea was a junior midfielder who only grew in his draft year (U18 AA on the wing), meaning he had the skills of a very good small in the body of a Cloke or J.Brown. Had some issues with goalkicking accuracy, but was a monstrously strong mark, elite when the ball hit the deck, and had the ability to wheel around and spot a target 60m away with either foot. Lost a lot of his agility with injury in 2006, but still played reasonably well after that. For a modern day comparison think Cloke with much better skills.

Hope that helps. Everyone else feel free to pick apart these profiles.

 

[Dirty Bird]

McLeod was a complete midfielder, and could really have played anywhere on the ground. Lighting fast, excellent in traffic, super silky skills, and had that inate vision and ability to read the game which would mean he would will himself into the right place at the right time and win games for the Crows on a regular basis. The epitome of a big game player. He was very unlucky not to win a Brownlow one year. I can't think of a modern comparison that is good enough. Maybe Chad Wingard but in a full time midfielder who was equally adept at playing anywhere.

He had the football brain of Dane Swan, but the skills of Gary Ablett, with the knees of Anthony Morabito, which forced him to play the role of Brodie Smith.

 

[sammy_mac]

Who played 340 games.

Goodes will break it in a couple of weeks but McLeod is actually the games record holder for an Indigenous player.

 

[Chunderboy]

lolle



Kouta was the prototype modern midfielder a decade before Pendles. Enormous and powerful, but agile and graceful at the same time with pretty good skills. I was too young for the 1995 season, but in 2000 he activated god mode and was just unstoppable. If you ever saw Chad Cornes or Adam Goodes when they were playing as midfielders, think that sort of thing but in 2000, much better. Too big, too strong, too powerful. Josh Kennedy from Sydney has some similar traits but probably isn't as athletic.

Richo was an athletic power forward, I guess sort of in the Nick Riewoldt mould in terms of running power and marking ability, although probably not quite at the level of Riewoldt in terms of workrate, but a better mark. Elite workrate. A really brilliant player to watch. He would frustrate with set shots, and he wore his heart on his sleeve a bit too much some times, but he was incredibly consistent at a high level over a long time. 800 goals when his career coincided with the flooding era is incredibly impressive.

McLeod was a complete midfielder, and could really have played anywhere on the ground. Lighting fast, excellent in traffic, super silky skills, and had that inate vision and ability to read the game which would mean he would will himself into the right place at the right time and win games for the Crows on a regular basis. The epitome of a big game player. He was very unlucky not to win a Brownlow one year. I can't think of a modern comparison that is good enough. Maybe Chad Wingard but in a full time midfielder who was equally adept at playing anywhere.

Brad Johnson played a bit in the midfield but I remember him as a super dangerous forward. I guess Steve Johnson is the closest current comparison I can think of. A really difficult matchup because he was big bodied and strong for his height, but was really agile and could read the play and get free in the forward 50. Also like Stevie J, capable of the miraculous. Always dangerous. Performed at a really high level for a small forward for a long long time. 6 AAs mainly as a forward is pretty phenomenal.

Tredrea was a junior midfielder who only grew in his draft year (U18 AA on the wing), meaning he had the skills of a very good small in the body of a Cloke or J.Brown. Had some issues with goalkicking accuracy, but was a monstrously strong mark, elite when the ball hit the deck, and had the ability to wheel around and spot a target 60m away with either foot. Lost a lot of his agility with injury in 2006, but still played reasonably well after that. For a modern day comparison think Cloke with much better skills.

Hope that helps. Everyone else feel free to pick apart these profiles.

Thanks heaps, that's pretty much what I chasing!

Richo is one I'm familiar with, although a lot from reputation and reading. And high light reels! I remember Johnson a bit, but only the full forward Johnson

 

[I am Jack]

Agree. If Brad Johnson gets a run as well the bar is reasonably low. Halls of fame relevance is determined by the quality of player that doesn't make it IMO.

I agree. But then look at the award for what it is - an individual award.
These awards like HOF, they are solely individual awards, make of them what you will.

Team success is the measure of the man, team success is why the KING still reigns supreme.
Individual brilliance need only be applauded - when it carries the team to the ultimate.

 

[Dramoth]

I reckon there are two things that get Kouta over the line:

1) He was something of a prototype. How many 191cm or taller players played midfield full time before him?
2) He often lifted in big H&A games and finals. His 1999 preliminary final lives on in my memory to this day- the horror. I've never watched a replay and I can still recall it. That wasn't the only big final he had either. He was magnificent in the '95 GF, in the '01 QF, just to name some.

You could definitely make an argument that perhaps someone could have got in before him. But, I have no problem with him getting in, whether that be now, next year or thereafter.

That is the truth... how many 191cm tall midfielders changed the way that people looked at footballers? All of a sudden, the league was scrambling to find players who could play like Kouta... and they still are. There are some that are similar to him, but they couldnt do everything that he could. They cant play KPF, they cant play KPD... they cant play on the flanks or down the wings... and they definitely couldnt step in and pinch hit as a ruckman when needed.

He was the ultimate utility player... thats why he got in.

 

[Underdog]

When a commentator says "he's like a quarterback" and "the playmaker out of defence" and things like that, that was first attributed to McLeod in the modern era

That term merely came into fashion whilst McLeod was playing. That game style is hardly new. Guy McKenna was famed in the 90's for a similar quarterback role and I'm sure there were many before him.

 

[Underdog]

Tredrea was a gun make no mistake, he was an absolute machine. The only non-midfielder this century to be the raging hot brownlow favourite.

Luke Darcy?

 

[mottrain]

Tredrea was a gun make no mistake, he was an absolute machine. The only non-midfielder this century to be the raging hot brownlow favourite.

Yet not the best CHF in that season

 

[ManOfClay]

Team success is the measure of the man, team success is why the KING still reigns supreme.
Individual brilliance need only be applauded - when it carries the team to the ultimate.

And that's why Tony Lockett and Nathan Buckley were shit players......

I don't see why people need to keep bringing up team successes to try and denigrate some great players' individual achievements. Is it jealousy? Tall poppy syndrome?

 

[Hawkinspired]

To me it just seems like the AFL are diluting the Hall of Fame category so they can keep adding to the legends pool.

 

[cammo78]

I think we over hype players that have played a large amount of games. Johnson was a good player, nothing more. 2006 was a great season for him, no doubt about that. We can't have every player that was an all Australian captain as a hall of famer. Is it because he smiles, has a great record and generally seems like a great bloke?

On the other end of the spectrum you have Brendan Fevola who retired in the same year. You could fill a page with his misdemeanours but he was twice the player of Johnson. Speaking of which he kicked more goals from almost half as many games. Just like the recent brownlow talk, we want to reward the best player, not the fairest. Fevola was a rare talent and how a durable journeyman and a all round nice guy pips him is staggering.

I'll bite.

"Durable journeymen" don't make six All Australian sides, captaining one.

For context - here are the people in and around that category of player:

Qualification: Selection in six or more teams from 1953 to 2013

Robert Harvey 8
Mark Ricciuto 8
Gary Ablett, Jr. 7
Craig Bradley 7
Nathan Buckley 7
Wayne Carey 7
Paul Roos 7
Ben Cousins 6
Dean Cox 6
Brad Johnson 6
Chris Judd 6
Matthew Pavlich 6
Matthew Scarlett 6

As for Fevola being twice the player Johnson was...pfft. Fevola has twice the goals of Johnson because....ummm...he was a FULL FORWARD!! Johnson spent the first half of his career as a wingman before moving forward. So your comparison is redundant.

In a nutshell, your post is complete and utter garbage.

 

[Heisenberg_]

Yet not the best CHF in that season

Yes he was.
Who was better?

 

[mottrain]

Yes he was.
Who was better?

Nick Riewoldt.

 

[cammo78]

Tredrea was a gun make no mistake, he was an absolute machine. The only non-midfielder this century to be the raging hot brownlow favourite.

Luke Darcy was a red-hot favourite in 2002.

 

[Chunderboy]

To me it just seems like the AFL are diluting the Hall of Fame category so they can keep adding to the legends pool.

I thought this earlier, that if it was to be diluted, then surely people would begin to notice and complain that those at the top of the list are in the same category as those on the bottom, and so should be moved up. But then those moved to legends may not be comparable to those already there. So where does that leave us? Immortals?

 

[Macca19]

He took 7 contested marks, which is a record. But it was 18 marks overall, which isn't.

That's not a record either.

 

[LeoMessi]

Nick Riewoldt.

You must be young...

 

[Heisenberg_]

I'm not usually one to agree with the whole "If he played in Victoria he would be remembered differently" line. But in this case it's 100% spot on with Tredrea, how anybody could possibly think he shouldn't be in has me stumped.

 

[PrideOf]

Luke Darcy was a red-hot favourite in 2002.

Say that again.

 

[Puddy]

Nick Riewoldt.

Riewoldt had a great year in 2004 but Tredrea was the best footballer in the land that year

 

[PAFC_1870]

Yet not the best CHF in that season

Sigh.

He kicked 80 odd goals and captained his team to the flag, wtf more can one do?

 

[PAFC_1870]

Kouta had one hell of a year, Tredrea slowed with injuries (as did Kouta), Brad Johnson was relatively consistent throughout, Richo was probably the only one who improved as he got older IMO.

I think McLeod's earlier stuff was better, the loose man in defense playing alongside Hart/Rutten/Smart etc etc wouldnt be the hardest role.

Was better in the early years, but lost his way for a little while in between him being moved back where he reignited himself again.