2017 Best midfield and depth

Remove this Banner Ad

happypieman7 said:
never doubted collingwoods midfield , best by a country mile , cant say much more about the rest of them
Click to expand...
I guess that is why they were routinely beaten last season.
 
DangerIsLove said:
Because of Dangerfield and Selwood
Well Scott Selwood and Joel will actually do pre season this year, Menengola was amazing in his debut season, of our second tier stand up, Guthrie, Blicavs, Duncan, Lang we have a strong midfiekd
Click to expand...
Alright, I'll retract my statement. Not only because of Dangerfield and Selwood.
 

Log in to remove this ad.

Righteo said:
Oh and West Coast's midfield is definitely worse. Mitchell is a great player no doubt but Nic Nat simply makes their midfield unit work. Lycett and Vardy are by no means terrible, though the latter seems to have perpetual injuries, but the inferior chemistry will hamper their ability to consistently win high quality clearances and their comparative lack of physicality and aggression is another huge step down. And I'm not saying it's even bad, just that it's less good than 2016. Less gooderer.
Click to expand...

Whilst you may be right I feel people are underestimating the impact Mitchell should have on the West Coast midfield. He may be old but he is still a top 20 player in the comp. In the last two seasons, he has:
  • Finished top 3 in the Brownlow
  • AA one year, squad the other (unlucky)
  • Won a B&F and finished top 3 in a premiership side
  • Runner up Norm Smith
  • Easily broke the record for most possessions in a finals series
  • (Best player in a side good enough to win 3 flags in a row)
  • Etc, etc.
He is used to roving to average rucks and is a massive student (and teacher) of 'clearance-craft' which the other WC mids will benefit from. He has also taken the No 1 tag for a long time which means he will either a) free up the other mids (like Shuey) to run free or b) dominate if he isn't tagged (the few times he has been left untagged in recent years he has gone nuts and been BOG basically every time).
 
Guardian Hawk said:
Whilst you may be right I feel people are underestimating the impact Mitchell should have on the West Coast midfield. He may be old but he is still a top 20 player in the comp. In the last two seasons, he has:
  • Finished top 3 in the Brownlow
  • AA one year, squad the other (unlucky)
  • Won a B&F and finished top 3 in a premiership side
  • Runner up Norm Smith
  • Easily broke the record for most possessions in a finals series
  • (Best player in a side good enough to win 3 flags in a row)
  • Etc, etc.
He is used to roving to average rucks and is a massive student (and teacher) of 'clearance-craft' which the other WC mids will benefit from. He has also taken the No 1 tag for a long time which means he will either a) free up the other mids (like Shuey) to run free or b) dominate if he isn't tagged (the few times he has been left untagged in recent years he has gone nuts and been BOG basically every time).
Click to expand...

To be fair, in your team he was a critical cog in a well oiled machine.

He was never the flashy superstar who would work in any team (to further the analogy, the same cog might not work in a different machine). He worked so well because of the blokes next to him. This isn't to devalue him in any way. I think it demonstrates why your team was the best of the 21st century so far.
 
Madtiger2006 said:
Vlastuin joining the midfield this year. Awesome. We have doubled the quality of our engine room since the end of last season.

Starting 3-cotchin, martin, prestia
Rotating 3-vlastuin, caddy, miles

3 quality additions. Our first 6 would be one of the best in the league now imo

McIntosh and Edwards on the wings. Neither played much last year at all. We have plenty of fire power now
Click to expand...

Negative ghostrider the pattern is full.
 
MotleyLemon said:
Fascinating how Caddy has gone from a bloke who needed to step up to help Dangerfield and Selwood (and failed to do so), to being a key pillar in one of the best midfields in the comp at Richmond, at least according to a few here...
Click to expand...
Caddy is a plodder, an unloyal plodder at that
 
Last edited:
MotleyLemon said:
Fascinating how Caddy has gone from a bloke who needed to step up to help Dangerfield and Selwood (and failed to do so), to being a key pillar in one of the best midfields in the comp at Richmond, at least according to a few here...
Click to expand...

Dangerfield hogs the ball though. The Crows did better without him. Other midfielders get more involved with him not there. Eg Caddy, who played forward a lot last year anyway?
 
Madtiger2006 said:
Dangerfield hogs the ball though. The Crows did better without him. Other midfielders get more involved with him not there. Eg Caddy, who played forward a lot last year anyway?
Click to expand...

Yep. And Caddy was an absolute A grader before Danger showed up.

Reckon the Crows would have even made finals if Dangerfield was there this year? Nah.
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

DangerIsLove said:
Because of Dangerfield and Selwood
Well Scott Selwood and Joel will actually do pre season this year, Menengola was amazing in his debut season, of our second tier stand up, Guthrie, Blicavs, Duncan, Lang we have a strong midfiekd
Click to expand...
There is a big question mark over Scott Selwood, Guthrie, Duncan, Lang. If you look at GWS, Dogs, Sydney they have 6/7 absolute class midfielders who can consistently change games. S.Selwood (one paced, lacks polish) Guthrie, Duncan, Lang play the odd good quarters but always get worn down by the top sides. Geelongs midfield is not strong until they can stand up consistently.
 
gangsta deluxe said:
To be fair, in your team he was a critical cog in a well oiled machine.

He was never the flashy superstar who would work in any team (to further the analogy, the same cog might not work in a different machine). He worked so well because of the blokes next to him. This isn't to devalue him in any way. I think it demonstrates why your team was the best of the 21st century so far.
Click to expand...
I'm positive Sam Mitchell would be an awesome cog in any "machine". The best player in the best team of the past 10 years (maybe best team ever).
 
gangsta deluxe said:
To be fair, in your team he was a critical cog in a well oiled machine.

He was never the flashy superstar who would work in any team (to further the analogy, the same cog might not work in a different machine). He worked so well because of the blokes next to him. This isn't to devalue him in any way. I think it demonstrates why your team was the best of the 21st century so far.
Click to expand...

Whilst I appreciate that the Hawthorn team may be greater than the sum of its parts you are channelling your inner Wayne Carey here.

Sam Mitchell may not be flashy but he is every bit the superstar and would significantly enhance any team. Hell, the guy is the No 1 Brownlow vote getter of all time, top 5 for coaches votes all time, No 1 clearance player all time, top 5 for contested AND uncontested possessions, etc, etc. He is one of the greatest finals performers all time and has managed 5 B&F's in one of the best teams of all time. He is the second best midfielder Hawthorn have ever had and the guy in front of him is argued as the greatest player ever.

The flashy thing annoys me a little - sure, he won't explode from a pack ala Judd/Dangerfield but Mitchell firing out a handball from the bottom of a pack to a teammate in space is worth exactly the same as Judd exploding from a pack and finding a teammate - especially when Mitchell gets it more often and uses it better. All the fanfare goes to the explosive "highlights" players, even when their disposal is a bomb to no one whilst the clever player who draws others, slows time and releases his teammate perfectly is usually under recognised.

Anyway, Mitchell will be 35 this year, in a new unfamiliar team and flying across the country every second weekend yet if he plays most games I'm still betting he will at least be top 5 in West Coast's B&F. Time will tell.
 
It's far from the best, but our tiered midfield is starting to emerge.

1. Lewis, Viney, Tyson
2. Jones, Vince, Oliver (will be the best)
3. Brayshaw, Petracca, Stretch/Salem

Three veterans plus 7 developing mids, 6 of whom are top 10 draft picks (or bid - Viney) and the 7th a F/S in Stretch.

All fed by Gawn, who'll be even more dominant without TMU.

But it will be better again in 2018.

4. Melksham, Harmes, vandenBerg and possibly Hunt moving up the ground.

Depth: Bugg, Ben Kennedy, Neal-Bullen
 
Last edited:
boydee said:
There is a big question mark over Scott Selwood, Guthrie, Duncan, Lang. If you look at GWS, Dogs, Sydney they have 6/7 absolute class midfielders who can consistently change games. S.Selwood (one paced, lacks polish) Guthrie, Duncan, Lang play the odd good quarters but always get worn down by the top sides. Geelongs midfield is not strong until they can stand up consistently.
Click to expand...

Yep. Cats may have the top 2 but their midfield doesnt go very deep. One injury and they are in big trouble.

GWS are the team that goes deepest.
 
Shiel, Coniglio, Ward
Griffen, Deledio, Kelly
Scully, Greene, Williams
Johnson, Whitfield, Smith

On the cusp:
Hopper, Kennedy

First years:
Taranto, Setterfield
 

Remove this Banner Ad

2017 Best midfield and depth

Similar threads

G
Best Contested Midfielder
2 3 4
Replies
95
Views
3K
Aristotle Pickett
Aristotle Pickett
Lingsface
Best midfield ever?
8 9 10 11 12
Replies
277
Views
9K
GastevsBeard
GastevsBeard
outabounds
Who exactly is going to end up the best Port midfielder?
2 3
Replies
51
Views
2K
adammania9
adammania9
Lingsface
Father/Sons best and fairest
Replies
0
Views
238
Lingsface
Lingsface
Gavin Excell
Departing players and Best n Fairests
2 3 4
Replies
78
Views
3K
Freomaniac
Freomaniac
RUNVS
  • Poll
Who is the best midfielder of the 21st century?
7 8 9 10 11
Replies
254
Views
7K
RUNVS
RUNVS
Always Ballin
Worst forward line, midfield, and defence to win a premiership in the AFL era?
2 3 4 5
Replies
111
Views
5K
theboxmike
theboxmike

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top