AFL Awards season discussion

[Chinacats]

Bull dust. Aflpa has zero to do with it.

I'm surprised he even made the side.
But captain?

8 times AA for paddy with 12 debutants in the team. They got it right absolutely!

 

[calder_daddy]

I didn't think Mitch or Blicavs would get picked but I thought Menegola deserved a spot. Congrats to Cam, Paddy, & TBone for their selections. Paddy getting Captain, I felt, was more to do with this being his 8th AA selection and how he handled himself through the year as the ALPA president. If we were basing it purely on football I probably would have given it to Boak. But that's not to say Paddy didn't deserve the honor.

I think Lachie Neale will win the Brownlow too. He's had an epic year.

Overall, I thought the AA side was a very good team. I could quibble over a few selections, but there was no one selected that didn't deserve it, IMO.

Duncan didn’t even get nominated but he had highlights shown as a HFF. No idea what happened there but they made it out that he had been nominated when in fact he didn’t

 

[cats_09]

According to Champion Data, Macrae spent just four per cent game time this year on the wing, while Guthrie was slightly higher at 17 per cent...

...Menegola and McCluggage were the top two ranked wingmen, according to the AFL Player Ratings, while Gaff was among the league’s top 10 players for uncontested possessions and time on ground this season.

 

[FredLeDeux]

So no one has ever had 9? He’s a massive chance

GAS has a real one, earned on the ground in State games, on top of the 8 media ones.

 

[Seeds]

Paddy was almost the difference in getting us over the line against the Bulldogs. Had 18 disposals in the 2nd half.
Again just this past round, not sure would have won without him either. Two games alone where he helped us finish top four.

His brisbane game was also phenomenal.

 

[Seeds]

We always seem harshest on our own players

No doubt that Dangers numbers are down on previous years but that can be put down to various reasons:
- shorter quarters & shorter matches will generally mean less stat accumulation

- other players standing up, taking more responsibilty & more of the load; Guthrie, Menegola, Duncan etc, even Parfitt has been good even if he's not the stat accumulator like others

- we are less reliant on Danger this year than previous years for the point listed above. With others stepping up it's meant that Danger doesn't need to carry the midfield on his own

So while he's numbers may be down, not sure you could say he's impacts dropped away

We are just down on our best players because of expectations bias. danger has always been our best mid and that didnt change this year.

 

[Seeds]

Once you recognise the AA is merely a publicity generating machine fueled by outrage you feel much better about the meaninglessness of it all.

What the hell?

its perhaps one of the best single measures of a players ability relative to his peers.

 

[Seeds]

Happy for Danger - but half forwards aren’t what they used to be!

Paul Brown anyone? And was Aaron Lord a half forward or forward packet?

Paul Brown was a good back pocket. Not afl standard as a foward.

 

[Mr X]

Paul Brown was a good back pocket. Not afl standard as a foward.

Oh come on......he kicked a lazy 37.27 in 1992! Fourth in the goalkicking at the Cats behind Brownless, Ablett and Scott.

 

[PhatBoy]

What the hell?

its perhaps one of the best single measures of a players ability relative to his peers.

*was

what I’m really disappointed about is that a guy who in any measure would have been selected at FF, will now be remembered as part of that joke 2020 team.

 

[Cursed Cat]

reckon Guthrie’s cleaner ball use got him the nod over Menegola for that wing spot, I’m content with the selections

 

[Chinacats]

Neale is deserving of the MVP. But
Is he actually the MVP? he has had the best year no doubt and should win the Brownlow . However I believe he is the the best player this year and not the MVP. Nic Nat is more valuable, Martin, Dangerfield, Hawkins.
Should change the name of this award.

 

[Mr X]

I don't quite understand the argument that it was a crap year for forwards therefore mids fill their spots.

Look at the Top 10 goalkickers for the year - most if not spent almost all their time as a forward, how hard is it to pick them in those positions because they were best at playing that position?

 

[Gunf]

Hmm interesting AA selections

No genuine Wingers is just plain wrong Gola and Suitcase should of been named.

As for forwards happy Danger made it but him/Bont/Martin shouldn't be getting named over forwards even if those forwards didn't really set the world on fire.

I can see why Butler and other small forwards missed since most of them started really fast and crawled to the finish.

Papley only kicked 7 goals after round 8. Butler only 6 after round 10 etc

 

[cats_09]

No surprise for who is #1:

Forty doesn’t fit into 22 — and just like every year, there were several members of the 40-man All-Australian squad that were stiff to miss out on the final 22.

There was no room for a genuine wingman — despite three being available for selection from the squad — while the omission of some gun defenders baffled punters.

Foxfooty.com.au assesses and ranks the ‘unlucky 18’ that didn’t make the 2020 All-Australian team.

1. Sam Menegola (Geelong)
He’s certainly not the biggest name to miss out, but the emerging Cats star’s absence from the 22-man squad typifies the continued mistake made by the All-Australian selectors. Menegola, whose growth this season has been crucial to Geelong’s success, was statistically the best wingman in the AFL this season. Yet he didn’t earn either of the wing spots, instead watching them go to teammate Cam Guthrie and Jack Macrae. Guthrie spent less than a fifth of his time during games on the wing, while Macrae was there just four per cent of the time. For too long the wing has been thought of as a place to squeeze in extra midfielders, not the incredibly difficult and crucial separate position that it is. Do we need to introduce specific position quotas to fix this?

10. Mark Blicavs (Geelong)
Perhaps the dual Geelong best and fairest winner was hurt by his incredible versatility since it means he’s the jack of all trades but master of none? Blicavs and Tom Jonas join Ben Brown, Sam Jacobs, Andrew Swallow, Adam Treloar, Taylor Walker and Callan Ward as the only players to make the 40-man squad three times without squeezing into the 22.

The unlucky 18: The most unlucky players from All-Australian 40-man squad to miss the final cut

18 All-Australian leftovers: The most unlucky snubbed stars ranked 1-18

www.foxsports.com.au

 

[Max Milburn]

It's just as well this team doesn't actually get to play against another team.
Any match committee that picked a team without actual wingers and forwards would rightly be castigated.

 

[Seeds]

Cam should mention BlightysCats in his acceptance speech for the lulz

No it was pat

Oh come on......he kicked a lazy 37.27 in 1992! Fourth in the goalkicking at the Cats behind Brownless, Ablett and Scott.

ane that was his only decent year as a foward. The year in which we set the record for most goals and smashed teams.

was a much better defender.

 

[Seeds]

*was

what I’m really disappointed about is that a guy who in any measure would have been selected at FF, will now be remembered as part of that joke 2020 team.

This all australian team is as good and accurate as any other year.

the best players for the season were picked.

 

[Seeds]

Hmm interesting AA selections

No genuine Wingers is just plain wrong Gola and Suitcase should of been named.

As for forwards happy Danger made it but him/Bont/Martin shouldn't be getting named over forwards even if those forwards didn't really set the world on fire.

I can see why Butler and other small forwards missed since most of them started really fast and crawled to the finish.

Papley only kicked 7 goals after round 8. Butler only 6 after round 10 etc

So you have answered your own question. Papley and butler werent good enough to get in. Danger and martin were.

 

[PhatBoy]

This all australian team is as good and accurate as any other year.

the best players for the season were picked.

Can’t say I agree.

an ICC test team of the year doesn’t pick two wicketkeepers just because two of them had a great year with the bat.

it doesn’t leave batsmen out because 6 bowlers had excellent years.

there has always been a tendency to squeeze players into spots because they have had an outstanding year, but it’s been maybe 1-2 players in the starting side, and a few on the bench.

it’s getting worse and worse every year.

now the reality is that if Dangerfield played as a permanent forward, he’d probably be better there than basically 95 per cent of forwards and he’d get picked on his merits.
But he’s not a permanent forward. He’s a midfielder who goes there for a few patches a game.

so why pick him there?

if, in a parallel universe, Blicavs’ stints in the ruck, for 10-15 minutes a game, were as good as Natanui’s or Gawn’s ruck work, he still wouldn’t be picked for the AA team as a ruckman would he. He would have to show that he could produce that level for games at a time.


I don’t disagree that danger should have been somewhere in the squad.

I don’t disagree that Guthrie should have been somewhere in there.

But they aren’t playing anyone. You aren’t picking a team to win a game. You are picking. Team to recognise the best players in their roles in the competition. They have not done this

 

[cats_09]

 

[Seeds]

Can’t say I agree.

an ICC test team of the year doesn’t pick two wicketkeepers just because two of them had a great year with the bat.

it doesn’t leave batsmen out because 6 bowlers had excellent years.

there has always been a tendency to squeeze players into spots because they have had an outstanding year, but it’s been maybe 1-2 players in the starting side, and a few on the bench.

it’s getting worse and worse every year.

now the reality is that if Dangerfield played as a permanent forward, he’d probably be better there than basically 95 per cent of forwards and he’d get picked on his merits.
But he’s not a permanent forward. He’s a midfielder who goes there for a few patches a game.

so why pick him there?

if, in a parallel universe, Blicavs’ stints in the ruck, for 10-15 minutes a game, were as good as Natanui’s or Gawn’s ruck work, he still wouldn’t be picked for the AA team as a ruckman would he. He would have to show that he could produce that level for games at a time.


I don’t disagree that danger should have been somewhere in the squad.

I don’t disagree that Guthrie should have been somewhere in there.

But they aren’t playing anyone. You aren’t picking a team to win a game. You are picking. Team to recognise the best players in their roles in the competition. They have not done this

a national cricket side picks the 6 best batsmen to fill out the batting spots. It doesnt pick the best number 3, 4, 5,and 6 from the state games if the second best number 3 in the state games is a way better player then the best number 6. Ricky ponting spent his first 5 years in the australian test team batting no 5 and 6. He was always number 3-4 in the tasmanian side though.

 

[PhatBoy]

a national cricket side picks the 6 best batsmen to fill out the batting spots. It doesnt pick the best number 3, 4, 5,and 6 from the state games if the second best number 3 in the state games is a way better player then the best number 6. Ricky ponting spent his first 5 years in the australian test team batting no 5 and 6. He was always number 3-4 in the tasmanian side though.

A national cricket side has to play someone.

a ceremonial team like the icc world xi does not

 

[PhatBoy]

If the USA was playing basketball they’d probably find a way to shoehorn a centre into power forward or whatever but when they pick an all nba side they pick 5 players from 5 positions

 

[Hamingja]

Once you recognise the AA is merely a publicity generating machine fueled by outrage you feel much better about the meaninglessness of it all.

I have honestly not cared at all about it since 2007.

If your team is winning you are not really craving the external recognition for the players as much.

Pavlich over Scarlett at full back still gets me though