At their best, who was the best?

[The Magenius]

Having seen all of them play in the 90's and 2000's on their day its judd easily for mine.. on his day nobody could get a hand on him... he had freakish speed and pin-point accuracy he was unstoppabble...unfortunatly he has never been the same since his groin injury in 2007 though... not saying he hasnt played some great matches just none near his very best.....

1. Judd
2. Hird
3. Ablett
4. Buckley
5. Voss

 

[sainter35]

Wayne Carey at his best surpasses all 5 of them.

1. Ablett
2. Voss
3. Hird
4. Judd
5. Buckley

Correct weight. Carey surpassed them all. While we are there and with no criteria...Lockett passes them all also. Lets keep going...Chicken Smallhorne in the 30's flogged em as well......and lets not forget shane woewodumb.

 

[folester41]

juddy.

 

[sainter35]

Bucks for me, probably out of bias but when Collingwood weren't performing he was busting his ass to get us back in the game. Even in a big loss you look at the stats and see Bucks' 25 touches and 6 tackles with a few goals and had to admire him. Rarely had a quiet game too.

YAWN. Why not just add Obree in the group.....he was good also....

 

[morell]

Hird is the best I have seen.

 

[AG]

Having seen all of them play in the 90's and 2000's on their day its judd easily for mine.. on his day nobody could get a hand on him... he had freakish speed and pin-point accuracy he was unstoppabble...unfortunatly he has never been the same since his groin injury in 2007 though... not saying he hasnt played some great matches just none near his very best.....

Judd has many, many traits but this isn't or never was one of them imo.

 

[swiftdog]

1. Hird

2. Voss
3. Buckley

4. GAJ
5. Judd

I voted Buckley just because though. Hird is the only player on that list that could kill a game with 10 seconds of footy, he'd kick some freak goal and despite the scoreline you knew the game was over. Voss and Buckley are pretty close for me, 2002 granny edges Voss over the line. In saying that Buckley almost single-handedly stole the Pies a flag, why i rate him above the other two.

GAJ and WC Judd have/had it easy. It's easy be explosive when you have 2-3 mids blocking for you. They may look prettier/flashier than Voss and Buckley but I value more Voss/Buck's abilities to drag their team over the line as opposed to the explosive footy that GAJ/Judd play with much help from Bartel, Selwood, Chappy, Cousins, Kerr etc

Hird at his best clearly the best for me though, bloke was a freak and could literally turn a game on it's head in an instant.

 

[Godzke]

Hird winning the poll and he never even reached his peak. If only we could reset 97-99 without the ankle injuries.

I have Ablett Snr above him (should he have been included in the poll), Ablett Jnr could finish above him (we'll wait till his career is over) but him and Voss played in vastly superior midfields to Essendon's. Love Juddy but can't see him finishing above Hird, has only played in teams with top 6 midfields. Bucks awesome in so many ways but didn't have Hird's x-factor.

ps: also to reiterate earlier posts, Voss and Buckley no where near as damaging when playing/rotating/resting inside 50.

 

[PieEyedLad]

YAWN. Why not just add Obree in the group.....he was good also....

Sorry, you lost me at 'YAWN'. Care to elaborate?

 

[Dazb86]

I'd take Riccuto before any of the above listed.

 

[Tarkyn_24]

At their peak (pure match-winning ability)

1. Hird
2. Judd
3. Ablett
4. Voss
5. Buckley
6. Harvey


Course of their careers, 'best' player in terms of consistency and influence

1. Hird
2. Harvey
3. Buckley
4. Judd
5. Voss
6. Ablett (taking into consideration he hasn't finished his career, I just don't rate his ability to consistently perform in a worse team... not that he's been given the opportunity to prove this)

So overall, using a basic point ranking system, I'd rank;

1. Hird
2. Judd
=3. Buckley
=3. Harvey
=5. Ablett
=5. Voss

 

[tigers_of_old_08]

It's laughable that Gary Ablett even has 1 vote considering the other options on the list.

3 MVPs
3 AA's
Brownlow

Do you actually watch any footy?

 

[Elite]

Hird is awesome.

Also the thing people really really MUST remember, is Buckley never ever ever had the team around him to help take some slck off him.

Imagine Buckley in his prime, with the same teams thats Judd, ablett, hird and voss enjoyed and had help with!

 

[DivideandMultiply]

Judd at the start of 07 was amazing.

At his peak was probably the best pure midfielder I have seen.

Unfortunately I can also attest to Hird's brilliance, our side having been the victim of it on a few occasions.

All of the players listed could make a solid claim though.

 

[Godzke]

Hird is awesome.

Also the thing people really really MUST remember, is Buckley never ever ever had the team around him to help take some slck off him.

Imagine Buckley in his prime, with the same teams thats Judd, ablett, hird and voss enjoyed and had help with!

Really? I'd say Hird had the better midfield 99-2001/02 and either side of that the Pies had more guns through the middle.

Although the comment is fair. Hird and Buckley had it harder than the other three.

 

[StonesThrow]

Gary Ablett Jnr. I've been around for all these players. I find on forums like this that people for some reason build up players from the past to some level where they are untouchable. Im not saying they weren't good.. I just think Jnr is the best one out of the lot.

Exactly my thoughts. It's frustrating to read.

Ablett is a freak of nature and gets my vote.

 

[Dundalis]

I'd take Riccuto before any of the above listed.

Riccuto wasn't even the best at his own club. If you asked me to take one player from Adelaide back between 97-05 (Riccuto's main period of dominance), I would have taken McLeod over him every time. Which is hardly to say he was a bad player, just that McLeod was a bit more special.

 

[clobba]

Poll is a waste of time, doesn't matter who actually was best it comes down to which teams supporters are on this thread the most.

I think Voss, but is that because I am biased? I can't honestly answer that so really hard to ever truly answer.

Indeed no option yet again for Rob

 

[clobba]

It's laughable that you think that way. Watch a few more games champ, you may come to realise just how bloody good little Gaz is.

lmao soft receivers are a dime a dozen

 

[SouthSwans]

1. Hird
2. Carey
3. Kouta
4. Aker
5. Ablett snr
6. Lockett
7. Daicos
8. Bucks
9. Juddy
10. Goodes
11. Cousins
12. Voss
13. Wanganeen
14. Ablett jnr
15. Dunstall
16. Modra
17. McLeod
18. Matera
19. Ricciuto
20. Black
__________________

4. Jason Akermanis

Round 18 2001 vs Dogs
29 Disposals, 6 Marks, 4 Goals
In one of the best games of 2001, Aker shut the Doggies out of the finals with a blistering second half, showcased by the two 60+ metre left-foot bombs that underlined his status in the game from being a useful player to a brilliant champion.

Round 5 2001 vs Fremantle
31 Disposals, 6 Marks, 3 Goals
Brisbane recover from a nine-point 3Q time deficit against the winless Dockers to win by 8 goals, Aker was right in the thick of it.

Round 18 2009 vs Fremantle
23 Disposals, 5 Marks, 5.1
It's fair to say that the men in white would have him earmarked for the three votes in the clash a few weeks ago against the Dockers. The Dogs are finally seeing the Aker they traded for, he's been great this year.

Round 13 2005 vs Geelong
35 Disposals, 5.2
Aker racks up 175 dream team points, three brownlow votes and two 'Goal of the Year' contenders - both in the space of a minute - in an amazing display at the GABBA.
[YOUTUBE]Bb4hMZKtRA4[/YOUTUBE]
__________________

3. Anthony Koutofides

Round 5 1996 vs West Coast
35 Disposals, 18 Marks
Kouta did some record breaking in one of the best games I've ever seen, his best game of all. He towered over all challengers on this day, it's more than safe to say if he wasn't playing the Blues would've got done.

Round 11 2000 vs North
38 Disposals, 8 Marks, 5.1
In a 5-goal win, the big Greek stallion booted five majors in total and nearly cracked forty touches, North's reigning premiership midfield couldn't handle him.
[youtube]z9C2Qz3WfWc[/youtube]

Round 19 1997 vs Collingwood
22 Disposals, 7 Marks, 6 Goals
Without Kernahan, with Fevola yet to arrive on the scene and big Lance still finding his feet, Kouta is thrust forward and boots 6 goals to sink arch-rival Collingwood by 16 points to end any hope the Pies had of making finals.

Round 17 1995 vs Fitzroy
33 Disposals, 14 Marks, 2.1
3 more Charlie votes in a 97-point demolition of the lowly Lions.

Preliminary Final 1999 vs Essendon
29 Disposals, 12 Marks, 2 goals.
Carlton's #43 was absolutely everywhere in what many Blues supporters regard as their greatest win (not inc. GFs)
[YOUTUBE]6aye4no6Wvs[/YOUTUBE]
__________________

2. Wayne Carey

Round 17 1996 vs Melbourne
34 Disposals, 15 Marks, 11.2
Probably his best game as North tore apart the Dees by over 100 points. Both his behinds from hitting the post.
[youtube]iGxQmRMka1M[/youtube]

Round 3 1994 vs Hawthorn
26 Disposals, 10 Marks, 7.3
Best on ground in a 127-point annihalation.

Qual Final 1997 vs Geelong
23 Disposals, 10 Marks, 7.0
Carved up 2nd placed Geelong to ensure North's finals campaign continued, he was unstoppable when he got into the mood he was in that day.

Round 17 1999 vs Essendon
23 Disposals, 12 Marks, 10.5
Carey stars again in one of the big heavyweight games of the 90s, North goes down but everyone remembers the great Lloyd-Carey shootout of 99.

Round 10 2000 vs Fremantle
25 Disposals, 13 Marks, 7.1
Another game where the King reigned supreme over the kingdom. Leigh Brown, Anthony Jones, Clem Michael, Shane Parker and Matthew Pavlich had stints on him that day, none of which had too much success.

Qual Final 1994 vs Hawthorn
32 Disposals, 10 Marks, 4.4
After the scores finished level at full time, Carey came out of the huddle at the start of extra time in a savage mood, single handedly blitzing the Hawks for a four-goal win.

Preliminary Final 1994 vs Geelong
24 Disposals, 14 Marks, 6.4
The game will always be remembered for the last few seconds, but the game that this great man played at the G that day will stick in the memory of many forever. Watch this video of his brilliance on that day.
[YOUTUBE]LCjpOf33kHI[/YOUTUBE]
__________________

1. James Hird

Round 4 1993 vs Sydney
25 Disposals, 5 Marks, 6 Goals
It was the first time we witnessed Jimmy's brilliance as the premiership-bound Bombers belted the talent-strapped Swans at the SCG.

Round 15 1995 vs Richmond
23 Disposals, 13 Marks, 5.1
In one of the best games of all time, the great draw of 95, 22-year-old Hird secured three votes with one of the great displays of poise under extreme pressure.

Round 13 1996 vs Hawthorn
28 Disposals, 8 Marks, 6.3
A crucial time of the season in 1996, with all the sides bunched up so tightly any mistakes could end a side's season. Hird ensured the Bombers would push harder for a top four spot in one of his great games. His best game of his brownlow season.

Semi Final 1996 vs West Coast
31 Disposals, 7 Marks, 4.1
Jimmy just blew away the Eagles in that game, it was all over at quarter time and along with Misiti and Bewick, Hird kept applying the blowtorch to take the Bombers into the Prelims.

Grand Final 2000 vs Melbourne
29 Disposals, 7 Marks, 2 Goals
Gave the Dees no chance of taking the premiership away from him this time, the Bombers were never going to let it slip after the events of 99, another great effort by him winning the Norm Smith.

Round 5 2003 vs Collingwood
27 Disposals, 5 Marks, 5.2
His best game. 5 freakish goals, an Anzac Medal, and a stamp on his permanent record as a legend.
[youtube]7M0C338zQZU[/youtube]

Round 3 2004 vs West Coast
34 Disposals, 7 Marks, 3.1
Nobody who watched it will ever forget this game. After the Scotty McLaren saga on the footy show the Bombers responded with eight goals in the first term before the Eagles could register a score. In a mighty comeback the coasters clawed their way back in front in what was one of the great shoot-outs of this decade. Hird stamped his class in the last term with a blistering 15-possesion, two goal last term, his final goal putting the Bombers in front with mere seconds left.
[youtube]yx7898r_5j8[/youtube]

 

[Hood007]

lmao soft receivers are a dime a dozen

Dal Santo/Montagna/Gram board...

If Gazza is a soft receiver, how does he lead the league in contested possesions?

Answer that one genius...

 

[Elite]

Yes, nice clips. Aker is an out and out superstar.

Also, from that time, got to take into account, ablett snr, carey, hird, buckley etc.. had to do everything the hard way!
No protection or soft free kicks with 10 umpires watching for a slight jumper pulls and hands in the back.

Ablett jnr is a champion, but how can we truly compare, different eras, but players like Buckley and Hird did it in both the "Scrag" era and the "free kick" era.


But damn, has there been many true champions, what a game!

 

[Ricmel]

1. Hird
2. Carey
3. Kouta
4. Aker
5. Ablett snr
6. Lockett
7. Daicos
8. Bucks
9. Juddy
10. Goodes
11. Cousins
12. Voss
13. Wanganeen
14. Ablett jnr
15. Dunstall
16. Modra
17. McLeod
18. Matera
19. Ricciuto
20. Black
__________________

This could well be the stupidest list I have ever seen. Football or otherwise.

 

[SouthSwans]

This could well be the stupidest list I have ever seen. Football or otherwise.

Why? Not enough Riewoldt?

 

[dan warna]

IMO michael voss is the best player since lethal matthews.

I voted for MV, only just ahead of gablett junior.

Although I think in 3 or 4 seasons I might change my mind.

btw Robert Harvey doesn't get the kudo's he deserves, the man was pure silk and definately in the league of buckley and hird as a player.

Though he wasn't the on field leader the others were, he lead by playing harder and harder not through direction and command like buckley, voss and hird who were great leaders.

Gablett light I think, like banger, doesn't have the on field leadership of the other three.