Best Full Back Ever

[footyfan1978]

Thought start genuine poll of what consider worthy candidates.

 

[footyfan1978]

I will not vote. I will just give my options of what I consider true candidates. Just curious in ones I consider worthy without voting myself.

 

[footyfan1978]

Hawks fans split.
Not convinced SOS better full back then Southby. Better player overall but full back if I actually voted, which I am not, would be torn between Dench, Southby and SOS.

 

[Dazlington]

Rance

Source: Luke Darcy

 

[Cold Sober]

Dench , Rance wouldn't rank in the first 50 best defenders.

 

[Socrates2]

Rance

Source: Luke Darcy

Yes agree, he's much more athletic than the rest.

 

[Socrates2]

Dench , Rance wouldn't rank in the first 50 best defenders.

Yeah Michael Hurley is much better

 

[Cold Sober]

Yeah Michael Hurley is much better

Mate, didn't say that, just stating a fact that everyone above the age of 15 who knows anything about football and doesn't support Richmond would not totally disagree with what I said.

 

[Socrates2]

Mate, didn't say that, just stating a fact that everyone above the age of 15 who knows anything about football and doesn't support Richmond would not totally disagree with what I said.

He's won 5 All Australians in a row.

 

[Cold Sober]

He's won 5 All Australians in a row.

Dipper won a Brownlow, so did Brad Hardie, people over 15 know how ridiculous that was. 5 AA's in a row, now that's RIDICULOUS if not laughable.

 

[Donakebab]

He's won 5 All Australians in a row.

And? AA is a shit gauge when comparing players of past eras. Aside from the fact the the AA pannel show clear bias, in past seasons it wasn't named every year and could only be selected on the performance shown in the State carnival. Shit metric, move along.

 

[Socrates2]

And? AA is a shit gauge when comparing players of past eras. Aside from the fact the the AA pannel show clear bias, in past seasons it wasn't named every year and could only be selected on the performance shown in the State carnival. Shit metric, move along.

Lol he'll end up on at least 9 All Australians which means he was the best full back for 9 years in a row.He's a class above and your're showing bias because he fancy.

 

[Donakebab]

Lol he'll end up on at least 9 All Australians which means he was the best full back for 9 years in a row.He's a class above and your're showing bias because he fancy.

He'll end up with at least one more than any other player in history? Riiiiiight.

 

[hilly]

Of those I've seen - SOS, Scarlett and then a biased shout out to Mick Martyn - averaging two goals per game against him opposed to some of the greats of the game.

 

[Dan]

Lynden Dunn

 

[juss]

I think it might be time to realise the modern defender now has to do so much more than just be dour and beat one opponent 1v1.

The best and most valuable players in defence nowadays are all players that do more than 1v1 defend, they zone, they intercept, they defend more than one opponenet and they control their entire teams backlines. Rance might not destroy 1 opponent every game any more. Rance stops goals, not one opponent. Goals from opposition are reduced because he is on the field. This is so, so valuable.

McGovern 2018, Easton Wood in 2016, Josh Gibson and Brian Lake of 13,14,15.
These players are the most important to their premiership defences, and all of them float, zone, intercept and attack. They don't play 1v1 all game every game.

Welcome to 2019 people. The game has changed, keep up please.

 

[Donakebab]

I think it might be time to realise the modern defender now has to do so much more than just be dour and beat one opponent 1v1.

The best and most valuable players in defence nowadays are all players that do more than 1v1 defend, they zone, they intercept, they defend more than one opponenet and they control their entire teams backlines. Rance might not destroy 1 opponent every game any more. Rance stops goals, not one opponent. Goals from opposition are reduced because he is on the field. This is so, so valuable.

McGovern 2018, Easton Wood in 2016, Josh Gibson and Brian Lake of 13,14,15.
These players are the most important to their premiership defences, and all of them float, zone, intercept and attack. They don't play 1v1 all game every game.

Welcome to 2019 people. The game has changed, keep up please.

Welcome to 2019? Not exactly a new thing. SOS was an attacking defender who could push or swing forward back in the 80's. Dustin Fletcher zoning, intercepting and rebounding before Rance finished high school.

 

[My Tilly]

Mate, didn't say that, just stating a fact that everyone above the age of 15 who knows anything about football and doesn't support Richmond would not totally disagree with what I said.

Rance is a champion defender.
Athletic, strong and a very underrated user of the footy.
We need to remember that today's game is extremely sanitized. Defenders cannot get away with anything anymore so they need to rely solely on their individual brilliance to beat the best and Rance does it with great consistency.

He's certainly in the discussion for one of the best of all time.
I guess if there was one knock I have on him, he has not had to contend with truly brilliant key forwards. The forwards of today are not in the same league as past decades.
It's an athlete over footballer game these days.

 

[Cold Sober]

Rance is a champion defender.
Athletic, strong and a very underrated user of the footy.
We need to remember that today's game is extremely sanitized. Defenders cannot get away with anything anymore so they need to rely solely on their individual brilliance to beat the best and Rance does it with great consistency.

He's certainly in the discussion for one of the best of all time.
I guess if there was one knock I have on him, he has not had to contend with truly brilliant key forwards. The forwards of today are not in the same league as past decades.
It's an athlete over footballer game these days.

well said.

 

[juss]

Welcome to 2019? Not exactly a new thing. SOS was an attacking defender who could push or swing forward back in the 80's. Dustin Fletcher zoning, intercepting and rebounding before Rance finished high school.

Yep Dustin Fletcher did the same for sure, he probably was playing more like the recent defenders than the old school ones.

 

[theyellowsash]

how would someone like sos, southby etc go in an era where you cant defend by punching the arms of the forward?

comparisons like this annoy me

 

[Monkey King]

how would someone like sos, southby etc go in an era where you cant defend by punching the arms of the forward?

comparisons like this annoy me

I always wonder just how much of SOS posters who make these comments actually saw. I watched a lot of his games and it seems these comments are based more on cliche than reality.

SOS is best known as a FB, but he was capable playing roles all over the ground. He could play forward and kick big bags, or spend a season at CHB and almost win the Brownlow. He was a great all round defender, which is why he’d usually take the best, be it Ablett at FB, or Carey at CHB, or Hird, who once moved into the midfield trying to get himself into the game, so SOS followed and still beat him, getting BOG and 3 Brownlow votes along the way.

I’m pretty sure given how adaptable SOS proved himself over his career, that he’d adapt to modern rule changes like he did everything else, with aplomb, particularly now the deck is now stacked in the defenders favour. He’d have a freaking field day with his marking prowess and play reading ability.

 

[Procrastinator35]

Poll didn't stay open for very long at all.....Ridiculous.

 

[Chism]

Poll didn't stay open for very long at all.....Ridiculous.

Fixed.

 

[Procrastinator35]

Only Cats fans are going to vote for Scarlett on account of his utter flog-dom, as a human being.