Best midfield ever?

[PhatBoy]

Lolllll

 

[skinnyP]

The team that has the record for most centre clearances in a finals series (Richmond 2020)

 

[PhatBoy]

 

[PerthBoy86]

GAJ also lost to Cotchin in the 2012 Brownlow and coaches award. Cooney is not just some outlier.

There is a pattern of his peak not being that great. I think people confuse his great longevity for being his peak.

I personally believe Judd was better in the 00’s especially if you count 2010 where he won a second Brownlow. GAJ made his legacy in the early 2010s at the suns.

How much have you actually watched of him play? I'm an Eagles fan but would put Jnr above Judd as a mid, as good as Judd was, though slightly different players. Judd was more of a bull crashing through packs, but was also fast in bursts and agile. Jnr had better skills/was a better kick and kick for goal.
Jnr, Martin, Judd the 3 best mids of the 00s for me.

 

[skinnyP]

In 2020, Richmond won the centre clearance count 53-23 in the finals.

This is unprecedented greatness and the debate is closed.

 

[STPer18]

How much have you actually watched of him play? I'm an Eagles fan but would put Jnr above Judd as a mid, as good as Judd was, though slightly different players. Judd was more of a bull crashing through packs, but was also fast in bursts and agile. Jnr had better skills/was a better kick and kick for goal.
Jnr, Martin, Judd the 3 best mids of the 00s for me.

Falcon only just caught the end of Ablett Jnr's career.

 

[PhatBoy]

In 2020, Richmond won the centre clearance count 53-23 in the finals.

This is unprecedented greatness and the debate is closed.

 

[kranky al]

Brisbane’s for me. Voss, Lappin, Power, Aker, Black..and Keating / maybe another Ruck? Always peaked at finals time.

Yet that eagles midfield kept beating them

 

[Cleansweep17]

Ablett went in as the pre-count betting favourite 4 times, that is more meaningful to me than what the incompetent umpires actually ended up doing with their votes.

Also was having arguably the best year of his career in 2014 when Brent Macaffer blew his shoulder out half way through the year.

Despite the injury he still came 3rd and only finished 4 votes off Fyfe.

Best midfielder since the turn of the century without any question .

You think he’s great people overrated those seasons he didn’t win. Maybe that’s the problem in the first place. Especially if he didn’t win either the Brownlow or coaches awards in the those seasons.

Tough luck for 2014. There are no such thing as moral Brownlows. If you go through history you can make a million changes to awards people “should’ve won”

Best mid this century? If you count longevity sure, peak performance I wouldn’t. Dustys 2017 season is smashes any one of Ablett season.

Brownlow (record votes), Coaches award (record votes), MVP, B&F, Finals MVP, Norm Smith, AA and Flag.

 

[PhatBoy]

Yet that eagles midfield kept beating them

‘Kept’ is something of an exaggeration. In 2000-2002 you went 1-3 against them.
By 03-04 you started to get on top

 

[Cleansweep17]

It doesn’t matter.

See Ablett finished behind Cooney in a Brownlow so it means he wasn’t that good.

Chris Judd also finished behind Cooney but he was better.

That’s how it works.

Should Lynch be the 2022 Coleman medalist he averaged more goals than Curnow. No, tough Ablett didn’t play enough good games to beat Cooney, Priddis, Cotchin, Mitchell. These 4 players are considered some of the worst Brownlow medalists in the history of the game.

So yeah I don’t rate his peak sorry. I’ve seen heaps better. Again people are confusing longevity with peak.

 

[Cleansweep17]

How much have you actually watched of him play? I'm an Eagles fan but would put Jnr above Judd as a mid, as good as Judd was, though slightly different players. Judd was more of a bull crashing through packs, but was also fast in bursts and agile. Jnr had better skills/was a better kick and kick for goal.
Jnr, Martin, Judd the 3 best mids of the 00s for me.

Fair enough but heaps of people debate Judd v Ablett. You can’t say I’m the only person that’s brought it up.

I saw Judd smash us in the EF, losing to 9th was embarrassing.

 

[STPer18]

Aaaaaaaand this thread is dead.

 

[Cleansweep17]

Aaaaaaaand this thread is dead.

Because of you cats supporters yet again sooking I rate Lions and WC mids better than yours. You guys are obsessed with me, get a life and get lost.

 

[PhatBoy]

Based on a final against Carlton that featured one member of two midfields from the eagles and the lions that you never watched

 

[Corn Cobbers]

I think if we are isolating midfield groups, it would be fair to say that WCE had less to kick to than Brisbane and Geelong - it could be argued that the midfield group, along with some great defenders carried them to a flag, you wouldn’t say that about Brisbane or Geelong.

Yep that's why I think it's hard to go past Cox, Judd, Cousins and Kerr

Extremely rare to make grand finals and win a flag without a decent key forward

On SM-A225F using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Robroy22]

Brisbane's EASY
That 2001-2004 side was simply the strongest, toughest and most talented bunch of mongrels that's played the game in the last 50 years.

 

[PhatBoy]

Brisbane's EASY
That 2001-2004 side was simply the strongest, toughest and most talented bunch of mongrels that's played the game in the last 50 years.

Agree with the first two adjectives, probably not the third

 

[Cleansweep17]

Agree with the first two adjectives, probably not the third

Nah they are EASY 3 Brownlow medalists, can’t think of any other team bar WC that could contend with them in the midfield.

 

[PhatBoy]

Nah they are EASY 3 Brownlow medalists, can’t think of any other team bar WC that could contend with them in the midfield.

Ok mate

 

[WilloTree]

Why are we discussing Dustin Martin?

 

[Aphrodite]

In no particular order:-

Michael Voss
Jason Akermanis
Simon Black
Nigel Lappin
Andrew McLeod

Andrew Mcleod

Age

48

Ht

181cm

Wt

82kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

19.8

5star

K

13.1

5star

HB

6.7

4star

M

3.1

3star

T

2.2

4star

No current season stats available

D

10.8

3star

K

6.8

3star

HB

4.0

3star

M

1.0

1star

T

1.6

4star

Ben Cousins
Chris Judd
Daniel Kerr

Daniel Kerr

Age

41

Ht

178cm

Wt

80kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

21.1

5star

K

10.5

4star

HB

10.6

5star

M

2.5

3star

T

3.0

5star

CL

5.5

5star

No current season stats available

D

15.6

4star

K

8.0

3star

HB

7.6

5star

M

1.8

2star

T

4.8

5star

 

[Ricmel]

The team that has the record for most centre clearances in a finals series (Richmond 2020)

Prefer the record for metres gained between Round 7 and Round 11 personally but whatever confirms your bias is fine.

 

[Hippster]

Yet that eagles midfield kept beating them

3 > 1

 

[Kobe Gryant]

GAJ also lost to Cotchin in the 2012 Brownlow and coaches award. Cooney is not just some outlier.

There is a pattern of his peak not being that great. I think people confuse his great longevity for being his peak.

I personally believe Judd was better in the 00’s especially if you count 2010 where he won a second Brownlow. GAJ made his legacy in the early 2010s at the suns.

Six AFL MVPs. Nobody else has any more than two.

The discussion ends there. That's his peak.