Best midfield ever?

[Pinnell]

GAJ > Judd

 

[GWT6]

With some amazing midfields around atm and developing ones as well, who do you rate as the best midfield of all time.

The first few that pop into my mind are
West Coast 2000's - Kerr Cousins Judd Embley and they what they have that alot of others don't is a star ruckman Cox.
Brisbane 2000's- Voss Black Akermanis Lappin Power
Melbourne- Now Gawn Petracca Oliver Viney

Gawn reading this OP...

 

[Gavin Excell]

Some people mention Geelong for some reason.

Peak Judd, Cousins and Cox are better than anybody from their midfield.

Ottens v Cox would be a bloodbath.

For the Lions, 3 Brownlow medalists is enough said really. All better big game players than any Geelong mid too.

Another predictable take from Cleansweep

What about the star Tiger midfield from their time in the sun

McIntosh, Prestia, Caddy, Cotchin, Pickett

Jeezus

 

[GWT6]

If you could pick a combined midfield from the 4 Dynasty sides this century my group would be >

Dean Cox - Gary Ablett Jnr, Chris Judd, Michael Voss, Ben Cousins.
_____________________________________________________
I see Dusty as a Fwd/Mid, Cousins by a whisker over Akermanis... Sam Mitchell close as well.

Would have Gawn easily over Cox. GAJ is one of the greatest of all time, but for balance I'd drop him and bring in Martin. Outside run and goal kicking better than quick one-two handbells in this case. Have Judd and Voss inside toughness and explosion out of the middle, Cousins gut running and Martin's brilliance. With Gawn the best combination of tank and contested marking for a big man in history.

 

[Timothy Luncheon]

This is the same as every other thread

 

[skinnyP]

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

Most important stat for midfielders + most important games = best midfield

Objectively, 2020 Richmond had the best midfield in the history of the game.

 

[Cleansweep17]

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

The discussion ends there. That's his peak.

He has 5 and those are the length of his peak not how high it is.

What’s his best season, that’s his peak.

 

[Cleansweep17]

Another predictable take from Cleansweep

What about the star Tiger midfield from their time in the sun

McIntosh, Prestia, Caddy, Cotchin, Pickett

Jeezus

Yeah ours is crap. No debate there.

It would be a worry if ours was better than yours considering our gameplan was to deliberately lose clearances so we could created more turnovers and start the attack from the backline.

 

[Cleansweep17]

Most important stat for midfielders + most important games = best midfield

Objectively, 2020 Richmond had the best midfield in the history of the game.

Really? Lol I guess we could do it all then.

 

[beerbandit]

How so?

Ben Cousins was a better player then Bartel

 

[Bucking Bronco]

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.

He won the coaches award in 3 of the 4 seasons he closed as the pre-count Brownlow favourite.

What are you talking about.

And, yeah, "woulda, coulda, shoulda", can be used as a rebuttal to a lot of things, but when you're only playing 14 games out of 22, and polling 22 votes, which is 4 off the winner on 26, it is worth noting as it's pretty much incontrovertible that he would have otherwise won if not for the injury.

Dustin Martin ain't even a midfielder, son.

I'm embarrassed for you for even writing that.

He played midfield for a handful of years in his career.

And as far as recording a record amount of Brownlow votes - he stuck out like a sore thumb in a team of role players allowing him to have a free run at the votes. Ever heard of the expression "they steal votes off each other". Well guess what happens when you're the only star midfielder in the team and you're winning every week.

Any awards to do with finals are also largely irrelevant. A player having the good fortune of playing in a successful team that wins its way through to a premiership is a reflection on the club as a whole, rather than any individual. Martin also benefited from the sticking out like a sore thumb effect when he won the Norm.

Great player, personally think he would have been the 2nd best midfielder of the century after Ablett if he played there his whole career, but due to not being a great runner, he's spent the majority of his career playing a forward role.

 

[Cleansweep17]

View attachment 1957086

He won the coaches award in 3 of the 4 seasons he closed as the pre-count Brownlow favourite.

What are you talking about.

And, yeah, "woulda, coulda, shoulda", can be used as a rebuttal to a lot of things, but when you're only playing 14 games out of 22, and polling 22 votes, which is 4 off the winner on 26, it is worth noting as it's pretty much incontrovertible that he would have otherwise won if not for the injury.

Dustin Martin ain't even a midfielder, son.

I'm embarrassed for you for even writing that.

He played midfield for a handful of years in his career.

And as far as recording a record amount of Brownlow votes - he stuck out like a sore thumb in a team of role players allowing him to have a free run at the votes. Ever heard of the expression "they steal votes off each other". Well guess what happens when you're the only star midfielder in the team and you're winning every week.

Any awards to do with finals are also largely irrelevant. A player having the good fortune of playing in a successful team that wins its way through to a premiership is a reflection on the club as a whole, rather than any individual. Martin also benefited from the sticking out like a sore thumb effect when he won the Norm.

Great player, personally think he would have been the 2nd best midfielder of the century after Ablett if he played there his whole career, but due to not being a great runner, he's spent the majority of his career playing a forward role.

Then you haven’t seen Dusty play at all.

He’s a mid/fwd that has played around 70/30 mid/fwd for most of his career including 2017. From 2019 it’s been about 50/50. He’s never been primarily a forward apart from maybe last year.

Not relevant to the thread anyway.

And your sentence about any finals awards being irrelevant is just sad man. Seriously why do you even watch this sport? I guess it makes sense when you go for GC, GAJ is the only thing that’s happened to your club.

Also Martin got an AA and finished 3rd in the Brownlow in 2016 when we finished 13th get your facts straight. In his prime he was a star and getting votes/award when we were good or bad.

 

[Bucking Bronco]

Also Martin got an AA and finished 3rd in the Brownlow in 2016 when we finished 13th get your facts straight. In his prime he was a star and getting votes/award when we were good or bad.

I have zero idea what you think you are referring to here

 

[Cleansweep17]

I have zero idea what you think you are referring to here

Like Gary Ablett he was good in bad and good teams.

Or do you agree Ablett got his awards at GC cause they spoon fed him the ball every chance they got. It’s a reasonable point of view.

 

[skinnyP]

Dustin Martin ain't even a midfielder, son.

He played midfield for a handful of years in his career.

??????????????????????????????????????

 

[rapidfire7]

If we include the ruckman, than it's gotta be The Eagles. If we don't include the ruckman, it's probably still The Eagles.

Cox, Kerr, Judd and Cousins just wow. All A++ in their primes, which they all definitely were over the 2004-06 period at the very least.

 

[beerbandit]

I enjoy the Richmond/Geelong shit fights.

Both champions, I’d have GAJ ahead of Dusty but it’s just personal preference on whether you like a Ferrari or a Lamborghini

 

[beerbandit]

If we include the ruckman, than it's gotta be The Eagles. If we don't include the ruckman, it's probably still The Eagles.

Cox, Kerr, Judd and Cousins just wow. All A++ in their primes, which they all definitely were over the 2004-06 period at the very least.

Cox obviously the better ruck then Keating as he is one of the best rucks of all time

But I’d take prime Voss, Black and Aker over prime Judd, Cousins and Kerr

 

[rapidfire7]

Cox obviously the better ruck then Keating as he is one of the best rucks of all time

But I’d take prime Voss, Black and Aker over prime Judd, Cousins and Kerr

I guess it all comes down to how one rates each individual midfielder.

I'd rate prime Judd as the Eagle's best and have him just a whisker ahead of who I rate the Lions best (Vossy), but they are obviously very different players.

It then comes down to Cousins vs Black and Kerr vs Aker. Damn this is hard.

 

[Roobs321]

CuzJuddKerrCox carried that side, and could be backed in against the best. We got exposed very quickly without them. A lot of the support cast were gone by 2010, like Fletcher, ‘Talisman’ Hansen, Stenglein, backup Seaby & Staker traded, Sampi delist, whilst Braun, Rojo, Chick, Hunter & Wirra retired. Nicoski (post-injury) & Embley were maligned and clangersome before resurging in 2011. Kerr & Cox both missed the second half of 2009, and Waters & Butler were mia half the time. There were times where our midfield was (early) Priddis, Adam Selwood, Rosa and utility Quinten Lynch

Quinten Lynch

Age

41

Ht

192cm

Wt

103kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.4

4star

K

9.9

4star

HB

4.5

3star

M

5.4

5star

T

1.4

3star

G

1.3

5star

No current season stats available

D

9.2

3star

K

6.8

3star

HB

2.4

3star

M

2.8

3star

T

1.0

3star

G

1.6

5star

, and whilst they were all great servants for our club that our lineup was fortunate to have then it was a workmanlike class apart. We had a lot of rookies and delistings debuting in the side during those years and getting a decent run at it.

Difference with Brisbane & Geelong is that I felt they had some guns often stuck on the bench or in emergency depth. They had some fine 23rd men. Eagles didn’t really, and our shaky 2005 Grand Final lineup was a good example of that.

 

[Yoda_]

In terms of depth, we will never see a midfield with the depth of that Lions midfield of the early 2000's. The quality in depth was insane

Literally three Brownlow medalists (Voss, Black, Akermanis), multiple other 250+ game midfielders (Shaun Hart

Shaun Hart

Age

53

Ht

175cm

Wt

74kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

16.1

4star

K

10.5

4star

HB

5.6

4star

M

3.5

4star

T

2.1

4star

No current season stats available

D

24.2

5star

K

15.2

5star

HB

9.0

5star

M

5.0

5star

T

2.6

4star

, Martin Pike

Martin Pike

Age

52

Ht

189cm

Wt

92kg

Pos.

D/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.2

4star

K

9.6

4star

HB

4.5

3star

M

3.6

4star

T

1.8

4star

No current season stats available

D

12.4

4star

K

6.8

3star

HB

5.6

4star

M

2.6

3star

T

0.6

3star

, Daryl White).

 

[VinnieB]

In terms of depth, we will never see a midfield with the depth of that Lions midfield of the early 2000's. The quality in depth was insane

Literally three Brownlow medalists (Voss, Black, Akermanis), multiple other 250+ game midfielders (Shaun Hart, Martin Pike, Daryl White).

You forgot 4x AA, Nigel Lappin.

 

[Sentinel]

Why can’t you leave me alone.

The peaks of the WC mids are so superior to yours it isn’t even funny. GAJ your best mid lost to Cooney in the Brownlow ffs.

And the lions have 3 Brownlows across that era you have 2. Why you are deciding to count awards from GC I have no idea.

If you think Cooney was fit to tie GAJ's bootlaces, even the year he won the Brownlow, you have no idea.

Cooney was a very good player for a while but the fact he beat Ablett to a Brownlow was testament to the strength of the Geelong midfield that year, not its weakness.

 

[Wish Wellingtons]

I'm a Geelong supporter so disregard my bosses judgement but our 2007-2009 midfield was unbeatable (almost literally).

Bartel
Ablett
Selwood
Corey
Ling


Then throw Chappy and Stevie J through the middle for a few laughs. I just don't think it gets better than that group.

The eagles really feel away after Judd, Cousins, Kerr and... Embley?

 

[Yoda_]

You forgot 4x AA, Nigel Lappin.

bloody hell, knew I was going to forget someone. Then you think about it, Justin Leppitsch iirc, ran through the midfield at times, Jono Brown had a go at times. Then the Scott twins as well.