Carey or Ablett

[Osho]

Carey made me clap.
GAS made me guffaw.

 

[What else we can do]

Ablett the best I've seen followed by Carey.

 

[Noidnadroj]

Senior.

Only one in his era in the Team of the century.

Kicked close to 600 goals as a HFF/Wing. Then as a specialist full forward 1993-96 attained a higher goal kicking average than Lockett and Dunstall’s career.

The duck. Pffft.
Please.

Diesel Williams and Silvagni were in the team.

And team was selected end of 1996 - Duck had another 5 seasons at Roos and 2 at Adelaide after that. About 125 games and 320 goals … basically half his career. Lockett had another few seasons as well including a ton and an 82-goal year, plus the all-time goal kicking record. So 5-years later and Carey plus Lockett are guaranteed selection. Not sure what that would have meant for the bench players GAS, Diesel and Dyer?

Duck also has 2 flags and 4 x B&F’s, plus was captain.

Both had ordinary GF records overall, but the 2 x flags tips it Carey’s way.


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[Noidnadroj]

Ablett is the best footballer I’ve seen in all my years.
The only player I’d go to watch if my team wasn’t playing.
Would have made the team of the century in 3 different positions.
Footballing Freak of nature !!

But he didn’t make the TOTC in ANY position, he was on the bench.


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[HELLSBELLS]

Carey had more influence over games.

More impact for his team.

Ablett could kick 7-8-9-10-11 and his team would lose.

Carey could kick 5 and his team wouldn't lose.

Plus 2 flags.

Carey for me.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Carey had more influence over games.

More impact for his team.

Ablett could kick 7-8-9-10-11 and his team would lose.

Carey could kick 5 and his team wouldn't lose.

Plus 2 flags.

Carey for me.

That's not true at all.

Ablett kicked 7 or more goals on 45 occasions. 37 of them were wins.

Coincidentally, Carey kicked 5 or more goals on 45 occasions. 38 of them were wins.

So effectively zero difference.

 

[lumpinee]

talent wise,the ability to do the spectacular,highlight reel wise no one comes close to Snr in my 47 years of observing Aussie rules
prescence wise Lockett and Carey are even, impact wise carrying his team on his shoulders to the Ultimate ? Carey hands down,Matthews the same
where in theres moments in huge games where a turning point was required,Carey and Matthews consistently delivered

 

[melbun]

AAABILETTT

 

[nobbyiscool]

Dunno about "best", but I'll never see a footballer who was more incredible, more mercurial, and more fun to watch than Ablett, and that's good enough for me.

I'm surprised by the number of people prepared to make value judgments, and even legal judgments that a court didn't make.

 

[Rioli2Rioli]

Without Carey north dont win flags
With Ablett Cats didnt win flags

Both players were unstoppable in their prime but 1 of them led their team to the ultimate
Leader & Captain this is what makes Carey easily the winner for me

 

[Dr Tigris]

Ablett the better footballer at his peak, easily. But Carey was a leader and consistent lynchpin of a dominant side.

Ablett for the highlights, Carey to win the GF.

 

[James Colorado]

I did read the title as more of a comparison of them as footballers, but in light of some of the comments made it does give pause to thought about the value of character. Character doesn't kick goals, take marks or lay tackles, but it does count towards leadership.

Both players are a little before the time when I was able to form a mature and rational judgement, so I am going off childhood memories, YT, and Wikipedia, but while both are likely top 5 all time I would have to ask which lifted their teammates up with them. It does seem to be Carey, with the supremely talented Ablett being used as the bail out option by his teammates (just put it near him, he'll do the rest), though Carey seems to have made his teammates better players just by sharing the field with them and didn't even need to feature in the same passage of play to do so. I'd probably give Carey the nod on that, but Ablett's highlights reel may be the best in the game.

Though the worst examples of character were to emerge in very different circumstances. With much more tragic consequences, Ablett's didn't affect his club at all, while Carey's tore his apart. So for all the credit Carey gets as a leader of men, he must also get the blame as failing in that regard when he made a selfish choice that affected those he led.

 

[FRUMPY]

gary ablett not knowing many of his teammates names always makes me laugh - billy tells some good stories about that

 

[Korol Mira]

Would love to see them play in the current year, I reckon they would be even better. Shame we'll never see a player like either of them again

Everybody mentions Carey's superior leadership over Ablett, and the 2 premierships vs 0, but disregard Ablett almost single handedly beating one of the best teams ever in a Grand Final

 

[Toump Ass]

My favourite Ablett story is that he was off his face at a pub in Richmond and refused to leave, so the bar staff just booted everyone else out and served him until the sun came up when they eventually got onto someone from the Cats who sent someone to pick him up. Few hours later he kicked a dozen at the G.

 

[FRUMPY]

Would love to see them play in the current year, I reckon they would be even better. Shame we'll never see a player like either of them again

Not sure ablett would agree, he didnt like to train - not sure you could get away with that these days and dominate

 

[HELLSBELLS]

That's not true at all.

Ablett kicked 7 or more goals on 45 occasions. 37 of them were wins.

Coincidentally, Carey kicked 5 or more goals on 45 occasions. 38 of them were wins.

So effectively zero difference.

What about the big games ?

How many in Grand finals ? did they win ?

 

[Toump Ass]

What about the big games ?

How many in Grand finals ? did they win ?

Ablett did win a Norm Smith, arguably the best ever performance in a losing grand final team.

I reckon you could argue Wayne lost a grand final for North too. Was garbage against the Crows.

 

[Joao]

Nathan had talent but I think Duck put the runs on the board.

Carey, just.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

What about the big games ?

How many in Grand finals ? did they win ?

I don't know, look it up yourself.

Your post was totally incorrect.

 

[FreddyTwoShoes]

It's a complete and utter distortion of history to say Ablett ''kicked 600 goals from a wing''.

He played wing in his first year at Geelong (15 games) and played forward for the rest of his career. Half-forward for the bulk until his last few years.

My recollection was that for the period of around '87 to '89 (I don't think I missed a game in that time), he and Bruce Lindner would often swap between wing (actual wing) and forward (goal square) during a game on an almost 50-50 basis.

So it's not as clear cut as "he played on the wing in these years, and forward in these years".

Bruce Lindner was brilliant but pales when compared to Snr.

 

[Sttew]

Cats fans would spew if I didn’t mention Carey is the most successful footballer in his family.

If the “Ablett” in the thread title refers to Gary Ablett Snr as most seem to be assuming, then he is actually the 7th most successful footballer in his own family. Good for a few party tricks occasionally but you cannot take a guy seriously in a discussion like this when he is the 7th most successful footballer in his own family.

That should set a pigeon amongst the cats.

As always Mediocrity, you’ve misread the OP. Who was best. Not who was most successful

 

[FreddyTwoShoes]

Cats fans would spew if I didn’t mention Carey is the most successful footballer in his family.

If the “Ablett” in the thread title refers to Gary Ablett Snr as most seem to be assuming, then he is actually the 7th most successful footballer in his own family. Good for a few party tricks occasionally but you cannot take a guy seriously in a discussion like this when he is the 7th most successful footballer in his own family, stupid thread.

That should set a pigeon amongst the cats.

yawn

 

[Trav 20]

My recollection was that for the period of around '87 to '89 (I don't think I missed a game in that time), he and Bruce Lindner would swap between wing (actual wing) and forward (goal square) during a game on an almost 50-50 basis.

So it's not as clear cut as "he played on the wing in these years, and forward in these years".

Bruce Lindner was brilliant but pales when compared to Snr.

It still represents only one full year as a pure wingman.

Do you think there's a chance that in the 3 years (87-89) where you somewhat guess that he was 50/50 wing/''goal square'' that he kicked the bulk of his goals those years when he was actually in the forward-line, you know ''goal square'' (not literally) as opposed to the wing ?

I mean that would make sense, wouldn't it ?

I doubt he ever kicked 100 goals from the wing let alone 600 as claimed.

 

[FreddyTwoShoes]

It still represents only one full year as a pure wingman.

Do you think there's a chance that in the 3 years (87-89) where you somewhat guess that he was 50/50 wing/''goal square'' that he kicked the bulk of his goals those years when he was actually in the forward-line, you know ''goal square'' (not literally) as opposed to the wing ?

I mean that would make sense, wouldn't it ?

I doubt he ever kicked 100 goals from the wing let alone 600 as claimed.

I agree with you that 600 from the wing is an exaggeration.

I also agree that most of his goals when he played 50/50 wing/full-forward were during the 50% of gametime he was forward.

To illustrate though, his effectiveness as a winger, one of his most memorable games (from a wing) was in 89, when he went 1 on 1 with Dipper for the whole game. Cats were using Gavin Excell as FF at the time (who kicked 8 that day). Ablett was incredible on the wing that day until Jeans moved Dipper to half-forward and inexplicably Ablett followed him (out of the game).