Moved Thread Crawford or Cousins

[cama30]

Shane Crawford
Recruited: Finley / Assumption College
Games: 305
Goals: 224
Honours
Premiership: 2008
Pre-season / Night Premiership: 1999
Captain: 1999-2004
Club Champion: 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003
2015 Hall of Fame Inductee
VFL / AFL Honours
Brownlow Medal: 1999
All-Australian: 1996, 1998, 1999, 2002
International Rules: 1998, 1999, 2002-2003 (captain)
Jesaulenko Medal: 1998
AFLPA MVP: 1999
Rising Star Nominee: 1993
VFL/AFL Life Member: 2006

Ben Cousins
Recruited: East Fremantle / Bullcreek-Leeming JFC
Games: 270
Goals: 212
Honours
AFL premiership player: 2006
Brownlow Medal: 2005
Leigh Matthews Trophy: 2005
6× All-Australian team: 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006
AFL Rising Star: 1996
West Coast Captain: 2001 (co-captain), 2002–2005
4× West Coast Club Champion: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005
Geoff Christian Medal: 2001
West Coast Life Member: 2003
Western Australian Sports Star of the Year: 2005

 

[Whiskers]

I loved the way these 2 played their footy, so much so that when I played local footy I attempted to replicate them with their running power, skill and smarts.

Of course I was useless but really enjoyed watching these two except when my side played them.
I cannot split them. Maybe I’ll go with Crawford as he was 1st on the scene.

 

[Cyclops]

When they played I had Cousins miles in front, just so obviously a superstar. Superb endurance, great skills, seemed to be consistent and not wilt in the most high pressure games.

Crawford has an irritating personality to me so i have under rated him (a bit of Dunstall syndrome maybe?). At the end of his career a Hawthorn supporter pointed out that he was never beaten one on one: I didn't want to believe it but it seemed to be true. Top notch skills and a superb competitor.

Overall I have Cousins a whole class above Crawford but honestly I am a biased judge, and Crawford played in worse sides.

One flag each but Vic sides have it easier. So allowing for my bias abd ignorance, still Cousins but it's close.

 

[NetworkNerd]

Both guns. One player was the sole shining light and carried his club during its worst period in the past 70 years. The other played with a perennial finals contender and had a bunch of hall of famers along side him.

Reckon any vote would be 95% Cousins, 5% Crawford but for Hawks supporters we would always go for Crawford. Kind of like Hodge v Judd. 95% of people would go for Judd but to lead Hawthorn, we couldn't have asked for anyone better than Hodge.

 

[GWT6]

When they played I had Cousins miles in front, just so obviously a superstar. Superb endurance, great skills, seemed to be consistent and not wilt in the most high pressure games.

Crawford has an irritating personality to me so i have under rated him (a bit of Dunstall syndrome maybe?). At the end of his career a Hawthorn supporter pointed out that he was never beaten one on one: I didn't want to believe it but it seemed to be true. Top notch skills and a superb competitor.

Overall I have Cousins a whole class above Crawford but honestly I am a biased judge, and Crawford played in worse sides.

One flag each but Vic sides have it easier. So allowing for my bias abd ignorance, still Cousins but it's close.

I thought the same until I met him - actually the opposite off camera, a really nice humble bloke with no ego.

 

[Cyclops]

I thought the same until I met him - actually the opposite off camera, a really nice humble bloke with no ego.

Nice to know. He seemed, I dunno, arrogant and flippant as a player. Not that you can tell.

Definitely a very gutsy player, and IMHO under rated outside Hawthorn.

 

[StillAtLarge]

Cousins I think but Crawford's effort in 1999 was one of the most dominant individual seasons I've seen. Carried a pretty average team, he was unbelievable

 

[AndyLucimitis]

Cousins

 

[Belnakor]

Cousins I think but Crawford's effort in 1999 was one of the most dominant individual seasons I've seen. Carried a pretty average team, he was unbelievable

Sometimes it’s hard to rank players when they played in vastly different quality sides but I would certainly say Crawford had a tougher time to play his best. He got the no1 tagger every single game. Cousins was rarely tagged during the Judd era, which allowed him a lot more freedom.

 

[Jeremias]

Cousins pretty comfortably IMO.

 

[kane249]

Sometimes it’s hard to rank players when they played in vastly different quality sides but I would certainly say Crawford had a tougher time to play his best. He got the no1 tagger every single game. Cousins was rarely tagged during the Judd era, which allowed him a lot more freedom.

When Judd/Kerr emerged sure he got less attention, but Cousins also carried the Eagles for awhile there. In they dying years of the Malthouse era through the horror years of Ken Judge and the early infancy of Worsfold's tenure it was Cousins who carried the midfield.

People forget the dip the club had in the late 90s/early 2000's, and it was Cousins who lead through it.

 

[The 747]

No disrespect to Crawford but Cousins was a better player, comfortably.

 

[Cam Payne]

Cus would have been more fun to go out with in his early playing days. Crawf would be better to have a meal with nowadays.

 

[Elmer_Hauser]

Probably Cousins, but Crawford was a very very good player for such a long time. And retired at his peak, didn't go around one year too long.