Player Watch Gary Ablett Junior is the best player ever

[Jhye Clark 13]

Footage was posted earlier. It clearly didn't happen. He barely got 30m from goal.

Sorry pal but I was there. He was playing on a wing and pushing forward

 

[Trav 20]

It's also worth noting that Ablett averaged just 15 disposals per game across his first 100.

Matthews didn't take 6 years to warm up. Matthews won a B&F at 19 in his third year, which also happened to be a premiership year (1971). Let that sink in. Matthews won a B&F as a teenager in a premiership year.

 

[MinerBoy]

Sorry pal but I was there. He was playing on a wing and pushing forward

Wingmen who led from the goal square all day. not one goal from outside 30m. Not one goal for the day running towards goal.

Gotcha

 

[T G M]

Wingmen who led from the goal square all day. not one goal from outside 30m. Not one goal for the day running towards goal.

Gotcha

The 14 goals from the wing game was round 9, 1989 against Richmond. He had 30 possessions and kicked 14.2 He also kicked 14 against Essendon and Sydney from full forward.

 

[JayRamz]

35 years old and still taking hangers, kicking goals from 50 and nailing them from the pocket in impossible angles too.

2 x premiership player
2 x Brownlow medal
5 x Leigh Matthews medal
3 x AFLCA player of the year
8 x All Australian
3 x Club Leading Goal Kicker

hard to argue anyone was or is better than Ablett.

Would Gary Senior and Junior be Full Forward and Forward Pocket on a greatest team of all time?

 

[GAsnr]

I'm not sure if he's better than GAS and Matthews etc, I didn't watch them enough to pass comment there.

But he is the best player since then. He is better than Judd and Voss and anyone else you can name. Not sure why there's an argument there.

It's a shame he wasted years at Gold Coast, but he was still the best player in the comp for most of his career there too.

 

[T G M]

Would Gary Senior and Junior be Full Forward and Forward Pocket on a greatest team of all time?

I would have Senior on wing to fit others into the forward line. Jnr first rover. Matthews forward pocket.

 

[Grongey]

Senior is a great favourite. He could play in any position on the field.

Any position, think about it. Rover through to full forward. If that defines "greatest" then he is it. Anyone who saw the 1989 GF never forgot it.

Although I'd have Plugger at Full Forward. No matter, Senior would still kick them, from a wing or anywhere else he chose

 

[Frank Gallagher]

It's also worth noting that Ablett averaged just 15 disposals per game across his first 100.

Matthews didn't take 6 years to warm up. Matthews won a B&F at 19 in his third year, which also happened to be a premiership year (1971). Let that sink in. Matthews won a B&F as a teenager in a premiership year.

Hard to go past Matthews, his stats will never be matched, daylight second.

 

[My Tilly]

Footage was posted earlier. It clearly didn't happen. He barely got 30m from goal.

I have the game mate and I can assure you, he spent most of the day roaming around the half forward flank.

 

[Benny78]

It's also worth noting that Ablett averaged just 15 disposals per game across his first 100.

Matthews didn't take 6 years to warm up. Matthews won a B&F at 19 in his third year, which also happened to be a premiership year (1971). Let that sink in. Matthews won a B&F as a teenager in a premiership year.

How many disposals did he average in his first 100 games though?

 

[T G M]

How many disposals did he average in his first 100 games though?

Matthews averaged around 20/21 disposals in his first 100 games. Not really a fair comparison as Ablett did not spend much time on the ball in his first 100 games. Ablett's disposal average clearly better than Matthew's if you compare onballer games. And of course the modern day higher possession games favour Ablett just as 70s/80's higher goal scoring favour Matthews. At the end of the day we are really splitting hairs. Snr, Jnr and Matthews are all the elite of the elite, all 3 of them are worthy of being the GOAT.

 

[Trav 20]

How many disposals did he average in his first 100 games though?

I'm glad you asked, friend.

Matthews averaged 22.02 disposals across his first 100 games playing as first rover. This is a very healthy average, as there were no cheap disposals in those days. It's almost 50% more than junior's 15 disposal average; however, we recognise that junior was a small forward during his first 100 games.

This brings me to goals. Matthews kicked 210 goals in his first 100 games playing as first rover and resting in the forward pocket. It ranks favourably with Ablett's 135 goals playing as a permanent forward. It's over 50% more goals than Ablett in the corresponding period.

Ablett became a great player, but his first 100 games were pedestrian and any comparison against the great Matthews makes Ablett look like a chump in those early days.

 

[T G M]

I'm glad you asked, friend.

Matthews averaged 22.02 disposals across his first 100 games playing as first rover. This is a very healthy average, as there were no cheap disposals in those days. It's almost 50% more than junior's 15 disposal average; however, we recognise that junior was a small forward during his first 100 games.

This brings me to goals. Matthews kicked 210 goals in his first 100 games playing as first rover and resting in the forward pocket. It ranks favourably with Ablett's 135 goals playing as a permanent forward. It's over 50% more goals than Ablett in the corresponding period.

Ablett became a great player, but his first 100 games were pedestrian and any comparison against the great Matthews makes Ablett look like a chump in those early days.

Some fair points, Interestingly, Ablett equalled Leigh's games tally last night.

 

[Bri_BriTheCAT]

If Ablett jnr had played his whole career as a forward like his father and not a mid. How many goals do you think he'd would currently have? I'm gonna say between 800 and 1000. Hed have been injured far less probably wouldn't have won a brownlow. But id say he would have easily doubled his current haul.

 

[Iceman!]

If Ablett jnr had played his whole career as a forward like his father and not a mid. How many goals do you think he'd would currently have? I'm gonna say between 800 and 1000. Hed have been injured far less probably wouldn't have won a brownlow. But id say he would have easily doubled his current haul.

LOL that is way too simplistic of a way to look at it, just like when all the fossils in the AFL media assume players like Danger, Bont and Cripps would be easy 60+ goal kickers a year if they played majority forward. When teams can spend an entire week leading up to a game planning how to defend you it becomes much much harder.

You can't just assume he would be one of the great forwards of all time without seeing him do it.

 

[Warhorse]

Hard to go past Matthews, his stats will never be matched, daylight second.

Can't really compare era. Mathews was the best in the vfl when there were arguably better competitions around at the time. Gary Ablett has been the best in a national comp.

 

[Bri_BriTheCAT]

LOL that is way too simplistic of a way to look at it, just like when all the fossils in the AFL media assume players like Danger, Bont and Cripps would be easy 60+ goal kickers a year if they played majority forward. When teams can spend an entire week leading up to a game planning how to defend you it becomes much much harder.

You can't just assume he would be one of the great forwards of all time without seeing him do it.

You're very correct but just for fun though...how many goals do you think he'd have? ;p

 

[Blue1980]

If Ablett jnr had played his whole career as a forward like his father and not a mid. How many goals do you think he'd would currently have? I'm gonna say between 800 and 1000. Hed have been injured far less probably wouldn't have won a brownlow. But id say he would have easily doubled his current haul.

He’d have I’d say another 0.5 goals per game.

 

[Gunf]

He’d have I’d say another 0.5 goals per game.

So someone who is averaging 2 goals a game at 35 would only get 0.5 more goals a game at his peak

 

[Blue1980]

So someone who is averaging 2 goals a game at 35 would only get 0.5 more goals a game at his peak

He wouldn’t of been scoring 80 goals a season.

 

[PhatBoy]

On the topic of his hand balling ability, the one he hoisted down Dangerfield’s throat for a running goal in the second term last night was pretty f***en impressive

 

[T G M]

On the topic of his hand balling ability, the one he hoisted down Dangerfield’s throat for a running goal in the second term last night was pretty f***en impressive

One of the best handballs I have seen in recent times. Timing, precision, awareness. Another quick one off the ground to Myers in the first quarter was great too.

 

[MinerBoy]

On the topic of his hand balling ability, the one he hoisted down Dangerfield’s throat for a running goal in the second term last night was pretty f***en impressive

One of the best handballs I have seen in recent times. Timing, precision, awareness. Another quick one off the ground to Myers in the first quarter was great too.

Yep it was a cracker. The degree of difficulty on the actual handpass itself wasn't that hard but the awareness and ability to compose and deliver it at the time was great.

 

[darrenmorgan]

Senior is a great favourite. He could play in any position on the field.

Any position, think about it. Rover through to full forward. If that defines "greatest" then he is it. Anyone who saw the 1989 GF never forgot it.

Although I'd have Plugger at Full Forward. No matter, Senior would still kick them, from a wing or anywhere else he chose

Remember the day Blighty moved him to full back on a rampaging Dunstall? Not his best possie.