Is the age of the ‘big bodied mid’ over?

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qwertyboy

Team Captain
Jul 12, 2009
399
255
Melbourne
AFL Club
Essendon
Other Teams
Everton FC, Detroit Pistons.
Like everything in life things evolve and right at this moment in 2024 on the dawn of a brand new season are we seeing big bodied mids go the way of the dinosaur? For years we have seen big bodied mids put on the top the mountain for recruiting and trading but now it seems in a twist the game which has been so kind to them has past them by? Watching cripps tonight look like an old schools full forward lost back tracking into defence it really hit that the dream of having a 194cm 100kg workhorse might be over. No speed no agility but undeniable smarts and contested work just doesn’t seem to cut it in 2024. Wines, cripps being pushed to the wayside by contemporaries that are inches smaller and kilos lighter but so much more likened to the new age game.
 

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Dunkley’s doing fine. He’s a big bodies mid. Wait for Green to dominate tomorrow.

One player not having his best game does not make a trend.
Dunkley has taken a back seat and become a role player practically.
Green is a 22 year old with unbelievable ability and power at the moment. The shelf life of a Tom green is sadly about 5 years till he becomes useless
 
I think so. I think we’ve all been reminiscing about Kouta for way too long and meanwhile 6’1 mids have been chopping it up for 25 years.

Ground ball gathering skills are the key.

And parish and Zac (in an Essendon perspective) say ..you don’t need a giant in there around the packs.

Bont an exception. No one can bring him down in the clinches.
 
A lot of the talking head media types think Bontempelli is the best player in the game

But he is. From a pure Australian rules footy perspective.

He is literally unstoppable because he’s a giant and highly skilled.

He breaks free and his kicking is sublime.
 

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Thread aged like milk instantly. Cripps was super important tonight for Carlton and without him they don't come back and win.
True. Cripps is a big friggin unit of a man.

He used to be a boy. Now he’s a massive bulldozer that no one can rake down.

Always gives off the pill.
 
And parish and Zac (in an Essendon perspective) say ..you don’t need a giant in there around the packs.
You haven’t won a final since forever.

To declare that small mids are enough because Essendon have some is weird.
 
Like everything in life things evolve and right at this moment in 2024 on the dawn of a brand new season are we seeing big bodied mids go the way of the dinosaur? For years we have seen big bodied mids put on the top the mountain for recruiting and trading but now it seems in a twist the game which has been so kind to them has past them by? Watching cripps tonight look like an old schools full forward lost back tracking into defence it really hit that the dream of having a 194cm 100kg workhorse might be over. No speed no agility but undeniable smarts and contested work just doesn’t seem to cut it in 2024. Wines, cripps being pushed to the wayside by contemporaries that are inches smaller and kilos lighter but so much more likened to the new age game.
I'm old enough to remember when everyone said Koutoufides was the "prototype"
 
But he is. From a pure Australian rules footy perspective.

He is literally unstoppable because he’s a giant and highly skilled.

He breaks free and his kicking is sublime.
He is the best. But so was Koutoufides.

Other top players in AFLCA votes are Neale, Rozee, Butters, Daicos, Serong, Merrett, Gulden.


The idea that tall big bodied mids will dominate the game is a homoerotic fantasy not based in fact or data.
 
Shit canning Cripps I don't like.

He is obviously an absolute gun.

Simplifying things to size isn't smart. Each individual has their own attributes that balance out.

I think it's silly to talk about dinosaurs.

Also silly to say small blokes can't make it in the "modern" game when we see blokes like Butters, Nick Daicos and Gulden dominate.
 
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Is the age of the ‘big bodied mid’ over?

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