Micky S's Top 10 so far:

[knackers27]

He does by those who rate footballers purely on footballing ability. Mike Sheahan summed it up perfectly during 'On The Couch'. People fall into the trap of rating Jonathan Brown because he comes across as a good bloke but Tredrea might turn people off due to some of his on field antics.
I rate Tredrea the best CHF since Carey and the best of this decade. He's a gun.

Wouldn't totally agree that he is the best since Carey, I think that Jonothan Brown is more influential then Tredrea, but Tredrea is a quality player who has had 2-3 tough years with injury, now that he has his knees right, concerntrating on his game and not the captaincy seems to have bought the best out of him again, he is in 2001 -2004 form.

Interesting to see the different types of CHF's we have had over the past 10 years, power forwards like brown, tredrea, barry hall and then the runners and pure athletes like riewoldt, franklin and richardson (more recently) Some sides even do away with CHF's.

My Top 5 this year would be:
Judd
Ablett
Steve Johnson (don't like him but he has been outstanding)
Riewoldt
Dal Santo

You could make a case for up to 20 players for the 6 - 10 spots, depends if your voting on what you expect them to do week in week out or if they have suprised you like Dal Santo IMO (trade bait has woken him up)

 

[rose jam]

Judd should now be number 1, was absolutely super on the weekend against Collingwood.

when he played directly on Pendlebury he got smashed as he does every time he plays on an attacking player. When Judd learns some defense against his direct opponent (JArrod McVeigh anyone) then he can get a better rating. Great player, but one way.

 

[rose jam]

Greg Williams is the best Carlton footballer I've seen, yet even Diesel couldn't go forward and take a pack mark like Judd did on Sunday.
.

dude, seriously, Judd is one of the worst midfield marks for his height I have ever seen. He has no idea how to play forward. Whoppie, he marked a ball against a team getting crushed for the first time in his career. A forward he is not, has no idea how to lead for the ball or crumb playing forward. Wake up.

 

[lewigie]

20+ possessions and 30 hitouts a match isn't good enough for you?

Would be the game of careers for other ruckmen.

 

[VolgaBoatman]

Yeah who is Whitey

Whitey is Nick Reiwoldt of course.

 

[lewigie]

Greg Williams is the best Carlton footballer I've seen, yet even Diesel couldn't go forward and take a pack mark like Judd did on Sunday.

One pack mark in his whole career and now suddenly he's the greatest pack marker in the world

 

[Moon Face]

1. Ablett
2. Judd
3. Reiwoldt
4. S.Johnson
5. Dal Santo

 

[dan0z]

my top ten would be judd and geelong/st kildas top nine players atm..

eg judd ablett reiwoldt Goddard S johnson Dal santo Bartell Hayes

oh and no backman!!!

 

[walhawk]

Judd has been the most influential player this year by a mile.
From what I've seen
1. Judd
2. Ablett
then
S Johnson, Hayes, Dal Santo, Roo, Tredders,

 

[pazza]

1. Judd
2. Ablett
3. Hayes
4. Stanton
5. Franklin
6. Dal Santo
7. S. Johnson
8. J. Selwood
9. Watson
10. Tredrea

 

[theboxmike]

As much as some people might call me baised blah blah

But i would seriously consider Lovvett at around number 10..he has been phenomenal this season. Infinitely better than last

 

[Quinz]

#1: Gary Ablett- Good choice as number one, started the season in excellent form. Has plenty of help at Geelong and the team racks up big numbers, but he stands out as an explosive midfielder and probably the best midfielder in the league at the moment although currently injured. Turned from a solid player to a match winning midfielder in 2007 and hasn't looked back, coinciding with Geelong's period of dominance, and has played remarkable footy for a decent stretch of time now.

#2: Chris Judd- Also a good pick from the start of the year, Judd is the best player so far this season and would be my pick for the Brownlow if Carlton win a few more games. Dominant inside clearance player who, despite not quite having the mobility of a few years ago, still controls a game as good as anyone when on song. Another superstar. Has changed his game to be more inside dominant in the last season and a half, while still maintaining excellent output. His groin injury slowed him down for a while, but he is on the way back and will continue to get better.

#3: Lance Franklin- Despite having a 'slow' start to the season, is still topping the Coleman Medal table at the moment, although with fewer goals than last season by a fair way. Still capable of turning a match with only a few touches, but not yet in the form that he was last season. Wouldn't have him top 10 in the league at the moment, other forwards have been more prolific around the ground and midfielders are playing a big role this season with forward kicking less goals.

#4: Dean Cox- Down on his usual kicking effeciency, only manages to equal the other top ruckmen now. Still clearly the best ruckman in the game, leading statistics such as clearances, inside 50's, goal assists, contested possessions (5th in the AFL), marks inside 50, and rebound 50's by a mile, making a mockery of his sometimes considered 'cheap' stats. The hardest working big man in the game, he is often a victim of his own high standards but still plays footy week in week out than any other ruckman would be thrilled with, and is super consistent. Set for his fifth straight AA jumper this season, despite not having the amazing midfield he once had to work with.

#5: Luke Hodge- Has struggled big time with injury, and when he has played he hasn't had the same impact he did. As a key part of Hawthorn's work with the zone last season, he is one of their most important players and his influence on matches this season has been missed. Obviously not in the top 10 for the AFL this season, but you can't predict how injuries will hit during the season, and I would bank on him coming back to play a big part still for Hawthorn in the second half of the season.

 

[Smell The Glove]

If it is this year, then it should be something like this:

1. Ablett
2. Judd
3. Riewoldt
....

Then any number of blokes who are having great years, like Goddard, Stevie J, Dal Santo etc.

Yep. Those three can raffle it and the rest can keep trying to be more like them.

 

[numbat06]

Pavlich had an average start. At his best he is a top 5 player, but he has only been at his best in 3 games this season. If you think Dal Santo is a maybe for top 10 then don't bother posting next time.

If every player is playing at their best, these are the top 10 in my opinion:
1. Gary Ablett
2. Lance Franklin
3. Chris Judd
4. Nick Riewoldt
5. Matthew Pavlich
6. Brendan Fevola
7. Steve Johnson
8. Dean Cox
9. Daniel Kerr
10. Adam Goodes

if at their best kerr would easily be top 4

 

[DivideandMultiply]

Dean Cox has been average this season, has barely won a ruck dual this year. He is the Joel Bowden of rucking, gets around 18 very very cheap backline touches and everyone goes crazy for him. Would be behind Jolly, McIntosh, Sandilands and Brogan in terms of ruckmen this year.

Friggin lol.

Would still be no.1 ruckman this year slightly ahead of Sandilands and Jolly.

Was having a tough run with Jolly (fairly even) until the last quarter where he dug deep and started playing out of his skin. Nearly single-handedly lifted the entire team to win us the game. 30 HO, 22 disposals, 4T, 6M, 5 i50's, 2 goals and 1 GA not good enough for you?

He is also leading our squad for marks, contested marks, inside 50's, possessions and 2nd in contested possessions (5th in the league). With a DE% above 70% that is not bad for a big man. His disposal by foot has been avg in a couple of games.

Seems like you are a typical Freo troll with either no clue, or bagging out Cox because he is not Sandi and it seems like "cheap backline touches" is the thing to say because you have heard others say it.

EDIT: craps quinz posted a more comprehensive look, while I was checking stats but the point still stands.

 

[wce4premiership]

So many people have missed the point of this thread.

 

[Leapingleobarry]

The point is that Mike Sheehan can not predict the future and should be ridiculed for not knowing Buddy would have a slow start to the year and Hodge would succumb to injury.

So many people have missed the point of this thread.

 

[Outoftheblue]

when he played directly on Pendlebury he got smashed as he does every time he plays on an attacking player.

Hilarious. Go and have a look at Judd v Pendlebury marking contest on the wing.
''One-way'' Judd was the leading tackler on the field, by the way ...

 

[Falchoon]

if at their best kerr would easily be top 4

Massive perception that he can't beat a tag.

 

[Monkey King]

If every player is playing at their best, these are the top 10 in my opinion:

6. Brendan Fevola

It's Fevola's worst that brings him back to the pack. When playing at his best Fev would arguably challenge anyone in the league for the No.1 mantle.

 

[tribey]

Nah, Tredrea is a fair choice. The best 3 key position forwards have been Riewoldt, Brown and Tredrea, so it makes sense.

Especially when he actually has more goals and double the score assists of Riewoldt thus far in '09.

#1 in goals contributed across the league too.

 

[Monkey King]

#4: Dean Cox - ... he is often a victim of his own high standards but still plays footy week in week out than any other ruckman would be thrilled with.

I think Cox is a victim not only of his own standards, but also of those around him.

How does the presence or absence of someone like Judd sharking his taps and bursting away from the pack change people's perceptions of his performance? No doubt a ruckman's impact will stand out more when involved in a passage of play like this, as irrelevant as it may be his actual output.

I agree with you, every team in the league would be wrapped to be having their ruckmen perform at his level.

 

[cradle of filth]

.

#3: Lance Franklin - Can't get a kick at the moment. Fat, and looks lost at times as he chases the ball up to the backline to try and get a kick. Got towelled up by Chris Tarrant against Freo and is still struggling with his frees against tally. He'd have to be somewhere in the top 10 still you'd think.

He is the leading goalkicker by the way. I'd hardly call kicking 4 goals and finishing in the best players getting "towelled up" And if you honestly think he's fat then you might as well call Matthew Lloyd fat, or Dean Cox fat, or Cameron Mooney fat. That all makes about as much sense as Buddy.

 

[fnm_just a man]

To the guy rating Lovett around top 10 - fair enough. He is a gun.

To the Hawk's supporter's supporting Buddy. I'm with you - it's amazing that he's leading the Coleman while seemingly "out of form".

To the guy claiming Juddy has no defensive game, I would say that he was perhaps starting to get a little lax until that Swans game and since then his defensive efforts have been awesome and given you are a pies supporter I would have thought you'd have noticed how much and how hard he tackled on the weekend.

To the Tredders supporters, I haven't seen much of him this year and I don't like him much, but he was incredibly dominant a couple of years ago and if he is playing like that then he deserves to be up there. Sometimes I wonder if it's because he doesn't necessarily "look" that much like a footballer.

At the end of the day, it's simply impossible to work out a top 10 for everyone to agree on and therefore Mike Sheahan is not going to do it any better than most footy followers.

 

[dtrainium]

01 - Gary Ablett (Gee)
02 - Chris Judd (Car)
03 - Scott Pendlebury (Col)
04 - Nick Dal Santo (StK)
05 - Jimmy Bartel (Gee)
06 - Leon Davis (Col)
07 - Brendan Goddard (StK)
08 - Warren Tredrea (PA)
09 - Marc Murphy (Car)
10 - Brad Sewell (Haw)

A lot of players are pretty close to getting in there at this stage, if Stanton didn't turn the ball over so much he'd be in I think, Cox and McIntosh have both been fairly consistent for the rucks, and then as far as key forwards go, a lot of them while still having respectable seasons, are down on previous form, probably Roughead would be next closest to Tredrea.