Opinion Neale v Bont v Pendlebury v Cripps

Who is better?


  • Total voters
    110

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He won the players MVP.
Close enough
Brayshaw was nowhere near the coaches award winner. Comparing Pendlebury to Brayshaw is not an insult to Pendlebury, it’s an insult to your own thoughts on football.
Dont care what some Pies nuffy thinks, very good but not elite is where he sits
 
Pendlebury played across an era where he was behind the likes of Swan, Ablett, Judd, Fyfe, Dangerfield, Martin later on.

He was at his peak an incredible player and once again we find ourselves at this stupid, f**king juvenile juncture, of trying to assess a player’s level, based on trinkets won, rather than the quality of the football he actually produced. There are dozens of times over the last 30 years where a peak-Pendlebury would have easily been worthy of a Brownlow or an MVP etc etc etc and no one would bat an eyelid
A players ability is always rated vs players of their time. Pendlebury was never one of the top few players in the comp. You can take some average player today and say they wouldve won 6 brownlows in the 1940s because they were so unfit and had relatively shit skills back then but that doesnt mean theyre elite
 

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A players ability is always rated vs players of their time. Pendlebury was never one of the top few players in the comp. You can take some average player today and say they wouldve won 6 brownlows in the 1940s because they were so unfit and had relatively shit skills back then but that doesnt mean theyre elite

Sorry this isn’t the 1940s. This was a player who still plays now, still plays quite well, and we all watched and know was elite.

It’s like saying a boxer who didn’t win a heavyweight world title can’t be as good as Michael Moorer, until you find out he lost a decision to prime Ali.

Again, how does a lack of an award make him a lesser player?

I’ve asked this many times: does an award kick, mark or hand pass the ball?
 
How does a non-elite player accrue 6 AA’s and 14 top 3 B&F finishes in sides that regularly played finals and made deep runs in many of them?
Who exactly did you blokes have ahead of him? Swan in that 2018 era and Daicos recently. Nobody else really stood out?

Its like you guys think im calling him shit lmao, hes still clearly an A-grader, hes just below the other guys in the poll, thats not an insult
 
Sorry this isn’t the 1940s. This was a player who still plays now, still plays quite well, and we all watched and know was elite.

It’s like saying a boxer who didn’t win a heavyweight world title can’t be as good as Michael Moorer, until you find out he lost a decision to prime Ali.

Again, how does a lack of an award make him a lesser player?

I’ve asked this many times: does an award kick, mark or hand pass the ball?
You are trying to compare Pendlebury of his best years to players in the weaker brownlow years. Its quite literally the exact same thing as comparing him to a 1940s player, just to a lesser extreme
 
Who exactly did you blokes have ahead of him? Swan in that 2018 era and Daicos recently. Nobody else really stood out?

Its like you guys think im calling him shit lmao, hes still clearly an A-grader, hes just below the other guys in the poll, thats not an insult
We had nobody ahead of him, as he was the finest player at our club across many strong years. He was competing with prime Swan, Beams, Sidebottom, Didak, Thomas, Cloke, Grundy, Treloar, Moore, Adams, Daicos’ amongst many other players who had great individual seasons across his long career.
 
You are trying to compare Pendlebury of his best years to players in the weaker brownlow years. Its quite literally the exact same thing as comparing him to a 1940s player, just to a lesser extreme

No it isn’t mate.

Answer this simple hypothetical.

Does the guy who wins a Brownlow in a year of terrible players reach a higher level of football than someone who finishes second to a Gary Ablett Jr playing at his absolute peak.

It’s not about ‘relative to other players.’

It’s weighing up achievement vs quality.

You can make a million comparisons that come up the same way. The poor bastard that shoots incredible numbers week after week on the PGA Tour but happens to share his career with Tiger Woods - has he played worse than someone who shoots worse numbers but manages to play in an era where Woods is all but washed up?

Jarryd Roughead wasn’t winning club goalkicker awards while Cameron Mooney was. Does that mean he was playing worse football than Mooney? Of course not, he was a miles better player. He just happened to share a forward line with Lance Franklin
 
You can make a million comparisons that come up the same way. The poor bastard that shoots incredible numbers week after week on the PGA Tour but happens to share his career with Tiger Woods - has he played worse than someone who shoots worse numbers but manages to play in an era where Woods is all but washed up?
This is not the case with Pendlebury.
 
Bont > Neale > Cripps > Pendles

I think Bont is the best despite having 2 brownlows less then Cripps and Neale. Not quite as good on the inside but better at everything else. Be surprised if he doesn't finish his career at no.1 from this group.

Neale and Cripps I had level before Saturday. Now Neale goes ahead as a premiership captain. I think Cripps best is better but Neale is more consistent so depends what you value. Both great players.

Pendles I have 4th. He's a gun and his longevity has been unreal. However, unlike the other 3 he's never been in the conversation for best player in the game.

Bont, Neale, Cripps have had 3-4 seasons each where you could mount an argument for them. Evidenced by their 9 brownlow/mvps to Pendles 0.
 

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Last edited:
A players ability is always rated vs players of their time. Pendlebury was never one of the top few players in the comp. You can take some average player today and say they wouldve won 6 brownlows in the 1940s because they were so unfit and had relatively shit skills back then but that doesnt mean theyre elite
But that's not what is being said.

The indisputable two best midfielders whose career started after the turn of the century are GAJ and Judd.

As a result, a midfielder who played a lot of his football during that era could legitimately be the next best player since the turn of the century, despite never being the best player in the competition best either GAJ or Judd had that mantle.

I've done a Martin v. Pendlebury analysis before...

Pendlebury has:
3 of the best 5 seasons
7 of the best 12 seasons
12 of the best 20 seasons
15 of the best 25 seasons

You could look at it another way....

Martin might have 11 of the best 20 individual games played....

But Pendlebury would have:
26 of the best 50
52 of the best 100
78 of the best 150
104 of the best 200
160 of the best 300
215 of the best 400
275 of the best 500
350 of the best 600 games
 
But that's not what is being said.

The indisputable two best midfielders whose career started after the turn of the century are GAJ and Judd.

As a result, a midfielder who played a lot of his football during that era could legitimately be the next best player since the turn of the century, despite never being the best player in the competition best either GAJ or Judd had that mantle.

I've done a Martin v. Pendlebury analysis before...

Pendlebury has:
3 of the best 5 seasons
7 of the best 12 seasons
12 of the best 20 seasons
15 of the best 25 seasons

You could look at it another way....

Martin might have 11 of the best 20 individual games played....

But Pendlebury would have:
26 of the best 50
52 of the best 100
78 of the best 150
104 of the best 200
160 of the best 300
215 of the best 400
275 of the best 500
350 of the best 600 games

We’ll see who gets elevated to legend status mate.

Most likely the one even Eddie McGuire says should get a statue at the MCG.
 
We’ll see who gets elevated to legend status mate.

Most likely the one even Eddie McGuire says should get a statue at the MCG.
Oh.

So you're basing your judgement on what you think the Hall of Fame selectors might do in 20 or 30 years, and an idea Eddie McGuire has raised, as opposed to how they have actually performed during their respective careers?

Otherwise, you would have debated my numbers in the post you quoted...
 
I always thought Lachie Neale was the better player of the 4 even before this year's grand final.
 
Pendles being very disrespected. The epitome of time & space, smooth & classy. Only Simon Black comes close for me.

Well past his best now but his best was elite. Love Cripps but no flag puts Bont above him.

1. Pendlebury
2. Neale
3. Bont
4. Crippa
 

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Opinion Neale v Bont v Pendlebury v Cripps

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