Rolling All Australian Team 2020

[Grrr]

Not close to the squad. He was bad enough in the first 4 games that he was dropped for round 5.

He's been really good since returning but even then in the games according to the coaches votes he's twice been 2nd best on ground, a 4th best on ground, a 7th best in ground and 2 games outside the votes. I highly doubt he was in the votes last night.

4 really good games but none as BOG after 12 rounds doesn't get you in the squad unless you've been amazingly consistent. If you've been bad enough to be dropped after the first 4 games you're not realistically in the best 100 players for the season.

Agree he is not close, but all Richmond posters were gob smacked when they dropped him. But went back to play midfield in the scratch match and has been in the midfield ever since, so there was obviously more to it than playing poorly.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

You can rule Rampe out now, he's been ruled out for the year (re broke his hand), not that I'd have him over a few alternatives this season.

 

[Fadge]

You can rule Rampe out now, he's been ruled out for the year (re broke his hand), not that I'd have him over a few alternatives this season.

Oh boy, that's disappointing.

Would have been one of the great stories of the year if he had have made the AA side after playing half the season with a broken hand...

For what it's worth, he would have been my second picked in the backline after Andrews, based on his form to date.

 

[eth-dog]

I still think Callum Wilkie should be around the mark. Hasn't been beaten this season, including playing on Fyfe, Martin, Bont when they've played forward, an elite kick and plays on all different sizes, those medium midfielders as I mentioned earlier and talls as well. The guy's a star.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Oh boy, that's disappointing.

Would have been one of the great stories of the year if he had have made the AA side after playing half the season with a broken hand...

For what it's worth, he would have been my second picked in the backline after Andrews, based on his form to date.

He's had an outstanding year, he's always underrated a bit. There are a lot of defenders this year. Be good for him to still make the squad.

 

[bjwilliams]

You're talking about everything but his actual job. You know... ruck work.

Which IMO is quite clearly the best in the country.

See his ruck work is obviously great. But why do you consider his ruck work be "clearly the best", over Gawn for example? Can you provide me something to go and have a look at?

Gawn gets more hitouts, more to advantage, and is on the field more. Pretty key ruck metrics. That was why I came here asking which eaglespremiers kindly provided some more info. You're doing what's so frustrating on this board. Just saying things like it's fact but unable to actually provide me something to dig deeper into it.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

You mean the same 2 that got dominated by Nic when they played?

At no point has NicNat been better than those two as of 18.8.2020

But West Coast fans are a gift

 

[Bungeye]

What's the point in having an All Australian team everybody is supposed to be equal? Players standing out and having flair is frowned upon in afl, so what's the point? The All Australian team should be for mediocre players who bring star players down to their level.

 

[Fadge]

I'd have him nowhere near the AA because he is inconsistent and started slowly, but as an argument that he is better than some on here think, he has only played the last 5 weeks as a midfielder, before that forward, but up to round 11 he was the leading player in the league for inside 50's. The next were Dangerfield and Mcrae. So while we might not watch other teams, maybe some haven't been watching Richmond much either.

I don't think anyone on this thread has said he can't play. Sure he has improved his output from previous seasons and indeed earlier this year, now that he has been given an opportunity in the midfield.

However, you can't begrudge other posters scoffing at someone raising Shai Bolton's name in a thread about this year's All Australian team, where there are only 22 positions for 18 teams. We are talking about the elite of the elite, after all...

 

[DirtySandman]

insanely dominant player

I don’t see too many making this claim.

If he plays the year out without injury and in current form, He will have strong claims for being AA.

after two knee reco’s I think that’s pretty special.

 

[bjwilliams]

I don’t see too many making this claim.

If he plays the year out without injury and in current form, He will have strong claims for being AA.

after two knee reco’s I think that’s pretty special.

Not saying coming back from significant injuries isn't special. And the way I've been copping it for asking some simple things really comes across as though he's untouchable and can't be questioned.

Anyway, I got some answers to some questions I was after.

 

[Grrr]

I don't think anyone on this thread has said he can't play. Sure he has improved his output from previous seasons and indeed earlier this year, now that he has been given an opportunity in the midfield.

However, you can't begrudge other posters scoffing at someone raising Shai Bolton's name in a thread about this year's All Australian team, where there are only 22 positions for 18 teams. We are talking about the elite of the elite, after all...

No problem at all. Just balancing the ledger a bit. No.1 for inside 50's I'm sure would surprise everyone and not a bad stat to have. But yeah agree, far fetched to be even mentioned in this thread. Although he is not the first.

 

[DirtySandman]

can't be questioned.

Maybe some of the defensiveness comes from when NN came to the club, we were all wanting a good story, to get rid of the drugs bs, and along comes this guy, who stood out from the crowd (literally) , who appeared a bit shy at first, and debate about his abilities started before he even played.

 

[bjwilliams]

Maybe some of the defensiveness comes from when NN came to the club, we were all wanting a good story, to get rid of the drugs bs, and along comes this guy, who stood out from the crowd (literally) , who appeared a bit shy at first, and debate about his abilities started before he even played.

I get that, hell I backed Watts for years, everyone is going to want to stand up for their guy.

 

[Savage Kent]

B: Haynes, Andrews, Blicavs
HB: Maynard, Weitering, Ridley
C: Duncan, Fyfe, Macrae
HF: Papley, Hawkins, Petracca
F: Butler, Kennedy, C.Cameron
R: Gawn, Neale, Dangerfield

Int: Goldstein, Steele, Boak, D. Martin

 

[bzparkes]

At no point has NicNat been better than those two as of 18.8.2020

But West Coast fans are a gift

Coaches'votes say otherwise troll.

 

[Footy Smarts]

Agree he is not close, but all Richmond posters were gob smacked when they dropped him. But went back to play midfield in the scratch match and has been in the midfield ever since, so there was obviously more to it than playing poorly.

I think he's a really talented player and has clearly stepped up since returning. But I don't think we can second guess him being dropped. He didn't appear in the coaches votes in the first 4 weeks and then was dropped. You can't just assume there was "more to it than playing poorly" when you're talking about whether he's picked in the best 40 players in the game for the year. He's a super talent, playing really well and if he has a really good end to the year he might push up towards the squad. But we're talking the elite and getting dropped makes it very difficult to justify picking him.

 

[juss]

Just my two cents for the week about the ruck thing.
I don't really care who they pick. I have no vested interest in any of the 3 guys whos names are being tossed up.
What I will say, and I think I said something earlier in the thread about it, is that I believe you sometimes need to remember that doing something freakish that gives your side a goal, for example, isn't any more valuable than doing something perfectly normal that achieves the same thing. NN is capable of doing things that no other ruckmen can. A highlight reel of trickshots, basically, when you pluck the eyes out of his best work. The example I used last time was that reverse tap to a roving Josh Kennedy that probably no other ruckman could have executed. It earned his side a goal, didn't contribute to it - it created it. And that's fantastic. But is it more valuable than Gawn just managing to get the better of a 50-50 contest and feeding it to a teammate who then hits another teammate with a short pass or something, and then kicks a goal?

feels like the raw aesthetic brilliance of NN’s play earns him more than the relative ‘boringness’ of others

He is loved by Eagles fans as a favourite because a lot of what he does looks aesthetically brilliant for the highlight real, and fan favourites then get rated higher by their fans than the vanilla players. Its the same concept with many of the highlight players in the league, Eddie Betts, Dusty Martin, Jeremy Howe. At times what they do no one else can do, and it gets rated higher because of how much it makes you go wow. NicNat benefits from this, but so do other players.

 

[Bungeye]

What's this obsession of Ridley after one year? What the hell does Touhy need to do to even get a nomination. I'm concinced it's rigged!

 

[00Stinger]

I agree that NikNat is the starting ruck in the AA at this stage. But **** me West Coast supporters are funny

Nik Nat going shit in the AFLCA award - That award isn't a true reflection of performance because of blah blah blah

Nik Nat leads all rucks in AFLCA award- Coaches vote for the award bro, most prestige individual award bro. Proof NikNat is better bro.........

 

[MrDanggazz]

Even though I clearly only watch my own team play, its obvious the handful of bog average players from my club who have had a couple good games should be in the conversation.

 

[Hippster]

At no point has NicNat been better than those two as of 18.8.2020

But West Coast fans are a gift

NicNat had received votes in the coaches award (considered by many the best and most accurate as opposed to players or umps voting) in 8 of his 11 games this year. He is in 6th place with 41 Votes. Goldstein is in 12th on 32 and Grundy and Gawn are not in top 20 so less than 28 votes. Not sure what they are on.
Just saying..

 

[jod23]

See his ruck work is obviously great. But why do you consider his ruck work be "clearly the best", over Gawn for example? Can you provide me something to go and have a look at?

Gawn gets more hitouts, more to advantage, and is on the field more. Pretty key ruck metrics. That was why I came here asking which eaglespremiers kindly provided some more info. You're doing what's so frustrating on this board. Just saying things like it's fact but unable to actually provide me something to dig deeper into it.

Someone else already went into great detail a couple of pages back.

I will say one thing though, a hitout to advantage from Gawn is completely different to a hitout to advantage from NN. Yet they both get the same stat.

If NN continues his current form until the end of the season I'd be very surprised if he isnt in the AA team. He's elite.

 

[Monkey King]

You mean the same 2 that got dominated by Nic when they played?

The Crows beat the Tigers last year too. Should we give them the flag?

I'm not buying into the ruck argument. I think NN is a beast, (although not so much when matched up on TDK) but this argument is silly. All Australian is about a player's body of work over a season, not results when matched up head to head with other contenders.

 

[Happy Mastenator]

The Crows beat the Tigers last year too. Should we give them the flag?

I'm not buying into the ruck argument. I think NN is a beast, (although not so much when matched up on TDK) but this argument is silly. All Australian is about a player's body of work over a season, not results when matched up head to head with other contenders.

You’re completely misrepresenting the argument west coast fans are making.

Beating Gawn and Grundy is only one data point. The fact he’s got coaches cotes in in 8? Of our 11 games says it all.