The Greatest Finals Player Ever

[Caesarr]

Josh Kennedy from Sydney deserves a shout.

Fantastic GF record:
2012: 26 touches + 2 goals
2014: 29 touches + 1 goal
2016: 34 touches + 3 goals

Other great finals:
H2H vs Judd in 2010 EF and beating him
35 touches + 16 clearences in 2011 vs the Hawks
35 touches and a goal vs the Crows in 2012
30 touches and 2 goals in the 2012 prelim
39 touches and 8 I50s vs Freo in 2015
42 touches and 10 clearences vs the Crows in 2016

So many more ive ignored. Probably runs Dusty the closest out of any other 21st century player.

 

[SSSSSS]

Not the greatest but Gunston's finals record is pretty good for a modern day key forward.

Hodge, Ayres, Dusty, Dermie take your pick.

 

[Robroy22]

Ayres is the one, him and Dermie and Lethal.

 

[Mr Meow]

Whoever people choose as their best Finals player (or one of the best), one thing is fairly certain - when it comes to assessing and ranking players, how they perform in Finals footy: when it truly matters most, when the pressure goes up tenfold, when the expectation increases...that will always be the final marking point for assessment. Home & Away footy is important, but Finals footy is more important - that short but vital 4 week window is the key to the Premiership. Some players relish the pressure of Finals, whilst other players turn to water. Finals goes up a few levels. Bugger stakes on the line. Finals is a different ball game to Home & Away footy.

Who are your top 10 finals players this century?

 

[juss]

I'll go Dusty with some bias, but it's backed up by a lot of evidence.

Im not convinced we win any of those flags without him, let alone all 3, I think that is a big argument for him and his ability to win finals for his side.

Some of those others mentioned like Brereton, Ayres, etc. That Hawks era still wins flags without them as individuals such was their talent.

 

[Lunchtime]

Who are your top 10 finals players this century?

I'm making my way through a heap of players over dinner.

 

[Gavin Excell]

Rucks wise Keating and Ottens often didn't do much during the season but stepped up September

 

[Gavin Excell]

Not the greatest but Gunston's finals record is pretty good for a modern day key forward.

Hodge, Ayres, Dusty, Dermie take your pick.

Hodge is underrated these threads

 

[MadMaxx]

Tuck, just be sheer weight of numbers. That 11 Grand Finals for 7 Flags across three decades folks

 

[Franc de Borges]

Dunstall kicked 78 finals goals (second most) with a record of 0, 6, 7, 4, 6 in his five Grand Finals.

 

[Lunchtime]

Dunstall kicked 78 finals goals (second most) with a record of 0, 6, 7, 4, 6 in his five Grand Finals.

78 goals from 21 finals matches, goal average per game of 3.7. A pretty good contribution I think considering his Home & Away goal average per game was 4.7

 

[Lunchtime]

Dunstall kicked 78 finals goals (second most) with a record of 0, 6, 7, 4, 6 in his five Grand Finals.

Goal average per game in Grand Finals was 4.6

 

[Lingsface]

Not in the discussion for greatest but a Collingwood players whose finals record are a little underated is Tom Mitchell has played some very good finals.

All time is Barry Cable I would say he won 3 best on ground (simpson medal) in the WAFL in a row then came to the VFL and Had 25 and 2 goals in a losing grand final in 74. 75 he had 27 and a goal 28 and a goal and 25 possessions in 3 finals when they won the premiership.
76 he had 35 in the prelim final and 21 and 2 goals in the grand final which they lost. 77 he had 38 and 3 goals in the prelim and then won the replayed grand final with 22 and 2 goals 2. I think him and dusty are the only players to have 20 and 2 in 3 different grand finals and that was after he won 3 norm smith equivalent in his home state. He then went back to the WAFL and won another premiership.

 

[Trojan90]

Steve Johnson or Luke Hodge followed by Dustin Martin and Josh Kennedy in my time watching.

 

[Meteoric Rise]

Who is the Greatest Finals player ever? I will throw forward Gordon Coventry

111 Goals in finals

• 5 Premierships
• 9 goals in a Grand Final
• 7 goals in a Grand final
• 66% of the goals in another Grand Final including doubling the opposition Goal Tally
• 5 in a Semi Final
• 5 in a Preliminary Final
• 7 in a Semi Final
• 5 in a Semi Final
• 6 in a Preliminary Final
• 5 in a Semi Final
• 4 in a Preliminary Final
• 4 in a Grand Final
• 6 in a Semi Final
• 7 in a Prelim Final

Was demonstrably the 3rd best Collingwood Full Forward in finals in his own era. I have never read about one single finals series where he was considered the best player in the finals.

Absolute wtf post from a Collingwood supporter desperate to deflect attention away from the player who everyone knows is the greatest finals performer in the history of the sport.

 

[SBYM]

Sam Walsh

18

Sam Walsh

Age

24

Ht

184cm

Wt

84kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

25.1

5star

K

13.5

5star

HB

11.6

5star

M

5.1

5star

T

3.2

5star

CL

3.4

5star

No current season stats available

D

26.2

5star

K

15.4

5star

HB

10.8

5star

M

6.0

5star

T

3.2

5star

CL

4.8

5star

.

 

[BF Tiger]

KB did enough to be in the discussion.

 

[Lunchtime]

Paul Chapman

Probably the highest % of finals game played where he was a top 5 player

Paul Chapman played in 22 finals and averaged 18.5 possessions and 1.6 goals per game.

He also won the Norm Smith medal in 2009 for his 3 goals & 26 possesions.

 

[Lunchtime]

Who are your top 10 finals players this century?

So 3 come to mind:

Dustin Martin

Averages 22.0 disposals and 1.6 goals per game in finals (16 games). Grand final record: averages 24 disposals and 3.3 goals per game. He has played in 3 Grand Finals and kicked 10 goals

Steve Johnson

Averaged 19.6 disposals and 1.6 goals per game in finals (26 games). Grand Final record: averaged 20.0 disposals and 2.2 goals per game. He played in 4 Grand Finals and kicked 9 goals.

Paul Chapman

Averaged 18.5 disposals and 1.6 goals per game in finals (22 games). Grand Final record: averaged 23.2 disposals and 2.0 goals per game. He played in 4 Grand Finals and kicked 8 goals.

You asked me for 10, so I need to go back and look for 7 more - I've given 3 so far.

 

[Cleansweep17]

So 3 come to mind:

Dustin Martin

Averages 22.0 disposals and 1.6 goals per game in finals (16 games). Grand final record: averages 24 disposals and 3.3 goals per game. He has played in 3 Grand Finals and kicked 10 goals

Steve Johnson

Averaged 19.6 disposals and 1.6 goals per game in finals (26 games). Grand Final record: averaged 20.0 disposals and 2.2 goals per game. He played in 4 Grand Finals and kicked 9 goals.

Paul Chapman

Averaged 18.5 disposals and 1.6 goals per game in finals (22 games). Grand Final record: averaged 23.2 disposals and 2.0 goals per game. He played in 4 Grand Finals and kicked 8 goals.

You asked me for 10, so I need to go back and look for 7 more - I've given 3 so far.

He’s waiting for you to chuck GAJ in btw. He reckons he’s 2nd to Dusty by a hair.

 

[Fadge]

He’s waiting for you to chuck GAJ in btw. He reckons he’s 2nd to Dusty by a hair.

And Judd.

And Pendlebury.

And Hodge.

Who would have thought all the great players are great finals players?

 

[btdg]

Sticks Kernahan kicked 2.94 goals per game across his career and 3.61 per game in finals. Not sure why but some of his efforts get forgotten - his 7 goals in a losing GF in 93 doesn't get the same Kudos as Ablett's 9 or Brereton's 8 in losing teams.

As a bit of comparison, Brereton kicked 2.2 per game in the regular season and 2.04 on finals. Dunstall kicked 4.66 in the regular season and 3.64 in finals. Gary Ablett sr kicked 4.16 in regualar season and 4.0 in finals (heavily weighted to one big series, of course).

Kernahan is surprisingly underrated as a finals player despite captaining teo premierships and being a rare player with a higher goal average in finals than overall

 

[Fadge]

Sticks Kernahan kicked 2.94 goals per game across his career and 3.61 per game in finals. Not sure why but some of his efforts get forgotten - his 7 goals in a losing GF in 93 doesn't get the same Kudos as Ablett's 9 or Brereton's 8 in losing teams.

As a bit of comparison, Brereton kicked 2.2 per game in the regular season and 2.04 on finals. Dunstall kicked 4.66 in the regular season and 3.64 in finals. Gary Ablett sr kicked 4.16 in regualar season and 4.0 in finals (heavily weighted to one big series, of course).

Kernahan is surprisingly underrated as a finals player despite captaining teo premierships and being a rare player with a higher goal average in finals than overall

Great nomination.

Not to mention his rendition of 'Stand By Your Man' after the 1987 Grand Final is one of the highlights of AFL/VFL Finals history.

 

[Cleansweep17]

And Judd.

And Pendlebury.

And Hodge.

Who would have thought all the great players are great finals players?

All norm smiths medalists. At least now you are getting it

 

[Ricky Vaughn]

Modern era is Dusty.

Ablett jnr overlooked for the Geelong nominations.