The most average player ever

[DERIBERATE]

 

[Mr.X]

 

[Captain_Bender]

Which one?

 

[Jesse Custer]

Which one?

Ok both

 

[PhatBoy]

Josh Hunt

 

[Rabman]

Brad Symes, very average 80 game career.

 

[Tas]

Finally, a Shannon Watt appreciation thread.

Watt, described by the media as "a reliable but unremarkable defender for North Melbourne" played 155 games and never polled a single Brownlow vote. It is fair to say that the former #14 pick in the 1997 draft didn't live up to expectation, although he had some good games and frequently did well at restricting the damage of some notable great forwards, only to get his pants pulled down by some plodders.

Will be remembered for having played every minute of every game for an entire season, a feat that is a pretty average achievement in the grand scheme of things.

Highlight of his career is probably appearing in a few grand final sprints, without winning any of them.

 

[the big lebowski]

Gotta agree, maybe he underachieved a bit towards the end of his career, given his previous success and he retired at only 30, but between 2009 and 2013 he was very good, three B&Fs and averaged 99, 106, 112, 109, and 101 in SC (obviously not a perfect rankings system but it's favourable to Swallow). Averaged 25 disposals in two of those five seasons and over 21 in four of the five, with gaudy tackling numbers (average per game each season of 6.9, 8.3, 6.6, 7.1, and 6.3) and was a solid three marks per game. Wouldn't have minded having him brought to the bombers for next season too much, we need some more inside grunt and he could have definitely helped tutor guys like Mutch, Langford, Laverde, Clarke, Guelfi etc.

Nicely done

The definition of average

 

[75Cardies]

James Walker of Freo
151 games

Career Disp 14.3 marks 4.2 Goals 0.1 Behinds 0.1 Tackles 1.7 Hitouts 0.4

179cm 82kgs - right in the meat of that bell curve

2007 year as an example
AFL Avg Disp 15.6 v 16.2
AFL Avg Mark 4.7 v 5.2
AFL Avg FK .87 v .7
AFL Avg Tack 2.4 v 1.8
AFL Avg DT 68 v 64.6

Was pick 6 in AFL draft. Recruiters would sign up in an instant to a pick 6 to play 150+ games for their respective club. Solid return.

Also was great grandson of gordon coventry and first victorian to play 150 games for fremantle. Whilst these facts aren't terrible and useless they aren't that impressive either.

Also he won back to back GF sprints. To run and win that event you must need to be not too important to be injured or too slow not to participate.

Didn't have 1 off-field indiscretion either or endorse any corporate brands.

Average enough to be relevant in Quiz Night Sport Trivia Questions but tricky enough to stump a few.

James Walker... Solid Name too.

 

[ItsAllAboutMe]

Tommy ALvin

 

[Blind Turn]

View attachment 452931

Maybe when he went to Adelaide. Was a gun at Essendon. He did manage an AA guernsey in his first year at the Crows though didn’t he?

Ball magnet, great reader of the play, raking left foot kick, capable both overhead and below the knees, Brownlow fancy in 1990, and highly regarded at Essendon. Certainly doesn’t belong in the Mark Bolton sphere of average.

 

[Scotland]

James Walker was really fast. As in won a couple of GF sprints fast. Must have run away from the match committee at training who were trying to drop him.

Was a regular feature of the Freo side (the early to mid 2000s one, so not their worst period) for about 5 or 6 years without question then once he fell out of the side he was gone pretty much straight away. Delisted at 27 or 28 IIRC. But yeah, he's a good nom. Not great, not terrible - average.

 

[Eski3]

Walker also did not poll a brownlow vote until his 151st and final game, where he polled the maximum 3 votes in a performance where he registered 11 kicks, 2 handballs, 4 marks, 2 tackles, 2 goals and 1 behind

 

[Sedat!]

Some excellent nominations already but I don't think Robert Shirley has been mentioned yet - he was the first person I thought of when reading this thread. Honest average footballer who did his job but not much more.

Hawthorn had a few in their 1992-2007 'wilderness' period. Some have already been mentioned but Angelo Lekkas also springs to mind. Maybe slightly too good to be classed as average?

 

[Fastback]

Some excellent nominations already but I don't think Robert Shirley has been mentioned yet - he was the first person I thought of when reading this thread. Honest average footballer who did his job but not much more.

Hawthorn had a few in their 1992-2007 'wilderness' period. Some have already been mentioned but Angelo Lekkas also springs to mind. Maybe slightly too good to be classed as average?

Lekka was slightly above, Played for Vic.

Nick Ries (81), Rayden Tallis (163), Tony Woods (142), Luke McCabe (138), Tom Murphy (95), Jason Taylor, Jonathon Robran...might have claims.

 

[matt_bas]

Mark Lecras... CM9000

 

[Scotland]

LeCras is a terrible nomination.

Closing in on 200 games, All Australian, B&F winner and is our 3rd highest career goalkicker with 400+.

Over 2009-2011 he kicked 168 goals in 3 seasons and was close to the best small forward in the comp. Was one of the most reliable set shots and was creative around goal. Watch his game vs Essendon at Etihad. Average players don't kick 12. Then did his knee and missed the entire 2012 season. Came back in 2013 and had two OK years missing 7 games in 2013 and 2014 then had a good 2015 season. Since then he's lost a yard of pace and has become a bit of a downhill skier.

Also pretty versatile. Started as a pretty one dimensional player getting 9 or 10 touches and kicking a couple of goals a game then had seasons where he was kicking 2.5-3 a game and seasons where he was still kicking 2 but also getting 18 touches a game.

 

[Tarkyn_24]

Mark Lecras... CM9000

****ing lol.

 

[matt_bas]

LeCras is a terrible nomination.

Closing in on 200 games, All Australian, B&F winner and is our 3rd highest career goalkicker with 400+.

Over 2009-2011 he kicked 168 goals in 3 seasons and was close to the best small forward in the comp. Was one of the most reliable set shots and was creative around goal. Watch his game vs Essendon at Etihad. Average players don't kick 12. Then did his knee and missed the entire 2012 season. Came back in 2013 and had two OK years missing 7 games in 2013 and 2014 then had a good 2015 season. Since then he's lost a yard of pace and has become a bit of a downhill skier.

Also pretty versatile. Started as a pretty one dimensional player getting 9 or 10 touches and kicking a couple of goals a game then had seasons where he was kicking 2.5-3 a game and seasons where he was still kicking 2 but also getting 18 touches a game.

******* lol.

Clearly haven't been on the eagles board lately.

 

[ItsAllAboutMe]

Tom Alvins stats over a 218 game career.. He did make the vic SOO team 6 times, but outside of that had no major individual honours.


GM W-D-L KI MK HB DI GL BH HO TK
19.82 59.63% 11.44 3.08 4.15 15.59 0.44 0.37 0.04 1.59

 

[The Gov]

Yeah another nomination for LeCras - dead average his whole career CM9000

 

[Tarkyn_24]

Clearly haven't been on the eagles board lately.

People calling for a bloke to be dropped in the twilight of what was a very impressive career does not equal average.

If there’s more going on on the Eagles board than that then unfortunately their supporters must be even stupider than the little credit that I do give them.

 

[LeverPuller]

Has anyone said Jarryd Blair?

 

[Back One Out]

Danny Jacobs. Very average.

Certainly no star, but definitely a contributor when fit - for us anyway, and I imagine Hawthorn as well (their fans will know better).

He was drafted at pick 36. Not too early, not too late.

Jacobs was listed at 189cm and 96kgs. Not big, not genuine KPP size, but certainly not a midget. He played on key forwards when required, but wasn't really tall enough. He wasn't a small defender either.

He played 126 games over nine seasons. Not a huge number, but not a super-short career either.

He kicked 29 goals. Not a large amount, but certainly more than many other defenders.

Averaged 14 disposals over his career... not bad for a defender.

He played for two clubs - not a one-club player, but not a journeyman.

He wore jumper numbers 8 (a low one), 42 (a high one), and 21 (one in the middle).

He never won any individual awards, though he was a Rising Star nominee.

Not a premiership player. But did taste some on-field success and played in a Grand Final for Essendon.

Nicknamed 'DJ', a decidedly unimaginative, average Australian nickname. (He has however been known as 'The Hose' in some circles - I can't comment personally but his most non-average feature may well be his manhood.)

Probably the most notable thing about him was I think he was some small part of the infamous "Veale Deal" when traded.

Well done Daniel, you super-average operator.

Nominations?

All those words you typed and not one mention of the constant injuries which blighted his career and the degenerative hip injury which forced him to retire prematurely at the age of 27?

That was the unfortunate story of poor Danny Jacobs's career in the AFL. He was a pretty good footballer, a reliable safe backman with natural ability and a good pair of hands whose body let him down. He played with injuries during his time at Essendon (from his 3rd year onwards, he claimed) and he just broke down constantly during his stop/start 4 year stint at Hawthorn.

EIGHT surgeries during his last 36 months at our club.

2004 - 24yo - missed 10 games through injury
2005 - 25yo - missed 7 games through injury
2006 - 26yo - missed 13 games through injury
2007 - 27yo - missed 16 games because of a hip injury and retired.

Bunk Moreland = average Big Footy poster. (i.e. pretty bad, mostly clueless)

 

[KermitJagger]

Ben Stratton is probably up there for current players. Lynden Dunn is a challenger.