Absolutely. He is very close. Might be one that takes a full career for me to fully embrace his standing but i did think long and hard about whether to add him this year. The fact that full forward types dont nudge the 100 goals anymore makes my judging of the them more of a full career perspective and how they went relative to other forwards of their eras. An example of this is how I only added Hawkins and Jack Roo last year despite long careers being in the top handful of forwards going round.
Loved seeing Winston appear here. Loved it.
Good spotting but the omissions are deliberate. You will notice that Ablett Sr hasn’t got Hawthorn next him and nor does Dougie Hawkins have Fitzroy next to him either.
That’s not an unreasonable take on Heeney. I think I’m very patient in not elevating players to a top 100 position early in their careers to avoid the recency bias. I’m very cognisant of the influence it can have. I made sure I waited until Heeney had two consistent seasons to iron-out the ‘flashiness’ that he had but there’s no doubting his all-round game now, which adds to his match-winning capabilities. His move to midfield has also influenced my thinking, in that he is that rare beast who can excel as a forward and mid. It wasn’t a flippant decision to add him. He’s got all the attributes, is exciting, and has brought consistency to his game. However, he is teetering on the edge of this list though, so a bad season next season would easily see him replaced.
Who had Abraham near this list? Certainly not me…
I think the point being made is inconsistent application of logic here. Your list isn't internally consistent, and given the length of time that you've had (years and years) to refine it, it really should be better.
I like you have made long posts in this thread too and we should just admit it's a bad list.
For a start, I haven’t based Heeney’s selection on flashiness. I was at pains in my last post to explain that he has moved beyond that. This alone makes your whole diatribe nonsense. I have given him time to display a consistency of output. His flashy traits are now regular traits.
Gray was on the list 12 months or so ago and would be literally a handful of spots back. Again, my somewhat subjective take on watching players for 45 years, is that Isaac Heeney is producing a level of quality that impresses me marginally more than the consistent season upon season career of Gray. However, somewhat objectively, I needed to see it shown to the degree he had over that last 2-3 years rather than in flashes. A season of rubbish in 2025 would tarnish that view without a doubt. I also want this list to be dynamically changing rather than just based on end of career status. Heeney and Merrett are in the conversation as best players in the comp at present and thoroughly deserve consideration at this point. But I also recognise that others would prefer Gray, Wayne Johnston, Rance, or even Tony Shaw. Again, you might be right in that I’ve jumped the gun on Heeney. But his level of performance has been eye-catching and I feel like he’s found his mojo as an elite footballer. Let’s see how it pans out over the next few years. I’ll be fully hands up in acknowledgement of my misreading of this if he falls off a cliff
‘A bad list’. Wow, how you can lay claim to being any sort of authority on a person’s take on players I’ve seen and their status in the game is quite bewildering. Every player on this list are champions of the game. All of them. And how we view their impact on the game we love will defy any ****ing criteria you or any ‘expert’ might like to concoct.
