Top 5 Midfields 2024

[Lingsface]

Yeah if we get Guthrie back, have either Stanley or Conway available every game so a competent ruck and Holmes and Bruhn take another step up then we should be ok.

There's talent there. Not to be best in the league but to be ok. We just had a horrible injury run in the exact part of the ground we couldn't afford to have a horrible injury run.

I think we are one of the weakest for sure but some talent rising. Clark Bruhn Holmes all coming good in the next few years and Danger Atkins Guthrie able to shoulder the load for now. Helpful getting Mannagh in the draft as well as a ready made and Stevens to pinch hit as well. Looking better than last season I think.

 

[Aristotle Pickett]

Neale is definately not one.

 

[naysayer]

Hawks midfield worth a mention?

Reeves, Day, Newcombe, Nash and Worpel were hard to beat once they established themselves as our centre square group. They absolutely dominated against some top teams and only got truly beaten by Port, whose speed from the contest just burnt a hole right through us (as it did to a few teams through that middle part of the year).

I believe that with Ward, Macdonald and above all Mackenzie spending more time in there next year, we could be hard to stop.

Or we could be mostly crap again, who knows? Hope springs eternal.

 

[Jeremias]

Neale is definately not one.

You're right. Neale by himself is not enough to be considered a top 5 midfield heading into season 2024. Well done!

Neale + his team mate may however very much be in the conversation.

 

[naysayer]

Neale is definately not one.

Not this again. Your nomination for "most overrated player in the comp", who then proceeded to win the Brownlow. He's not the best player in the AFL but he is an absolute gun.

 

[Aristotle Pickett]

You're right. Neale by himself is not enough to be considered a top 5 midfield heading into season 2024. Well done!

Neale + his team mate may however very much be in the conversation.

Neale and clanger McCluggage are definately not one. Ashcroft is very good though.

 

[Aristotle Pickett]

Not this again. Your nomination for "most overrated player in the comp", who then proceeded to win the Brownlow. He's not the best player in the AFL but he is an absolute gun.

According to you and umpires who are paid to officiate the rules, not examine a players worth.

 

[Jeremias]

Neale and clanger McCluggage are definately not one.

Sure. Neale and McCluggage alone won't get them into the top 5.

You're getting there! Bloody slowly but hey, you do you.

 

[Aristotle Pickett]

Sure. Neale and McCluggage alone won't get them into the top 5.

You're getting there! Bloody slowly but hey, you do you.

No need to be patronising. Neale and McCluggage are definately overated imo. Brisbane's strength is their depth and balance.

 

[Lingsface]

Hawks midfield worth a mention?

Reeves, Day, Newcombe, Nash and Worpel were hard to beat once they established themselves as our centre square group. They absolutely dominated against some top teams and only got truly beaten by Port, whose speed from the contest just burnt a hole right through us (as it did to a few teams through that middle part of the year).

I believe that with Ward, Macdonald and above all Mackenzie spending more time in there next year, we could be hard to stop.

Or we could be mostly crap again, who knows? Hope springs eternal.

not really a few nice players but stacking them up id say bottom 5. I think in 4 years though, im a big fan of Day and Mckenzie.

 

[Lingsface]

No need to be patronising. Neale and McCluggage are definately overated imo. Brisbane's strength is their depth and balance.

Ashcroft Neale Mcluggage Dunkley Berry Rayner Zorko Bailey Robertson they have a very good selection.

 

[naysayer]

not really a few nice players but stacking them up id say bottom 5. I think in 4 years though, im a big fan of Day and Mckenzie.

Maybe a fair call individually although as a unit they are far better than the sum of their parts.

Ashcroft Neale Mcluggage Dunkley Berry Rayner Zorko Bailey Robertson they have a very good selection.

I really hope Ashcroft comes back with no ill-effects from the ACL. He, McCluggage and Bailey are epically talented, and if Rayner pulls his finger out and starts working a bit harder then they'll be unstoppable.

 

[naysayer]

According to you and umpires who are paid to officiate the rules, not examine a players worth.

I think it's pretty clear who is in the minority here. I'd go so far as to say that if you don't acknowledge Lachie Neale as one of the very best midfielders in the competition then you deserve to be patronised for pretending to know about football.

 

[Aristotle Pickett]

I think it's pretty clear who is in the minority here. I'd go so far as to say that if you don't acknowledge Lachie Neale as one of the very best midfielders in the competition then you deserve to be patronised for pretending to know about football.

People are entitled to their opinion. Chsmpion Data had Neale ranked lower than most mids because he doesn't hit targets consistantly.
You have your opinion and we differ.

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

People are entitled to their opinion. Chsmpion Data had Neale ranked lower than most mids because he doesn't hit targets consistantly.
You have your opinion and we differ.

.and people are entitled to lampoon nonsense.

 

[naysayer]

People are entitled to their opinion. Chsmpion Data had Neale ranked lower than most mids because he doesn't hit targets consistantly.
You have your opinion and we differ.

Sorry, Champion Data ranked Neale "lower than most mids"?

What on earth?

 

[Caligo]

Reeves, Newcombe, Day, Worpel and Nash as a defensive mid will win more clearances than they lose in 2024. Probably by a significant margin. But they will need to defend better when they do lose clearances.

 

[Jeremias]

No need to be patronising. Neale and McCluggage are definately overated imo. Brisbane's strength is their depth and balance.

But this isn't a thread to talk about them individually. I'm not sure we care that you think they're overrated.

If you can't talk about them as a midfield unit - which is what the thread calls for - what exactly are you doing here?

 

[rye]

footscray's midfield is consistently overrated in conversations like these

no other clubs midfield brigade concedes run of goals like footscray's do. one of the poorest performing on ball divisions in terms of defensive application.

including wing and rucks, either gws or melbourne should go into 2024 with the strongest midfield

 

[rye]

According to you and umpires who are paid to officiate the rules, not examine a players worth.

what metric do you want to evaluate neale by then?

in season 2023:

he finished 5th in the coaches votes

he captained a side to their first grand final performance in nearly 2 decades

he had the most clearances per game and the most clearances overall of any player in the AFL

he rated very highly in score involvements, effective disposals and contested possessions per game

why should we listen to your nuffy opinion when most data points and analysts are pointing away from the conclusion you keep spouting without any real support across multiple threads and subforums?

 

[RonnieRaven]

Reeves, Newcombe, Day, Worpel and Nash as a defensive mid will win more clearances than they lose in 2024. Probably by a significant margin. But they will need to defend better when they do lose clearances.

Yeah agree lost clearances in both freo games in 2023 the last rd by 13 and your defence was exposed both times.
Freo doesn’t exactly have a rolls Royce fwd line either.

 

[Orange crush]

Reeves, Newcombe, Day, Worpel and Nash as a defensive mid will win more clearances than they lose in 2024. Probably by a significant margin. But they will need to defend better when they do lose clearances.

I like your midfield going forward …. Need another gun in there and

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

I like your midfield going forward …. Need another gun in there and

MacKenzie and Ward will add that extra class in time.

 

[Orange crush]

MacKenzie and Ward will add that extra class in time.

Yeah …. I was trying to recall the young guys you had but the names escaped me

 

[Mr Meow]

footscray's midfield is consistently overrated in conversations like these

no other clubs midfield brigade concedes run of goals like footscray's do. one of the poorest performing on ball divisions in terms of defensive application.

including wing and rucks, either gws or melbourne should go into 2024 with the strongest midfield

Melbourne's is strong, especially if Oliver is playing and at his best, but they do have the tendency to just hack it forward. Petracca still sets up and kicks many goals. The others win stacks of ball and territory but don't use it well.

A lot of this simply gets brushed off as their weak forward line not able to capitalise on midfield dominance, but I'm not sure it's that simple.

A little bit similar for the Bulldogs outside of Bontempelli.