What unpopular AFL opinions do you have? (Part 1 - cont in Part 2)

[El Dubya]

Agree strongly with both of these given you are not including ablett in dangerfields era? Which I find a little confusing. Steve Johnson has Sam Mitchell like vision which he gets some credit for but not nearly enough. Even though he doesn't have the greatest kick like a Goddard etc, his kick to varcoe at the end of the prelim off his left was one of the most clever passes I have seen, shame about varcoes finish. To the eagles poster who called freo the worst grand final side of all time, I would like to divert their attention to the Port adelaide team that was fielded in 2007, the margin probably does reflect just how far off the mark they were.

As for my unpopular opinion, I find it hard to classify a player as elite if they can't deal all that well with elite defensive pressure, this includes either attention from a good tagged or one of the competitions premier backs. For that reason I believe that players such as deledio and rioli are close but not quite the yet (examples- having significant problems with Crowley and Smith respectively).

Yeah I view Ablett as of a different era to Dangerfield, and I view Ablett as one of the best ever.

Totally agree with your unpopular opinion, if you can't break a tag you aren't an elite midfielder.

 

[Partridge]

I think Patrick Dangerfield will be better than Selwood, Pendlebury or Swan. He'll be regarded as the best midfielder of his generation and will captain Adelaide to a flag.

Steve Johnson is still the most underrated player in the AFL.

He'd want to get moving then. He's playing in the same generation as a guy called Gary Ablett and he's not close to him at the moment.

 

[Partridge]

Agree strongly with both of these given you are not including ablett in dangerfields era? Which I find a little confusing. Steve Johnson has Sam Mitchell like vision which he gets some credit for but not nearly enough. Even though he doesn't have the greatest kick like a Goddard etc, his kick to varcoe at the end of the prelim off his left was one of the most clever passes I have seen, shame about varcoes finish. To the eagles poster who called freo the worst grand final side of all time, I would like to divert their attention to the Port adelaide team that was fielded in 2007, the margin probably does reflect just how far off the mark they were.

Fremantle were far from the worst grand final side of all time, that's ridiculous. Having said that, they finished 3rd after home and away this year; Port finished 2nd in 2007.

For a bad grand final side, I'd say Melbourne in 1988 still takes serious beating. They won only 13 games during the home and away season and were a full 6 wins (and 40 percentage points) behind their grand final opponent. Unlikely to see that repeated.

 

[El Dubya]

Fremantle were far from the worst grand final side of all time, that's ridiculous. Having said that, they finished 3rd after home and away this year; Port finished 2nd in 2007.

For a bad grand final side, I'd say Melbourne in 1988 still takes serious beating. They won only 13 games during the home and away season and were a full 6 wins (and 40 percentage points) behind their grand final opponent. Unlikely to see that repeated.

Looking at the way the side played on the day, keeping in mind I wasn't born in 1988, Port Adelaide were the worst I have ever seen in any final, let alone a Grand Final. It was an amazing but surreal game to be at.

 

[El Dubya]

He'd want to get moving then. He's playing in the same generation as a guy called Gary Ablett and he's not close to him at the moment.

I see them as different generations, no one will be as good as Ablett.

 

[Demonated]

Fremantle were far from the worst grand final side of all time, that's ridiculous. Having said that, they finished 3rd after home and away this year; Port finished 2nd in 2007.

For a bad grand final side, I'd say Melbourne in 1988 still takes serious beating. They won only 13 games during the home and away season and were a full 6 wins (and 40 percentage points) behind their grand final opponent. Unlikely to see that repeated.

Agreed but I was just alluding to a more modern example to highlight how ridiculous that statement was. Both the Melbourne team and the port one were so far off the mark, which was highlighted by the scores. Either way the freo team is not even close to the worst grand finalist.

 

[Ian Dunross]

Best player of this current generation coming through (ie. players < 23 years, maybe 24 at a push) will be from O'Meara, Cameron, Dangerfield and Tom Mitchell. Tom Boyd won't be in that bracket.

 

[Ian Dunross]

Agreed but I was just alluding to a more modern example to highlight how ridiculous that statement was. Both the Melbourne team and the port one were so far off the mark, which was highlighted by the scores. Either way the freo team is not even close to the worst grand finalist.

Melbourne in 2000 worth a shout. Behind Port in 2007, but one of the worst in recent times.

Were Carlton bad in 1999 or had they just spent themselves the week before? Either way well off the mark on the day.

 

[El Dubya]

Best player of this current generation coming through (ie. players < 23 years, maybe 24 at a push) will be from O'Meara, Cameron, Dangerfield and Tom Mitchell. Tom Boyd won't be in that bracket.

+1

 

[Demonated]

Melbourne in 2000 worth a shout. Behind Port in 2007, but one of the worst in recent times.

Were Carlton bad in 1999 or had they just spent themselves the week before? Either way well off the mark on the day.

Yea Melbourne were far from great in 2000 I never felt we had a chance even before the bounce. I remember that carlton team being quite strong but that may be caused by the fact they beat such a strong essendon side in the prelim. This just furthers the point that freo were actually quite a reasonable GF side.

 

[Partridge]

Agreed but I was just alluding to a more modern example to highlight how ridiculous that statement was. Both the Melbourne team and the port one were so far off the mark, which was highlighted by the scores. Either way the freo team is not even close to the worst grand finalist.

The Port team in 2007 was actually in redhot form in the second half of the year. They'd beaten Hawthorn in Tassie and Geelong at Geelong late in the season. The "worst grand final team" tag is very, very, VERY much in hindsight. People considered them a real chance before the game.

 

[El Dubya]

The Port team in 2007 was actually in redhot form in the second half of the year. They'd beaten Hawthorn in Tassie and Geelong at Geelong late in the season. The "worst grand final team" tag is very, very, VERY much in hindsight. People considered them a real chance before the game.

To appeal to the pedantic what if we called it the worst performance by a team in a Grand Final?

 

[Ian Dunross]

The Port team in 2007 was actually in redhot form in the second half of the year. They'd beaten Hawthorn in Tassie and Geelong at Geelong late in the season. The "worst grand final team" tag is very, very, VERY much in hindsight. People considered them a real chance before the game.

I remember Choco saying during GF week that Port had nothing to lose and generally conveying a bizarrely relaxed attitude throughout the week as getting to the GF was achievement enough.

 

[The Punter]

2007 was a "drover's dog" year. Eagles and Crows on the downslide, Hawks and Pies not ready, Saints with a new coach, Doggies off the boil for a year, North Melbourne weren't really up to it either. Geelong were incredible, but some amount of the magnitude of their success in that year was related to the quality of the opposition.

 

[Damon_3388]

I remember Choco saying during GF week that Port had nothing to lose and generally conveying a bizarrely relaxed attitude throughout the week as getting to the GF was achievement enough.

Considering they'd finished 12th in 2006 (and ended up 13th in 2008), and were in 9th place as late as Round 14 in 2007 (after winning 6 of their first 7 games that year), it was a pretty decent achievement.

 

[Ian Dunross]

Considering they'd finished 12th in 2006 (and ended up 13th in 2008), and were in 9th place as late as Round 14 in 2007 (after winning 6 of their first 7 games that year), it was a pretty decent achievement.

Fair comment. Maybe he was unprepared to properly prepare the players to win a GF because he was as surprised as everyone else about getting there.

 

[Hawkas1988]

I remember Choco saying during GF week that Port had nothing to lose and generally conveying a bizarrely relaxed attitude throughout the week as getting to the GF was achievement enough.

That was a deliberate ploy by Choco to try and put all this ridiculous pressure on Thompson and the Cats making it out as if it's Geelongs flag to lose etc. You could tell Thompson hated the stuff Choco was saying but it was just Choco trying to play games as in reality he knew Geelong were the far superior side and had to try and get an advantage somehow

 

[El Dubya]

Considering they'd finished 12th in 2006 (and ended up 13th in 2008), and were in 9th place as late as Round 14 in 2007 (after winning 6 of their first 7 games that year), it was a pretty decent achievement.

Lets be honest the second best side that year was Collingwood.

 

[Public Enemy No1]

Perhaps you should stop talking.

It's funny how Freo went from getting knocked out in straight sets



To should've won the flag.

As I stated, constant talk and spin. Keep it up though, makes it hilarious for the rest of us.

 

[Shaneprice97]

Lets be honest the second best side that year was Collingwood.

From 6th lol, goes to show what a team can do when they get some good form for september. Feels good hearing a Geelong supporter saying that because I've been thinking it for years now.

 

[Air_Chester]

2007 was a "drover's dog" year. Eagles and Crows on the downslide, Hawks and Pies not ready, Saints with a new coach, Doggies off the boil for a year, North Melbourne weren't really up to it either. Geelong were incredible, but some amount of the magnitude of their success in that year was related to the quality of the opposition.

I really hate this thinking. A team is so far above the competition that people try to downtalk it as "oh the quality of the opposition wasn't good that year". It's one of the most non-sensical troll statements I've ever heard.

 

[the harry]

I really hate this thinking. A team is so far above the competition that people try to downtalk it as "oh the quality of the opposition wasn't good that year". It's one of the most non-sensical troll statements I've ever heard.

If Judd stayed fit.....
If Kerr didn't do his finger against the Hawks late in the season....
If Cuzz didn't do his hammy.....

 

[El Dubya]

From 6th lol, goes to show what a team can do when they get some good form for september. Feels good hearing a Geelong supporter saying that because I've been thinking it for years now.

The Prelim final was without a doubt the best game of footy I've ever been to, and had Geelong lost I'd probably still feel that way once I'd recovered from the pain.

 

[Partridge]

To appeal to the pedantic what if we called it the worst performance by a team in a Grand Final?

That's only going by the margin. There's been no shortage of appalling Grand Final performances in the last 30 years.

 

[KillaKanga]

That's only going by the margin. There's been no shortage of appalling Grand Final performances in the last 30 years.

North '98 would be one of those. Definitely NOT a horrible team but wowee what a bad performance.