Who are the top 10 midfielders in the league?

[Scotland]

Really highlights how badly Melbourne f’ed up not drafting him

Does it?

Worse than picking Blease at 17 over Shuey at 18? Or Toumpas at 4 over Stringer or Macrae or Wines? At least Scully and Trengove looked like they would make it at stages.

Melbourne have torched plenty of early picks over the years, but they also drafted a lot of guys other teams really wanted. I never wanted Watts with a couple of gun WA juniors in the mix to go top 5 but it's not like he was a left field pick that was expected to go in the 20s. GWS paid gazillions to get Scully after two years.

Melbourne's **** up was not considering Martin (arguably Naitanui also) for not fitting a stereotype. They have definitely improved in recent years getting Salem, Oliver and Viney (F/S free kick) right. Brayshaw and Petracca could still be stars yet.

 

[BoundbyKreuze]

I can't fit that many quality mids into this bracket, but I'll argue - that right now - these 4 ARE top of the tree and it is too hard to split them.

Fyfe
Danger
Dusty
Bont

The rest and maybe we should look at a top 20 instead. In no particular order:

Kelly
Cogs
Cotch
Yeo
Redden (way way under rated)
Schuey
Gaff
Sides
Pendles (on current form maybe between the top group and this one - splitting hairs but)
Treloar
Prestia
J Kelly
Taranto
Gaj
Selwood
Neale
Whitfield

There's probably more that I can't think of off the top my head (Sloane, Crouch bros). Talk about diluted talent pool right!

Good luck trying to separate that 2nd group, all exceptional players. Bookmark that.

You don’t like Cripps whose arguably on top of your entire list. You know, the Brownlow favourite, the midfielders award.

 

[BoundbyKreuze]

Fyfe
Bont
Martin
Cripps
T.Kelly
Danger
Neale
Yeo
Coniglio
J.Kelly

Why all of a sudden are everyone placing bont so high. Is it because he had one good preseason game. Did you see his reaction to getting beat up by Cripps in the all stars game.

 

[snooplions]

Why all of a sudden are everyone placing bont so high. Is it because he had one good preseason game. Did you see his reaction to getting beat up by Cripps in the all stars game.

Loved it.

Cripps> Lewy Taylor> Bont.

 

[Dez!]

Apparently didn't even bother interviewing him, which is arguably an error.

However, not many would have put Martin at number 1 that year. Scully and Trengove were consensus top two everywhere, I think even if Richmond held picks 1 and 2 they wouldn't take him.

The stuff up is due to Melbourne's horrendous development of talent at the time, if they took Martin they probably would have ruined him too.

Trengove destroying his foot and Scully getting a mountain of cash from GWS is Melbourne's horrendous development?

 

[BoundbyKreuze]

Loved it.

Cripps> Lewy Taylor> Bont.

Watch how quick bont runs to the forward line when he gets a tag. Whereas only one player in the afl cops this. And still gets a disposal.

 

[Dez!]

Watch how quick bont runs to the forward line when he gets a tag. Whereas only one player in the afl cops this. And still gets a disposal.
View attachment 837146

You know this is a stupid post right?

 

[BoundbyKreuze]

You know this is a stupid post right?

Yep. Im Sure plenty of afl players cop the same treatment as Cripps. It’s just cripps comes out in front.

 

[Carringbush2010]

You don’t like Cripps whose arguably on top of your entire list. You know, the Brownlow favourite, the midfielders award.

It was pointed out to me later, I don't know how I missed him to be honest. All good gave myself an uppercut.

 

[Carringbush2010]

Why all of a sudden are everyone placing bont so high. Is it because he had one good preseason game. Did you see his reaction to getting beat up by Cripps in the all stars game.

How many weeks did Cripps get for beating up Bont?

 

[La Dispute]

The top end of the 2009 was seen as reasonably strong, but Scully and Trengove were the consensus 1 and 2, however you dice it. There were some who believed Trengove was actually the better footballer due to his versatility. His smarts around the ground were also better, but Scully was comfortably the better clearance player.

I always imagine Scully’s career would have panned out similar to Tom Mitchell’s if GWS didn’t already have a stack of readymade precocious inside midfielders and Callan Ward, which pushed Scully onto a wing out of necessity. He never really reached the heights he was expected to, but he’s a handy player.

Martin was a great junior player, but was never really in the conversation. His kicking skills were obvious from the beginning though.

Morabito was the most unlucky from that draft. Had athleticism and footy smarts in spades, and at worst would have ended up a Luke Shuey type player. Was never in the top few, but was probably the last obvious selection before speculating on guys like Rohan or Andrew Moore, and letting previously top ranked juniors like Butcher and Lucas slide due to some serious deficiencies.

 

[BoundbyKreuze]

How many weeks did Cripps get for beating up Bont?

1 week probation for Richmond, good behaviour. If he keeps to the strict rules they’ll remove the 300m Restraining order for round 2.

 

[Carringbush2010]

1 week probation for Richmond, good behaviour. If he keeps to the strict rules they’ll remove the 300m Restraining order for round 2.

Suspended sentence then? Can we pass that sentence when the Pies and blose play each other?

 

[Dan]

Cotchin
Macrae
Gaff
Worpel
Hunter
Robinson
N.Jones
Redden
Menegola
Dunkley

Few worthy others that missed out.

 

[Eddie Van Halen]

The lack of Pendles in these 70+ pages is disturbing....

 

[Guardian Hawk]

I can't fit that many quality mids into this bracket, but I'll argue - that right now - these 4 ARE top of the tree and it is too hard to split them.

Fyfe
Danger
Dusty
Bont

The rest and maybe we should look at a top 20 instead. In no particular order:

Kelly
Cogs
Cotch
Yeo
Redden (way way under rated)
Schuey
Gaff
Sides
Pendles (on current form maybe between the top group and this one - splitting hairs but)
Treloar
Prestia
J Kelly
Taranto
Gaj
Selwood
Neale
Whitfield

There's probably more that I can't think of off the top my head (Sloane, Crouch bros). Talk about diluted talent pool right!

Good luck trying to separate that 2nd group, all exceptional players. Bookmark that.

Cripps been mentioned but I reckon Tom Mitchell deserves gig in the top 20, certainly ahead of the likes of Redden (underrated or not).

 

[John Smith92]

Obviously tough to say before any actual footys been played for the year but this is how I see it:
Danger/Fyfe/Martin
Neale/Pendlebury/Cripps/Bont/Coniglio/T. Mitchell (pending fitness)/Oliver

Martin arguably not a pure mid but a decent player regardless. IMO Pendlebury is massively underrated and has been the best mid of the 2010s, if not the best player overall.

Cotchin
Macrae
Gaff
Worpel
Hunter
Robinson
N.Jones
Redden
Menegola
Dunkley

Few worthy others that missed out.

I like this one too.

 

[nacnud]

Trengove destroying his foot and Scully getting a mountain of cash from GWS is Melbourne's horrendous development?

Cmon mate, even you’ve got to admit we were shithouse at player development during that period.

 

[Dez!]

Cmon mate, even you’ve got to admit we were shithouse at player development during that period.

I didn't say we weren't but development wasn't the issue for Scully and Trengove.

 

[Andy_Mac]

Cmon mate, even you’ve got to admit we were shithouse at player development during that period.

Trengove was tracking extremely well prior to his foot blowing up. Looked like being a star. Likewise Scully and his 40 possession game in his first year.

 

[Forward Press]

Trengove was tracking extremely well prior to his foot blowing up. Looked like being a star. Likewise Scully and his 40 possession game in his first year.

I'll cop Scully being an error as he did show plenty at Melbourne given his age, but in my view I think Trengove was mismanaged by Melbourne's medical department, his form wasn't near Scully's although still quite good, and having things like the captaincy being given to him so early also ruined how he was tracking at the beginning.

 

[Dez!]

I'll cop Scully being an error as he did show plenty at Melbourne given his age, but in my view I think Trengove was mismanaged by Melbourne's medical department, his form wasn't near Scully's although still quite good, and having things like the captaincy being given to him so early also ruined how he was tracking at the beginning.

Trengove was tracking better than Scully up until his foot injury which killed his career.

 

[Bluey Shelton]

Tom mitchell is moving on up this year

I really rate merrett at essendon

Dangerfield is overrated imo, but think im alone there

If it is entire careers Ablett is first by the length of bass strait

You are spot on. Dangerfield butchers too many balls by foot on the run.

 

[Andy_Mac]

I’m also not a Dangerfield fanboi. When you demand so much ball goes through you, you need to be near on perfect.

 

[Scotland]

I’m also not a Dangerfield fanboi. When you demand so much ball goes through you, you need to be near on perfect.

What do you mean by "demand so much ball goes through you"?

Danger isn't LeBron James or James Harden. He's (mostly) a midfielder and was 4th in the comp for contested possessions last year and 14th in clearances. He's not an Andrew Gaff or Isaac Smith who runs the wing as a link player or a Tom Hawkins who demands a high share of inside 50s directed his way. He wins a heap of his own ball and plays at 100 miles an hour.

People are harsh on Danger for turning the ball over yet the #1 for clangers in 2017 was Dusty "GOAT season" Martin. Even Tom Mitchell makes plenty of clangers and he's much less adventurous than Danger/Martin and doesn't play at the same intensity. Inside mids always make mistakes. Shuey and Yeo are our best two and make plenty.