Who is the best midfielder of the 21st century?

[RUNVS]

Just to be a bit of a dick, here are the players in the list on the first post and only including the AA's they got either on the Centre line or in the followers line, not as a ruck obviously, removing all the AA's where midfielders are on the bench or at the Half Forward or Half Back lines

So it goes from

Midfielders
8 – Gary Ablett Jr. | 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
8 – Patrick Dangerfield | 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
8 – Mark Ricciuto

Mark Ricciuto

Age

49

Ht

184cm

Wt

92kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

21.1

5star

K

12.8

5star

HB

8.3

5star

M

4.4

4star

T

1.7

4star

G

0.9

4star

No current season stats available

D

16.2

4star

K

9.6

4star

HB

6.6

4star

M

2.8

3star

T

2.0

4star

G

0.2

3star

| 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
6 - Chris Judd | 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
6 - Joel Selwood | 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017
6 - Scott Pendlebury

10

Scott Pendlebury

Age

36

Ht

191cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

26.5

5star

K

13.2

5star

HB

13.3

5star

M

4.1

4star

T

4.9

5star

CL

4.9

5star

D

25.1

5star

K

12.3

5star

HB

12.9

5star

M

3.4

3star

T

2.3

3star

CL

3.6

4star

D

12.4

4star

K

7.6

3star

HB

4.8

4star

M

5.8

5star

T

2.6

4star

| 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2019
6 - Ben Cousins | 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006
5 - Dane Swan

Dane Swan

Age

40

Ht

185cm

Wt

93kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

26.9

5star

K

16.4

5star

HB

10.4

5star

M

5.9

5star

T

3.1

5star

CL

5.4

5star

No current season stats available

D

12.0

3star

K

7.0

3star

HB

5.0

4star

M

3.0

3star

T

1.0

3star

| 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
5 - Scott West

Scott West

Age

50

Ht

178cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

25.4

5star

K

12.7

5star

HB

12.6

5star

M

3.3

3star

T

2.6

4star

No current season stats available

D

12.0

3star

K

6.6

3star

HB

5.4

4star

M

1.4

2star

T

1.0

3star

| 1998, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2006
5 - Simon Goodwin

Simon Goodwin

Age

47

Ht

185cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

20.9

5star

K

12.1

4star

HB

8.8

5star

M

4.0

4star

T

2.5

4star

No current season stats available

D

9.4

3star

K

7.2

3star

HB

2.2

2star

M

3.0

3star

T

2.2

4star

| 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2009
4 - Dustin Martin | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020
4 - Nigel Lappin | 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
4 - Brent Harvey

Brent Harvey

Age

46

Ht

167cm

Wt

75kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

21.3

5star

K

13.2

5star

HB

8.2

5star

M

3.9

4star

T

2.1

4star

G

1.2

4star

No current season stats available

D

6.0

2star

K

3.0

1star

HB

3.0

3star

M

1.2

2star

T

0.6

3star

G

0.6

3star

| 2000, 2005, 2007, 2008
4 - Christian Petracca

5

Christian Petracca

Age

28

Ht

187cm

Wt

94kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

19.4

5star

K

9.5

4star

HB

9.8

5star

M

3.5

4star

T

3.0

5star

CL

2.5

4star

D

24.4

5star

K

10.4

4star

HB

14.0

5star

M

3.5

3star

T

3.6

4star

CL

3.4

4star

D

19.0

5star

K

7.8

3star

HB

11.2

5star

M

3.0

3star

T

3.8

5star

CL

2.0

4star

| 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

to

Midfielders
8 – Gary Ablett Jr. | 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
5 - Joel Selwood | 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2016
5 - Chris Judd | 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011
5 - Scott West

Scott West

Age

50

Ht

178cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

25.4

5star

K

12.7

5star

HB

12.6

5star

M

3.3

3star

T

2.6

4star

No current season stats available

D

12.0

3star

K

6.6

3star

HB

5.4

4star

M

1.4

2star

T

1.0

3star

| 1998, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2006
3 – Patrick Dangerfield | 2015, 2016, 2017
3 - Ben Cousins | 2002, 2005, 2006
2 - Scott Pendlebury

10

Scott Pendlebury

Age

36

Ht

191cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

26.5

5star

K

13.2

5star

HB

13.3

5star

M

4.1

4star

T

4.9

5star

CL

4.9

5star

D

25.1

5star

K

12.3

5star

HB

12.9

5star

M

3.4

3star

T

2.3

3star

CL

3.6

4star

D

12.4

4star

K

7.6

3star

HB

4.8

4star

M

5.8

5star

T

2.6

4star

| 2011, 2013
2 - Dustin Martin | 2017, 2018
2 - Dane Swan

Dane Swan

Age

40

Ht

185cm

Wt

93kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

26.9

5star

K

16.4

5star

HB

10.4

5star

M

5.9

5star

T

3.1

5star

CL

5.4

5star

No current season stats available

D

12.0

3star

K

7.0

3star

HB

5.0

4star

M

3.0

3star

T

1.0

3star

| 2010, 2013
1 – Mark Ricciuto

Mark Ricciuto

Age

49

Ht

184cm

Wt

92kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

21.1

5star

K

12.8

5star

HB

8.3

5star

M

4.4

4star

T

1.7

4star

G

0.9

4star

No current season stats available

D

16.2

4star

K

9.6

4star

HB

6.6

4star

M

2.8

3star

T

2.0

4star

G

0.2

3star

| 2004
1 - Simon Goodwin

Simon Goodwin

Age

47

Ht

185cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

20.9

5star

K

12.1

4star

HB

8.8

5star

M

4.0

4star

T

2.5

4star

No current season stats available

D

9.4

3star

K

7.2

3star

HB

2.2

2star

M

3.0

3star

T

2.2

4star

| 2006
1 - Christian Petracca

5

Christian Petracca

Age

28

Ht

187cm

Wt

94kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

19.4

5star

K

9.5

4star

HB

9.8

5star

M

3.5

4star

T

3.0

5star

CL

2.5

4star

D

24.4

5star

K

10.4

4star

HB

14.0

5star

M

3.5

3star

T

3.6

4star

CL

3.4

4star

D

19.0

5star

K

7.8

3star

HB

11.2

5star

M

3.0

3star

T

3.8

5star

CL

2.0

4star

| 2020
1 - Nigel Lappin | 2004
0 - Brent Harvey

Brent Harvey

Age

46

Ht

167cm

Wt

75kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

21.3

5star

K

13.2

5star

HB

8.2

5star

M

3.9

4star

T

2.1

4star

G

1.2

4star

No current season stats available

D

6.0

2star

K

3.0

1star

HB

3.0

3star

M

1.2

2star

T

0.6

3star

G

0.6

3star

|

 

[STPer18]

Ablett 1st, Joel 2nd.

Oh boy, now you've done it!

 

[RUNVS]

Ablett 1st, Joel 2nd.

Oh boy, now you've done it!

Ricciuto was the one that surprised me the most. He was on the bench a lot for his AA awards, meaning he was always consistent, but in his career he was never one of the top rated midfielders of any given year.

 

[Mr Meow]

Ablett 1st, Joel 2nd.

Oh boy, now you've done it!

They even rounded up from 5 to 6 on the adjusted list (2017 Selwood was on the bench). Equal second is still nice, though.

 

[RUNVS]

They even rounded up from 5 to 6 on the adjusted list (2017 Selwood was on the bench). Equal second is still nice, though.

Corrected. Thanks for pointing that out.