Player Watch Will Ashcroft - Better than Nick Daicos?

[Elixuh]

Are you suggesting Lachie Neale was better than Nick Daicos in 2023, courtesy of his (surprise) Brownlow win?

I hope you're not saying that?

I rated Daicos comfortably ahead of Neale in 2023, but Neale marginally ahead of Daicos in 2024. I didn't think Nick was too far ahead of Neale with regard to home and away season performance in 2024, and Neale's finals performances enabled him to leapfrog Daicos in 2024.

So over the past two seasons:
1. Daicos
2. Neale
3. Bontempelli

I agree, if the judges are Fly McRae, Peter Daicos and Eddie McGuire

 

[King Tut]

The amount of grasping in this thread. Ashcroft is better than Nick on the strength of a BOG against serial bed wetters Sydney in an exhibition of a GF.

Surely even the guys championing Ashcroft dont believe this? The suspension of disbelief is awe inspiring if so.

 

[danster168]

why? 22.9 touches without ever copping a tag and plenty of 1-2 handballs. which part do you disagree with? That's basically Trent Rivers.

 

[TheEscapeClub]

Not at all. Ashcroft is a gun, and played a great grand final (remember those?).
Ashcroft might end up better than Daicos, or he might not. Well just have to wait and see.
One thing is for sure though, no St Blunda father-son will be entering that conversation, all your old "stars" shoot blanks.

Or sire girls.

 

[draft_enjoyer]

why? 22.9 touches without ever copping a tag and plenty of 1-2 handballs. which part do you disagree with? That's basically Trent Rivers.

All of it mate. Watch the games instead of looking at stats and making up shit.

 

[Saints2028onwards]

No.

 

[Dom PC]

I understand what you're saying. And I agree with parts of it. A lot of guys in other era's like Riccuito may not have been as good in this era. But Ashcroft is playing in this era. And he's not near AA calibre yet. Daicos is a yearly shoe-in for the rest of his career. And maybe I just don't see it with Ashcroft. His skills are decent, but not elite. Athletically he isn't gifted. And if anyone is a pure accumulator it's Ashcroft. The amount of unnecessary 1-2 handballs also inflate his numbers. The amount of times he runs into the backline to get the easy uncontested mark too. Obviously Daicos does this too but Daicos is always dealing with a tag, a hard tag, every week. Ashcroft has no-one, ever.

Like he is behind guys like Gulden, Mac Andrew, Rankine, Horne-Francis, Warner etc. And I'm taking Sheezel well ahead of him too. And obviously Harley Reid. And Walsh etc. And I'm also grabbing Nick Watson before him too because he has serious X factor. He's in the Serong tier for me. But it's each to their own.

He averages 22.9 touches a game, with no tags and plenty of unnecessary 1-2 handballs. I'm not going to overreact to a norm smith medal in a blow out grand final win. In my eyes, he was behind Neale, Lohmann and Starcevich.
.

Fun fact, Ashcroft has received more Gary Ayres votes (best finals player) than Daicos while Ashcroft has played less career finals games. Ironically Daicos averages more possessions in finals than Ashcroft too...

Not saying Ashcroft is better than Daicos currently (it is fair to argue Ashcroft is the more proven finals player currently but). More just wanting to highlight that accumulators generally don't get votes during finals since there is less easy ball... so suggesting Ashcroft is just an accumulator after watching his first finals series this year is such a load of BS.

Maybe try a more plausible argument if you are wanting to talk Ashcroft down.

 

[WalshistheGOAT]

Fun fact, Ashcroft has received more Gary Ayres votes (best finals player) than Daicos while Ashcroft has played less career finals games. Ironically Daicos averages more possessions in finals than Ashcroft too...

Not saying Ashcroft is better than Daicos currently (it is fair to argue Ashcroft is the more proven finals player currently but). More just wanting to highlight that accumulators generally don't get votes during finals since there is less easy ball... so suggesting Ashcroft is just an accumulator after watching his first finals series this year is such a load of BS.

Maybe try a more plausible argument if you are wanting to talk Ashcroft down.

Tough ball winners have always been favoured come finals over outside runners. He was superb through the 2024 finals series, super efficient ball use despite not being what most would call 'high damage' per touch.