The Herald Sun Top 50 AFL Players
The Herald Sun with their Top 50 AFL players is always a controversial subject. While the list is interesting, the letters from fans disagreeing with the list are even better. AFL fans will have lots to talk about, especially the Kangaroos supporters. Here is some analysis of their recent Top 50.
The Top 50
1 - C. Judd West Coast
Would be at number 3 for me. But no complaints with him at number 1 here.
2 - A. Goodes Sydney
Hard to define what he does and where he plays, but he is effective and when at the top of his game is unstoppable. Definite top 5.
3 - Brad Johnson Western Bulldogs
Johnson ahead of West, that is something to get the controversy going. But Johnson kicked goals, nobody else at the Bulldogs could, so Johnson did have a bigger impact than West.
4 - B. Hall Sydney
Hall is more important to Sydney than Goodes, so the question is to decide between Hall's many contested marks and his possessions that were either goals or led to scoring chances for his team and Goodes overall game of disposals and run that was a big part of the ball getting forward to Hall. With Hall's goalless Grand Final, Goodes being just ahead of him for the season rankings is correct.
5 - B. Cousins West Coast
Overrated, absolutely. But everyone has their favourite players and this guy, who has been top of the list before, could have that reason behind his high rank. Could be fairer if he is down a few spots, at least to where Kerr is.
6 - M. Pavlich Fremantle
Deserves to be number 1, more important to the Dockers than Judd is to the Eagles. Pavlich also plays a key position. If Pavlich wasn't there the Dockers would fall apart.
7 - N. Riewoldt St Kilda
I would have him at number 3 or 4 on his talent alone, but then he misses some easy goals so a few spots lower may be more sensible.
8 - S. West Western Bulldogs
Is the star of a loaded midfield there but isn't a top 10 player.
9 - D. Cox West Coast
Is of equal worth to the Eagles as Judd is, without Cox the Eagles don't play in a Grand Final.
10 - B. Fevola Carlton
He kicked a lot of goals and Carlton finished last, so they would have been in the same spot without Fevola's 84 goals. If it was 100 goals then he might be top 10, but not this time.
11 - B. Lade Port Adelaide
You will find his name in the top 5 of many stats for the Power. Not just a one-dimensional ruckmen, he got forward to kick some goals and was often a key possession getter for them all over the ground. You would think that opposition teams would have caught on to his hitout over the back that setup many goals, but they haven't yet.
12 - D. Kerr West Coast
Is as good as Cousins, Kerr may not be worth a higher spot so Cousins should be a bit further down.
13 - S. Goodwin Adelaide
Got the ball a lot and was the Crows' best player.
14 - D. Glass West Coast
It is always hard to show the worth of a fullback as a lot of what they do is not a stat.
15 - S. Burgoyne Port Adelaide
Big year for Burgoyne, but maybe not top 20 material.
16 - J. Clement Collingwood
Would he be thought of as highly if he was playing for Fremantle and not Collingwood, the answer is no. Clement was good but Bruce, Lucas, and others were better. Top 50, yes. Top 20, that is pushing it.
17 - R. O'Keefe Sydney
O'Loughlin did kick 13 more goals than O'Keefe, so maybe O'Loughlin suffers because the expectations on him are higher. O'Keefe was an accumulator of kicks and marks for the Swans last season and is a top 50 player, but maybe not this high.
18 - G. Johncock Adelaide
Was Adelaide's second best player during the year and also has that spot on this list.
19 - A. Hunter West Coast
An exciting player but a bit high here.
20 - T. Edwards Adelaide
Not sure about this, Edwards is useful but is not a star. Would have been lucky to be in the 40s, so he is a bit high here.
21 - C. Bolton Sydney
Just a cog in the machine that is the Sydney defense. While Bolton was versatile and effective he was not the 21st best player in the entire AFL.
22 - M. Scarlett Geelong
Scarlett did not have a good year. Chapman and Gary Ablett were clearly the best two Cats, Scarlett should be off the list.
23 - L. Gilbee Western Bulldogs
Has become a top 50 player with the accuracy and distance of his many kicks.
24 - C. Bruce Melbourne
A bit higher, Bruce was everywhere for Melbourne and was often the player that turned the game in their favour. Plenty of reasons for Bruce to be around number 15 here.
25 - T. Simmonds Richmond
Played the role of a mobile ruckman very effectively. Was taking the centre bounce and then was taking marks in the forward line. If Richmond had made the finals then Simmonds should have been a bit higher.
26 - S. Lucas Essendon
Lucas ran wild with Lloyd and Hird out of the way in the forward line. It was a great year for him personally but he may not be able to repeat it with Lloyd back in 2007. Lucas deserves his spot this time, and might be a bit unlucky that he was not higher up.
27 - A. McLeod Adelaide
Lucky to be this high.
28 - J. Bowden Richmond
Should not confuse movement with achievement, may have had a lot of the ball but he mainly kicked it backwards to his brother. Richmond will be a much better team when Richardson appears on this list, and for that to happen they have to go long and often in his direction. Bowden does deserve a lower spot on the list.
29 - S. Black Brisbane Lions
Power may have had a better year but Black gets the nod here and also from Brisbane.
30 - K. Cornes Port Adelaide
Is he better than his brother, no. Both of them should be on this list. No problem with Kane on the list but Chad is strangely absent.
31 - D. Cross Western Bulldogs
Plenty of handballs but a bit lucky to get on this list as they already have Johnson, West and Gilbee.
32 - D. Fletcher Essendon
Not the best year for Essendon and Fletcher is lucky to get onto the list. After Lucas, Stanton may have been the best Bomber for 2006.
33 - A. Didak Collingwood
Probably should have been above Clement on the list.
34 - B. Kirk Sydney
His team got further than most others so he could jump a few spots ahead of midfielders above him on the list.
35 - P. Bell Fremantle
Bell gets the ball when it matters. His quiet leadership for Fremantle is something the stats don't count. Deserving of his spot here.
36 - J. Gram St Kilda
When not as much is expected from a player, when they do produce it can be a surprise. Gram has been great value for the Saints but isn't a top 50 player in the league.
37 - J. McDonald Melbourne
A big season for McDonald and deserves his spot here. Teams will pay more attention to him next season so it will be hard to repeat.
38 - N. Dal Santo St Kilda
Made the list on reputation, not results.
39 - L. Whitnall Carlton
Often he was like the little Dutch kid trying to hold the water back, Whitnall was sent down back and he cut off a lot of attacks. It is hard to reward players on bad teams but Whitnall was a star, he was a league leader in marking the ball when kicked by the other team which shows how well he played with his position and anticipation.
40 - S. Mitchell Hawthorn
Deserving of a spot on the list, his hard work and huge amounts of possessions were a reason that Hawthorn improved during the year.
41 - P. Chapman Geelong
Unlucky not to be named captain and also unlucky that he wasn't higher on the list, at least at a higher spot than Scarlett.
42 - J. Farmer Fremantle
Went missing in the big game for the Dockers. While it was a good season for him there were other Dockers who were better and did not make this list.
43 - L. Hodge Hawthorn
Was tried in a couple of different positions for the Hawks but still had over 500 possessions. With an improved Hawthorn team next season, Hodge could be ranked a lot higher next year.
44 - D. Morris Western Bulldogs
The Bulldogs did get a good season out of Morris but it was Harris that deserved a mention here. Maybe a Kangaroos player could have been around this spot, Petrie had a solid season as a defender.
45 - L. Power Brisbane Lions
Little Power may be unlucky to still be ranked behind another midfielder there, he had the ball a lot more than Black.
46 - B. McLean Melbourne
I would prefer Jeff White here. Already had McDonald on the list, McLean was a bit lucky to be on here.
47 - A. Sandilands Fremantle
It would be hard to miss this guy, should be top 20. If the Dockers had to play Longmuir and Polak in the ruck they would not have been a top 4 team.
48 - A. Embley West Coast
While he got extra points for his Grand Final performance, his dancing routine during the next week of jumping up and down was a negative. Probably should be higher in this list.
49 - S. Fisher St Kilda
Did have a big season but Top 50, probably not. Goddard was ahead of him in most stats and would have been a better choice.
50 - Ben Johnson Collingwood
Should have snuck a Kangaroos player in here, with Petrie, Harvey or Thompson being solid choices.
Team Leaders out of the Top 50
West Coast: Judd
Sydney: Goodes
Bulldogs: Johnson
Fremantle: Pavlich
St Kilda: Riewoldt
Carlton: Fevola
Port Adelaide: Lade
Adelaide: Goodwin
Collingwood: Clement
Geelong: Scarlett
Melbourne: Bruce
Richmond: Simmons
Essendon: Lucas
Brisbane: Black
Hawthorn: Mitchell
Kangaroos: ???
My Top 10 for 2006:
Pavlich, Cox, Judd, Goodes, B Hall, Riewoldt, Lade, Bruce, B Johnson, Lucas.
The Top 50
1 - C. Judd West Coast
Would be at number 3 for me. But no complaints with him at number 1 here.
2 - A. Goodes Sydney
Hard to define what he does and where he plays, but he is effective and when at the top of his game is unstoppable. Definite top 5.
3 - Brad Johnson Western Bulldogs
Johnson ahead of West, that is something to get the controversy going. But Johnson kicked goals, nobody else at the Bulldogs could, so Johnson did have a bigger impact than West.
4 - B. Hall Sydney
Hall is more important to Sydney than Goodes, so the question is to decide between Hall's many contested marks and his possessions that were either goals or led to scoring chances for his team and Goodes overall game of disposals and run that was a big part of the ball getting forward to Hall. With Hall's goalless Grand Final, Goodes being just ahead of him for the season rankings is correct.
5 - B. Cousins West Coast
Overrated, absolutely. But everyone has their favourite players and this guy, who has been top of the list before, could have that reason behind his high rank. Could be fairer if he is down a few spots, at least to where Kerr is.
6 - M. Pavlich Fremantle
Deserves to be number 1, more important to the Dockers than Judd is to the Eagles. Pavlich also plays a key position. If Pavlich wasn't there the Dockers would fall apart.
7 - N. Riewoldt St Kilda
8 - S. West Western Bulldogs
Is the star of a loaded midfield there but isn't a top 10 player.
9 - D. Cox West Coast
Is of equal worth to the Eagles as Judd is, without Cox the Eagles don't play in a Grand Final.
10 - B. Fevola Carlton
He kicked a lot of goals and Carlton finished last, so they would have been in the same spot without Fevola's 84 goals. If it was 100 goals then he might be top 10, but not this time.
11 - B. Lade Port Adelaide
You will find his name in the top 5 of many stats for the Power. Not just a one-dimensional ruckmen, he got forward to kick some goals and was often a key possession getter for them all over the ground. You would think that opposition teams would have caught on to his hitout over the back that setup many goals, but they haven't yet.
12 - D. Kerr West Coast
Is as good as Cousins, Kerr may not be worth a higher spot so Cousins should be a bit further down.
13 - S. Goodwin Adelaide
Got the ball a lot and was the Crows' best player.
14 - D. Glass West Coast
It is always hard to show the worth of a fullback as a lot of what they do is not a stat.
15 - S. Burgoyne Port Adelaide
Big year for Burgoyne, but maybe not top 20 material.
16 - J. Clement Collingwood
Would he be thought of as highly if he was playing for Fremantle and not Collingwood, the answer is no. Clement was good but Bruce, Lucas, and others were better. Top 50, yes. Top 20, that is pushing it.
17 - R. O'Keefe Sydney
O'Loughlin did kick 13 more goals than O'Keefe, so maybe O'Loughlin suffers because the expectations on him are higher. O'Keefe was an accumulator of kicks and marks for the Swans last season and is a top 50 player, but maybe not this high.
18 - G. Johncock Adelaide
Was Adelaide's second best player during the year and also has that spot on this list.
19 - A. Hunter West Coast
An exciting player but a bit high here.
20 - T. Edwards Adelaide
Not sure about this, Edwards is useful but is not a star. Would have been lucky to be in the 40s, so he is a bit high here.
21 - C. Bolton Sydney
Just a cog in the machine that is the Sydney defense. While Bolton was versatile and effective he was not the 21st best player in the entire AFL.
22 - M. Scarlett Geelong
Scarlett did not have a good year. Chapman and Gary Ablett were clearly the best two Cats, Scarlett should be off the list.
23 - L. Gilbee Western Bulldogs
Has become a top 50 player with the accuracy and distance of his many kicks.
24 - C. Bruce Melbourne
A bit higher, Bruce was everywhere for Melbourne and was often the player that turned the game in their favour. Plenty of reasons for Bruce to be around number 15 here.
25 - T. Simmonds Richmond
Played the role of a mobile ruckman very effectively. Was taking the centre bounce and then was taking marks in the forward line. If Richmond had made the finals then Simmonds should have been a bit higher.
26 - S. Lucas Essendon
Lucas ran wild with Lloyd and Hird out of the way in the forward line. It was a great year for him personally but he may not be able to repeat it with Lloyd back in 2007. Lucas deserves his spot this time, and might be a bit unlucky that he was not higher up.
27 - A. McLeod Adelaide
Lucky to be this high.
28 - J. Bowden Richmond
Should not confuse movement with achievement, may have had a lot of the ball but he mainly kicked it backwards to his brother. Richmond will be a much better team when Richardson appears on this list, and for that to happen they have to go long and often in his direction. Bowden does deserve a lower spot on the list.
29 - S. Black Brisbane Lions
Power may have had a better year but Black gets the nod here and also from Brisbane.
30 - K. Cornes Port Adelaide
Is he better than his brother, no. Both of them should be on this list. No problem with Kane on the list but Chad is strangely absent.
31 - D. Cross Western Bulldogs
Plenty of handballs but a bit lucky to get on this list as they already have Johnson, West and Gilbee.
32 - D. Fletcher Essendon
Not the best year for Essendon and Fletcher is lucky to get onto the list. After Lucas, Stanton may have been the best Bomber for 2006.
33 - A. Didak Collingwood
Probably should have been above Clement on the list.
34 - B. Kirk Sydney
His team got further than most others so he could jump a few spots ahead of midfielders above him on the list.
35 - P. Bell Fremantle
Bell gets the ball when it matters. His quiet leadership for Fremantle is something the stats don't count. Deserving of his spot here.
36 - J. Gram St Kilda
When not as much is expected from a player, when they do produce it can be a surprise. Gram has been great value for the Saints but isn't a top 50 player in the league.
37 - J. McDonald Melbourne
A big season for McDonald and deserves his spot here. Teams will pay more attention to him next season so it will be hard to repeat.
38 - N. Dal Santo St Kilda
Made the list on reputation, not results.
39 - L. Whitnall Carlton
Often he was like the little Dutch kid trying to hold the water back, Whitnall was sent down back and he cut off a lot of attacks. It is hard to reward players on bad teams but Whitnall was a star, he was a league leader in marking the ball when kicked by the other team which shows how well he played with his position and anticipation.
40 - S. Mitchell Hawthorn
Deserving of a spot on the list, his hard work and huge amounts of possessions were a reason that Hawthorn improved during the year.
41 - P. Chapman Geelong
Unlucky not to be named captain and also unlucky that he wasn't higher on the list, at least at a higher spot than Scarlett.
42 - J. Farmer Fremantle
Went missing in the big game for the Dockers. While it was a good season for him there were other Dockers who were better and did not make this list.
43 - L. Hodge Hawthorn
Was tried in a couple of different positions for the Hawks but still had over 500 possessions. With an improved Hawthorn team next season, Hodge could be ranked a lot higher next year.
44 - D. Morris Western Bulldogs
The Bulldogs did get a good season out of Morris but it was Harris that deserved a mention here. Maybe a Kangaroos player could have been around this spot, Petrie had a solid season as a defender.
45 - L. Power Brisbane Lions
Little Power may be unlucky to still be ranked behind another midfielder there, he had the ball a lot more than Black.
46 - B. McLean Melbourne
I would prefer Jeff White here. Already had McDonald on the list, McLean was a bit lucky to be on here.
47 - A. Sandilands Fremantle
It would be hard to miss this guy, should be top 20. If the Dockers had to play Longmuir and Polak in the ruck they would not have been a top 4 team.
48 - A. Embley West Coast
While he got extra points for his Grand Final performance, his dancing routine during the next week of jumping up and down was a negative. Probably should be higher in this list.
49 - S. Fisher St Kilda
Did have a big season but Top 50, probably not. Goddard was ahead of him in most stats and would have been a better choice.
50 - Ben Johnson Collingwood
Should have snuck a Kangaroos player in here, with Petrie, Harvey or Thompson being solid choices.
Team Leaders out of the Top 50
West Coast: Judd
Sydney: Goodes
Bulldogs: Johnson
Fremantle: Pavlich
St Kilda: Riewoldt
Carlton: Fevola
Port Adelaide: Lade
Adelaide: Goodwin
Collingwood: Clement
Geelong: Scarlett
Melbourne: Bruce
Richmond: Simmons
Essendon: Lucas
Brisbane: Black
Hawthorn: Mitchell
Kangaroos: ???
My Top 10 for 2006:
Pavlich, Cox, Judd, Goodes, B Hall, Riewoldt, Lade, Bruce, B Johnson, Lucas.
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