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Brisbane battering ram Tom Rockliff, Fremantle goalsneak Hayden Ballantyne and West Coast’s perennially underrated Matt Priddis are among the top 20 players in the AFL.
I am sure there are plenty of Roarers who will disagree with my selections and ranking order so feel free to give me both barrels. While you’re at it, have a crack at your own list.
My rankings were not based on who has had the best career, who is the most dangerous when they’re at their peak or who can turn a match the quickest.
It is judged on who I would want in my team (assuming all players are fit) if I were picking a side to play a match of great significance this weekend.
1. Gary Ablett (Gold Coast)
Does this need any explanation? May already be the second greatest player in history after Leigh Matthews.
2. Lance Franklin (Sydney)
The most influential player in the competition right now. Franklin finds plenty of his own footy, is clunking overhead marks for the first time in years and, once again, has become the most difficult match-up in AFL football.
3. Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood)
The Collingwood skipper’s nous, peripheral vision, foot skills, work ethic and leadership make him one of the most well-rounded players I have ever seen. The captaincy has not burdened him, but rather prompted Pendlebury to elevate his game.
4. Nat Fyfe (Fremantle)
The best young player in the competition. It is easy to forget Fyfe is only 22 years old. He has swiftly become the most elite player in a Fremantle team brimming with stars. Showed in last year’s finals series that he is a man for the big occasions.
5. Joel Selwood (Geelong)
Tenacious, courageous and indefatigable, Selwood is a wonderful leader and has made himself an even more valuable player by becoming increasingly potent in the forward half.
6. Josh Kennedy (Sydney)
The bullocking Swan is, alongside Essendon’s Jobe Watson, probably the most powerful on-baller in the competition. The 96-kilogram wrecking ball frequently rag dolls opponents in confined spaces to snare the football and dish it off effectively.
7. Patrick Dangerfield (Adelaide)
At his best, he is close to Ablett-level in his effect on games. While he has more raw ability than Kennedy, for example, he lacks the same consistency. Perhaps the quickest player in the competition – he is a repeat winner of the AFL grand final sprint – Dangerfield also has terrific penetration in his kicking, extreme strength and a knack for slotting goals.
8. Jobe Watson (Essendon)
The Brownlow medallist has been a pillar of strength for Essendon through their drugs saga, rarely having an off game. He clears space at the stoppages with his huge frame and brings teammates into the match with terrific vision.
9. Dayne Beams (Collingwood)
Beams would be the best player at half the clubs in the competition. But at the Pies he operates, to an extent, in the long shadow cast by his champion skipper. Beams is the ultimate offensive midfielder and has more direct impact on the scoreboard than any other on-baller bar Ablett.
10. Luke Hodge (Hawthorn)
Is there a better kick in the competition? Perhaps not. Hodge’s precise left boot coupled with his versatility, selfless attitude and ferocious intensity in the contest make him Hawthorn’s most valuable asset.
11. Aaron Sandilands (Fremantle)
This could be my most controversial selection, given many football fans don’t put a premium on the value of ruckmen. But Sandilands’ ability to consistently give his team first use of the ball, combined with his improved contested marking and above-average ball-winning for a ruckman, ensure he is a prized commodity.
12. Steve Johnson (Geelong)
One of the cleverest players in the competition, Johnson seems to see the game unfold with greater clarity than his opponents. The former-forward-turned-midfielder has an uncanny knack for finding space and, with the ball in hand, so often makes the right decision before executing perfectly.
13. Jarryd Roughead (Hawthorn)
Roughead is a multi-faceted key forward. Not only can he be an effective backup ruckman, but inside 50m he can mark in packs, in one-on-one contests or on the lead. And, unlike some power forwards, when the ball hits the ground he remains very dangerous due to his agility and cunning.
14. Tom Hawkins (Geelong)
The Cats spearhead is a monster in one-on-one scenarios. There is not a defender in the competition who can consistently match him for strength.
15. Tom Rockliff (Brisbane)
The Lions’ workhorse is the lowest-profile player on this list. He wills himself to contest after contest with his ceaseless determination and then hunts the ball with vigour. Rockliff has averaged 31 touches, nine tackles and six clearances a game this season. Champion Data stats published recently by AFL.com.au show he is the second best player in the competition for applying pressure at stoppages.
16. Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn)
Few players in modern AFL history have been as reliable as the Hawks playmaker. Possessed of clinical skills off both sides of his body and terrific vision, he has been setting up play at Hawthorn for more than a decade.
17. Dan Hannebery (Sydney)
At just 23 years-old, Hannebery may not yet have reached his peak. That is a terrifying proposition for opponents as he is already a monster in the midfield.
18. Brendan Goddard (Essendon)
Four years ago he was challenging Ablett for the title of the top footballer in the land. While he is not as dominant as he was circa 2010, Goddard remains hugely skilful, wonderfully reliable and only trails Watson by a bee’s proverbial as Essendon’s MVP.
19. Hayden Ballantyne (Fremantle)
The game’s best small forward has an invaluable ability to slot goals when his team most needs them. Ballantyne can be quiet for three quarters then decide the game off his own boot in the final term.
20. Matt Priddis (West Coast)
An unattractive footballer, Priddis is among the game’s most underrated players. He continually wins the ball in contests, and chases, tackles and smothers like the fate of his family depends upon it. He has been neck-and-neck with West Coast legends Darren Glass and Dean Cox as the club’s best player over the past five years.
Close shaves: Nick Riewoldt, Travis Boak, Rory Sloane, David Mundy, Harry Taylor, Brent Harvey, Dyson Heppell, Kieran Jack, Tom Liberatore, Jay Schulz, Luke Parker.