The AFL season is almost upon us, and excitement is building across the football population.
We’re loving the educated debate being had across my preview series, and thought it would be a good idea to get a few luminaries (we use that word very lightly) at The Roar to put together a collective top 50 players in the AFL.
The players were dissected, disagreements had, and arguments thrashed out by myself and fellow experts Michael Cowley, Ryan Buckland, Sarah Olle, along with astute regular commenter TomC, to come up with our final list.
Check out Rosey’s AFL preview series here.
We’ll be doing ten players a day across the week, and while these sort of things are normally done from the bottom up, we don’t mind being subversive, so we’re leading off with our top ten and counting down from there. Let’s get into it.
1. Gary Ablett (Gold Coast)
The clear and obvious number one choice (although not unanimous among our group, ahem, Ryan), Ablett has been the best player in the competition for almost a decade, and the case can be made that he’s actually improved each year he’s been at the Suns.
Considering how good he was at Geelong, that statement isn’t made lightly. Ablett combines exquisite everyday skill with the extraordinary on a regular basis. The best.
2. Nathan Fyfe (Fremantle)
Nate Fyfe took his game to an all-new level in 2014, and he was coming off a pretty high base as a best and fairest winner in a grand final side.
Apart from his obvious ball-winning abilities, skill and impressive work in traffic, the ease of his contested marking separates him from the other midfielders on this list. Fyfe edged out number three on our list in a tie-breaker, but the records and talents of the two players he’s splitting tell you what rarefied air he sits in.
3. Lance Franklin (Sydney)
Lance Franklin had started to be phased out in his final year at Hawthorn in 2013, and his and Sydney’s middling start to 2014 had the critics sharpening the knives. Were his powers on the wane?
The answer came emphatically, and it was ‘hell no!’. Buddy averaged over four goals a game from Round 9 onwards last season, and combined his underrated consistency with his spectacular best, including several virtuoso, match-winning turns. There’s arguably no more feared player in the comp when on song, and we’re going to see more of the same in 2015.
4. Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood)
It is said that a balanced wine is one where ‘all its elements are in perfect harmony and none stands out’. We can say the same about a balanced footballer, and Scott Pendlebury is indeed that.
Watch his poise and calmness in traffic, the fluidity of his movement, his skills and vision. Like the very best players, he also finds something extra when his team is in trouble or needs to deliver a knockout blow.
He’s long been my personal favourite player.
5. Joel Selwood (Geelong)
A champion of many years standing, whose career has coincided with Geelong’s elevated position within the AFL since 2007, Joel Selwood stood head and shoulders above his teammates last season and often had to drag them over the line.
Harder than reinforced titanium, with the ability to provide inspirational deeds, and win the hard ball when the game is on the line, he’s added another string to his bow in recent years to become a noted goal-kicker.
As for those detractors that want to lessen Selwood’s standing due to accusations of ducking, well, the world is full of simple people. It’s a pleasure to watch him play football.
6. Josh Kennedy (Sydney)
No single judge had Josh Kennedy this high in their individual list, yet the fact that he appears so high here is a testament to the consistency of his quality, and in fact reflects a game where his impact catches up with you in a less obvious way than others in the top ten.
Kennedy is a contested possession and clearance machine, and we can all picture him getting a handball away from a stoppage, seemingly with three or four blokes hanging off him. But he’s never denied.
7. Luke Hodge (Hawthorn)
Dual premiership captain. Dual Norm Smith medallist. Dual best and fairest winner. Triple All-Australian. Triple premiership player.
These honours would be the envy of any player in the league after 13 years at the top level, as they define a man afforded more respect from his peers than any other, who rises in the big moments of the big games.
Luke Hodge has never really been held in the highest acclaim in lists such as these, but last year’s grand final performance, and his season as a whole, tells us that his place here is much deserved.
8. Travis Boak (Port Adelaide)
Travis Boak is the fifth captain to land in the top ten, and is another that leads by example. He did so off the field, spurning the aggressive Geelong advances in 2012, and has since done so on the park, continuing to improve his game each season, playing a key role in the Port Adelaide revival.
He’s a Joel Selwood-lite in many ways, and while I didn’t rate him quite this high personally, I’m not going to knock it.
9. Jarryd Roughead (Hawthorn)
Jarryd Roughead is another that has reached his peak years almost unobtrusively, in a way that makes it easy to forget he’s kicked more than 70 goals in a season on three separate occasions, a claim that only Lance Franklin can make among current players.
He can find himself in the game in any number of ways, and is never out of it for long. Apart from his marking capabilities, contested inside fifty or as a lead-up player between the arcs, he can also win hit outs and clearances, and give a chop out down back.
Arguably the most complete tall player in the competition.
10. Dyson Heppell (Essendon)
Dyson Heppell made a quantum leap in performance in 2014, from good to very good, but he was a touch overrated for mine, and I’m not yet convinced that his impact is as great as his numbers.
I personally had him rated at 28, while Ryan and Sarah had him sixth and eighth respectively, but that’s why this is a collective countdown. I was overruled!
All that said, he’s a fine player, and was enormous in carrying the Dons while Jobe Watson was out of the side or struggling with injury, but his skipper is still the superior player in my eyes.
So there we have it, the first ten of The Roar‘s top fifty. Who is too high? Who is too low? Who have we missed?
Have your say in the comments below, and come back tomorrow for Michael Cowley’s write-up of players 11-20. And if I know Mike, he’ll be giving the rest of us a whack where we’ve disagreed!
1. Gary Ablett (Gold Coast)
2. Nathan Fyfe (Fremantle)
3. Lance Franklin (Sydney)
4. Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood)
5. Joel Selwood (Geelong)
6. Josh Kennedy (Sydney)
7. Luke Hodge (Hawthorn)
8. Travis Boak (Port Adelaide)
9. Jarryd Roughead (Hawthorn)
10. Dyson Heppell (Essendon)
Tim Holt
Roar Guru
I think if you think every team has a Jordan lewis, JRod, maybe you should watch the Swans game at the G in the H&A........ And do not get my wrong, i worship the ground Hodge walks on, and few if any have been better in big moments of big matches. But, i think our rise in the game, and back/back has had a lot to do with Lewis ascending to being an elite mid
Jrod
Guest
Lewis has been excellent, win or lose. No doubt. Worthy b+f but hodge for mine is so much more important (therefore better) it isn't funny. Did you watch games he missed last year? Sydney vs Hawks at Olympic stadium when he was a late omission. We outplayed them comfortably (ex buddy and his 7 straight behinds) but didn't have him when they came in the big moments so went down (also note that the turning point was Cyril doing his hamstring). Big moments like him getting the ball to the boundary 1 on 1 against buddy in gf. Saved a goal and lifted the other players by a few more goals. Yes I watch games, just don't think you understand what makes us great. It's not Jordan stepping up in the role Mitchell/Sewell played prior. It's Hodge being hodge plus Cyril Roughy etc. It's the absolute brilliance those guys (and Mitchell) have that separates us. Our wingers are another clear separator. Every team has a Jordan Lewis, maybe not as good but similar. Others don't have comparables for the others. They are uniquely brilliant, led by Hodge.
New York Hawk
Guest
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes x 2, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes and yes. The fact that you include Gibbs in your list completely discredits you. Hodge above Gibbs is a question that has never been asked before because no one has ever thought to ask it. Equivalent question would be "Rolls Royce or Datsun?" Half the players you list don't deserve to do up Hodge's bootlaces. You should have included Mitchell in your list. Now that is an interesting question. Surprised you didn't have Levi Greenwood on there too.
DingoGray
Roar Guru
Yeah Blind Freddie could of picked the Top 5! It was so very obvious who was going to be there, just a matter of what order. 6-10 however is a different story together. I personally would go Dangerfield 6, Beams 7, Kennedy 8, Rockliff 9, & Dusty Martin 10 pushing Hodge, Boak, Roughhead & Heppell back in the 11-20 bracket.
Josh
Expert
I don't think anyone could post up a top ten of the league and not have people come along with a bone to pick. For mine there's about five or six guys who are absolute locks to be considered top 10 in the league, and from there it's a roulette of about 20-30 others who could all be considered top 10 material but could not be locked in. Ablett, Franklin, Fyfe, Selwood, Pendlebury, Roughead - I would have all those guys in my top 10. The other four would depend on what I had for breakfast.
Don Freo
Guest
This is one of the posters who laughed at the idea of Fyfe as being elite last year. Obviously, Michael, you still haven't watched him play. Either that or you watch football like a NSW rugby fan.
Michael Huston
Guest
I'd also just like to discuss the case of Luke Parker, and why Nathan Fyfe seems to get so much more attention than him. Parker is 22, Fyfe is 23, almost one year older exactly. Parker averaged 25.9 disposals in 2014, Fyfe averaged 26.9 disposals in 2014, exactly one disposal more. Parker kicked 25 goals in 2014, Fyfe kicked 24 goals in 2014, one more than Fyfe. Fyfe averaged 4.7 tackles in 2014, Parker averaged 6.0 tackles in 2014. Fyfe averaged 3.9 marks in 2014, Parker averaged 4.2 marks in 2014. Fyfe averaged 3.4 inside 50's in 2014, Parker averaged 3.2 inside 50's in 2014. Fyfe averaged a fantasy score of 103.3 in 2014, Parker averaged a fantasy score of 103.2 in 2014, 0.1 more than Parker. Fyfe has the service of Aaron Sandilands. Parker has the service of Mike Pyke. In their qualifying final match-up, when they actually played against each other for a decent portion of the game, here are the stats: Fyfe kicked 1 goal, had 29 possessions, took six marks, laid three tackles and had some pretty nifty disposals given the sluggish affair that it was. Parker kicked 1 goal, had 32 possessions, took three marks, laid six tackles, and took some strong contested marks despite the ugly conditions. It was both players playing somewhat near to their best, and Parker was just as good as Fyfe, you could argue even better. Now I know that it's just one game, but it says a lot. I have Fyfe as slightly superior to Parker right now, but there's nothing different about what Fyfe is doing than what Parker's doing. Fyfe is doing remarkable things for someone with just five years under their belt. But Parker is doing remarkable things for someone with just four years under their belt. They're tracking at the same rate. Parker won the best & fairest in a team that had four other All Australians from 2014 in it, including Josh Kennedy and Buddy Franklin. That's elite competition that Parker was voted superior to. I can't figure out why Fyfe is considered such a lock for the next-best-thing when Parker is just as good? It can't be because he's a goal-scoring midfielder, because Parker is the same. It can't be because he's a brilliant over-heard/aerial mark, because Parker is the same. It can't be because he's a clearance specialist, because Parker is the same. Is it because Fyfe came first, so therefore all the excellent traits Parker has are attributed to Fyfe? Who knows, but it's ridiculous that people have Fyfe and Parker at such a huge distance apart when they're so incredibly similar.
Michael huston
Guest
1. Gary Ablett Jr. 2. Lance Franklin 3. Scott Pendlebury 4. Joel Selwood 5. Jarryd Roughead 6. Matt Priddis 7. Nat Fyfe 8. Josh Kennedy 9. Travis Boak 10. Sam Mitchell I feel like with these kinds of lists, people go with the players who are fresh in their mind. Whoever was best in 2014 are the best right now. If I were going on that logic, I'd remove Mitchell, Roughead, Pendlebury, Selwood and Ablett and replace them with Luke Parker, Robbie Gray, Nick Malceski, Tom Rockliff and Jordan Lewis. But to me, being the best is being one of the best for a number of years. It's keeping that level up for more than just a breakout year. Also worth noting to me it was a toss-up between Ablett and Franklin for no.1, they're just too different so i had to cave and go with the consensus on that one. But in my opinion, it's those two ahead of the pack by a fair distance. I also need one more great season from Kieren Jack. I rate him extremely high and he's one of the most under-rated in the comp but he's at a 50% brilliance rate since becoming the co-captain. 2013 was a fantastic year for him, but last year was just good.
Ant
Guest
I suppose you never saw his single-handed domination of Geelong in a close match? 28 possessions in the second half against West Coast? Heppell is much better than Boak and Hartlett! He's easily in the top 10 players in the comp. He's elite.
Tim
Guest
They are far from short term Jrod, if you have watched Hawthorn for the last few years you will notice just how consistently excellent Lewis has been. Especially in the last two years. As for Hodge, on his day, he is amongst the best in the league. But, when you are talking 'the best', Lewis stands out for his consistent excellence
Mango Jack
Guest
+1 Hawks always lift when Hodge plays. His leadership is top shelf.
SCC
Guest
Haha yeah true... I didn't even bother reading that
Don Freo
Guest
Gee Talia is almost as good as Zac Dawson who concedes only 0.4 goals a game.
Tom
Guest
I am completely shocked. Talia was AA, B&F winner and Rising Star. Literally ALWAYS takes the best forward and his career average of goals conceded is around the 1 goal mark. May not be top ten, but very little can make up for this. Unfortunately this is another case of recognized in SA, hugely underestimated in VIC.
AB
Guest
I think Maggie is referring to the fact that the final paragraph of this article lists Buddy Franklin as a Hawthorn player.
Maggie
Guest
Do you see something out-of-date with this? Old habits die hard. 1. Gary Ablett (Gold Coast) 2. Nathan Fyfe (Fremantle) 3. Lance Franklin (Hawthorn)
Don Freo
Guest
What? No McPharlin. The competition's best key defender and has been since his return to Freo. C'mon Langou. If you've been paying attention, you should be able to list my favourite ten Freo folk in order. I've given plenty of clues. No Stephen Hill? Ballas? Clarke?
SCC
Guest
What?
SCC
Guest
Yep Dougie... would have to be a young guy. under 24? Thinking Fyfe, Wines, Bont, Jack Martin, O'meara, Kelly, Hogan, Boyd etc etc etc
davo
Guest
hodge number one.I am a fanatic freo supporter and when fyfe and pav missed them easy shots in the 2013 gf i asked myself would hodge miss that shot?would voss,hird,bartel miss that shot?certain players may be decorated e.g. buckley and pav but they don't have premeiorships to their name.In a schoolyard pick hodge is my number one..Fyfe is still young and we should give I'm a chance but champions never miss in the big moments from juniors they have always done this.I think the top ten should be based on character more than stats and hodge is number one!we might have a flag if it wasn't for him.