The explosive midfielder. Every team in the AFL wants one. And if you don’t have one, you’re trying to stop one.
If you are the coach, you’re looking for a player who can dominate in the midfield, burst through congestion, use strength and speed to take on tacklers and can be pushed deep into the forward line when you’re looking for a goal or two.
That brings us to the best three explosive midfielders in the AFL.
Who would you rather have: Patrick Dangerfield, Nat Fyfe or Dustin Martin?
Patrick Dangerfield
Patrick Dangerfield is dangerously dangerous when he is at the peak of his powers. And unfortunately for every club other than Adelaide, he is at his peak right now. He’s explosively explosive. He’s destructively destructive.
He’s a match-winner. He’s unstoppable and unmatchable at times.
He’s known, as the ‘raging bull’ in Adelaide and it’s not hard to see why. Danger will do what he needs to do to win the ball, whether it’s diving on it, stealing it out of an opponent’s lap or even out sprinting others to a contest.
The most breathtaking thing Dangerfield can do (and he does it often) is break away from a stoppage with exhilarating speed and power, bounce the ball two or three times and kick the goal from 50 metre on the run. We’ve all seen him do it and we’ve all been in awe of his ability to do it a couple times a game.
His mixture of speed, strength, skill and x-factor make him one of the best players, let alone midfielders in the AFL right now.
Dangerfield can run all day long and will often be pushed forward when the Crows need goals. He’s a reliable mark and a great one-on-one player. Not many midfielders can defend him in the forward line.
He hasn’t even played 150 games, currently sitting on 135, having kicked an awesome 148 goals in his career.
He averages 20 disposals, 3 tackles, 3 marks and a goal a game. He’s already a two-time All Australian, club co-captain (2014) and Adelaide’s match-winner.
Victorian clubs, get your chequebooks ready.
Nat Fyfe
Nat Fyfe has become the most talked about superstar in the AFL. And that’s saying something considering Gary Ablett and Lance Franklin are still in the picture.
Backing up last years form, he and Fremantle have had the most stunning start to the 2015 season.
I had Fyfe in my tall midfielder ‘who would you rather’, but he suits this category perfectly.
Fyfe is using his height, his strength and his athleticism to absolutely tear the AFL a part right now. He is the best over head, contested marking midfielder in the game, he is an elite runner, and like Dangerfield, is unapologetic on his attack on the contest.
He is being branded as ‘virtually untaggable’ and as the prototype, perfect AFL footballer.
Like Dangerfield, fans come to see Fyfe play football. He keeps his feet brilliantly when being tackled, and is creative and composed when in a high-pressured situation.
Fyfe is dynamic. He knows where the goals are; he can have a spell across half back, as well as going third man up in the ruck throughout a match.
He’s played 96 games, kicking 83 goals. Fyfe has averaged 24 disposals, 4 tackles, 5 marks and almost a goal a game. He’s already a 2-time best and fairest winner, an All-Australian in 2014 and the AFL’s MVP. Polled second in the Brownlow last year; but will he be finishing first in 2015?
Now remember, just because he is the man of the moment, doesn’t mean the other two players should be dismissed. Although he may be the best in the AFL right now, is he still the best explosive midfielder in the game?
Dustin Martin
Martin was picked in the same draft as Nat Fyfe (2009), and those two are by far the best players to come out of the draft. Martin is plays like a bomb ready to explode.
He’s played 112 games, kicked 121 goals and has been incredibly durable and consistent since his start in the AFL. He plays with a chip on his shoulder. He plays angry at times. He plays like he’s going to burst through anything you throw at him.
Martin has the best ‘don’t argue’ in the game. He uses pure strength to break away from any tackler, whether you’re a key defender, power forward or strong midfielder.
He’s a bulldozer. He’s at his best when he is on the run kicking goals. His set shot is his weakest avenue to goal, but he is dangerously dynamic when given an inch of space in the forward 50.
Martin is known for his one-on-one dominance in a contest. Put him isolated in the forward line and you will have any opposition coach pulling their hair out.
He plays with such electricity that – like the other two players in this category – you feel like he can tear any game apart off of his own boot.
Martin is a match-winner and he has proven that game after game. Whether it be him kicking the sealing goal in the final minutes or doing one of his characteristic ‘don’t argues’ to break away from a pack – he is the boss.
Martin is fast, powerful and lively. He’s an x-factor sort of player and one of the most exciting midfielders in the AFL.
Off-field behavioural issues may affect how people view him as a footballer, but be assured, Martin is elite.
He’s averaged 23 disposals, 4 marks, 3 tackles and a goal per game and should be adding some best and fairest medals and All-Australian selections to his resume in no time.
The decision
Each of these players is dynamite. Each of these players holds the x-factor. Each of these players can dominate.
You’re looking for one explosive midfielder.
Who would you rather: Patrick Dangerfield, Nat Fyfe or Dustin Martin?
Don Freo
Guest
Did that really happen? It might have just been a wet dream.
Davo
Guest
Seem to remember little Jake Neade, the smallest player in the AFL knocking him over early in last year's elimination final in a play that started the goal Avalanche that buried his team. Not what I'd call pure strength.
Ben
Guest
Fyfe all day every day.... silly question.
Paul W
Guest
Bontempelli ;)
Katfish
Roar Guru
... and Boak
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
"you are just dumb." Now now Tiger, settle down. Your getting a little flustered and angry, like you were yesterday and the day before that. "Your silly arguments don’t interest me if you need a link to support it. Why would I read that?" I really didn't need to link an article on the ageing affects of athleticism Don. Most people know this from Kindergarten. Think of it more as pouring salt water onto a festering wound Don...sometimes it's in the best interest of the ill-informed. "Fyfe will not lose his athleticism while he is playing. When he does, it will be retirement time." I'm a little surprised at your lack of respect for Fyfe. He has wonderful attributes outside his athleticism. Once these fade he will likely move permanently to the forward line, much like Ablett Jr will do and GOD before him did. It happens to all the greats, but because of this very virtue, they are good enough to continue well past their prime. I think it's a sad statement you have just made their Don and I'm really surprised you think that little of Fyfe.
Don Freo
Guest
As if, Rick. Your silly arguments don't interest me if you need a link to support it. Why would I read that? Fyfe will not lose his athleticism while he is playing. When he does, it will be retirement time. You don't need a link to show you that. If you think I am comparing Harvey with Fyfe, you are just dumb.
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
Don all acts of running, jumping etc are acts of athleticism, but if want to compare Harvey and Fyfe when it comes to this attribute, then I think you are grossly under selling Fyfe. If I didn't think so then why would I bother commenting on Fletcher, McPahrlin etc in the way I did? Difficult to answer I'm sure. However, as usual you want to change the argument from, why would Fyfe 'loose' his athleticism, to what is the definition of athleticism? "You would have been struck off the list of practitioners by now" Lol, seriously Don, 'the list of practitioners". FFS get your terminology right at least. I'll do us both a favour and end this discussion here. You freely admit to Fyfe being the most athletic, strongest and gifted player in the comp. You have told us all this. As such, I say that the attribute of athleticism will degrade with age. Since this constitutes what makes Fyfe a far greater player than most, then it stands to reason he will degrade further once this area also degrades. Here is link to a study on it: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20845122 It is only the abstract, but if you have access to PubMed I can link you the full research paper.
mark
Guest
Is Martin really better "by far" than Gunston and Talia?
Don Freo
Guest
Close your eyes and imagine footy fans reading your last comment. They are all laughing at you. Running fast, jumping high, weaving between people are all acts of athleticism. Nothing to do with roles at all. You would have been struck off the list of practitioners by now if that is an indication of your knowledge. Good grief! You are seeing the emergence of a great footballer and you are already consigning him to decrepitude.
Ned Balme
Roar Guru
Martin really doesn't belong in this three. So far he hasn't shown any discernible qualities as a "leader" often utilizes the ball by purely blazing away and kicking long, has shown to associate with less than reputable figures off the field (not a pre-requisite for a good player I know but as a face of a team thats a different story) and is part of a Richmond midfield that is constantly underperforming. He isn't the shining light in the Richmond midfield but rather an example. I'd go Fyfe then Dangerfield by a hair. Dangerfield has more explosion than Fyfe and a better natural leg talent but Fyfe's marking ability could make him a 50 goal a year permanent forward later in his career. Fyfe is the kind of player you never have to rest on the bench as he can go down forward and immediately warrant a first-rate defender to follow him.
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
Judd - um that's funny, I'll comment no further. Harvey - that's even funnier that you would classify him as athletic. Can't remember any time in his illustrious career performing athletic feats of jumping over half his body height into the air and taking pack marks. Can you? Fletcher - plays a completely different role than when he started, precisely because of this very fact. Luke McPharlin - he's a defender Don. When you are not good enough to be a forward or play centre, you play as a general defender. He's not even classified as a key defender. Johnson, now he is class, all class, pity about his busted back though. The very fact you are trying to compare the affects of a drop off in athleticism between a dynamic play maker like Fyfe and a negative player in McPharlin (which is his job), highlights to me your complete lack of understanding of football Don. Pavlich has size and strength Don, which are the last to go. You ever wonder why he isn't used as much around the ground anymore? As far as why would he lose his athleticism? I could bore you with the human physiology side of it, but I really don't think you would understand it Don, I really don't.
Tiarne Swersky
Roar Guru
I disagree. Like Wilson said above, if Martin was in one of the top 4 teams, we would be talking about him a lot more. I had Selwood as my third. But I changed to Martin because of that raw explosiveness these three players display often throughout their games.
Don Freo
Guest
...and Jobe Watson.
Don Freo
Guest
Fyfe is an even better contested ball winner than Selwood...and cleaner, one grab.
Don Freo
Guest
Why will he loose his athleticism. Has Harvey, Fletcher, Judd, McPharlin, Pavlich...? Strange...
Balthazar
Guest
Hey 13th man. Not that it's on topic but the tagging of Little Lachie is really interesting. He got what, 9 touches? I couldn't tell from the TV screen whether the Swans did that all game or whether they did it when they reshuffled at H/T. If the latter, it was inspirational and I bet Paul Roos was watching with interest. Back on topic, Fyfe. Dangerfield (or Clangershank, as I kindly call him) makes Fyfey's disposal look elitel
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
Everybody has a bad day, and I've seen Fyfe taken out of a few games last year also. Whether this is due to tagging or an off day is debatable, but Selwood is probably the hardest of all them to tag, precisely because he is an inside centre player. Seriously, what are you going to do against a player like him that is willing to get his head split open every game. He gets to the ball and filters it out, no tagger can stop that, particularly if they are willing to put their body on the line 100 per cent of the time. The down side of this is longevity, of which the liked of Pendles probably as the longest. Fyfe will eventually one day lose his athleticism, which is probably his biggest asset compared to the other 3. What I like about Pendles is he is a bit like a Ninja, he kills you by stealth and cunning. By far the smartest of those 4 players.
13th man
Guest
Luke Hodge and Matthew Pavlich also put forward a pretty good case for the most inspirational captain!
13th man
Guest
Yep that's fair enough, I have seen Selwood been well tagged before (by Crowley, but he normally went to Stevie J) but the other 3, untaggable, that is why the Swans tagged Lachie Neale instead of Fyfe on saturday