The Roar's 2017 AFL top 50 players: 30-21

You’ve seen Cam Rose do it, you’ve seen Ryan Buckland do it, now it’s my turn to lead us through part of The Roar’s 2017 AFL top 50 players. Buckle up.

The Roar’s top 50
» 50-41
» 40-31

30. Andrew Gaff (West Coast Eagles)
First up, I have to explain why I was one of two of us who didn’t have Gaff in the individual top 50. Rest assured, he was close.

Gaff is arguably the best winger in the league, but it’s a very specialist, one-dimensional position.

In an Eagles team that was called soft at times last year, he just doesn’t bring much physicality. Doesn’t kick enough goals either. Those are really my only complaints though – he’s an elite player in just about every other respect.

I wouldn’t put him this high personally, but that’s not to say he doesn’t deserve it.

29. Matt Priddis (West Coast Eagles)
Oh, yippee – now I get to explain the same thing again with Matt Priddis.

He is a favourite of mine, but pretty much the reverse Gaff. All grunt, little class. I did not find room for many, if any, players in that mould in my top 50.

Still, you can’t argue too much with the numbers he puts up; he is a contested ball beast, the glue of the Eagles midfield, and never forget, a Brownlow medallist.

I’m pretty keen to see the effect Sam Mitchell has on him this year too. It can only be a positive.

28. Jack Riewoldt (Richmond Tigers)
Jack Riewoldt’s career is all the more remarkable when you consider that he has basically been playing the roles of both centre-half-forward and full-forward simultaneously for most of it.

His 2016 season was something of a disappointment but he wasn’t alone in that. If he plays closer to goal this year, as some have suggested, he could win a third Coleman Medal.

Ken’s the biggest fan, putting him at No.22 overall – myself and Ryan both had him bang on No.30, Jay and Cam had him in the 40s.

27. Callan Ward (Greater Western Sydney Giants)
Ward is like a better version of Priddis, maybe a little less blue-collar, with real leadership ability and a more sensible haircut.

That’s why he cracked into my top 50 while Priddis didn’t – albeit at No.48. Ken didn’t have him top 50 at all, but Ryan, Jay and Cam all had him in the top 25.

Look, I can’t argue with that. I put a premium on different traits to what Ward offers, but he is an excellent footballer and an underrated captain. He’s the perfect guy to lead the troops at GWS. I guess Phil Davis goes alright too.

26. Heath Shaw (Greater Western Sydney Giants)
I had Shaw ranked at No.17 overall, the highest of any of us – I’m a big fan of an attacking half-back and he is the best in the business over the last two years.

It’s remarkable to think this is the same guy who used to cause Collingwood fans so many headaches – still does now I guess, for different reasons.

Really, it’s a testament to the excellent work at the Giants that they’ve turned him into a prolific, elite player of the competition. Savvy recruiting too.

25. Luke Shuey (West Coast Eagles)
Shuey is a polarising player to be sure – we all had him in the top 50, but while Ken him at No.10, he landed anywhere between the 20s and 40s for the rest of us.

He still has another level to go to in my view and maybe now with Sam Mitchell arriving at the Eagles he is going to be primed to find it.

Regardless, he’s got a little bit of everything – ball-winning ability, quality disposal, and a decent helping of pace. What more do you want in a midfielder?

24. Jeremy McGovern (West Coast Eagles)
McGovern’s career has been impressive to follow, from a relatively anonymous rookie to handy forward, now he’s an All-Australian defender.

He has landed here bang on where I had him in my individual rankings. Ken and Jay had him around the same mark, Ryan and Cam a little later.

Really McGovern is just a win for those of us who love old-school footballers. I had him as the third-best tall back in the league last year, behind Alex Rance and Daniel Talia.

23. Gary Ablett (Gold Coast Suns)
There isn’t a harder player to rank this year than Gary Ablett. Cam had him at No.5 overall – I had him as low as No.44, and Ken didn’t have him at all.

The simple fact is we haven’t seen him at his best in recent years, so do you judge him by the limited form we’ve seen, the top form we know he can produce, or somewhere in between?

I went with the ‘somewhere in between’ pick, and I stand by it. I have no idea what Gary’s going to do in 2017 and him being almost right in the middle of the top 50 reflects that pretty well.

22. Adam Treloar (Collingwood Magpies)
Did you know we didn’t have Treloar in our top 50 at all last year? His numbers went up about three handballs and one tackle per game in 2016, and now he’s No.22.

I’m not saying he doesn’t deserve to be here, he’s a gun player – I only had him in the 40s however, while Cam, Ryan and Jay all put him in their top 20.

It’d be naive though to deny that moving from GWS to Collingwood has lifted his profile more than his form necesarilly has. He had a great year, but he had great years at the Giants before that too.

Sorry, that’s just a bit of a bugbear of mine. Treloar’s great. Welcome, Adam, for the first time, to The Roar’s top 50.

21. Dylan Shiel (GWS Giants)
Trying to pick which Giants midfielder is the best of the lot is a task that will drive someone insane. However, if you put a gun to my head and gave me six or eight hours to think it over, Shiel is the name I would eventually spit out.

He just has it all – the hard-as-nails toughness of Lenny Hayes, the creativity of a young Chris Judd. He’s a straight-up gun.

Yes, I had him a little higher than this – just a little, at No.18. Closet GWS fan Ryan Buckland had him the highest, at No.11.

The Roar’s 2017 AFL top 50 players, so far
50. Toby Greene
49. Tom Liberatore
48. Dayne Zorko
47. Zach Merrett
46. Bryce Gibbs
45. Michael Hurley
44. Isaac Heeney
43. Nick Riewoldt
42. Rory Laird
41. Jack Steven
40. Dyson Heppell
39. Tom Scully
38. Todd Goldstein
37. Easton Wood
36. Dayne Beams
35. Jeremy Cameron
34. Stephen Coniglio
33. Dane Rampe
32. Daniel Talia
31. Jack Gunston
30. Andrew Gaff
29. Matt Priddis
28. Jack Riewoldt
27. Callan Ward
26. Heath Shaw
25. Luke Shuey
24. Jeremy McGovern
23. Gary Ablett
22. Adam Treloar
21. Dylan Shiel