Best 25 players of the past 50 years

[Webby]

Don't know if anyone's read the Hun today, but this best 25 players of the past 50 years is a strange one.
Basically, nine 'experts' nominated their best 25. They were Malthouse, Brereton, King, Jon Anderson, Glen McFarlane, Jon Ralph, Scott Gullan and Sam Edmund.

They seem to have taken the top 25 from each and reached a consensus top 25.

Quick rundown from a Dogs fan's perspective:

1. Dempsey only got on one panellist's list (Anderson's at 16)
2. Quinlan didn't get nominated in anyone's top 25
3. D Hawkins got into 2 lists (Malthouse's at 7 & Gullan's at 25)
4. Grant got into one list (Gullan's at 20.)
5. Malthouse was very generous to players he coached (Doug at 7, Jakovich at 3, Judd 9, McKenna at 18, Swan 22, Matera 23)
6. Despite the above, Malthouse did not include Nathan Buckley (who appeared in 3 other panellists' lists.) Hate runs deep.
7. Mick also didn't fit ANY Abletts into his top 25... So he's quirky!

8. In Essendon's list of their all time top 50 players released a couple of years back, James Hird appears third. Madden fifth. This is something I pointed out as staggering at the time. The cult of Hird is an incredible thing! For me, there's no question Madden is the best Essendon player I've seen.

Therefore it's interesting to see how Madden and Hird compare when rated by non-Essendon people:
Madden made EVERY list. Hird made just 6 of the 9. Madden was ahead of Hird on all but two lists. One of those was, you guessed it, sycophant Robbo's list. The other was, surprisingly, Scott Gullan.

Gullan, a lifelong Doggies man, was the only 'expert' to have Daicos in his list. He was also the only one to have Darren Jarman (Dogs fans understand this!) as well as Aker. He was also the only one to have more than one Dogs player on his list. He had three (!) in Hawkins, Grant and Aker. He didn't squeeze Dempsey in!

Royce Hart only made 7 of the 11 lists. Meanwhile Carey sat between 1&3 on every list. I think it's clear that Carey would usurp Hart at CHF in any revised "Team of the Century."

Anyway, the apparent consensus top 25 are apparently:

1. Matthews
2. Carey
3. Lockett
4. Ablett Snr
5. Dunstall
6. Ablett Jnr
7. Hudson
8. Madden
9. Bartlett
10. Williams
11. Judd
12. Voss
13. Hart
14. Stewart
15. Hird
16. Franklin
17. Silvagni
18. Doull
19. Jakovich
20. Jezza
=21. Blight & Mitchell
23. Goodes
24. Scarlett
25. Buckley

Call me biased, but if I had a choice between an 18 year old Bernie Quinlan or an 18 year old Jakovich, I'd take Bernie every time. I simply couldn't see Jakovich being able to swing forward and do what Bernie did. Bernie had far more talent. What a difference playing in premierships does for your reputation!

Could be fun to do a Dogs-only list if it hasn't been done before..?
FWIW, I reckon Bontempelli could be hit by a bus tomorrow and still be in the top 2-3... And he's only 21!

[GVGjr]

Thanks Webby, I was having some lunch when I started going through the list. Hird getting high votes

Like you, Quinlan stood out as a huge miss by the HS selectors. They should all be ashamed. I'd have him top 10.

Jezza should not be in a top 25. Overrated by way too many. How does Kouta get top 25 nomination by Scott Gullan?

We've ranked players before but it would be a good idea to do a Bulldogs top 25.
I think we would need to have some sort of criteria on games played to qualify.

[1eyedog]

Thanks Webby.

Personally I think you'd actually get a more accurate assessment having one person who actually knows what they're talking about rather than a heap that don't. Five nuffy journos and Malthouse, who, as you say is completely bias making his votes obsolete. I'd like to have a crack at this but it would take some time. A Bulldogs top 25 would be markedly easier.

Would like to hear David Parkin's for instance.

[Flamethrower]

These lists are so subjective that they become an exercise in futility.

[Webby]

Would like to hear David Parkin's for instance.

I think you're right about the subjectivity. However the top 3 seems pretty unanimous. Interesting you rate Parkin, as I recall him saying that Koutifides was the best player he coached... I remember thinking "But you coached Matthews in his peak!!"

Says to me That Parko would be departing further from the consensus than even Malthouse.

[jeemak]

Which Mitchell was equal 21?

[Before I Die]

When did all games start being videoed and/or played at different times? Prior to this it wasn't possible to see everyone play which makes the process questionable.

If we accept the above list as accurate then the two sub-lists; 'Best 25 players of the past 50 years who also won a Brownlow' and 'Best 25 players of the past 50 years who weren't dickheads' are quite small.

[comrade]

Don't know if anyone's read the Hun today, but this best 25 players of the past 50 years is a strange one.
Basically, nine 'experts' nominated their best 25. They were Malthouse, Brereton, King, Jon Anderson, Glen McFarlane, Jon Ralph, Scott Gullan and Sam Edmund.

They seem to have taken the top 25 from each and reached a consensus top 25.

Quick rundown from a Dogs fan's perspective:

1. Dempsey only got on one panellist's list (Anderson's at 16)
2. Quinlan didn't get nominated in anyone's top 25
3. D Hawkins got into 2 lists (Malthouse's at 7 & Gullan's at 25)
4. Grant got into one list (Gullan's at 20.)
5. Malthouse was very generous to players he coached (Doug at 7, Jakovich at 3, Judd 9, McKenna at 18, Swan 22, Matera 23)
6. Despite the above, Malthouse did not include Nathan Buckley (who appeared in 3 other panellists' lists.) Hate runs deep.
7. Mick also didn't fit ANY Abletts into his top 25... So he's quirky!

8. In Essendon's list of their all time top 50 players released a couple of years back, James Hird appears third. Madden fifth. This is something I pointed out as staggering at the time. The cult of Hird is an incredible thing! For me, there's no question Madden is the best Essendon player I've seen.

Therefore it's interesting to see how Madden and Hird compare when rated by non-Essendon people:
Madden made EVERY list. Hird made just 6 of the 9. Madden was ahead of Hird on all but two lists. One of those was, you guessed it, sycophant Robbo's list. The other was, surprisingly, Scott Gullan.

Gullan, a lifelong Doggies man, was the only 'expert' to have Daicos in his list. He was also the only one to have Darren Jarman (Dogs fans understand this!) as well as Aker. He was also the only one to have more than one Dogs player on his list. He had three (!) in Hawkins, Grant and Aker. He didn't squeeze Dempsey in!

Royce Hart only made 7 of the 11 lists. Meanwhile Carey sat between 1&3 on every list. I think it's clear that Carey would usurp Hart at CHF in any revised "Team of the Century."

Anyway, the apparent consensus top 25 are apparently:

1. Matthews
2. Carey
3. Lockett
4. Ablett Snr
5. Dunstall
6. Ablett Jnr
7. Hudson
8. Madden
9. Bartlett
10. Williams
11. Judd
12. Voss
13. Hart
14. Stewart
15. Hird
16. Franklin
17. Silvagni
18. Doull
19. Jakovich
20. Jezza
=21. Blight & Mitchell
23. Goodes
24. Scarlett
25. Buckley

Call me biased, but if I had a choice between an 18 year old Bernie Quinlan or an 18 year old Jakovich, I'd take Bernie every time. I simply couldn't see Jakovich being able to swing forward and do what Bernie did. Bernie had far more talent. What a difference playing in premierships does for your reputation!

Could be fun to do a Dogs-only list if it hasn't been done before..?
FWIW, I reckon Bontempelli could be hit by a bus tomorrow and still be in the top 2-3... And he's only 21!

Nice to see Ben Hudson, Tom Williams & Trent Bartlett get some well deserved recognition

[Before I Die]

Nice to see Ben Hudson, Tom Williams & Trent Bartlett get some well deserved recognition

Don't forget Brett Goodes.

[Twodogs]

I'll just make my point and go.

Kelvin Templeton had won two Colemans and a Brownlow (playing in the hardest position on the field) by the time he was 22. He had more talent in his little finger than 99% of the players on everyone else's list. And 99% is being pretty generous to the other players. It's actually 100% but I don't want you to think that I'm gilding the lily about how good KT was so I'll say 99%.

Templeton > every other player I've seen, funnily enough over the last 50 or so years.

That is all.

[Eastdog]

Don't forget Brett Goodes.

That game he played round 1 2013 gives him a strong case.

[Eastdog]

I'll just make my point and go.

Kelvin Templeton had won two Colemans and a Brownlow (playing in the hardest position on the field) by the time he was 22. He had more talent in his little finger than 99% of the players on everyone else's list. And 99% is being pretty generous to the other players. It's actually 100% but I don't want you to think that I'm gilding the lily about how good KT was so I'll say 99%.

Templeton > every other player I've seen, funnily enough over the last 50 or so years.

That is all.

Would have been great to be around and see him play particularly watching that game in 1978 where he kicked 13 odd.

[Remi Moses]

I'll just make my point and go.

Kelvin Templeton had won two Colemans and a Brownlow (playing in the hardest position on the field) by the time he was 22. He had more talent in his little finger than 99% of the players on everyone else's list. And 99% is being pretty generous to the other players. It's actually 100% but I don't want you to think that I'm gilding the lily about how good KT was so I'll say 99%.

Templeton > every other player I've seen, funnily enough over the last 50 or so years.

That is all.

Don't start me on why he isn't in the hall of fame .
One of the sports great injustices

[GVGjr]

I really rated Ross Glendinning and I'm surprised he's not rating a mention.

CHF or CHB and he was a nice accurate kick.

[Twodogs]

Would have been great to be around and see him play particularly watching that game in 1978 where he kicked 13 odd.

15 goals. 9 behinds. Including a couple that fell short and a couple that went out of bounds. That's 30 shots at goal.

Find me a better individual performance in V/AFL history. Best. Player. Ever.