The Soaring

Mike Sheahan has compiled for the AFL’s 150th anniversary of the game his list of the top 50 players of All-Time. From the looks it excludes currently active players but includes a number of recently retired (inactive) players (see #42 for example). (Cancel that - Robert Harvey is in).

So Wayne Carey was given the number 1 rating, the best player Australian Rules footballer of all time. Fair call. He was an exceptional player and absolutely dominated games through the nineties week in and out.

A couple of observations though - what does it say about the AFL’s greatest individual honour - the Brownlow medal - that the number 1 rated player of all time never won it? In fact, he never really came close. But you say, Carey is just Sheehan’s pick as number 1 - it’s not universal. Well it so happens neither have numbers 2, 3, 4 or 5 on Sheahan’s list either! In fact only 2 of the top ten have.

That doesn’t invalidate Carey as number 1, but to me it says something about the Brownlow - for all it’s history and the players it does honour - it seems the best players miss out.

Secondly, it needs to be said that number 46 on this list got the better of number 1 on more occasions than not. It is good to see Glen Jakovich being recognised. He was a colossus as a player and formed the cornerstone of the dominant Malthouse era Eagles.

Peter Matera was the highest rated Eagle at #39, Ben Cousins came in at #42. Both outstanding players.

I tend to think these “best-evers” get weighted towards the present-day (or which era you’re stuck in - see Neil Harvey and cricket for example). That is to be expected I guess, as no one has watched all 150 yrs of Aussie rules and by the nature of human endeavour the players skills and abilities do improve as time goes on.

For me, my instinctive number 1 rated player is Gary Ablett Snr. Never won a flag, never won a Brownlow - but for ability on the park he is hard to go past. As a neutral supporter, he was awesome to watch.