sainter35 wrote:Armoooo wrote:Judd is a fantastic player no doubt but IMO he has fallen so far behind Gablett it's not even funny.
I would have thought Riewoldt is number 2, Fisher top 20, Lenny top 30, Goddard top 40 and nobody else in the top 50.
However if I were to do it by what I'm expecting of them this year I would have Goddard top 10.
I don't think even the most biased St Kilda supporter would have Riewoldt in front of Ablett Jnr and Franklin.
Personally I'd love to see Nick kick 75-80 goals and I think we need that for our team to take the next step but on the other hand you've got some people on here who think our midfield is too Riewoldt conscious. I agree that we need a greater spread of goal kickers but Nick is the best overhead mark of the game and has amazing remarkable endurance. We need even more goals from him in 2009 to take that next step. And if he does that, we won't be complaining about him being #8 on Mike's list at the end of the year.
As with others, I've got issues with a direct Reiwoldt/Franklin comparison. Reiwoldt is a CHF of the modern game, and Franklin is one of the true FFs - and the stats back this up. And while I personally wouldn't rate Reiwoldt ahead of Franklin, I don't think it's the slam dunk that oft gets thrown around. On a skill vs contribution, Franklin gets worshipped at least as much for what he
can do as what he does... for actual contribution to their teams, I'd rate them pretty even. On a pure skills basis, Franklin stands along.
Contribution wise, talking goalkicking, there is no weapon in the competition as valuable as Franklin. He's in a league of his own, even if he never corrects his accuracy... and if he does that, the only comparison I can think of for what he'd be is Tony Lockett. So if I'm thinking Franklin may improve in '09, I'm definately going to rate him as the top key forward.
Big picture, Reiwoldt sets up more goals (finished 3rd in assists), takes more marks (led the league... again...), gives away FAR fewer frees, and still finished top ten for goals - just not in Buddy Franklin's league.
They're both
very important to team structure, and Franklin is having the impact today with pure goalkicking that Reiwoldt had at a similar age with his astonishing level of marks. So, while I'd rate Franklin ahead, and in a guess at the next 22 weeks I'd have to go with Franklin even moreso, I can see justification for Roo's fans to argue the point.
As for Judd, if he's back to 100%, he will challenge Ablett's crown. I think seeing him run around half fit and still be dominant has affected peoples memories for how good he really has been.