Brendon Goddard rates Collingwood’s list as the AFL’s best, ahead of reigning premier Richmond
AFL champion Brendon Goddard has rated every club’s midfield, forward line, defence and ruck stocks and is bullish about Melbourne’s chances of rebounding from a horror year. Where did your club rate?
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Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has the best playing list in the competition to work with entering 2020, according to AFL legend Brendon Goddard.
Goddard ranked each club’s midfielders, defenders, forwards and rucks exclusively for the Herald Sun, with the Magpies’ strength across all lines seeing them come out on top in the overall rankings.
Collingwood’s defensive stocks were ranked the fourth-best in the competition by Goddard, their midfield the third-best, their forward line the fourth-best and their rucks the best of any side.
RANKINGS: CHAMPION DATA RATES EVERY CLUB’S LIST
But there has been conjecture about the contract status of several Magpies stars beyond 2020, headlined by Brodie Grundy, Jordan De Goey and Darcy Moore.
After two near-misses in recent seasons, next year looms as a crucial season for Buckley and Collingwood as they look to capitalise on what Goddard has deemed to be a better list than runaway premier Richmond’s.
The Tigers came in second overall, with their forwards and defenders both ranking first but its midfield coming in fourth and its ruck stocks seventh.
West Coast and Brisbane rounded out the top four in the overall rankings, while Geelong ranked sixth due to its ruck division coming in 17th spot.
Gold Coast Suns ranked last, with Goddard rating its best line as being its rucks which came in ninth.
Sydney was just ahead in 17th spot, while new coaches at Adelaide (15th) and Fremantle (16th) have a tough task ahead of them with fellow lowly-ranked lists to work with.
MORE FROM GODDARD’S 1-18 SERIES:
Midfields 1-18: Why Magpies are not No.1
Defences 1-18: Can anyone rival the Tigers?
Forward lines 1-18: Blues are a bottom-seven attack
Rucks 1-18: Are Cats’ big man stocks the worst in the AFL?
The overall rankings were based on awarding 18 points to the team Goddard had ranked first in each position down to one point for the team he had ranked last in each position and accumulating the four numbers.
Goddard’s rankings were based on clubs having fully fit lists available to play in 2020 and his projected improvement or decline of players.