Geelong may possess greatest-ever midfield after Gary Ablett’s arrival

THE Eagles of 2006, the Michael Voss-led Lions or Geelong’s likely midfield unit in 2018? We take a look at Champion Data’s numbers to see which midfield unit might have the edge. HAVE YOUR SAY

Gary Ablett high fives Joel Selwood in 2010.

WILL Geelong’s potential midfield in 2018 be the greatest trio ever to line up alongside one another?

Well, the numbers suggest there is a case that the Cats trio of Gary Ablett, Patrick Dangerfield and Joel Selwood could form the most potent combination is history.

HAVE WE MISSED ONE OF THE GAME’S BEST MIDFIELDS? HAVE YOUR SAY BY LEAVING A COMMENT BELOW

As we know, a team on paper can be a very different thing to output on the paddock. But as list guru Gary Buckenara wrote in the Herald Sun recently, Ablett’s arrival gives Geelong “one of the best midfields the game has ever seen”.

So how does it stack up against the great onball brigades of the recent era?

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For this exercise, we’ve taken a look at a couple of the game’s greatest-ever midfield line-ups and looked at their numbers from one of their amazing seasons.

The Brisbane Lions team at the start of the century will go down as one of the greatest ever, with its star-studded midfield, led by Brownlow medallist Michael Voss, a driving factor in its phenomenal success.

Michael Voss and Simon Black helped the Lions to three premierships.

Likewise, West Coast’s 2006 premiership in a time when stoppages seemed to reign supreme came on the back of three of the most gifted ballwinners — Chris Judd, Ben Cousins and Daniel Kerr — in the game.

The Cats’ super trio is yet to set foot on the field in blue-and-white hoops, so we’ve combined their numbers from 2017 (‘Dangerwood’ at the Cats and Ablett’s final season at the Suns) to see how they stacked up ahead of their maiden season together.

Between the three midfields there’s a combined 17 premiership medallions, seven Brownlow Medals and 19 club best and fairests (forgetting B&Fs won at other clubs).

Take a look at the numbers and then vote for your greatest midfield trio.

BRISBANE LIONS 2004

The Lions were arguably at their most dominant earlier than their runner-up season of 2004, but the stats were most accurate after their historic three-peat.

When assembling the numbers we’ve left out one superstar, too. The Lions’ midfield was very much a ‘Fab Four’ when Jason Akermanis was thrown into the mix (and there was also a handy bloke named Luke Power). In 2004, however, Aker was the club’s leading goalkicker (44) and spent much of his time closer to the sticks.

Nigel Lappin was perhaps the most damaging of the famed Voss-Black-Lappin combination in ‘04, the running machine enjoying a stellar season on his way to winning his only best and fairest.

The Lions couldn’t get it done in 2004 but this wasn’t on account of their midfield warriors.

BRISBANE LIONS - 2004	Michael Voss	Simon Black	Nigel Lappin
Ranking points (ave)	107	109	117
Disposals	21.1	23.6	25.2
Contested poss.	8.2	12.0	9.8
Clearances	3.0	5.6	4.4
Goals	1.3	0.5	0.7
Score involvements	8.5	7.6	8.4

Ben Cousins and Chris Judd both won Brownlows at the Eagles — and the 2006 premiership.

WEST COAST 2006

One of the best combinations ever to play the game.

Judd exploded onto the scene in 2002, joining force with an already-dominant Cousins who was entering his prime.

Kerr, who debuted in 2001, added extra midfield power and some fancy foot work, the trio combining to lead the Eagles to their thrilling 2006 premiership a year after falling to the same opponent — the Sydney Swans — in another epic.

WEST COAST - 2006	Chris Judd	Ben Cousins	Daniel Kerr
Ranking points (ave)	138	107	97
Disposals	25.9	25.1	23.0
Contested poss.	14.1	8.8	11.4
Clearances	6.2	4.2	4.8
Goals	1.3	0.9	0.5
Score involvements	8.2	7.9	6.9

GEELONG 2018

While we’re yet to know exactly how Cats coach Chris Scott will use his all-star line-up in 2018 — rotating at least one of the champs forward seems likely — we do know each man is elite when working inside the centre square.

Ablett is coming off another best and fairest at the Suns — perhaps as much a reflection on the struggling expansion club as the little master’s brilliance — while Dangerfield and Selwood are still in their prime.

The footy world waits to see how Scott uses the three stars.

After two straight preliminary final losses, the Cats are banking on Gary Ablett to help propel them a couple of extra steps.

GEELONG - 2018 (using 2017 averages)	Patrick Dangerfield	Gary Ablett	Joel Selwood
Ranking points (ave)	134	115	100
Disposals	29.9	33.0	25.5
Contested poss.	17.9	13.7	13.7
Clearances	7.2	7.6	6.2
Goals	1.9	0.6	0.3
Score involvements	8.0	8.2	6.3

* All stats courtesy of Champion Data.