Lance Franklin’s 13 goals the best individual game of the decade
It won’t surprise that Lance Franklin, Dustin Martin and Patrick Dangerfield produced some of the best individual games of the decade. Relive their extraordinary performances and find out who else has joined them in the top 10 list.
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Lance Franklin, Dustin Martin, Patrick Dangerfield and Gary Ablett are four of the decade’s biggest names.
And it will come as no great shock that superstar quartet delivered some of the most incredible games over the past 10 seasons.
Glenn McFarlane rates the top 10 best individual performances of the decade.
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1. LANCE FRANKLIN (Round 10, 2012)
In a decade where goals dried up to their lowest levels in half a century, Lance Franklin’s 13 goals against North Melbourne in Launceston in 2012 was a thankful throwback to the big bags of yesterday.
The then Hawk forward hadn’t kicked a goal until late in the first term before he unleashed his power.
His 13.4 prompted North Melbourne coach Brad Scott to call it “one of the best individual displays I’ve seen in my time in footy.
“We haven’t seen a goalkicking effort like that since the glory days of the full-forwards of (Jason) Dunstall, (Gary) Ablett and (Tony) Lockett.”
2. STEVE JOHNSON (Round 19, 2011)
It was the game that ended Dean Bailey’s AFL coaching career, but it was also one of Steve Johnson’s finest individual moments.
The Cats mauled on Melbourne by 189 points and Johnson took his already sublime standard to an even higher plain.
Stats don’t necessarily make a game.
But try these “Stevie J” moments on for size – seven goals, 34 disposals, 10 goal assists, 11 scoring assists, nine marks, six inside 50s, six marks inside 50s and five clearances, yet amazingly only two Brownlow votes.
The umps went for Joel Selwood (43 disposals), even if the Herald Sun’s Scott Gullan gave Johnson an “11 out of 10” for “one of the more extraordinary individual performances seen.”
3. MARK LECRAS (Round 16, 2010)
The man himself dubbed it “one of those games where you don’t want the final siren to go” as Mark LeCras feasted on the hapless Bombers in 2010.
In a superb display of precision goalkicking and a capacity of being in the right place at the right time, the West Coast forward kicked 12 goals and two behinds in one of the best performances of the modern era.
No one has ever kicked more goals at Docklands.
LeCras kicked seven goals in the first half and brought up his 12th for the game with only three minutes remaining.
4. GARY ABLETT (Round 8, 2011)
How’s this for a performance in a losing side?
Gold Coast lost its Round 8, 2011 game to Adelaide by almost 10 goals, but Gary Ablett was a clear-cut best on ground, winning the three Brownlow votes.
Ablett kicked four of his team’s first five goals, had 41 disposals, laid eight tackles, had eight inside 50s, 13 clearances and 23 contested possessions.
Any doubts about how he would go in a struggling side were erased in a heartbeat in a year in which he would be named All-Australian captain.
There were plenty of other Gazza moments in the mix, including two games against the Magpies – his 49 and two goals in 2013 and 53 in a 97-point loss in 2012 (only Tom Mitchell – 54 – has ever had more).
5. SAM MITCHELL (2013 preliminary final)
There was a time when his coach questioned Sam Mitchell about when he was going to play well in a final again.
But the Hawks wouldn’t have got the first leg of their 2013-2015 three-peat without Mitchell’s extraordinary 2013 preliminary final performance.
It was one of Mitchell’s most complete performances when his team needed it the most.
Down by 20 points at quarter-time, the Hawks overran Geelong with Mitchell’s 38 touches, eight inside 50s and 11 clearances the main reason for their success that night that set up the dynasty that would followed.
Was it any wonder Ross Lyon opted to tag Mitchell a week later with Ryan Crowley!
6. PATRICK DANGERFIELD (Round 12, 2016)
Like Gazza, you could have chosen a half dozen games from Patrick Dangerfield, but we opted for his demolition of North Melbourne in his opening season with the Cats.
Against the Kangaroos, Danger had 48 disposals (23 contested), had 11 inside 50s, 13 clearances and kicked two goals.
It was, as some suggested at the time, “a performance for the ages”.
The Roos opted not to tag, and it hurt them big time.
His teammate, Mitch Duncan, later tweeted: “Danger taking the p---” as he romped to 229 SuperCoach points.
A year later, against the Bulldogs, Dangerfield had 36 touches and four goals, 12 tackles and 10 clearances, as well as long bomb and scene-setting tackle on Marcus Bontempelli.
7. LANCE FRANKLIN (Round 23, 2017)
Franklin looked like his Coleman Medal hopes were shot heading into the last round of the 2017 season.
He trailed West Coast’s Josh Kennedy by five goals and even though he was playing lowly Carlton, it looked a forlorn hope.
But Buddy has never believed in never.
He produced one of the best performances of his career, kicking 10 goals, had 25 disposals (11 contested), 10 marks, and six inside 50s.
It was enough to win him the Coleman.
8. ALEX RANCE (Round 23, 2014)
This was arguably the best defensive performance of the decade.
Rance single-handedly held back the dam wall as the Tigers held on for grim death to win a ninth-straight game to qualify for the finals.
A dozen of the 16 disposals he picked up in that crucial clash were from intercept possessions – with a staggering six coming in the frenetic final term, as the Tigers desperately fought to stay in front of a surging Sydney.
He polled two Brownlow votes, but the two coaches – Damien Hardwick and John Longmire – gave him a full 10 votes in the AFL Coaches’ Association award.
So awesome was Rance during that last quarter, teammate Jack Riewoldt was moved to describe it as, “probably the best quarter of footy I reckon I’ve ever seen someone play”.
9. MATTHEW PAVLICH (Round 19, 2012)
The Fremantle skipper almost didn’t play in the clash with West Coast that stands as one of the best of the decade.
He had achilles soreness, but pushed his way through.
Well, he did more than that. Pavlich single-handed – on scoreline alone – beat West Coast in the Derby, kicking 8.2 (50) to the opposition’s 6.12 (48).
Two weeks earlier, he had outscored GWS.
It was vintage Pavlich, and deserves special praise.
10. DUSTIN MARTIN (Round 3, 2017)
Picking a best Dustin Martin game is a bit like trying choose your best U2 song.
There are a multitude, but a few stand out and deserve special reference among the best individual games of the decade.
His effort against West Coast in Round 3, 2017 stands out as the one that kickstarted him towards a Brownlow Medal, and the Tigers to a flag.
He had 40 disposals on a wet day at the MCG – a huge effort given he had suffered a fractured cheekbone the week before.
He had a career-high 15 clearances (an astonishing 11 in the first half), 21 contested possessions, nine inside 50s and kicked two goals in the 11-point win.
There were others in the mix including his 43-touches against Essendon in Round 17, 2016,
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
Lance Franklin (Round 1, 2018), Dane Swan (Round 5, 2012), Gary Ablett (Round 10, 2012), Gary Ablett (Round 6, 2017), Dayne Zorko (Round 16, 2017), Jeremy Cameron (Round 16, 2018), Patrick Dangerfield (Round 9, 2017), Patrick Dangerfield (Round 1, 2016), Jack Riewoldt (Round 21, 2018), Lindsay Thomas (Round 12, 2010)