Top 20: SuperFooty ranks the best Geelong players of the modern era
How many current Cats join Geelong’s modern greats in the top-20 rankings? Hint: one relatively new Cat has the chance to surge up the rankings in the coming years. HAVE YOUR SAY
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It’s completely crazy when you stop and think about it. And maybe we’ve all got blasé when it comes to discussing the impact of the Ablett family at Geelong.
Choosing between a father and son for the best player in blue and white hoops of the modern era is quite ridiculous but they’re clearly the two standouts from a superstar-laden list.
Ablett Snr gets the nod because he got people through the turnstiles even if they weren’t Geelong fans. If Gazza was playing at the ‘G, people would go just to watch him.
The 1989 Grand Final performance still lives in many people’s minds and don’t forget he did kick 122 goals in his second last season at the age of 34.
His son was more of a slow burn but by the time the Cats became a force in the mid-2000s, he was a dominant midfielder and an award magnet.
Ablett Jnr could do amazing things like his old man but it was his week-to-week consistency of getting between 30 and 40 possessions which destroyed opponents.
YOU DECIDE! 100 games from the past 50 years to choose from: Vote for your favourite by clicking here: Polling closes 8pm, Tuesday
There’s no surprise that from the three premierships of 2007, 2009 and 2011, there are 14 players who make the Top 20.
And centre half-back Harry Taylor was desperately unlucky not to be No. 15.
Ken Hinkley was the other tough call given he had a couple of amazing seasons for the Cats.
In 1992 he finished third in the Brownlow Medal, won the Cats best and fairest and was named halfback in his second All-Australian team.
In the end longevity and premiership success formed the backbone of the list with current superstar Patrick Dangerfield the hardest to place.
His four seasons at Geelong have been incredible, he’s clearly in the top three players in the competition and will continue to move up the list in years to come, particularly if he can find September success.
1. GARY ABLETT SNR
Arguably the greatest player in history. The legend of Gazza had so many chapters from the average debut at Hawthorn to the powerhouse Geelong midfielder and then record-breaking full-forward. His lack of interest in training was legendary yet he was the complete package with explosive pace, jaw-dropping high-marking skills and prodigious two-sided kicking ability. He won three consecutive Coleman Medals in the later stages of his career, kicking over 100 goals each time including 129 goals in 1994. He was Geelong’s leading goalkicker nine times and a four-time All-Australian. Quite simply, a freak.
KEY STAT: 9 – goals kicked in a losing grand final side in 1989, an AFL record.
2. GARY ABLETT JNR
The ‘Little Master’ not only managed to break out of the shadow of his father, he put together an even more impressive CV. Two Brownlow Medals and twice runner-up, eight All-Australians including the captaincy in 2011 and two Geelong best and fairests in premiership years. A ball magnet with the best evasive skills in the game, he was almost unstoppable at his peak. Made a fairytale return to Kardinia Park in 2018 after a mid-career diversion to the Gold Coast where against the odds he became the best player in the competition.
KEY STAT: 261 – Brownlow Medal votes, more than any other player in history.
3. MATTHEW SCARLETT
Changed the way fullbacks played the game. Scarlett wasn’t your typical dour stay-at-home defender, he evolved into an offensive threat with his attacking flair becoming a critical part of Geelong’s premiership winning game plan. Essendon great Matthew Lloyd rated him his hardest opponent and while he won a best and fairest and was a six-time All-Australian, Scarlo’s toe poke to set up the winning goal in the 2009 Grand Final against St Kilda is his most telling stat.
KEY STAT: 34 – disposals, a career-high he achieved twice in his career.
4. JOEL SELWOOD
The most courageous player of his generation. A warrior in every sense of the word, from the moment he walked into Kardinia Park he was pegged as “the next captain”. Played in a premiership in his first year and won an extraordinary 85 of his first 100 games. A six-time All-Australian – he was named captain three times – Selwood was second in the 2013 Brownlow Medal and won three Geelong best and fairest awards. Took over the captaincy in 2012 at the age of 23.
KEY STAT: 186 – games as captain, a club record.
5. JIMMY BARTEL
One of the few players to have achieved the AFL’s Holy Trinity – Brownlow, Norm Smith and premiership medals. He also passed the magical 300-game mark in a career that was defined by big moments. No player loved the spotlight more than the boy from Bell Park who won the 2007 Brownlow by a stunning seven votes despite missing the last two games of the season. Strangely never won a B & F but a brilliant mark for his size with a fearlessness and consistency that made him a modern-day great.
KEY STAT: 8 – best-on-ground performances in his 29 votes to win the 2007 Brownlow Medal.
6. COREY ENRIGHT
One of the great recruiting coups of the modern era. From the small South Australian town of Kimba, Enright became one of the best halfbacks to have ever played. If they were revising the AFL’s Team of the Century tomorrow, he would be a lock. The man known as Boris played a club record 332 games and won the best and fairest in premiership years of 2009 and 2011 which says a lot. Walked away from the game in 2016 despite being awarded his sixth All-Australian jacket.
KEY STAT: 47 – the draft pick Geelong used to recruit Enright in 1999.
7. GARRY HOCKING
Tough, hard and uncompromising, ‘Buddha’ was the star of the unlucky Malcolm Blight/Gary Ayres era playing in four losing grand finals. He was also stiff not to win a Brownlow Medal, finishing on the podium four times. A regular for the Big V, he was a man of few words which made his decision to change his name by deed-poll to Whiskas in 1999 as part of a sponsorship deal even more alarming.
KEY STAT: 473 – games Garry (274) and his brother Steven (199) played for the Cats.
8. PAUL COUCH
Not many more popular characters than ‘Couchy’. He was the classic centreman, not overly blessed with pace but had an innate ball-getting ability and was a beautiful left-foot kick which saw him dominate the competition in 1989, winning the Brownlow Medal. His combination with good friend Mark ‘Toby’ Bairstow was a hallmark of the era where he won the Cats best and fairest three times and received two All-Australian selections.
KEY STAT: 700 – possessions Couch had in his dominant 1989 season, a league high.
9. STEVE JOHNSON
A freak with football in hand, Stevie J did things on the field that most could only dream about. A lad off it, his redemption story in 2007 after being banished by his teammates and then returning to win the Norm Smith Medal in a drought-breaking premiership victory was simply incredible. His famous sledge to an opponent about paying by “cash or credit” to watch his performance epitomised why he was a fan favourite.
KEY STAT: 452 – goals at Geelong from 253 games.
10. PATRICK DANGERFIELD
The hardest player to place in this list. Started his career in Adelaide but has played his best football at Geelong. His 95 games in the blue and white hoops has seen him win a Brownlow Medal, finish second in another and win three club best and fairests in four seasons (he finished equal second in 2018). All that is missing is a successful finals record which is what hurts him when compared with the premiership heroes of the past.
KEY STAT: 9 – the winning margin of Dangerfield’s 2016 Brownlow Medal victory. He polled 35 votes.
11. JOEL COREY
Revered by his premiership teammates which tells the story about the quietly spoken bull who was a key cog in the Cats midfield. He often sacrificed his own game for the benefit of others but still managed to win two best and fairests and was a two-time All-Australian. A contested ball machine, Corey broke the mould at 191cm and blazed the trail for the “big” mids of today like Patrick Cripps.
KEY STAT: 29 – possessions Corey averaged per game in 2008 when he won Cats B & F and was named All-Australian centreman.
12. PAUL CHAPMAN
Gave the Cats an edge with his physical style and win-at-all-costs attitude. Put the fear into many opponents across 251 games which saw him kick 336 goals. Chapman’s big game record speaks volumes. He won the 2009 Norm Smith Medal after kicking the winning goal and was runner-up in 2007 where he kicked four goals and took a memorable hanger in the rout of Port Adelaide.
KEY STAT: 6 – goals was his personal best against Adelaide in Round 18, 2009.
13. CAMERON LING
Wasn’t in the same league as a few of his teammates in the talent stakes but Ling was the cornerstone of the Cats triple premiership team. Turned himself from plump full-forward into the game’s best tagger who took the scalps of the competition’s elite midfielders week after week. His leadership behind-the-scenes was critical and in typical Ling fashion he retired after raising the premiership cup as captain in 2011.
KEY STAT: 45 – jumper number and Ling’s 246 games wearing it is easily the most ever. Melbourne’s Matthew Whelan is next on 150.
14. DARREN MILBURN
Rode shotgun with his good mate Matthew Scarlett terrorising opposition forwards. One of Dasher’s more memorable moments came in his early days when he nearly caused a riot at Princes Park after cleaning up Carlton legend Stephen Silvagni. It was this no-nonsense approach over 292 games which endeared him to his teammates who say the defender was the most underrated member of that golden era.
KEY STAT: 2007 – The year Milburn was named in the back pocket of the All-Australian team.
15. TOM HAWKINS
Has led the Cats goalkicking the past eight seasons and sits third on the club’s all-time list with 556 goals. But what gets him elevated up this list is the fact he single-handedly won Geelong the 2011 premiership. The Tomahawk destroyed Collingwood, kicking three goals in the third quarter to swing the game back to the Cats. A memorable performance and one Magpie Ben Reid has never forgotten.
KEY STAT: 68 – goals, his career-high season return in 2014.
16. BRAD OTTENS
One of the all-time great trades, Brent Moloney to Melbourne which allowed the Cats to give Richmond two first-round picks for Ottens. The big ruckman may have only played 116 games for the Cats but his influence in the three premierships was pronounced. His best-on-ground performance in the 2007 preliminary final nail bitter against Collingwood was enormous. Put simply, without Ottens the Cats wouldn’t have won as many flags.
KEY STAT: 12 & 16 – The draft picks Geelong gave Richmond for Ottens which they turned into Danny Meyer and Adam Pattison.
17. BARRY STONEHAM
At the peak of his powers Stoneham was the most dominant centre half-forward in the game, almost Wayne Carey-like, but sadly it was only fleeting. A broken leg in 1994 meant we never saw the best of him again but Stoneham was a legit star, winning the 1990 best and fairest and earning All-Australian selection in 1992. Finished with 241 games and 223 goals.
KEY STAT: 1995 – the year Stoneham missed completely because of injury.
18. ANDREW MACKIE
The architect of the defence throughout the premiership dynasty. A beautiful kick who managed 280 games despite never seeing the inside of a gym. His progression from skinny half-forward flanker to defensive quarterback was a critical component of the Cats attacking game style. Had a touch of class and was also one of the best sledgers going around.
KEY STAT: 7 – the number in the draft Mackie was taken in 2002.
19. JAMES KELLY
The ultimate role player. A member of the 300-game club – 273 of those at Geelong – Kelly was a classy midfielder who turned himself into a back pocket during the 2009 finals campaign and stitched up dangerous Saint Stephen Milne in the Grand Final. Tough and unrelenting, he was the perfect foil in the Cats’ galaxy of super stars.
KEY STAT: – 13 – tackles in 2011 grand final win over Collingwood. His PB was 16.
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20. PETER RICCARDI
Was unlucky to get caught between eras. Played in a losing grand final in his first season of 1992 – he was also part of the 1994-1995 GF disappointments – and then finished up in 2006, the year before the Cats drought-breaking premiership. A thumping left-foot kick, Riccardi’s pace was his biggest asset over his 288-game career.
KEY STAT: – 42 – possessions, a career-high against Port Adelaide in Round 18, 1997.
Originally published as Top 20: SuperFooty ranks the best Geelong players of the modern era
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