Who is the best ever AFL footballer?

Answer 1

AnswerTony Lockett, Wayne Carey or Gary Ablett Snr AnswerThere are going to be all sorts of opinions on this.

State or AFL Football has been officially running since 1896, and had been going for some decades prior.

However, having said that, since 1924 the most coveted award in Australian Football has been the Brownlow Medal.

No one has ever won that medal more than 3 times in their entire careers. Nevertheless, there have been 4 players who have achieved that feat ... and those 4 players were:

Haydn Bunton (Snr), Dick Reynolds, Robert (Bobby) Skilton and Ian Stewart.

However, only Bunton holds the formidable honour, after having shifted to Western Australia, of also winning that state's top football award, the Sandover Medal, 3 times as well.

So Bunton stands out as having won state best and fairest awards a record of 6 times.

However, some of history's most outstanding players never or rarely won such awards.

And any of the following names might also be considered candidates for "the best ever":

Jason Dunstall, John Coleman, Gary Ablett [senior or junior - personally, I prefer Junior], Laurie Nash, Alex Jesaulenko, Ted Whitten, Graham Farmer, Leigh Matthews, James Hird, Russell Ebert, Darrel Baldock, Dick Reynolds.

Most of these players could rip an opposing team apart almost single-handedly.

Answer 2

36 POSSIBLE GREATEST AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALLERS OF ALL-TIME

Considered to be Among the Most Brilliant, Most Inspiring Footballers of their Generation or of All-Time, who mainly played in the VFL/AFL - no particular order:

Gary Ablett Snr

Gary Ablett Jnr

Haydn Bunton Snr

John Coleman

Jason Dunstall

Alex [Jezza] Jesaulenko

Leigh Matthews

Graham Farmer

John Greening

James Hird

Laurie Nash

Russell Ebert

Barrie Robran

EJ [Ted] Whitten

Robert [Bobby] Skilton

Dick Reynolds

Ivor Warne-Smith

Michael Tuck

Wayne Carey

Tony Lockett

Robert Harvey

Peter Daicos

Garry Lyon

Darryl Baldock

Kevin Bartlett

John Nicholls

Kevin Murray

Bob Pratt

Stephen Silvagni

Gordon Coventry

Bruce Doull

Les Foote

Tim Watson

Jack Regan

Peter Hudson

Geoff Southby

Answer 3

The mind boggles with some of the really great names in the history of Australian football.

But the 2 standout names among it all would have to be John Nicholls of Carlton and Graham Farmer of Geelong [also of East Perth and West Perth]. The fortunate thing for many of us was that these two played over much the same era; so we got to see them in direct contest ... and what a battle for effectiveness it was!

Other great ruckmen that come immediately to mind among the very Greats are:

Len Thompson, Big Bob Johnson, Graham Moss, Ray Gabelich, Roy Cazaly