I think where McCluggage elevates himself is encapsulated in the stat that he was the most effective inside 50 kick in the competition last season. And thatās the money kick. Finding your way through the opposition zone and spotting someone up for a shot at goal.
I really dont put much weight into statistics at all.
10 attacking disposals which are to the direct benefit of the person recieving the ball as opposed to 20 blind handpasses/ kicks out of a stoppage to thin are will statistically look great for McGrath and wont reflect the impact of the 10 precise disposals to the teams benefit
Interesting article - Matt Rowe ahead of Brendon Goddard so early into his career feels like a stretch. He may become one of the greatest of all time? Only time can tell, but as it stands now, thatās pretty rough on BJ IMO.
If you look at McGrathās body of work in 2020, the potential to be an elite player of the competition certainly exists. Having started his career as a halfback, McGrath was thrown into the midfield with great effect this season, enjoying career high averages in disposals, contested possessions, clearances, inside 50s and tackles. Perhaps the only slight knock (and itās not even his fault) is the quality of the two players selected after him in 2016, Tim Taranto and Hugh McCluggage, who right now are ahead of him in terms of output. However, just like the 2001 Draft, thereās plenty of time to catch up!
6. Sam Walsh (2018)
Few players have come into the league and had such a profound and immediate impact as Walsh did for the Blues in 2019. As an 18-year-old, Walsh played every game in his rookie year, finishing the season with an average of 25 disposals, 10 contested possessions, three tackles, three clearances and three inside 50s per game, winning the Rising Star Award by the length of the Flemington straight. Blessed with elite endurance, Walsh has all the makings of a 300-plus game champion for Carlton and could very well turn out to be one of the clubās best ever draft choices, in what is already proving to be a strong class.
3. Matt Rowell (2019)
It might seem utterly crazy to rank a five-game player as the third best No. 1 Draft pick of the past two decades, but as mentioned from the outset, predicting the potential output of a player has been taken into consideration here. Statistically, Rowell produced the best first four games of any player in the sportās history and would have been a lock for the Rising Star Award had he not suffered a shoulder injury in game five. The young Sun averaged 22 disposals and almost two goals per games in those first four outings and looks set to be one of the gameās absolute elite midfielders for the next decade and a half. If this guy doesnāt win a Brownlow Medal in his career, something will have gone seriously wrong.
What Rowell did by being best on ground (3 brownlow votes) in 3 of his first 4 games was unprecedented for an 18 year old draftee. It was incredible. I canāt recall ever seeing it.
But he really has not been the same player since his injuries.
Definitely been more than solid this year after a full pre-season but he has looked a lot more plain than when he first started. And perhaps the opposition have put more time into him since those early days too.
Still, he is still young so Iām looking forward to seeing how his career transpires and if he is able to elevate himself again among the competitionās best/better midfielders.