This should stoke the fire as to who is “better”. Rance (28 yoa) competed in more 1:1 contests , each won 80%. Hurls zoned off more and was more attacking. Unfortunately, Hurls ( 27yoa) tailed off towards the end of the season, but also started it a bit out of touch after being out of the game for a year.
Clearly, if Rance was AA Hurls would have to be also. Stoppers like Talia & Ambrose are OK at what they do, but are much more limited players.
R50s 3.88 I50s 0.88 per game
R50s 6.9 I50s 1.19 per game
Conclusion, Rance and Hurley are very close and if Rance is the GOAT, its not by much.
Those numbers on Hurley are actually quite something, when you consider that not only did he play on the number 1 forward every week, but we were farkin rubbish for huge chunks of that year and copped some absolute drubbings.
Silvagni was the best pure one on one defender I’ve ever seen play, and he did it in one of the toughest eras to ever do it. He was just so hard to beat.
Could kick 10 if you chucked him up the other end, too.
He was also consistently troubled by Salmon, which I also liked.
Rance is pretty damn good, but the way they throw GOAT around like it’s not even a contest… Damn that’s annoying.
‘GOAT’ actually means ‘Greatest of all the time that your pathetic little memories can encompass simultaneously, and please click the link below’.
Also known quaintly as ‘GOATTYPLMCESAPCTLB’. For short.
I reckon history will judge Rance a better defender than Silvagni. What Rance does better than any player I’ve seen is leave his opponent and effect a spoil on a contest between players that he is not directly opposed to.
Silvagni stuck to his opponent like glue and did not have this element to his game. Rance’s judgment and athleticism to leave his opponent and kill the contest is uncanny. He effectively plays a lock-down role and a loose defender role simulateously. Fletch could do this too, but he perhaps isn’t quite as strong one-on-one. But Fletch’s ability to set up play with his kicking was streets ahead of Rance, Silvagni and Scarlett.
If Rance has another season like the last one, I’ll re-evaluate.
It’s difficult to judge him against the other three because defence in general has changed. It’s far more a team thing than it was.
And it’s not Rance’s fault that Full Forwards are less of a thing now.
Even then, I recall Modra kicking 13 on Silvagni.
I don’t know if Rance will play on Daniher this year. It’ll be interesting if he does, though.
Didnt Astbury hold Joey to 3 & and Rance went to Hooker and blanketted him? However despite us winning clearances and contested posessions they overwhelmed us with inside 50s and overtook us in the last quarter.
That worked well. They will try that again.
I expect Daniher to be a better player generally, this year.
And I have no idea how we’ll set up.
I don’t expect it to be the same as last year, because we have different players.
All true, although if Rance was playing one-out in the goal square against plugger, with a virtually empty forward 50 ahead of them, I’m not sure how many other contests he’d be getting to.
As Wim said, difficult to compare defenders across different eras.
Personally, if Rance continues to play out his career in similar form to his previous few years, then yeah, he’ll be in the discussion.
Foxtel were replaying the 90s finals series and i was lucky enough to catch the 93 x2 and 99 finals against Carlton. Silvagni got beaten easily by salmon and lloyd in all 3 of those finals and the only time he seemed to neutralise the contest was when he had a handful of jumper. He wouldn’t get away with the holding, grabbing and hands in the back now days but agree was one out more often.
Speaking of that 90s finals series i also saw the 95 final against Richmond. I always thought people saying the old days was much better footy were just general whingers or old timers but gee that era was great. I don’t get the bullshit now that the game is much quicker, back then the ball use to ping from one end to the other lightning quick and the spectacular moments seemed about triple what they are now.