On 01/04/2018 at 10:46 AM, Diamond_Jim said:

11 kicks ... 24 handballs

Needs to reverse that and then he will start getting the accolades he probably deserves from the commentators

Why? No player hits a target with a handball and breaks up a stoppage as good as him. There is a reason why we are so good in that area. His hands are as good in traffic as I've ever seen.

4 hours ago, Gorgoroth said:

Meters gained for each player would be vastly in Judds favour. 

Also wonder what the K-H ratio is opposed to overall disposals.

Oliver’s H-K ratio is approx. 2/3 where Judd’s was 1/4. 

Edited April 2, 20187 yr by Ethan Tremblay

Judd had his heyday in a juiced up WC and flanked by Cousins and Kerr, superstar midfielders in their own right at that time.  Went to Carlton and had zero influence on the blues fortunes when he had to do it all on his own. Clarrie still has to stamp his greatness on the game but it will happen. 

Edited April 2, 20187 yr by america de cali

and don't forget his contested possession counts are huge

Oliver will be better than Judd. We have obviously hit the jackpot with this kid. Not only did we go out on a limb to take him so early in the draft, but we went out on a limb to trade into the pick we taken him at. Whoever came up with that idea and pulled the trigger on it deserves a medal. Drafting the right talent is half the battle for us. Good we got this one right, and thankfully lady luck also came our way with St Kilda overlooking Petracca. Its really set us up.

On 4/1/2018 at 12:38 PM, bananas said:

That thirty metre handpass to Trac in space which led to Hogan's 5th goal? Yeah … that was better than any [censored] kick.

There was another where he leapt into the air at a stoppage grabbed it above his head and handballed it down a team mates throat before his feet even hit the ground.

He's a freak

Judd was unbelievable. Never seen a better first three years than his. 

Crazy comparison. Love Oliver, can’t wait to clap him off the field in his 300th as a multiple premiership player

I think the comparison with Judd is mostly on the basis of impressive starts to a career. The same was done with Bontempelli who is obviously a different type of player again.

Oliver’s Brownlow tally this year will be interesting to say the least.

To answer the question posed, Oliver's first couple of years re not as good as Judd's. But I can't think of any other player in the last 50 years who had a better start than Judd. On the other hand, it's been a better start than Ablett Jr, Martin and Dangerfield, so I'm happy with that. 

The percentage of his split second handballs that fall into in the arms or to the advantage of a teammate is astounding.

How about his handball to Petracca in the last quarter?

I don't think we've had a player like this before....In fact, I don't think anyone has.

Edited April 3, 20187 yr by Demon Jack

20 hours ago, Jaded said:

It’s such an odd comparison, because they are very different player. The only commonality between the two, is they are both exceptional players. 

Oliver is one of the best players I have ever seen in a Melbourne jumper. His hands are phenomenal. I can’t wait to see how far he goes. The sky is literally the limit for this kid. 

Oliver is playing so well against state-of-the-art opponents that he is in league with Robbie, with Schwarter, with Brian Wilson. There is no end, it seems, to this growth - he already takes two opponents himself from the opposition. 

Back in the  days when the Sydney swans were standard Sunday arvo viewing, I was constantly astounded by Greg Williams ability to handball effectively out of a pack.

Clarrie provides similar  amazement!!!

But comparisons are usually meaningless. Rather let Clarrie be his own man and just revel in the fact that we are watching the growth of a genius. Leave the comparisons until he has retired after 300 games with the MFC and is recognized as a legend.

Edited April 3, 20187 yr by Bitter but optimistic

Oliver overlooked again.

Player		K	H	D	M	HO	FF	FA	T	G		B		AF
Rory Sloane		13	12	25	4	0	3	1	7	2		0		115
Dustin Martin		19	6	25	3	0	0	3	7	5		0		127
Gary Ablett		17	18	35	7	0	2	1	6	1		1		138
Patrick Dangerfield		16	15	31	4	0	3	0	3	2		1		118
Tom Mitchell		21	19	40	4	0	2	2	4	2		0		137
Jarryd Lyons		27	9	36	2	0	2	1	6	1		0		134
Ollie Wines		18	17	35	3	1	0	1	6	1		0		125
Nat Fyfe		19	10	29	7	0	1	1	5		1                            1		123

                Stephen Coniglio                              16         11        27       7          0            2           1        3                   3                            0                  123

                              Clayton Oliver                    11         24       35        3          0            2           0        8                   0                            1                  123

all the above apart from Oliver in the team of the week, major difference appears to be kicks and goals.

Goal kicking is the big one. It's the only thing separating Clarry from the truly elite midfielders. If he can start kicking goals consistently then he will immediately become a top 5 player. At present he isn't as damaging as most of the above listed due to this one aspect. He's got them beat for clearances, contested ball and tackles, but at the end of the day the game is about kicking goals. He needs to contribute more in goals and score assists to elevate himself to the elite level.

He's more than capable, it will just take time to find that balance. Still only 20 years old and less than 40 games into his career! His output thus far is phenomenal, and I honestly think he's already close to being the best Melbourne midfielder I can remember in my time. Finally a superstar in red and blue!