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2021 ABC Footballer of the Year - Clayton Oliver

Wilson7
Wilson7
in Melbourne Demons

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I was just too young to catch much of Robbie’s career but I find it hard to believe he could’ve been much better than this bloke who is 24 and breaking records. Unbelievable player and we’re lucky to have him.

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    5 minutes ago, Radar Detector said:

    I was just too young to catch much of Robbie’s career but I find it hard to believe he could’ve been much better than this bloke who is 24 and breaking records. Unbelievable player and we’re lucky to have him.

    A small of sack of rocks would have weighed more than Robbie go to you tube a see just what this man did.

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    Robbie was incomparable. He was that far ahead of all others.

    Clarrie will one day be ranked second, if not already. But never equal or better.

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    If Robbie had Clayton’s build he would have won 3 Brownlows.

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    9 minutes ago, tiers said:

    Robbie was incomparable. He was that far ahead of all others.

    Clarrie will one day be ranked second, if not already. But never equal or better.

    I have seen the great Robbie flower at his best and I truly believe that Clarry is at least  Robbie's equal. They were and are absolute footballing wizards.  And then of course there was another bloke by the name of Ronald Dale Barassi. Legends all three.

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    10 minutes ago, Bobby McKenzie said:

    I have seen the great Robbie flower at his best and I truly believe that Clarry is at least  Robbie's equal. They were and are absolute footballing wizards.  And then of course there was another bloke by the name of Ronald Dale Barassi. Legends all three.

    I saw him as well, Clarry is getting close but Flowers decision making and field kicking is way ahead of Clarry's at the moment that is just an area that he has to clean up, by the way just watch the ball drop of Flower's for kicking very low great connection plus he could kick both feet without a problem.

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    Comparisons are odious especially re Clarrie and Tulip. Oliver is a contested beast inside mid, Robbie was an artist on the outside. They are both equally great, in their own way.

    Lets not forget Max - will be a 5 time AA and quite possibly AA captain this year. I’m not sure any other ruckman has achieved as much.

    Edited by chook fowler

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    3 hours ago, Ouch! said:

    Totally agree with the top 3, and TBH, we have a chance of maybe 4 players in All Australian team this year, combine that with 4 players in the under 22 team, and potentially a rising star winner, a brownlow, a premiership, coaches award, coach of the year...  not bad for a team that has constantly been saying since the pre-season that they play for each other, rather than the accolades. 

    Awesome!!!

    I think Max, Oliver and Trac are AA locks. Max will be the captain. I reckon Lever is a good chance based on intercept avg record alone. May will have a tough contest to make it but will be in the 40. Salem will probably just miss out. I truely wonder who will get the small forward role. I think Kozzy has better stats than Papley or Cameron but given his youth will probably need another year like this year.

    Fritta is another that may get a look in. Other than that I’m not sure who else in the team is a shot. 

     

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    1 hour ago, tiers said:

    Robbie was incomparable. He was that far ahead of all others.

    Clarrie will one day be ranked second, if not already. But never equal or better.

    If Clarry wins the norm smith this year I beg to differ.

    I loved Robbie as does every other Melbourne supporter ever. This is not a knock on him.

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    4 hours ago, Colin B. Flaubert said:

    You could just tell from his first game he was going to be absolutely sensational. We’ve had other blokes come in and have high possession debuts, but the amount he got in the game time he did and what he did with his possessions marked him out as a once in a generation player. 

    Having 3 deadset champions in our team feels surreal. If he can fix his set shot goal kicking, then he goes into some truly rarefied air.

    I think we have more than 3: try Oliver, Petracca, Gawn, May, Salem, Lever

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    6 minutes ago, Dees2014 said:

    I think we have more than 3: try Oliver, Petracca, Gawn, May, Salem, Lever

    I’d say that if you added the last 3 in isolation to a team say like Hawthorn, North or Gold Coast, they would be magnificent additions. But they wouldn’t be the types of players to build a club around.

    I think if you added the three I selected to those teams, they’d instantly be aiming for top of the bottom 8, just short of finals.

    Anyway… aren’t you the same bloke who started the ‘Is Goodwin the right guy?’ thread?🤨

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    2 hours ago, Bobby McKenzie said:

    I have seen the great Robbie flower at his best and I truly believe that Clarry is at least  Robbie's equal. They were and are absolute footballing wizards.  And then of course there was another bloke by the name of Ronald Dale Barassi. Legends all three.

    I think you have to let Clarry get to 270 games and then make the comparison 

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    uh-oh - there is a new media darling in town...and it aint The Bont.

    Screen Shot 2021-08-22 at 7.59.39 pm.png

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    Clayton Oliver is our quiet achiever, each year he has gone up another notch and has now reached the elite level in the AFL. He has endeared himself to all our supporters he is the best mid that I have seen in the Red & Blue and if everything was even he would be a shoe in for the Brownlow. What a game last night Clarry will be integral in in any success we have going forward. Love this kid.💕

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    3 hours ago, chook fowler said:

    Comparisons are odious especially re Clarrie and Tulip. Oliver is a contested beast inside mid, Robbie was an artist on the outside. They are both equally great, in their own way.

    Lets not forget Max - will be a 5 time AA and quite possibly AA captain this year. I’m not sure any other ruckman has achieved as much.

    Chook is correct. I don't want to derail this thread, but in case you haven't seen this you'll quickly see both Clarry and Robbie are/were elite in different ways.

     

    Edited by M_9

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    43 minutes ago, M_9 said:

    Chook is correct. I don't want to derail this thread, but in case you haven't seen this you'll quickly see both Clarry and Robbie are/were elite in different ways.

     

    One thing that should just be added for the benefit of our younger members is that probably only 10-15% of Melbourne games from the bulk of the Robbie Flower era were covered by television.  So there's a vast amount of Flower highlights that will remain etched in the memories of those of us luck enough to see him play his entire career.  FWIW, I now have Clarry as the equal of Flower after his efforts this year.  He has a very different skill set to Flower and his kicking skills are notably inferior, but his consistency and ferocity at the contest are phenomenal and his handballing skills and sixth sense of team mates positioning is the stuff of legend, have no doubt.

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    We can only hope that Clarry achieves two awards that Robbie didn't - a premiership medal and a Brownlow medal.

    BTW I'll go to my grave with memories of two of my idols, RDB and Robbie.

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    Carry is probably the best player I've ever seen in our colours. having said that Max Gawn's resume will be something else when he retires

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    6 hours ago, Cranky Franky said:

    Certainly an outstanding contested ball winner but comparisons with Flower are awkward as they played in very different positions in different eras.

    The best current comparison to Flower would be Ed Langdon.

     

    With the greatest respect to Ed Langdon, he is nowhere near, not even close to the footballer that Robert Flower was. Quite frankly, any comparison between Langdon & Flower is so far off the mark, it is laughable. Flower played full back, centre half forward & full forward with aplomb. He’s one of the three greatest wingman to have ever played. He could mark overhead and kick beautifully.  I like Langdon, but any comparison with R Flower is insane!

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    2 hours ago, M_9 said:

    Chook is correct. I don't want to derail this thread, but in case you haven't seen this you'll quickly see both Clarry and Robbie are/were elite in different ways.

     

    Thanks for those highlights. I count myself lucky to have seen Robbie play many games and they are my fondest football memory. His talent was incomparable, yet he was the most humble of men. He had it all and there has been no line like him. He is more than a legend - an immortal in my eyes and as such beyond comparison. I think we will place Clarrie, Trac and Max in the same pantheon. 

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    Another reason to thank Paul Roos.

    We used pick 4 on a rough round the edges, overweight country kid, essentially on the back of two months of impressive footy in the TAC. The potential for the decision to bite us was huge. But Roosy wanted him, and we drafted what has turned out to be a rare amongst the most rare of talents.

    He does what the true greats do. He makes the gig look easy.

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    2 hours ago, Copuchas said:

    One thing that should just be added for the benefit of our younger members is that probably only 10-15% of Melbourne games from the bulk of the Robbie Flower era were covered by television.  So there's a vast amount of Flower highlights that will remain etched in the memories of those of us luck enough to see him play his entire career.  FWIW, I now have Clarry as the equal of Flower after his efforts this year.  He has a very different skill set to Flower and his kicking skills are notably inferior, but his consistency and ferocity at the contest are phenomenal and his handballing skills and sixth sense of team mates positioning is the stuff of legend, have no doubt.

    Good call , robbie played when wings were wings  . Brave , skilful , mercurial . He also played in poor side for most of career. He played in other positions to plug deficiencies. Games have changed since prior 87. 
    But I digress, well done  clarry If we make the gf  hope brownlow week before. 

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    The best player I have seen in red and blue in my 33 years following the club. 

    Interesting that he has started taking great overhead marks again. Viney mentioned on the footy show that he is a great mark when he doesn’t have bung shoulders. So he could get even better!

    i have never seen a player drag the team over the line like he does. Watch his 2nd half from Sat night, just remarkable. Then watch him when he is singing the song at the end. Veins popping out - he wants this so bad and loves the boys and the club

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