THE REAL MVP
The Age
Wednesday September 23, 2009
Geelong may struggle if Ablett has an off day, but Saints' hopes would vanish without Riewoldt. WE ALL know the question. It's been debated in pub bars, schoolyard's, media circles and, dare I say it, the recruiting offices of future club franchises around the country.If you lined up all the players in the competition and had first pick in the "fantasy draft", who would you go for? And more often than not it comes down to a selection between the best midfielder and the No. 1 key forward.Well, what better way to find the answer to that question than to identify the midfield and key forward players who fits that criteria, ensure they are in the very best form, place them in two very even teams and have them play on the most important day on the football calendar and see who can influence their team most, and the result, and lead them to premiership glory.Gary Ablett and Nick Riewoldt are those two players. Right now, if you were starting a team from scratch, which player would you take first?Ablett capped off a remarkable three years of sustained brilliance by romping away with the Brownlow Medal. His form has not wavered one tiny bit throughout the two finals he has played this season, where he has arguably been best on ground on both occasions.Riewoldt's season has been nothing short of magnificent. He has torn the two finals games he has played in to shreds, being the dominant presence on the ground.The two of them could not have made more compelling cases for the right to be nominated as the most important and influential players of this year's grand final.Maybe it comes down to personal preference. The umpires seem to have made their feelings clear. In their eyes it is the midfield players who determine the results of games more consistently and effectively than those that sit in the forward half.But did Ablett have twice the year that Riewoldt had €” 30 votes to the Cats maestro, as opposed to the Saints skipper's 15 €” would, on votes alone, suggest that was the case.The leading Brownlow vote-winners in 14 of the 16 teams were midfielders, with Mark LeCras (nine votes) and Matthew Richardson (six), the exception. Jonathan Brown flew the flag bravely for the big forwards, tying with Simon Black on 19 at the Brisbane Lions.But it's not just the umpires that are leaning the way of the midfielder. The players made their feelings known when they voted for this year's Most Valuable Player €” again identifying Ablett as the No. 1 man in the game, ahead of Dane Swan and Chris Judd. Riewoldt came in fourth.Perhaps the most interesting insight into the "who's more valuable" debate came in last friday's preliminary final between the Saints and the Dogs. With the game in the balance, two St Kilda players stood up and willed their team across the line. Lenny Hayes did it from the middle of the ground with an amazing 14 possessions in the last quarter €” highlighted by a kamikaze-like attack on the ball.Riewoldt did the rest, kicking the last two goals of the game and four of the last six for the Saints. So when it comes to awarding best-on-ground honours, which way do you go? Is it the player in the middle who gets things going and provides the opportunity, or is it the player at the forward end who makes something of those opportunities and turns them into scoreboard realities?There was no consensus. Some had Hayes as their man, others argued that Riewoldt was the difference.Stand by for the accusations of bias, but for me it was Riewoldt. In a low-scoring contest where goals were more important than clearances and contested possessions, he was the player that ensured the Saints would take their place at the MCG on Saturday.This brings us to the most important two hours of the season. And if I had this mystical first choice of the 42 players who would take the field for the game that matters most, I would take Riewoldt ahead of Ablett.And it quite simply comes down to this: Can the Saints win the grand final if Riewoldt is not in their best three or four players on the ground? I don't think they can.Can the Cats win if Ablett is not in their best three or four players? It makes it decidedly harder, but I still think they could prevail.The focus of attention on Riewoldt is going to be massive. Yes, Justin Koschitzke is crucial, with support from Michael Gardiner, and Adam Schneider and Stephen Milne need to improve dramatically, and Andrew McQualter and Luke Ball will work hard defensively, but Riewoldt is a challenge that not only Harry Taylor will be focusing on, but the whole of the Geelong defence. He will not be given a moment's peace. There will be no easy ball for him, no possession conceded, no path to the ball unencumbered by one, two or three Geelong players. As a key forward he is limited, to a degree, as to where he ply's his trade. Yes, he can work up the ground and will take marks on the wing, but it is from the front of the centre square to the goal line where he will stake his claim as a match-winner.There will be no surprises for the Cats defence. His modus operandi is known to all and it will be up to them to stop him.Ablett will roam the MCG far and wide exerting his influence. For long periods against Collingwood he was left to his own devices, either by design in an attempt to play off him, or an inability to match is inexhaustible work-rate. His stoppage and clearance work was, and will be, critical in setting the tone for the game.But, as unbelievable as he is, his performance will not be mutually exclusive in relation to the result. Joel Selwood, Joel Corey, Cameron Ling and Jimmy Bartel complement his midfield work to such a degree that the Cats have been able to lord over the competition despite the fact that they have had no dominant key forward.Riewoldt does not share that luxury. Despite the relatively quiet input from his fellow forwards in the finals this year, he has still managed to dominate against highly regarded opponents, Simon Prestigiacomo and Dale Morris.The debate has raged for decades and most likely will for years to come. Maybe Saturday's contest will help provide us with more evidence to find the answer.Regardless, we are blessed to be able to go along and witness the kings of their respective domains strut their stuff on the biggest of stages.Within the biggest battle of all, the battle for ultimate value between star forward and brilliant midfielder looms as a fascinating one.I'm going with Riewoldt. What's that? Did someone mention Matthew Scarlett? That's an argument for another day.
© 2009 The Age
Share This