GREATEST FULL BACK
May 15th 2008 03:21
Glenn Archer implied in today's Herald Sun that Matthew Scarlett of Geelong is a better full back than the great Stephen Silvagni. This proved to be an interesting thought, as it reminded me of how much AFL has changed in the last decade, and whether or not the time that the players played in affected how great they would become.
Take Silvagni for example. He played in a great era of footy, where the backmen had an equal chance to fight for the ball in every contest. It was a one on one focussed game, with some of the most famous duals in recent memory. He played against many of the greats, including Lockett, Lloyd, Dunstall and Ablett, and maintained a very respectable record overall. Silvagni was quick, and very gifted once he had the ball, and was also efficient up forward. He is in the team of the century, and will forever be remembered as one of the greatest footballers ever seen.
Scarlett is playing in an era where full backs have to avoid the hands in the back rule, chopping of the arms and one on one contests are becoming a rarity. It requires new ideas and new skills to overcome these infringements. Scarlett has adapted exceptionally, and yet so have many others.
I think we can only compare the two once Scarlett has retired. In my opinion he is not quite at Silvagni's level, but he has years of potenital ahead of him. It is too early to predict it.
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