Are only great players those who have won titles?

Question

You can not class a player as great until he has won a title. Lets face it, Gary Ablett and Nathan Buckley were very skillful players, but they were not great. They couldn't make their best talents shine on the ultimate stage. Another team unit was able to mollify their ability to win the most important game. If they were great, the team they led should of been able to win a title as no other player could stop them. Being great means you are better than anyone else, so logically the title should be yours. Now there have been less talented players with premierships, so i'm not saying everyone who win ones is great, but lets get over this rubbish of lionising players who haven't won the only real ultimate prize, its is after all a team game, and what good is winning brownlows or goal kicking awards if you can't win a title.

Answer 1

You've mentioned Gary Ablett snr & Buckley. They were individuals - especially Ablett.

Some players do all the things expected of a team player but not them two. I'm glad they never ended up with an AFL grand final medallion. Someone else has mentioned Dean kemp - & I agree with that person's comments about him. He was a real team player.

Nowadays Kemp can attend all the grand final reunions & wafrfle on over a nice glass of wine (it used to be beer!) & talk of the couple of premiership winning teams he was a member of - with fellow team-mates.

Individual winners like to accumulate such accolades but most of those players are only legends in their own lunchbox.

Answer 2

**I agree with Lozz.  AFL is a team game so even if your team doesn't win a Grand Final, it doesn't mean that an individual player is any less as good as what he would be if he did win a Grand Final.**

Answer 3

I disagree. One player cannot be responsible for winning a Premiership for the whole team. It has to be a team effort. Both Ablett and Buckley are legends of the game, and have proven that through individual achievements, which they deserved.

Answer 4

HERE, HERE. I most certainly agree,  

Answer 5

You raise some valid points but I must disagree with the fact that only if you play for the finals winning team can you be classified as "Great". There are numerous players that every week put it all out there and their contribution to their team is of the utmost importance, they may not be the number 1 goal kickers or that amazing defence, but ultimatley they play their heart out for their team. These are the great players. You do not need to win the Brownlow, coleman or any of the prestiges awards to be concidered a "great player". Nathan Buckley and Gary Ablett were both "great" players. They lifted the game and will live in memories as two outstanding players that were up there with the best! My personal opinion is you can have the ultimate winning team at the end of a season but within the other teams you CAN have great memorable players!

Answer 6

I would put Dean Kemp in that category he wasn't the star player in his side but he was instrumental in helping win many games including the 1994 GF winning the Norm Smith medal and a great team player.

In fact even though Cousins and Judd won Brownlows I think Kemp was the greatest Eagle to play for them.