Geelong players understandably received every Norm Smith Medal vote after their 81-point Grand Final demolition of Sydney – but the best player on the ground was a Swan.
According to the Official AFL Player Ratings (as per the AFL website), it was the Swans’ Chad Warner who led all comers.
He kicked two goals from 29 disposals, along with 18 contested possessions, 10 clearances, six score involvements, seven intercepts and 583 metres gained, proving he’s a future superstar of the competition.
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The next eight-best players on the ground were in Geelong colours, including Norm Smith medallist Isaac Smith (32 disposals, three goals, 14 score involvements) and runner-up Patrick Dangerfield (27 disposals, 19 contested possessions, nine clearances, six goal assists and 13 score involvements), who rounded out the podium.
At the other end of the spectrum, the Swans had six of the worst seven players on the ground, including two of the three who produced a negative rating.
Shockingly at the bottom of the list was Lance Franklin, who produced a score of -3.5 points – suggesting he had a negative impact on Sydney’s performance. Franklin kicked 0.1 from five disposals.
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Below, every player in the Grand Final is ranked from 1-46 (best to worst), based on Champion Data’s numbers.
1. Chad Warner (Sydney Swans)
2. Isaac Smith (Geelong Cats)
3. Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong Cats)
4. Mark Blicavs (Geelong Cats)
5. Brad Close (Geelong Cats)
6. Tyson Stengle (Geelong Cats)
7. Tom Atkins (Geelong Cats)
8. Mitch Duncan (Geelong Cats)
9. Zach Tuohy (Geelong Cats)
10. Luke Parker (Sydney Swans)
11. Robbie Fox (Sydney Swans)
12. James Rowbottom (Sydney Swans)
13. Rhys Stanley (Geelong Cats)
14. Isaac Heeney (Sydney Swans)
15. Tom Stewart (Geelong Cats)
16. Cam Guthrie (Geelong Cats) – subbed out in fourth quarter
17. Tom Papley (Sydney Swans)
18. Tom Hickey (Sydney Swans)
19. Joel Selwood (Geelong Cats)
20. Mark O’Connor (Geelong Cats)
21. Will Hayward (Sydney Swans)
22. Sam De Koning (Geelong Cats)
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23. Hayden McLean (Sydney Swans)
24. Gryan Miers (Geelong Cats)
25. Jeremy Cameron (Geelong Cats)
26. Ryan Clarke (Sydney Swans)
27. Paddy McCartin (Sydney Swans)
28. Tom Hawkins (Geelong Cats)
29. Tom McCartin (Sydney Swans)
30. Callum Mills (Sydney Swans)
31. Brandan Parfitt (Geelong Cats) – subbed on in fourth quarter
32. Jake Lloyd (Sydney Swans)
33. Errol Gulden (Sydney Swans)
34. Zach Guthrie (Geelong Cats)
35. Jack Henry (Geelong Cats)
36. Justin McInerney (Sydney Swans)
37. Jed Bews (Geelong Cats)
38. Sam Reid (Sydney Swans) – subbed out early in third quarter
39. Jake Kolodjashnij (Geelong Cats)
40. Braeden Campbell (Sydney Swans) – subbed on early in third quarter
41. Dylan Stephens (Sydney Swans)
42. Dane Rampe (Sydney Swans)
43. Nick Blakey (Sydney Swans)
44. Oliver Florent (Sydney Swans) [negative rating]
45. Gary Rohan (Geelong Cats) [negative rating]
46. Lance Franklin (Sydney Swans) [negative rating]
