2 days ago
Nat Fyfe goes down as a great of the AFL, but where does he sit on the list of modern WA players?
The retirement of a sporting great always sparks conversation — from reminiscing about the incredible moments they produced, to debate over where they sit in the pantheon of legends.
Will Steve Smith be considered better than Ricky Ponting? Is LeBron James ahead of Kobe Bryant? Are you in the Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo camp? Serena Williams or Margaret Court?
So it is, that with Nathan Fyfe announcing his retirement, the inevitable conversation commences.
Of the AFL-era players, where does Fyfe sit? Or, to narrow it down further, of the AFL-era players from Western Australia, does he get a spot on our Mount Rushmore?
The sculpture, in the US state of South Dakota, features four presidents — George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln — and is often used as way of ranking film and sports personalities.
To make the mountain is to be considered among the very best.
Two Brownlow Medals speak to Fyfe's individual brilliance, but they don't entirely capture his impact. In 2015, the year of his first medal, he finished the season with a fractured leg, which led to him managing just five games in 2016.
His second, in 2019, was won as the Dockers lost eight of their last nine games, and won just eight games for the year — and he still accumulated 33 Brownlow votes.
He sits 13th on the list of all-time vote getters, though just three modern-day players average more votes per game than the kid from Lake Grace — Nick Daicos, Patrick Cripps and Lachie Neale.
At his best, Fyfe was a complete footballer.
He started life off as a skinny forward with sticky hands, before morphing into a midfield beast, becoming the prototype for the bulls running around in the AFL today.
"[He] single-handedly put the club on the map, but he stayed true through the whole time," retired teammate Michael Walters said of Fyfe.
"[He's a] legend of the footy club, legend of the AFL, future hall-of-famer, two-time Brownlow Medallist."
Remember when he burst through four Geelong players to kick a goal, or when he took an iconic hanger over Richmond's Anthony Miles at Subiaco Oval?
Or his epic duel with Patrick Dangerfield at the Adelaide Oval in 2015, where he finished with 40 disposals and a goal?
Fyfe is absolutely in the top echelon of WA AFL footballers, but does he get a face on the mountain? And who else is up there?
Lance 'Buddy' Franklin is our George Washington, who occupies the most prominent position on the mountain — 1,066 goals in an era that didn't see big forwards dominate with anywhere near the impact they did in bygone eras is a staggering achievement.
But it was how he kicked goals that put him at a different level — from raking set shots from outside 50, to astounding athleticism (think Cale Hooker's chase down the wing) — Franklin was a nightmare for defenders, doing the impossible with incredible regularity.
He was a player who embodied the phrase, "You just can't do that", as he did just "that" over and again.
But the remaining three places are harder to quantify — the candidates are plenty, the spots few.
Glen Jakovich did what almost no-one else could — tame Wayne Carey in his pomp. Their duels have become stuff of legends, and he's in the AFL's Hall of Fame.
He won two premierships, four Eagles best-and-fairest awards and two All-Australia blazers. He's among the greatest defenders the game has seen.
The same could be said for the recently retired Jeremy McGovern, who's impact on the game can be summed up in one iconic moment — his mark which triggered West Coast's stunning 2018 Premiership.
The Albany product's intercept marking was a hallmark of his game, and helped him claim five All-Australian selections, as well as an Eagles best and fairest.
Peter Matera produced one of the great Grand Final performances, kicking five goals in the Eagles 1992 flag, while also collecting 18 disposals, as he claimed the Norm Smith Medal.
Add five All-Australian selections, the 1994 Premiership, a club best and fairest, Indigenous Team of the Century and WA Football Hall of Fame inductee, and you get a picture of dominance.
He also finished runner-up in 1994 and 1997 Brownlow Medals (Chris Grant won the latter, but was ineligible, meaning Matera finished second behind Robert Harvey).
Ben Cousins, for all his off-field issues, was a phenomenon — an explosive midfielder who could run all day.
A Brownlow Medal, a premiership, six All Australians, four best-and fairests. He formed part of one of the best midfields of the modern era, combining with Chris Judd and Daniel Kerr to terrorise oppositions on the way to the 2006 flag.
His ability to kick goals from midfield is striking — he finished with 217 majors from 270 games.
And what of Patrick Cripps? Still playing, the Carlton captain can probably only be considered post-career, but he's going to be putting his hand up.
And as always, there are others to consider.
Eagles record goal-kicker Josh Kennedy, game-changing ruck Dean Cox, Brownlow Medallist and three-time premiership player for Brisbane Simon Black and dual North Melbourne premiership player Peter Bell name just a few.
Ranking players across three decades of football is an impossible challenge, but here is my list.
Lance Franlin is, unequivocally, the best modern day WA player.
Peter Matera slots into the Thomas Jefferson position, while Ben Cousins takes Theodore Roosevelt spot at three.
Finally, my Abraham Lincoln is Simon Black. The Brisbane great gets the nod ahead of Fyfe due to his brilliance over a long period.
Three Premierships, a Brownlow, a Norm Smith, three All Australians and three Lions best and fairests'. He also finished second in the 2007 and 2008 Brownlow Medal counts.
As with the actual Mount Rushmore, people will disagree with the selections, but that's the beauty of sport — everyone has an opinion, and everyone is entitled to one.
