I'm on an e-mail list with some friends and late last week we began discussing the upcoming finals.
This afternoon I got this from Dan, a Collingwood fan. Usually quite a sensible, reasoned and intelligent person. I was truly shocked to read...
Quote:
Urgh Judd. I get seriously upset about Judd. It's not so much Judd's fault as it is everyone who loves him. He is without a doubt the single most over rated footballer to ever play the game. Whenever he goes anywhere near the ball or has some effect on the play that results in a goal, even if it's a failed handball, the commentary team and media in general attribute the goal to him. It's utterly rediculous. I'm happy to admit he's an ok player, better then some. But rarely does anything that any other player wouldn't and nowhere near as good as anyone says he is.
Watching the 2nd quarter on the weekend, god, i'd imagine they'd have to clean down the commentary box from what i saw/heard. 3 things happened with Judd, and they were all included in the highlights reel i saw later on which only fueled the rage. The rage i feel towards Judd is comparable to that which i feel towards D'Lo Brown. (note: he doesn't like the former WWF wrestler DLo Brown. Its an in-joke)
1. Judd takes a mark. Seriously...that's it. He took a mark. It looked slightly impressive because he jumped sideways across the pack. Once again it's nothing any other player out there on the park wouldn't have down themselves and nobody would've thought twice about it. But because it's Judd it instantly becomes something special. I encourage anyone to go back and watch the footage, seriously go back and look at it. Not one of the players in the pack touches Judd or interfers with him in any way at all. The mark was uncontested, just a whole bunch of people fell around him. Mark was average at best and doesn't deserve a replay.
2. Judd gets tackled, drops the ball, scrambles for it and handballs to someone. Once again, stock standard behaviour of a player. I've seen it a million times before...exactly a million. If Judd was half as special as everyone thinks he is, he would've spun out of the tackle, dodged the remaining 3 guys kicked the ball through the goals, out of the stadium and simultaneously impregnated every woman over the age of 18 in the stadium.
3. Judd gets a handball, turns around and kicks a goal from 45. Admitadly a nice goal, but once again nothing special at all. Happens everyday. Half of which generally don't make highlights reel because actually impressive things that happened in the match get shown.
These 3 things made up half of the highlight reel i saw later that night, the other half was Judd shaking hands. Based on this i'd say these 3 things are the only thing he did all match, none of which are noteworthy.
Every single camera always shows Judd, or Judd congratulating someone, or Judd sitting on the bench, or Judd sitting in the crowd. The commentator called them Judd's Blues for christ's sake. He was good when he was part of the midfield at West Coast because there was so many other good players around him. At Carlton he stands out in a sea of mediocrity....barely. He does it based on his reputation alone.
I'd go as far to say he deserves none of his brownlow's let alone the 3 he's about to win. He gets votes because no one else in Carlton can.
I was speechless. Utterly speechless. He didn't have a great game yesterday, but he was by no means poor.