How one define's an A grader will determine whether a player is or is not one.
Lets say we have 4 State team's; Victoria, SA, WA and Allies (made up of the best from NSW. Qld, NT, ACT and Tasmania).
Each of the above teams consist of 22 players each making the total 88 players.
There are 16 teams with lists of approx 45 each making up a total of 720 players to choose those 4 teams from.
So that's about 30% of all players making up the 4 State teams.
Does that imply that 30% of State players are A graders? They look like A graders, but if 30% of the total player pool are A graders that's awfully high isn't it? The only reason this could be possible is perhaps more plausible when we consider they are the cream of the 20,000 or so playing the game.
So what do we call an All Australian? A definete A Grader? Elite A?
Then, of those AA A graders what do you classify Judd, Brown, Ablett? Should Scarlett or Goodes or McLeod be in that group? What do we classify these players as? Surely greater than A. Gods? AAA players?
The reason I bring this up is because we have 3 players who represented Victoria (Judd, Fev, Waite), and Walker is an auto selection in the All Stars when fit. Does this make Judd, Fev, Waite and Walker our bonafide (unquestionable) A graders?
What should a team contesting for the Flag be made up of? Some C graders? What do you consider local TC hero Wiggins' rank? Some consider him as a necessity in out team and his type should be in any team fighting for a Flag. They may be right, but is he a C+ or a B- and why?
I have a team made up of who I consider as our A and B graders (either there now or have the potential to be) and I have players including Bower, Fish, Setanta and Houla on the fringe or perhaps B minus. Where do they fit? C graders? Do they have a place in the team playing for a flag in 2010 onwards. (Don't bother discussing Houla...it ends up a shit fight). I think they do, but I believe it's hard with the salary cap and draft system to have a team made up of A and B graders exclusively...now the father and son rule does change that a bit ala Geelong.
But in my A and B team I do include players like Hadley, Scotland, Stevens, Carrots, Thornton, Simmo, and despite their age Murphy, Gibbs, Betts, Jamo, Hampson and Kreuzer.
Where do players like Armfield, Anderson, Grigg fit?
I believe our list is so promising, we may just make up a team of 22 from only A and B graders in a couple of years time; say 2010. But that depends on what one considers an A and B grader to be.
One thing I do know, is I can't find a spot for Ackland on my C and D lists.
