The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs.
Watching North Melbourne ruckman Todd Goldstein wreak havoc against Port Adelaide on Saturday night was a none-too-subtle reminder he still has more to give.
Goldstein's impact was undeniable at the weekend – and he now boasts three of the best five matches by any ruckman, according to the AFL Player Ratings.
PLAYER RATING | PLAYER | GAME |
36.0 | Todd Goldstein | R3, 2016 v Melbourne |
33.7 | Scott Lycett | R2, 2019 v Carlton |
33.0 | Nic Naitanui | R9, 2015 v Geelong |
32.3 | Todd Goldstein | R22, 2019 v Port Adelaide |
30.7 | Todd Goldstein | SF, 2014 v Geelong |
The general consensus is the AFL's best big men are Collingwood's Brodie Grundy and Demon Max Gawn, who both made last year's Virgin Australia AFL All Australian team.
However, Goldstein – the 2015 All Australian ruckman – is mounting a strong case to again be included in that company, given he is the game's No.1 player on ratings between rounds 15 and 22.
The star Roo is the sole ruckman among 15 players on record to register at least 30 disposals, 15 contested possessions, 15 score involvements, seven clearances and one goal in a game.
PLAYER | GAME | DISP | CONT POSS | SCORE INV | GOALS | CLEAR |
Todd Goldstein | R22, 2019 | 34 | 19 | 17 | 1 | 9 |
Gary Ablett jnr | R5, 2008 | 35 | 20 | 18 | 3 | 9 |
Dayne Beams | R18, 2013 | 37 | 17 | 15 | 1 | 8 |
Joel Corey | R19, 2011 | 35 | 17 | 16 | 2 | 10 |
Patrick Dangerfield | R16, 2017 | 38 | 23 | 16 | 3 | 10 |
Mitch Duncan | R16, 2017 | 38 | 17 | 15 | 2 | 9 |
Nat Fyfe | R7, 2015 | 30 | 20 | 15 | 3 | 10 |
Ryan Griffen | R23, 2014 | 38 | 16 | 15 | 1 | 13 |
Chris Judd | R18, 2011 | 33 | 20 | 15 | 1 | 7 |
Chris Judd | R15, 2011 | 31 | 15 | 15 | 2 | 11 |
Josh P. Kennedy | R23, 2016 | 37 | 19 | 15 | 2 | 8 |
Dustin Martin | R17, 2017 | 40 | 18 | 15 | 2 | 14 |
Dane Swan | R4, 2011 | 33 | 18 | 15 | 4 | 7 |
Dane Swan | R15, 2009 | 34 | 17 | 16 | 2 | 7 |
Jobe Watson | R2, 2013 | 38 | 20 | 18 | 3 | 9 |
Goals galore for Kangaroos star
North Melbourne forward Ben Brown went bananas in an outrageous 10-goal performance as the Roos gave Port Adelaide an 86-point hiding on Saturday night.
It was the first time any AFL player kicked a double-digit haul since Tiger Jack Riewoldt against Gold Coast in round 21 last year.
More sophisticated defensive schemes, the way goals are scored these days, and coaches' general want to share the goalkicking load have all played a role in 10-goal outings becoming unusual.
There were 11 such solo efforts in the 1991 season – the first time it happened at least 10 times in one year – and there were nine, 16 and eight in the following three campaigns.
In contrast, there's never been more than two in any season from 2000 onwards, including four years when there were none.