No.5 selection Adam Cerra could be seen as the best player of the 2017 draft after the midfielder took his impressive three-year career to another level during Fremantle’s win against Melbourne in round 16.
In the ‘Duff and Quarters’ podcast, from The West Australian's chief football writer Mark Duffield and Sunday Times sports editor Glen Quartermain agreed that Cerra was at least in the top two players drafted in 2017.
While Cerra’s check-side goal in a crucial part of the final quarter against Melbourne stole the show, his 30 disposals and seven score involvements led all players and earnt the 20-year-old 10 coaches' votes from Justin Longmuir and Simon Goodwin.
Duffield said that Cerra was starting to change the general consensus that Western Bulldogs forward Aaron Naughton was the best player in the draft.
“Cerra’s game was a great game. Cerra is now in the conversation for being the best player in that draft,” Duffield said.
“There’s been an assumption for a year now that Aaron Naughton is the gun player out of that draft and Cerra is now in that conversation.”
Quartermain agreed and said Naughton may still have the edge due to the role he plays.
“It’s the old story that you shake a tree and midfielders fall out but good power forwards of the ilk of Naughton (are rare), and I think he can be a superstar forward,” Quartermain said.
“Taking nothing away from Cerra, absolutely he’s in the conversation. He had 11 possessions in the final quarter in really difficult conditions.
“When I heard them (the commentators) say ‘goal of the year’ I thought they were getting carried away.
“But then I sat back and thought about the conditions and how there were a few players out there, you could just see it was a cake of soap and it was very difficult. And then there were players who just picked it up, and they’re the elite players.
“For Cerra to do that when it was required, it would contextually, be one of the goals of the year.”
