No. 10: Brett Deledio is a genuine midfield star.
After eight seasons of AFL football, it’s time to declare that Brett Deledio is a gun midfielder.
That’s not to say, of course, Deledio wasn’t previously very highly rated as a player at the game’s highest level.
He’d arrived at Richmond via the National Draft in November 2004, as the No. 1 pick overall, with an awesome reputation as a junior midfielder.
Early on in his league career, we certainly saw some exciting signs of that midfield ability, but it was in a rebounding role off half-back, where Deledio first carved his niche in league football.
With his explosive pace, ball-handling ability, composure and powerful kicking, Deledio was a key weapon for the Tigers coming out of the backline.
He won two Jack Dyer Medals and was named in the All-Australian squad three times, primarily on the back of some extremely impressive football across half-back.
At the end of the 2011 season, however, Richmond coach Damien Hardwick decided the time was right for Deledio to make a permanent move back into the midfield in 2012.
That positional change resulted in Deledio taking his game to an even higher level this year.
What is Brett Deledio’s greatest asset as a player?
Along with averaging a career-high 27.5 disposals per match in season 2012, Deledio was ranked No. 1 in the entire competition for inside-50 entries, and No. 3 at Tigerland for both centre clearances and goal assists, which further underlined the significant impact he had in his midfield role.
Just for good measure, he also slotted through 17 goals, to finish seventh on the Club’s goalkicking table for the year.
And, then, there was the renowned Deledio durability, which continued to kick in . . .
For the fifth season in-a-row, Deledio managed to play every match for the Tigers. You have to go all the way back to Round 17 of the 2007 season to find the last he missed a game, which truly is an amazing effort.
Deledio also maintained his excellent Jack Dyer Medal record, finishing runner-up to Trent Cotchin in this year’s Club Best and Fairest, to go with his second placing last year, his third placing in 2010, and his back-to-back wins in 2008-09.
To cap off his superb season’s work, Deledio broke through for selection in the All-Australian team for the first time, taking his place in the line-up along with fellow Tiger midfield star Cotchin.
Clearly, the whole football world now recognises and appreciates Deledio’s capabilities, as one of the premier midfielders of the competition.
On Monday, read about the mature youngster, who looks set for a long, successful league career at Tigerland.
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