IT'S THE comparison we'll debate for years: Essendon's Andrew McGrath vs Brisbane's Hugh McCluggage.

McGrath was the top pick in the 2016 draft, two spots ahead of McCluggage, with another brilliant young footballer in Tim Taranto going to the Giants in between them.

We're honing in on the Bomber and the Lion, who were considered the main contenders to be dux of that football class.

It's a fascinating discussion, given Brisbane's national recruiting manager Steve Conole told AFL.com.au he would have selected McCluggage at No.1 – but he was a big McGrath fan, too.

The Lions traded down from two to three in a pre-draft deal with Greater Western Sydney that included them gaining what was pick 16 at the time and giving up selections 31, 51 and 60.

"We had Hugh at one, so we were really happy to get him where we got him," Conole said.

"We took a bit of a risk in the trade period and we heard he might be there at three, but you're never sure and we ended up with Jarrod (Berry) as well with that second pick.

"But I don't think Essendon would change their pick. They'd be more than happy with what Andrew's done and what he's going to give them for a long time."

McGrath was the clubhouse leader at the end of last year, by virtue of the performances that saw him capture the NAB AFL Rising Star award, whereas McCluggage didn't receive a single vote.

Fast-forward to now and it's a different story – with little separating them either way – particularly off the back of McCluggage's most spectacular AFL game to date.

The 20-year-old amassed 26 disposals (11 contested), eight score involvements, three goals and 508 metres gained to nearly inspire Brisbane to an upset victory over North Melbourne on Saturday.

He had 10 disposals (six contested), four inside 50s, two intercept possessions, 283 metres gained, two clearances and three groundball gets in the fourth quarter alone.

McGrath and McCluggage spent their rookie seasons predominantly playing in defence and up forward, respectively, but they now both spend most of their time on a wing.

Conole rated both as "outstanding kids" off their character, but saw greater on-field upside in McCluggage, who played in the TAC Cup for the North Ballarat Rebels.

His suspicion was McCluggage was, perhaps, not exposed to the same training load – because of the tyranny of distance in the wider Rebels playing group – as McGrath's Sandringham Dragons.

The theory was he would thrive in an AFL environment.

McCluggage's knack for impacting the game in multiple ways was also enticing, highlighted by him following Patrick Dangerfield in averaging at least 20 disposals and two goals in their top-age TAC Cup seasons.

Conole even sees similarities to Scott Pendlebury in McCluggage's decision-making and with Daniel Wells in his movement through congestion.

"We thought Hugh's ability to make elite decisions in traffic was something that's rare in a young player," he said.

"So hopefully that can keep developing and follow through to his AFL footy."

McGrath joined a club far more advanced for immediate success and has comfortably slotted in, while McCluggage is a key element of the Lions' Generation Next.

That 2016 draft has fast-tracked Brisbane's rebuild, with McCluggage and Berry – who live together with promising defender Harris Andrews – and Alex Witherden already major contributors.

"Thus far we couldn't be happier with those boys and, touch wood, they're only going to get better," Conole said.

"They're terrific young men and showing some leadership signs already and we think those boys will be pivotal to any future successes we might have as a team."

• Relative ratings are a measure of how a player performs relative to players of the same age and position, based on AFL Player Rating points

Kelly's Giant effort

It's no coincidence Greater Western Sydney's fortunes have improved since Josh Kelly returned from his groin injury.

Carlton was the latest on Sunday to feel the full brunt of the 23-year-old midfield star's wrath.

Kelly won a season-high 41 disposals (22 contested) and his 16 inside 50s equalled the AFL record with Patrick Dangerfield (round 23, 2016) and Adam Simpson (round six, 1999).

His 923m gained and 769 effective metres gained were both the second-most this year, behind teammate Heath Shaw's respective 987 and 782 from round 10.

Those were both Kelly career highs, as were his clearances (10) and score involvements (16).

Game over at quarter-time

A 96-point mauling was only part of the MCG horror show for Gold Coast on Sunday.

The match was effectively over by the first break, with Melbourne already leading by 51 points, the equal-biggest points differential in any quarter this year.

Richmond outscored Fremantle by the same margin in the fourth term in their round seven clash.

The Demons had 729 extra metres gained (biggest differential in an opening quarter in 2018) and 24 more contested possessions (third-biggest differential in any term this year).

The Suns also had just three effective short kicks for the quarter, 17 below the competition average and the equal third-fewest by any side in a term this season.

Round 20 powerhouses

We round out this week with a quirky statistic involving Adelaide.

The Crows' narrow and controversial Showdown victory over Port Adelaide in 'Goalpost-gate' extended their streak of round 20 wins to 12, according to a reddit thread.

That is the equal eighth-longest run in that particular round, still six years away from potentially matching Carlton's effort to win 18 consecutive round 20 games between 1904 and 1922.