MOVE over Gary Ablett, the AFL has a new No.1 player.
Courtesy of his best-on-ground display against Carlton on Friday night, Collingwood skipper Scott Pendlebury has assumed the mantle as the competition's best footballer, according to the Official AFL Player Ratings.
Pendlebury was simply outstanding in his side's 75-point belting of the Blues, racking up 32 touches, winning five clearances and booting two majors.
It was more than enough to see him leapfrog Gold Coast champion Ablett, who is still on the sidelines with a shoulder injury, and claim the No.1 ranking.
It is the first time in more than three years that Ablett has been dethroned.
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Pendlebury started the match just 10.1 points in arrears but easily reeled in the deficit.
His 18.3-point performance propelled him to 683.7 points, comfortably clear of Ablett on 675.6.
The Official AFL Player Ratings are based on a player's past 40 games, delivering a long-term view of a player's standing within the AFL.
A player's rating is determined by aggregating his points tally based on a rolling window of the previous two seasons, with more recent matches given a greater weighting than games earlier in the 40-game window.
How the Official AFL Player Ratings work
This creates a buffer for players missing matches through injury, suspension, omission or by not being involved in finals.
But Ablett would want to hurry back soon. His former teammate, Geelong skipper Joel Selwood, is breathing down his neck, just 40 points behind in third place before playing in round five against Richmond.
