Is it the heart or the height that makes a football player? That question has haunted some players careers on their way to proving everyone around them wrong, despite the genetic cards they were dealt in life.
But what if you were to line up all of the great small players to ever play the game and rank them among themselves as if they were matching up against one another in the same weight class?
Here's my ranking of some of the short kings to grace the game. Note that I'm classifying them as small based on being listed as 175cm or smaller.
Honorable mentions go to North Melbourne premiership player Barry Cable and West Coast All-Australian Phillip Matera.
4Shane Crawford (174 cm)
The Hawthorn legend is one whose accomplishments match his own flashy playstyle. Crawford was one of the few double-threat midfielders and if needed, could go kick a bag to get this side the win if he so wanted to. The former Hawthorn captain notched four Peter Crimmins Medals, four All-Australians and topped it off with his own Brownlow Medal in 1999. It wouldn't take him until 2008 to win a premiership, but his impact and energy as one of the must-watch players during the 90s era.
