Sitting down and watching Port Adelaide beat Melbourne last Friday, something struck me.

It wasn’t that Port were better than I expected – both they and Melbourne are in that weird limbo between being a contender and just filling out the eight.

It was the fact that Justin Westhoff can do just about anything.

This isn’t a new discovery at all, but in an era where coaches want their players to be as flexible as possible, Westhoff has been doing just that for years. And more years than you would guess too, given at 31, he’s the oldest player on Port Adelaide’s list.

Against the Demons he was at his best, bobbing up in defence to stifle attacks, pushing to the wing as a valuable get-out option, then dobbing a goal from outside 50m to seal the win for the home side.

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It was a microcosm of his career, where he’s been able to fill almost every position on the ground when his team needed him to. Perhaps that’s why he’s one of only 11 players from the 2006 draft class to rack up 200 games.

Looking at the PAV ratings, which I’ve explained before and are featured in the new book Footballistics, there are few players in the game who have such an even impact in all three areas of the ground.

This season he rates a 7.09 in offence, a 5.68 in defence and a 7.03 midfield – adding up to 19.8. Anything over 20 is considered a great season, so he’s right on the cusp, in fact he’s rated the 25th best player in the league to this point of the year.

But what stands out with Westhoff is the spread.

Camera Icon The oldest player at Port and still one of the best. Credit: Getty Images

Most players at the top end of the rankings are exceptional in one area and make up the difference with smaller contributions in others. The top ranked player for instance, Tom Mitchell, has a PAV rating of 26.61 – 17.67 midfield, 3.19 defence and 5.75 offence.

It’s hard to find a player who has as even an impact in all three areas as Westhoff, the next best I could find was maybe Isaac Heeney, who rates a 7.53 offence, 4.1 defence and 7.16 midfield.

It’s easy to forget Westhoff is there when he’s lining up next to elite players like Robbie Gray and perennial talking points like Charlie Dixon.

But someone who you can put anywhere on the ground and know he’ll have some sort of an impact? I’m betting he’s a player every coach would kill to have that player on their list.

The 2017 recruit of the year

Just past the halfway point of the season it looks like the recruit of the year is down to a race in two - Bryce Gibbs and Devon Smith.

Gibbs is the obvious pick given he’s posting career-high disposal numbers in his first year back home in Adelaide and he’s easily been the Crows best player in a year that promised plenty but has been run off the road by injury.

There’s others like Charlie Cameron at Brisbane, Nathan Wilson at Fremantle and Jake Lever at Melbourne will end up being excellent players at their new clubs.

But right now it’s hard to go past Smith for mine.

Camera Icon Smith has averaged more than eight tackles per game this season. Credit: Getty Images

The nuggety former Giant is all class, but I love what he brings to the Bombers with his relentless pursuit of the ball carrier. Smith sets the tone for his side with his aggressive approach to the game and if his teammates continue to follow his lead, as they did against the Eagles, look out.

Short-term Gibbs may get the nod, but given the Crows gave up more than two first-round picks for him, I’d take a 25-year-old Smith - who cost basically nothing - any day of the week.