DURING six seasons at Carlton, Jeff Garlett was often thought of as the understudy to more distinguished teammate Eddie Betts.

Betts was the unofficial leader of 'The Three Amigos' – consisting of Garlett, Betts and the now retired Chris Yarran – who formed a vital part of Carlton's dynamic forward line from 2009 onwards. 

They were close and Garlett looked up to Betts as a mentor and a "brother". 

"Even when we were at Carlton we'd always compete against each other for tackles and goals," Garlett, now at Melbourne, told AFL.com.au. 

"It is a little healthy rivalry with Eddie." 

When Betts took up a four-year offer to join Adelaide as a restricted free agent at the end of 2013, the famed trio was disbanded.

Tellingly, the move to the Crows did wonders for Betts' career – he has fast established himself as the No.1 small forward in the game after kicking 221 goals in 80 matches for Adelaide.

Betts, who has now played 264 matches since making his debut for the Blues in 2005, is one of the most elusive players in the game and often makes his befuddled opponents look foolhardy with a deft sidestep or an extravagant spin.

After playing just nine matches in 2014, and kicking 183 goals in 107 games for Carlton, Garlett decided he too needed a fresh start and a trade to Melbourne (the Demons handed over picks 61 and 79 to Carlton for him, while they got back the Blues' pick 83) has seen him achieve that.

Garlett's electric pace when running with the footy under his arm is difficult to contain, while he often makes opponents nervous with his knack of dragging them down in a tackle when they aren't expecting it.

His career trajectory has been steadily rising since joining the Demons, albeit not quite at the level of his friend Betts.

That is until this season. Mid-way through a career best year, Garlett would be competing with Betts for a spot in the forward pocket in the Virgin Australia All Australian team.

Garlett, standing at 180cm and 73kg, has booted a team-high 25 goals and failed to kick a major in just one match this season, while Betts (175cm and 73kg) has nailed 32 goals – equal second in the competition. 

Eddie Betts and Jeff Garlett have shared a special bond since their Carlton days. Picture: AFL Photos

Garlett is doing his best to bridge the gap on his former Carlton teammate, as the pair continue to share a special bond. 

"Eddie's one of the best in the business for small forwards and hopefully I can get up there one day and be next to him," Garlett said.

While Betts is shading Garlett in a number of the key categories for small forwards, the Demons' leading goal-kicker can at least claim bragging rights in a few statistical areas. 

Garlett is ranked second in the AFL for forward-half pressure points and is averaging one more tackle per game than Betts – a key measure of any renowned small forward.

Now in his third year as a Demon, Garlett – who has kicked 94 goals in 49 matches at Melbourne (including tallies of 40, 29 and 25 over those seasons) – attributes his recent hot form to the pressure he is applying to the opposition.

"I had a goal at the start of the year that I wanted to be in the top five in the AFL for creating forward half turnovers," he said. "If I can apply that sort of pressure it helps us to put the points on the board." 

Garlett has kicked nine more goals than any other Melbourne player after 11 rounds and his strong production has come at an opportune time with focal point Jesse Hogan playing just four games this season. 

"It's probably been the best year I've had so far but I can't let that get to me," Garlett said.

Betts remains clearly the League's yardstick, in Garlett's eyes: "That's the way I like to play my footy, so he's the No.1 for me."

Garlett v Betts

Bold = Elite (Top 10% - seven players)

Italics = Above Average (Top 35% - 26 players)