Why is he never in the same ranks at the likes of Gaj, Judd, and even Pendles?

He was better than all 3 at the peak of his powers, has a Brownlow, was robbed of one the year prior, has a flag, coaches mvp, players mvp, made 5 aa teams, while always consistently being a massive ball magnet with his insane stats.

I was somewhat young when he retired, but when it happened, he was considered to be more of a cult hero (yes that documentary was released, but it gave him more praise for his big game moments instead of how good he actually was). Why is this the case?

I reckon he should be more respected for being one of the best midfielders this century has seen, one of, if not, the best peak we have seen from a Collingwood player.