Not one is totally objective in their assessment.
For the bloggers that make the most subjective interpretations, it seems they will form an opinion of a player before the match.
Then during the game, when a facet of play supports their opinion it is given more weight, and when it does not support their perception it is given less weight.
This reinforces the prematch perception of the player. Then when the stats support the opinion it self-validates their opinion of a players worth, but when the stats do not support the interpretation they are not given the same validity.
Matifield is a prime example. Many believe that because he is the oldest player that he is past it. Stats like him still being the best lineout and kick off forward are ignored.
How quickly he reads a game to often be the first forward to a ruck to protect possession, or having a high tackle count.
His lack of physicality were not mentioned as an issue when he was younger, and their is no solid proof that he less physical now than what he was in the past, at least now days he is not in the backline anymore.
