And the rest.....

21. Mark Austin – 2 (0)

Played a few games during the year and did alright at times. Still very young and will need to learn how to use his body when he fully grows into it. Probably still 2 years from the best-22, but I am more confident now that he will make it.

22. Shaun Hampson – 3 (1.5)

Played 10 games and is still raw and in need of work. Good to see that the club signed him for 3 years as a sign of faith. Unlikely to ever be a big possession winner, but should be a good knock ruckman and could pinch hit forward for the odd goal.

23. Adam Hartlett – 1.5 (3.5)

Again had his injury problems, but I would have preferred if he had received an extended run in the seniors. Looked a bit light on this year, and I would prefer to see him add some kilos. Might be some discussion on his future, and possibly talk of an SA trade, but I hope he stays and is given the opportunity to play at senior level. When he does play, we have to learn to kick the footy to him – that might help.

24. Nick Stevens – 6.5 (1)

It’s difficult to judge Stevo’s year. He was brilliant against Richmond when Judd was injured and again against Brisbane in round 21. He also had some poor games and for a sublimely skilled player, he kicks too many scrubbers. Might be better for the confidence of knowing his neck is ok to take the heat again and hopefully a better pre-season will see a better 2009. I see him as a player very similar to Travis Johnstone. Best is magnificent, but a lot of frustration in-between.

25. Brendan Fevola – 8.5 (6)

Terrific effort to kick 99 goals and certainly deserved a ton. The kicking radar occasionally goes missing and there is the odd dummy spit, but I thought his maturity on field was a lot better this year. Ironically, he might be a better footballer kicking 80 goals a year, if we can find someone else to kick 50.

26. Joe Anderson – 3 (2)

Bulked up a lot and again missed games through injury. Has shown that he has some talent and may be good enough to graduate to a best 22 player next year. Not sure of his best spot yet, but good to see he improved and so long as young guys do that, we are heading in the right direction.

27. Dennis Armfield – 3 (-)

Interesting first season and another who missed a bit through injury. Very fast and started like a house on fire in his first two games, but was less impressive late in the year. There is a bit to work with, but his disposal and decision making need to improve and his accountability. I like his work ethic and he could explode next year. Might be interesting if he was also used forward as a crumber.

28. Cameron Cloke – 5 (2)

I still think he is too short to be a ruckman and too slow and not mobile enough to be a Key Position Player. That said, he was BOG in round 21 against Brisbane and good in the first half against Geelong. Had some mediocre games as well, but he is not Robinson Crusoe on that front. Full marks to him for his efforts, I love his attitude, but I still question whether there would be room for him in a “quality” side.

29. Heath Scotland – 7 (7)

Even though I marked him the same as last year, I preferred him in the role he played this time around. Playing on the wing (more often than not) and streaming forward, he is more damaging than running around half back getting 30 sideways kicks. The 39-possession effort against Geelong was an example of the type of game I don’t like, but when he gets it 20 times and is putting the ball inside-50, he is a much better player.

30. Jarred Waite – 7.5 (7)

More consistent playing as a defender, although I still prefer him as a forward. In the ultimate luxury, we could use him as a wingman, but it seems he is required as a gap filler. Reads the play well as a defender, but is still capable of the odd diabolical clanger. Should not be allowed to kick out from full back.

31. Jordan Bannister – 2 (4)

Started very well before getting injured. Not sure if the club will keep him, but his early season form suggests that he is good enough. I understand that he is well liked as a clubman, and this will probably help him keep his place. He will need a good 2009 if this is the case.

32. Bret Thornton – 6 (5)

He was very good early in the year, but frustratingly inconsistent over the course of the full season. Likes to be the creator across half-back, but his disposal can be sloppy and this is costly. I wonder if the club will be as resistant to offers if Hawthorn (or someone else) comes knocking this year?

33. Ryan Houlihan – 2 (7)

Coming off his best year at senior level, it was disappointing that he was injured most of the year. Was all class in the opening quarter of the round 21 game, but he is still inconsistent and occasionally selfish. I remember a refusal to lay a simple shepherd in an early game cost us a goal and a senior player should not ignore basic issues like this. With a better team next year, he might be the icing or he might be the sacrifice….

34. Simon Wiggins – 6 (3)

Great stuff by the Chief this year and is now clearly a favourite of (most) fans as well as the players. Great hands, great one percenters and very good kicking for goal. Early in the season it looked all over when he was in the Magoos, but he fought back and was very good for the most part. Should get another year.

35. Aisake O’hAilpin – 0 (0)

Out of form, out of favour and out of Carlton it seems. It was disappointing for many, although he has had 3 years and whilst the signs were encouraging last year, it appears that he didn’t cut it. Worthwhile experiment, just no reward.

36. Darren Pfeiffer – 3 (-)

Kicked the winning goal against Freo and wasn’t seen again at senior level until round 22. I thought he looked good early in the season, but his opportunities were limited. Ok disposal, but it still needs a polish. He is only 20 and should be kept. Not sure about his best position yet, but he reminds me a bit of Dean Rice in build and the way he moves.

37. Jake Edwards – 1.5 (0)

Looked ok a couple of times, but fell out of favour as the season wore on. Is a lead and mark forward, but his disposal is not great and rumours have been around of family problems with the club. Seems to be out of favour and might be let go, but I wouldn’t be disappointed if he remained. If he was at Collingwood, he would be hailed as the next Buddy Franklin by their supporters.

38. Ryan Jackson – 1 (5)

Dropped early and not given a second chance. Seemed to be a regular for a spray from Teague and/or Lappin in the Magoos, amid suggestions that his play was selfish and lazy. I gather that this reputation dogged him a bit in junior footy, where he was considered likely to be drafted in two drafts (at 17 and 18), but overlooked both times. I suspect that the club will let him go, but he appears to be a capable player and could be useful in the right team.

39. Sam Jacobs – 0 (0)

Saw him a few times in the Magoos and he was pretty good as a tap ruckman. Still as slow as setting concrete, but works hard. Has to be promoted or let go and I suspect that the club might give him a chance with the loss of Aisake and Ackland.

40. Michael Jamison – 6.5 (4) Amended 7

Became a very good (if not our best) backman this year. Very good kick of the footy as well and rarely misses a target. Excellent spoiler and probably only vulnerable against the biggest forwards. Great to see him rewarded with a contract and I hope that his shoulders are fixed over the off-season. Send him to Juddy’s doctor.

41. Lachie Hill – 0 (-)

Saw him only a couple of times in the Magoos. Heard he was a bit of a Matty Lappin type pre-season, but he appears taller than that. Struggled to have an impact early, and left in the Bullants Magoos for a while, but played a few games for their seniors later in the year. Haven’t seen enough for a strong opinion, but I suspect that he will not be retained.

42. Michael Shields – 0 (-)

Already gone home and struggled to deal with homesickness. The Irish experiment(s) hasn’t been a raging success at Carlton.

43.

44. Andrew Carrazzo – 6.5 (8)

Struggled a bit with his move out of the midfield and back to defense. Still got a lot of the ball, but had a tendency to be loose and too often let his opponent get away from him. Still played some good games and is learning to respect his disposal limitations – used his hands as often as possible. He needs to be more defensively minded if he is to be retained long term. He also needs to be banned from kicking out from full back.

45. Aaron Joseph – 0 (-)

Ball magnet from the under 18’s who had an interesting year for the Bullants. Saw him a couple of times and was impressed with his electrifying pace off the mark. Knows how to find the ball, but the club used him in a lot of run-with roles to make him more defensively minded. Might have a future.

46. David Ellard – 1 (-)

Made a surprise debut early, kicked a goal and then was conveniently forgotten. I think he is probably too small to make it, but he might get another year.

Having slept on it, I amended some of the ratings a bit. JR a bit high and put him on par with Grigg. Both had very good seasons IMO, but both with a way to go. They play good team football.

Judd deserved better and so does PB and Jamo.

It's a very rare feat to kick 100 goals as a full forward especially in the modern game.

To kick 99 in a team that did not make the finals is a super effort.

Yes there was some dummy spits and some sulking but he is paid to kick goals and did exactly that.

I'm pretty sure Fev should be a 9!

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I support the Navy Blues whatever happens!

If JR is on par with Grigg then i'll eat my computer as well.

Stevo is rated by you only half a point better than JR.....

One has been instrumental in at least three of our victories the other has played 1 good quarter.

A very interesting read, and I agree with most of your ratings. That said nobody is ever going to agree with all of them and I think you may have rated Joe Anderson a bit highly. Armfield has had a better year than Anderson imo, and if he's rated a 3 Anderson should be rated a 2. I like the look of Anderson but if we're rating on performance this year and not potential Anderson gets a 2.

21. Austin - 4.5 - Has looked nervous in his debut games and made a few errors which shouldnt happen at this level, but he has time on his side to make amends.

22. Hampson - 5 - Am I the only one here worried about him? Played less games than I thought, and when he did, looked a bit clumsy around the ball, and leaps early in the ruck a lot. I hope he steps up next season because we get smashed in the ruck.

23. Hartlett - 3 - Hasnt shown much, hasnt had any luck with injuries either. Ill be very surprised if he stays on our list.

24. Stevens - 7.5 - Has had a lot of good games, but a few shockers also like last night. We know hes a fantastic player and with a full pre season next year should do some serious damage.

25. Fevola - 9 - His best ever season with 99 goals, a fantastic effort. You can call him an idiot for what he does off field, and on times on field, but there is no doubt the boy can play and Im so glad we signed him for 3 more seasons. B&F is a chance.

26. Anderson - 5 - Didnt play many games, his game against Richmond was un-inspiring, but showed some good signs in the last 2 rounds, and I thought he was far from our worst last night. Does need to step up next year however as hes been around for a while compared to others.

27. Armfield - 5.5 - Best 1st year player aside from Kreuzer, not afraid to take the game on and has plenty of confidence. Will be one to watch next season.

28. Cloke - 5 - Better year for him, but still needs to work harder. He isnt suited as a ruckman, Ratts should look at developing him into a 3rd/4th tall forward. Great game against the Lions last week.

29. Scotland - 6 - Servicable once again, like Simmo down a bit due to new midfielders.

30 - Waite - 7 - A pretty good season for him, much more consistent, but hes still prone to some bad games ala St Kilda and last night. The kid could be anything. Lets hope he has a big 09.

31. Bannister - 5 - Did well in his tagging role early on, unfortunately injuries may have brought an end to his career.

32. Thornton - 5 - Another one who has stagnated, he would struggle to be a 4th/5th backman in a top 4 side, yet he plays as 1st/2nd for us. I think he is useful but may be with us in the wrong time. If a KPP defender comes along and T-Bird is moved into a pocket, it will be good for everyone. He may also be playing for his career next year.

33. Houlihan - 5 - Struck down with injury after a great season last year, came back firing for the 1st quarter against the Lions but had an absolute shocker last night. Should survive the cut though and needs to get back to his best next season.

34. Wiggins - 6 - The rest of the team could learn from this bloke. He is devoid of mega talent, but his work rate, heart and passion on the field is enormous. Rapt that he got his 100 games, hope he gets a extension on his contract because he has done more this season than some others who are better rated by some.

36. Pfeiffer - 4 - A bit unlucky maybe to miss out so many games, was servicable early popping up with some crucial goals, the one against Freo was a cracker. Got his chance last night but struggled.

37. Edwards - 4 - Is good as a leading option, but doesnt do it anywhere near enough to be damaging. Might be in some trouble.

38. Jackson - 3 - Didnt get much time and didnt look anything special. Might be gone.

40. Jamison - 7.5 - Our next premiership Full Back. Has shown tremendous poise down back, has destroyed some big opponents like medhurst (twice) and Bradshaw. Brought credibility back into our defence and accountability also. We missed him in a few games due to injury also. Goes to show the draft picks dont necessarily get you everyone you need.

44. Carrazzo - 6 - Has gone backwards this season, was tried down back but that didnt work, had less off the ball than last season and still prone to some very poor disposal. Nevertheless, he has also been quite handy at times, just needs to imrpove his consistency.

Ratts - 8 - Has done a great job all things considered. We were the laughing stock of the league, he has earned respect back from everyone else. You can question him at times but its all part of the learning process, 10 wins for the year is a great foundation. We have actually won more games than we have lost after round 3 too, if that continues, along with expected improvement all over the park, we will make the 8 next year and hopefully push for top 4.

JR played 21 games and became an automatic selection in the ones. He played a defensive role and often did it well. I know its fashionable on here to knock him, but the fact is he improved dramatically on previous years. He possibly may never be a 25 possession game midfielder as originally predicted, but if he can kick straight and get on the scoreboard more often, he will be a very dangerous player.

Stevens was great at times and horrible at others. His fitness early in the season was poor. He was on the comeback from a serious injury and possibly deserves some slack on this point, but we can't ignore that he struggled. There were some vintage moments at times, but consistency from week to week and quarter to quarter was variable. I like Stevo and his best is great, but there are a lot of games where his best wasn't seen.

The difference may be harsh - Stevo is worth more to the team on face value than JR - but they play different roles and their worth to the MC may be considered very differently.

Stevens- 517 Disposals, 113 Marks, 17 Goals, 6 Behinds, 60 Tackles.
Russell - 262 Disposals, 109 Marks, 4 Goals, 13 Behinds, 69 Tackles.


You still reckon Stevo deserves to be half a point better than Russell???
I rate Stevo a 7.5 for the year and Russell 5

Everything is subjective and I'm not bagging anyone's opinion. Stats can prove anything - I'd bet that Carazzo averaged more possessions per game than anyone, but no one suggests he was our best player. Brad Fisher had twice as many disposals as Michael Jamison, but would anyone seriously suggest he had a better year?

Stevo was good at times and great at others. Sure I marked him hard and JR easier (that wasn't intentional), but I think Stevo was a lot further from his best this year than JR. Stevo's job is to get the footy and JR's is more based on keeping another player out of it. It's not just that simple, but I think the rating for him reflects his maturity as a player this year.

Lots will disagree with me and I accept that. This is a forum and I (we) want to get people's opinions...

Good response fmurphy30.

And good job on your evaluations. A lot of internet forum posters have gone before you and buckled when people squeal at the opinions expressed. Don't get sucked in.

ok, I've had enough. I will probably get crucified for this, but I'm going on the record. for some reason he seems to be loved by all and sundry on here, but...

I do not rate Armfield at all.

He is fast. He has made some great tackles, thats about it IMO for positives

IMO he has poor on-field awareness, he does not seem to understand where to position himself at times.

his skills are poor. his kicking, particularly on the run is deplorable, and when it comes to handballing, i stuggle to think of a time this year that a player has not had to either stop and prop, jump at full stretch to get it, pick it up off his shoe laces, or miss him all together.

I reckon i'm a pretty good judge of young players. I may be completely wrong, and believe me I hope I am, but I have not seen anything at all to suggest that this bloke is going to make it. he isn't an 18 year old kid learning the game, he is nearly 22.

compare him to Jordan Russell. the shitcanning JR gets is phenomenal, yet Armfield comes out smelling like roses. I don't get it. Russell is only 6 months older than Armfield, and is that far ahead of Armfield it is staggering, yet the bloke cops a pasting week in week out.

Finally, to rate him as second best debutant, being ahead of Steven Browne, is an injustice to how good young Brown is. Brown may not have been outstanding, but there are enormous differences between he and Armfield. He has football smarts, he knows where to position himself and reads the play well. He has good vision and generally makes the right decision. His skills, whilst not elite, are good, with the occasional stuff up, but I have come to expect him to hit the target. I hold my breath every time Armfield gets hold of it.

I know most on here seem to rate Army quite highly, and I know he is inexperienced in the big league, but I just don't see what everyone else seems to.

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Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.

From the little snippets I've seen late in the season, I think there's no chance of that happening. May never make it, but looks more likely to than Benjamin (similar elite level of athleticism).

Armfield has been recruited specifically for need and that has been to remedy a deficiency we have had with respect to small defenders with pace. We have been raped and pillaged for the past 5 years by little snot rags like Milne, Farmer, etc etc.

Give Armfield at least another pre-season and season - I think he his by far and away the best and most intelligent "mature" aged recruit we have had from the SANFL/WAFL in years - (although we have had some shockers in my time - Edgar, Povey, - the list goes on but my memory doesnt).

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"Hence you will not say that Greeks fight like heroes but that heroes fight like Greeks"?

Winston Churchill

I don't see it Agro. time will tell i guess. Don't get me wrong, I don't want him to fail. I want every one of our players to make it. Of course not all of them do, and I just see him as one of those ones that we pin a lot of hope on, but at the end of the day, just aren't good enough.

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Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.

Armfield is seriously quick and goes hard at the footy. He marks reasonably well over his head for his size and his first 2 games were very very good.

He has areas to work on for sure (kicking and decision making), but next year will be telling on that front. I believe he was a worthwhile punt at pick 46. He has the tools to be a useful player, he just needs to improve.

I take the point about him being close to JR in age and it is a good one. The key factor is that they are both still young.

Not everyone you draft should be 17-18. Eagles and Crows (in particularly) have been successful over time at plucking good players from the local leagues to fill holes. You won't necessarily find stars, but you can find guys worth a second chance. There are plenty of footballers out there that are good enough, but they need a break or a kick up the bum or the right chance or whatever. Good recruiters go out and find em.

There is an unhealthy, possibly ego related belief in footy circles that the guys who aren't drafted are duds. The rookie list disproves that.