Improved – Players who are better than they were 12 months ago Jacob Weitering - been better than Talia who is in the AA squad. Sam Walsh - best first year I have seen. Even in the round 23 dead rubber, just does not stop. Is a footballing animal who will not lie down in a contest ever. SPS - found his spot I think. Durable, started to find the right option when disposing and helped create out of the back half. Pretty good defensively, but still an area to work on. Levi Casboult - This post twelve months ago in the previous version of this thread I was trading him for a third round pick. I was wrong. Liam Jones - Yes, had a chunk of games out, but was even better this year when playing. Harry McKay - A lot of different opinions on this bloke, but I think many are reliving the Josh Kennedy time warp here. Get a set shot routine and more team orientated when he has to be and he will be a great duo with Charlie. Marc Murphy - If only for the second half of the season. rekindled his ability. Great turn around under Teague A Schumacher - Got a game, not sure he will leap frog anyone in the back line to become a regular though. Lochie O'Brien - Finally doing more in some games. Now he needs to start doing it weekly. Consistency is his next challenge. Lachie Plowman - Durable, consistent, does a lot of jobs on players he shouldn't have to because of the injury to others. The potting of him has certainly dissipated. Michael Gibbons - Improved as the season went on, keeps getting to contests, reliable disposal. Jack Silvagni - Turned the corner from fringe to best 22. A real utility whose hands started to get cleaner. Will Setterfield - Played every game except for suspension. Would be a massive boost to his body confidence. Had a couple of standout games showcasing his ability. Very happy with where he got to this year injury free.
You're Excused – Players whose output is in line with what they were doing 12 months ago Patrick Cripps Ed Curnow Kade Simpson Nic Newman All excellent all year. Matt Kennedy - showed enough forward, not sure where he ends up though next year. Looked slow if he ever had to change direction. Could be a Josh Caddy type but makes our foward line slow. Matt Kreuzer - all heart, but we desperately need a replacement. Some weeks hes was great, then he can get soundly beaten the next. Always misses a few games with injury. Hugh Goddard (R) - Will probably get another year. Serviceable backup.
Injured – Injured for too many games to assess whether they have improved, stalled or gone backwards Charlie Curnow - Just never got into the season. No change in my opinion that he can be there with Cripps and Walsh as an absolute A-grade player Caleb Marchbank - grass allergies. Aim to play more than 15 games. David Cuningham - same as Marchbank. Surprised they gave him 3 years. Too many in my opinion Tom De Koning - I saw virtually no VFL, but it was disappointing that he got injured when he did. Sam Docherty - Fingers crossed. Mitch McGovern - Pie free summer. Tom Williamson - Seems like one of those 'what could have been' players whose ability isn't matched with their durability.
Stalled – No improvement, but haven’t gone backwards Pat Kerr - 5th in line at both ends of the ground. Can't see him jumping the queue. Harrison Macreadie - Showed some ability, but stalled in his development. Darcy Lang - inconsistent effort week to week, doesn't get it much, does one or two nice things in a game but really just a fringe player. Andrew Philips - Still not a reliable ruckman. Had a couple of good games but usually doesn't do enough after the ruck contest which isn't viable in 2020 for a ruckman.
Gone backwards – Not as good as they were 12 months ago Zac Fisher - Boy, nobody struggled more from the coach change. First 8 rounds were good, then did not work into his new role at all. Big challenge for himself and the club to figure out where on the ground he plays in 2020 Paddy Dow - Second year blues. I had SPS and Weitering here last year. Don't write kids off. Cameron Polson - If he didn't have a contract, he'd be gone.
Thanks and goodbye – Please make room on the list for someone else Dale Thomas - Great year, will be top 10 in the BnF, great form the last two years. Very good career. Thanks. Kym LeBois (R) Jarrod Garlett Alex Fasolo Matthew Lobbe
Keep developing in the 2's Matthew Cottrell Josh Deluca Matthew Owies Finbar O'Dwyer Ben Silvagni Liam Stocker
All the following players would want to have injury free significant years or show real improvement next year to remain on the list in 2020. Fisher, Lang, Cuningham, Philips. I fear Williamson will end up on the injured scrap heap, and Docherty is a loose bit of turf away from a career ending knee injury.
Biggest concerns above are Dow and Fisher. I am a big believer in Dow after watching his first season. Was tried as a half forward to his detriment and now seems unsure of himself. Has lost confidence in his kicking which was already a shortcoming. Is still only 20 so plenty of time. My hope is he is being groomed to take Murphy's spot in the midfield and allowed to continue the development and natural ability he showed in his first year. Fisher dropped off a cliff when Teague took over. I'm not even sure where his best position is now, and if Cuningham gets his body right, or a Jack Martin comes in, where does he sit on the ground?
After going through the list, even more adamant the recruits need to be in order of priority 1 x Mid 1 x Small Forward 1 x Ruck
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