2017 Half Season & End of Season Report Card

[BenDoolan]

Halfway mark: Well the team is 5 wins and 6 losses. So overall, that's about a 4/10.

End of Season: 12 wins and 10 losses + one Finals hammering 5/10

The following is based on individual performances in the games they've played...

1. Andrew “Rising Star” McGrath
Halfway mark: (10 games, 1 goal, 194 disposals) 8/10 - has hardly put a foot wrong the moment he stepped out on to the AFL arena. Composed, determined, quick thinking, solid defence, good offence, and a great set of skills. Will be right up there for the Rising Star award.

End of season: (21 games, 1 goal, 415 disposals) 8.5/10 – got better as the season went on. Completely obliterated the best small forward in the game and continued to deliver quality football. Held his head high in our dismal Elimination Final. Rising Star winner who has a massive future ahead of him.

2. Tom Bellchambers
Halfway mark: (3 games, 3 goals, 33 disposals, 113 hit outs) 5/10 - started slowly due to injury and limited pre-season. Has been good the past couple of weeks as he provides more around the ground and up forward than Leuenberger.

End of Season: (14 games, 9 goals, 151 disposals, 460 hit outs) 4.5/10 – had a lacklustre season by his standards. In saying that, he managed to get his best outputs for hit outs and tackles in a season. Just needs to do more in the disposal, marks and goal aspects of the game. And perhaps tapping the ball to our players. Was very ordinary in the Elimination final.

3. Darcy Parish
Halfway mark: (10 games, 3 goals, 206 disposals) 6.5/10 - statistically, he is almost identically averaging the same across most aspects of his game as he did last year - and he was very good last year. No 2nd year blues, but he is more under the radar due to the returning stars in Heppell and Watson.

End of Season: (20 games, 7 goals, 421 disposals) 6.5/10 – ended the season almost averaging exactly the same across 2 seasons. At least he’s consistent! Just needs to step up a bit more as each season comes. One of our better players in the Elimination debacle.

4. Jobe Watson
Halfway mark: (10 games, 252 disposals) 6/10 - not as dynamic as he once was, but he still has that great ability to extract the ball in contested situations and dish it off to a teammate. Looks much slower, and at times, has produced some clangers that used to plague him early in his career. I think he will get better as the season gets longer. And I reckon he'll be even better next season.

End of Season: (20 games, 2 goals, 470 disposals) 5.5/10 – dropped off dramatically as the season wore on. Clearly jaded and a step off the pace. Sad ending to a great career. Didn’t deserve the crap he had to put up with.

5. Brent Stanton
Halfway mark: (7 games, 2 goals, 113 disposals) 3/10 - not sure what he brings to the side. Still the same style of player but with less possession and effectiveness. Cooked.

End of Season: (as above)

6. Joe Daniher
Halfway mark: (11 games, 30 goals, 178 disposals) 9/10 - one shocker of a day v Melbourne, but the rest has been fantastic. Since that horrific day, he's kicked 17.2. His agility, mobility, marking, and long kicking on the run has been outstanding this season. On target for a 60 goal season.

End of Season: (23 games, 65 goals, 352 disposals) 9/10 – excellent season by Big Joe. Produced his greatest output in a number of areas – disposals, marks, goals, hit outs, rebound 50’s, inside 50’s and goal assists. Best of all, he dramatically improved his goal kicking. Was probably our best player in our disgraceful Elimination Final. Followed up his very good performance in the 2014 Elimination Final. Worthy All Australian selection.

7. Zach Merrett
Halfway mark: (11 games, 2 goals, 350 disposals) 9.5/10 - has been outstanding this year. The returning players haven't made him take a back seat. He has led the midfield the whole season with great distinction. On target for 700 disposals this year. The only knock on him would be his lack of scoreboard impact. Received 19 Brownlow votes last season. Having a better year IMO.

End of Season: (22 games, 9 goals, 659 disposals) 9.5/10 – maintained his excellence in the 2nd half of the year. Just managed to break his own Essendon record of most disposals in a season (657 last season). Another worthy AA selection.

8. Marty Gleeson
Halfway mark: (6 games, 1 goal, 92 disposals) 4/10 - played his best game of the season yesterday. Prior to that, he appeared to carry the same deficiencies that he has since he debuted in 2014 - lack of size making him easy to push off the line of the ball, and his inability to make tackles stick. He still concerns me with his lack of physical development.

End of Season: (18 games, 1 goal, 296 disposals) 6.5/10 – dramatic improver in the 2nd half of the season. Steady in defence who clunked many intercept marks. Equalled his greatest tally of marks in a season (106) and clearly beat his previous best 1%er count with 66.

9. Brendon “Pretzels” Goddard
Halfway mark: (11 games, 4 goals, 298 disposals) 8.5/10 - having a terrific season. Very consistent, and having an impact. Has been a very good contributor ever since he joined us.

End of Season: (23 games, 5 goals, 613 disposals) 8.5/10 – apart from some real doozie clangers , BJ had his most prolific season since joining the club. It is only the 3rd time in 15 seasons that he has cracked the 600 disposal mark. The other two occasions were Grand Final years for the Saints.

10. Aaron Francis
Halfway mark: (2 games, 1 goal, 22 disposals) 2/10 - looks great, but struggles with fitness and injury. Hopefully he gets himself right because he may end up on that tragic list with Gumbleton, Kommer et al
End of Season: (as above)

11. David Zaharakis
Halfway mark: (11 games, 5 goals, 247 disposals) 4.5/10 - may be harsh, but his first 7 games were mainly rubbish. Has been in very good form in the last month, but overall, just below a pass mark IMO. Hopefully he continues the way he's been going lately.

End of Season: (23 games, 11 goals, 590 disposals) 7/10 – massively improved in the 2nd half of the year. After an abysmal start to the year Zaka ended up having his most prolific season in terms of disposals, tackles (107), rebound 50’s (49), inside 50’s (108), 1%ers (21) and goal assists (19).

12. Mark Baguley
Halfway mark: (11 games, 164 disposals) 5/10 - I'm a huge fan of Bags, but I think he's struggled on a number of occasions this season. Need him to lift a cog in the 2nd half of the year.

End of Season: (22 games, 333 disposals) 6/10 – Baggers did improve in the 2nd half of the season by playing more tighter and performed well. Still one of the most courageous players in the side.

13. Orazio Fantasia
Halfway mark: (11 games, 25 goals, 154 disposals) 8.5/10 - Fantasia the fantastic. He's been classy and creative. Great to watch in full flight. And a top kick for goal. On target to kick 50 for the season.

End of Season: (20 games, 39 goals, 275 disposals) 8/10 – dropped off slightly before injury struck him down. Came back for the final but was out of sorts.

15. Josh Green
Halfway mark: (9 games, 12 goals, 91 disposals) 6/10 - doesn't get a great deal of the ball, but is damaging when he gets it - evident by the fact that he kicks a goal every 7.5 disposals. A very good addition to the club.

End of Season: (17 games, 17 goals, 186 disposals) 4/10 – his 2nd half of the year was a shocker – poor form, undisciplined acts, poor kicking for goal, injury. Needs to pull the proverbial finger out next season.

16. Josh Begley (3 games, 5 goals, 27 disposals) 5/10 – good debut after some very good form in the VFL. Kicked a couple of sausage rolls in our dismal Final. Like the look of him!

17. James Stewart
Halfway mark: (4 games, 5 goals, 42 disposals) 5/10 - started like a fire cracker but has struggled in a couple of games. A work in progress.

End of Season: (16 games, 22 goals, 196 disposals) 6.5/10 – has been a good pick up and a good contributor. Generally starts the game with a bang but then fizzles out. Needs to work on putting full games together – similar to the Fremantle game. Was invisible in the final though.

18. Michael Hurley
Halfway mark: (11 games, 1 goal, 256 disposals) 8.5/10 - started very shakily this season, but has become an absolute wall in defence. He's in AA form and easily one of the best defenders in the comp.

End of Season: (21 games, 3 goals, 537 disposals) 9/10 – was outstanding before getting injured late in the season. Had his best ever season tally of disposal and marks. Clearly deserving of AA. Was disappointing in the final though.

21. Dyson Heppell
Halfway mark: (11 games, 6 goals, 285 disposals) 8/10 - started the season with a brilliant performance against Hawthorn. Has been very consistent and creative in the middle.

End of Season: (23 games, 12 goals, 606 disposals) 8/10 – was consistent throughout the season and ended up with high numbers in a lot of statistical categories. Not his best season with the club, but is right up there. Was poor in the Final.

22. Matthew Leuenberger
Halfway mark: (6 games, 1 goal, 70 disposals, 203 hit outs) 4/10 - good for a hit out, but offered very little after that. Needs to start doing more around the ground and start being an occasional option up forward. Not worthy of getting a game ahead of Belly until he does.

End of Season: (7 games, 1 goal, 81 disposals, 232 hit outs) 3/10 – needs to be traded away or delisted. Gives nothing of value.

23. David Myers
Halfway mark: (5 games, 1 goal, 83 disposals) 4/10 - I understand he's just playing for the first time in 2.5 years, but he needs to start giving more on the field than what he has. Hopefully this will happen in the 2nd half of the season.

End of Season (15 games, 3 goals, 276 disposals) 3/10 – didn’t deliver much at all. Don’t really see what his role is in the team other than trying to be a ‘run with’, tagger type. For a pick 6, that is crap. Should trade away ASAP.

24. Craig Bird (2 games, 41 disposals) 5/10 – performed well enough in his 2 games, but was dumped regardless. May as well delist if you’re not going to give him games ahead of flotsam like Colyer.

26. Cale Hooker
Halfway mark: (11 games, 18 goals, 139 disposals) 5.5/10 - has been "ok" for most part, but appears to struggle at times with his role up forward. In saying that, his role has meant Daniher has thrived. In all honesty, I would prefer a natural forward being recruited so that Hooker can go back to where he plays best.

End of Season (20 games, 41 goals, 270 disposals) 6.5/10 – ended up with 40+ goals which is a good effort. A couple of 5 goal bags and his most contested marks in a season showed that he can be valuable up forward. Missed him the Final.

28. Mitch Brown
Halfway mark: (4 games, 69 disposals) 3.5/10 - struggled to have an impact in the games he played, and looks to be well behind the pecking order.

End of Season: (as above)

29. Paddy Ambrose
Halfway mark: (5 games, 60 disposals) 7/10 - has developed into a strong, reliable defender. Played very well up until his injury. Hopefully he will be back next week and for the remainder of the entire season.

End of Season (10 games, 122 disposals) 6/10 – injury struck him down for most of the season. Came back late in the year but was woeful in the Final.

30 Kyle Langford
Halfway mark: (4 games, 4 goals, 47 disposals) 4/10 - still developing and shows glimpses of talent. Has been in good form in the VFL and should be recalled.

End of Season: (6 games, 4 goals, 82 disposals) 3/10 – compared to last season, he was pretty ordinary. Needs to grow a set and step up next season.

32. Travis Colyer
Halfway mark: (11 games, 7 goals, 190 disposals) 4.5/10 - apart from an excellent game v Adelaide, he's been very disappointing. His disposal has been poor, and an absolute shocker v Richmond showed us all how bad. Needs to start giving us more in terms of run and carry, and impact on the scoreboard. Should be dropped IMO.

End of Season: (22 games, 12 goals, 368 disposals) 2/10 – abysmal. Gifted games for some reason. Did achieve his most games in a season, most disposals in a season, and most goals in a season. But that meant he got his most clangers in a season, and most f****** fumbles. Must delist or trade ASAP.

33. Jayden Laverde (5 games, 1 goal, 56 disposals) 3/10 – a bad injury kept him out for most of the season. Returned with 6 goals in the VFL and then promoted straight back into the seniors. Was way off the pace, and struggled with his kicking in the seniors. Hopefully he can stay injury free and hit the training track hard so he can have an impact next season.

36. Michael Hartley
Halfway mark: (7 games, 81 disposals) 5.5/10 - been a solid defender without being a stand out. Has been found wanting in some one on one contests, but in the main, he's been ok. IMO, he was a lot more confident last year when he had more responsibility.

End of Season: (18 games, 212 disposals) 6/10 – improved as the season went on, but was poor in the Final.

39. Heath Hocking
Halfway mark: (1 game, 10 disposals) 3/10 - his one outing was in a shocking team display v Carlton. Hocko played to the team standard that day.

End of Season: (2 games, 2 goals, 19 disposals) 4/10 – played one more game in the 2nd half of the season and kicked a couple of snags. Game passed him by this season.

40. Ben Howlett
Halfway mark: (3 games, 42 disposals) 4/10 - hasn't had any impact in the games he's played. Even his tackle count is well below his own standards. I think the game has passed him by.

End of Season: (7 games, 1 goal, 95 disposals) 4/10 – Couldn’t really pick up the pace of the game at any stage this year. Appears to be cooked as an AFL player.

41. Ben McNiece
Halfway mark: (2 games, 25 disposals) 4/10 - surprise inclusion in the Anzac Day clash, but equipped himself well. However, the pace of the game seemed a bit overwhelming the following week.

End of Season: (as above) – injury wrecked his season, but was destined to play VFL for the rest of the year anyway.

43. Anthony William Watson McDonald-Tipungwuti
Halfway mark: (11 games 15 goals, 147 disposals) 7.5/10 - has been excellent this season, but has been quiet the past couple of weeks. His chasing and tackling is brilliant. And his goal kicking and goal assists has been outstanding. Great to watch when on song.

End of Season: 23 games, 34 goals, 300 disposals) 7/10 – dropped off slightly late in the season. Doesn’t get a lot of the ball, but is a high impact player. Some of his chase & tackle highlights this year were just sensational. 34 goals is a great input. However, he was another who went completely missing in the Final.

44. Shaun McKernan
Halfway mark: (2 games, 1 goal, 30 disposals, 49 hit outs) 4/10 - tries hard and does some good things. However, he doesn't quite make it as a ruckman and he doesn't quite make it as a forward. Very good VFL player, but will only be a fill in AFL player.

End of Season: (3 games, 3 goals, 37 disposals, 51 hit outs) 4/10 – the duct tape of the list. Just comes into the team as a patch up. Handy player, but never going to be a real hit.

45. Conor McKenna
Halfway mark: (7 games, 1 goal, 113 disposals) 5/10 - gets a pass mark. At times, he looks like a panic merchant. More recently, he looks cool, calm and collected. Still a lot to improve on, but it looks as though he's on the up.

End of Season (19 games, 5 goals, 322 disposals) 7/10 – big improver in the 2nd half of the season. Has a deadest crack and takes the game on. Some of his runs (and goals) were terrific. Is prone to the occasional blunder, but he appears to be far more confident and comfortable with his game.

47. James Kelly
Halway mark: (9 games, 186 disposals) 7/10 - still a solid contributor with sure hands and creative thinking. Clearly in our best 22.

End of Season: (20 games, 405 disposals) 7/10 – continued his consistent output throughout the season. A great contributor and on field leader / mentor. Called it quits, but glad he’s taking on a coaching role within the club. Have the highest respect for him.

49. Matt Dea
Halfway mark: (5 games, 1 goal, 70 disposals) 6/10 - been in good form so it's perplexing as to why he was dropped this week.

End of Season: (6 games, 1 goal, 88 disposals) 6/10 – thought he was stiff to be dropped as he performed well when in the team. Marty Gleeson certainly kept him out of the side with his excellent form in the 2nd half of the season.

Go ahead and add your thoughts...

[Gimps]

Benny Doolan 1/10

[gringo]

Not much there I would disagree with. Interesting read.

[grassy1]

Interesting read.

Thanks for the Analysis,Ben.

Though it seems Ben Howlett is heading towards the Big League Sunset,it is only just after sunrise outside of footy.

[rockhole]

Good assessment, Benny. Suggests the best is still ahead of us.

I share your concerns regarding Gleeson who I simply believe has not got the physique to play AFL and have seen no difference coming into to his 3rd year.

Agree that Matty Dea has been good and also puzzled why he was dropped last week.

Jobe, Colyer and Myers need more games and I feel sure that they will lift. Jobe starting to show more consistency altho his kicking is still average.

Cannot see a spot for Stanton, Howlett or Hocking unfortunately.

Stewart is a work in progress after a promising start and can only get better. When he gets that consistency, I also would like Hooker to return to the backline. His ability to prevent 4 or 5 goals outweighs his possible scoring of 1 or 2 goals.

Jury is still out on Mitch Brown, Langford, Francis and Laverde. I would like Woosha to put games into these guys when available to see what we have, rather than getting false readings with good games in the twos.

[Windy_Hill]

Stewart can do the Hooker role - ie free up Daniher to be more effective and chime in with 1 or 2 goals a game.

Result - No net gain or loss

Hooker can do the Hartley Role - ie hold down the oppositions key tall forward and provide intetcept marking in the D50

Result -:significant net gain. AA key defender replacing average defender.

[BenDoolan]

Stewart can do the Hooker role - ie free up Daniher to be more effective and chime in with 1 or 2 goals a game.

Result - No net gain or loss

Hooker can do the Hartley Role - ie hold down the oppositions key tall forward and provide intetcept marking in the D50

Result -:significant net gain. AA key defender replacing average defender.

Stewart isn't doing enough with the 3rd best defender let alone dealing with the best / 2nd best.

[ealesy]

Stewart can do the Hooker role - ie free up Daniher to be more effective and chime in with 1 or 2 goals a game.

Result - No net gain or loss

Hooker can do the Hartley Role - ie hold down the oppositions key tall forward and provide intetcept marking in the D50

Result -:significant net gain. AA key defender replacing average defender.

Sorry but that is bollocks.

Hooker often gets the opposition best key defender freeing up JoeDan while still being able to net 2-3 goals a gMe himself.

Hooker goes back, JoeDan not only gets the best key defender, but he will often be double teamed because Stewart is not dangerous enough to require his opponent to lock down on him. This is even before you consider the opposition might have a loose back as well.

I would prefer Hooker to go back, but it is ridiculous to think him going back won't have a significant impact on JoeDan's output, because Stewart cannot play the Hooker role.

You never know though, one day we might actually recruit a f****** key forward so we can stop trying to turn our key defenders into key forwards.

[Windy_Hill]

Joe Daniher gets the best defender every game. Not Hooker.

So lets not play up this theory that Daniher is having a productive year simply because Hooker is playing forward. JOE scored 43 goals last year without Hooker in a much weaker side. He may well score 50 to 60 this year in a better team. Not all that improvement is due to Hooker.

Furthermore it is rough to judge Stewarts efforts. Don't forget he is third option for attacking moves into the F50. Who is to say he couldnt double his output if given priority service.

I am sorry but Bellchambers would be as good an option as Hooker as the second key forward . But Hooker would cut 3 goals from the oppositions scoring.

No matter what you say....i am not sold on the Hooker experiment


By the way...great mid season report Ben.

[tonysoprano]

Would love to hear Benny's thoughts (rating) on Worsfold too.....

[Ronny Rotten]

Would love to hear Benny's thoughts (rating) on Worsfold too.....

Interesting one this on Worsfold: Lloydy went bang last on Footy Classified on Wosfold's coaching performance this year, particularly the game against the scum. Adding he believes the side has underperformed overall & was critical of the selection of Stanton & Howlett over youngsters who need game time.

While on this subject Rohan Connolly wrote this interesting piece about Worsfold....

One of the difficulties for the Dons in 2017 was always going to be bringing back a sizeable chunk of a playing list out for a year, and having to combine it with those who had emerged in their absence.

That may account for some of the patchiness Essendon have displayed. But is it also compromising their future?

John Worsfold and his coaching panel have made the odd eyebrow-raising selection decision this season. But few which furrowed as many brows as did the inclusion of veteran pair Brent Stanton and Ben Howlett for Saturday's game against GWS.

Against a young, quick opponent, the pair came into a midfield in which lack of pace is already an issue, and to be frank, only exacerbated that problem.

Howlett was coming off two good VFL performances. Stanton had been a lot more subdued in his most recent VFL outings. The pair ended up with a collective 25 touches against the Giants and little influence. Martin Gleeson was the other inclusion, and performed well against the Giants. But that came at the expense of Matt Dea, who was stiff to be dropped.

Youngster Kyle Langford, meanwhile, turned in his fourth good game from five in the reserves. Aaron Francis booted three goals. And Josh Begley also turned heads.

Essendon's best couple of players against North Ballarat, however, were two more seasoned and not overly quick midfielders in Heath Hocking and Craig Bird. As strong as their claims are, they're arguably more of what the Bombers don't need right now. Complicating that situation further is the sense of emotional obligation Essendon feels towards some good clubmen who stuck with the club when it clearly did the wrong thing by them back in 2012.

Is that going to see them awarded games they perhaps on form don't deserve? And if they do, to what extent is that slowing the development of other players who may be a long-term part of a successful future that the veterans can't be?

It's a tough one for Worsfold and the Dons. But they need to be careful that doing the right thing in 2017 doesn't end up having an impact on 2018 as well.

[j-mac31]

Great work (as usual) Ben, not much to disagree with.

I'd maybe have Hooker 6 or 6.5, particularly before the past couple of weeks. I think he's been good this year.

The only glaring problem was putting Kommer in the same category as Francis and Gumbleton.

[j-mac31]

Would love to hear Benny's thoughts (rating) on Worsfold too.....

Interesting one this on Worsfold: Lloydy went bang last on Footy Classified on Wosfold's coaching performance this year, particularly the game against the scum. Adding he believes the side has underperformed overall & was critical of the selection of Stanton & Howlett over youngsters who need game time.

While on this subject Rohan Connolly wrote this interesting piece about Worsfold....

"Blah, blah blah."

I'm not a fan. He was a boring, do nothing coach at West Coast who had one fo the best midfields ever assembled. He still appears to do nothing (except for a two week stretch where the small forwards took turns in the middle) and selections this week were abysmal.

[boncer34]

Gleeson rathed to highly.

[BenDoolan]

Would love to hear Benny's thoughts (rating) on Worsfold too.....

John Worsfold (11 games, 5 wins, 6 losses, 3 positional moves) 7/10 - rated highly because he is the first coach to actually drop Brent Stanton. Think about that for a second. That actually has to be celebrated. Rate him 2/10 this week because he inexplicably brought him back into the team. But overall, it's difficult to rate his performance because he is literally just getting to know a fair chunk of the team. His downfall is not experimenting more on field when the situation demands it.

His positives has been getting Tippa onto the list and giving him a go. Thank f***. I like the way he's developed our forward line structure (an area where we've been totally shit for some time). I believe he is structurally building something good. And it really is early days to judge what he's developing tactically as our players get used to it.

In all seriousness, no other coach has had to contend with what he's had to since getting the gig. I think he's done well, all things considered. I rated the team 4/10, but I give him 6/10 because of all the difficulties he's had to face. Next year he will be assessed more stringently.

[s'dreams]

Stewart can do the Hooker role - ie free up Daniher to be more effective and chime in with 1 or 2 goals a game.

Result - No net gain or loss

Hooker can do the Hartley Role - ie hold down the oppositions key tall forward and provide intetcept marking in the D50

Result -:significant net gain. AA key defender replacing average defender.

Stewart isn't doing enough with the 3rd best defender let alone dealing with the best / 2nd best.

Stewart looked and played like he was embarrassed to go back to the GWS showgrounds last weekend (like it was back to the judgemental family). Too nervous to get near the ball.Should be better after that game.

Fantastic work Ben. Much to ponder over.

My only qualification is the very high marks given to some players... but perhaps I'm a bit of a hard marker. To me anyone rating a 9 or higher is at AA level. I'm not sure we have anyone yet at that level (save Hurley mid year) though Merrett (3rd in total disposals in the AFL), JoeD (=5th for Coleman Medal) and Fantasia (=11th for Coleman) would be close.

For example, Merrett you gave a 9.5 ... I think 9 is about right. Although he ranks 3rd in the AFL for disposals, his use of the ball is at times ordinary (OK he is often under pressure, but overall he is at 68.6% disposal efficiency which ranks him 417th in the AFL so far this year for that aspect ... a bit low given he is more outside mid and ranks lowish = 85th for contested possessions). Maybe its because the team isn't giving him a bit more protection like Judd or Abblett used to get.

Joe D likewise I'd mark as a 8.5 instead of a 9. Again while he is 5th on the Coleman his goal accuracy i (at 54% equal to Franklin who is having an ordinary year) s on the lower side for key forwards (which is typically mor around 58-60%) and amazingly he is averaging only 0.46 goal assists this year (that surprised me) given he is spending more time in the ruck and up the ground.

Anyway, as I said - nit-picky but that's me.

[BenDoolan]

Stewart can do the Hooker role - ie free up Daniher to be more effective and chime in with 1 or 2 goals a game.

Result - No net gain or loss

Hooker can do the Hartley Role - ie hold down the oppositions key tall forward and provide intetcept marking in the D50

Result -:significant net gain. AA key defender replacing average defender.

Stewart isn't doing enough with the 3rd best defender let alone dealing with the best / 2nd best.

Stewart looked and played like he was embarrassed to go back to the GWS showgrounds last weekend (like it was back to the judgemental family). Too nervous to get near the ball.Should be better after that game.

Fantastic work Ben. Much to ponder over.

My only qualification is the very high marks given to some players... but perhaps I'm a bit of a hard marker. To me anyone rating a 9 or higher is at AA level. I'm not sure we have anyone yet at that level (save Hurley mid year) though Merrett (3rd in total disposals in the AFL), JoeD (=5th for Coleman Medal) and Fantasia (=11th for Coleman) would be close.

For example, Merrett you gave a 9.5 ... I think 9 is about right. Although he ranks 3rd in the AFL for disposals, his use of the ball is at times ordinary (OK he is often under pressure, but overall he is at 68.6% disposal efficiency which ranks him 417th in the AFL so far this year for that aspect ... a bit low given he is more outside mid and ranks lowish = 85th for contested possessions). Maybe its because the team isn't giving him a bit more protection like Judd or Abblett used to get.

Joe D likewise I'd mark as a 8.5 instead of a 9. Again while he is 5th on the Coleman his goal accuracy i (at 54% equal to Franklin who is having an ordinary year) s on the lower side for key forwards (which is typically mor around 58-60%) and amazingly he is averaging only 0.46 goal assists this year (that surprised me) given he is spending more time in the ruck and up the ground.

Anyway, as I said - nit-picky but that's me.

You're entitled to assess players according to any criteria you like. What you've said makes sense

[Windy_Hill]

Does any player want to be selected out of sympathy?

I very much doubt it.

[nudder12]

Does any player want to be selected out of sympathy?

I very much doubt it.

You may be right, but then again not many players would consider they aren't worthy of a game anyway. And, if they do happen to consider themselves borderline, I wouldn't be at all surprised if they thought something like "they owe me a chance". Not exactly sympathy, but in the same car park I'd think.

[j-mac31]

Does any player want to be selected out of sympathy?

I very much doubt it.

They want to play. Do you think they care why the coach picked them?