2009 Player Season Ratings

[bergholt]

This is a long post, but what better to do the day after losing the GF?

Ratings for every player on the list:

10 means every performance was perfect.
8 means mostly very good games.
5 means split between good performances and poor performances.
3 means mostly poor performances.
1 means every performance was poor.

These are to some extent relative to expectations for a player - rookies get a bit of leniency, for instance.

9: Lenny Hayes

The best season of his stellar career. Third in the Brownlow and pushed the rest of our midfield forward like the champion he is. The only possible quibble with Lenny as a player is that he doesn't kick enough goals, but he does everything else. Quirkily, had 49 hitouts for the year, almost twice as many as Kosi.

9: Nick Riewoldt

Plenty has been said and it's all true. Kicked 78.47 to spearhead the side's attacks and is the best leader anyone could ask for - all with a nagging injury. Will be disappointed that he was beaten in the GF but could hardly have done more this season. His 51 tackles is an important stat that shouldn't be discounted.

8: Nick Dal Santo

A very good season from a player who's had his critics. Lifted work rate, hardness and intensity - he's learnt from Ross and Lenny that contested possessions are key. Still the best kick in the side and one you want in the middle of the ground at crunch time. His 16 goals, 5 behinds was a really important contribution.

8: Sam Gilbert

A brilliant break-through season - the first half especially was as consistently good as anything I've seen from a 22 year old. He's found his position now and will be a fixture back there for the rest of his career. Dropped away a bit when sides started paying attention to him, but I reckon he's got plenty of improvement in him.

8: Clinton Jones

Another who found his role this year. "The Glove" handled almost everyone thrown at him, with aplomb - and expect some great battles between him and Ablett in coming years. Looks a lot less shaky when he gets the ball these days, and his 9 goals, 3 behinds was good for a specialist tagger.

8: Leigh Montagna

The step up from good to very good is the hardest one, but Joey found that next level this year. Somehow became a tackling machine as well as an important running receiver. He'll be disappointed with his goalkicking - 8 goals, 19 behinds - though his last one threatened to be the most important.

7: Steven Baker

A few rounds into this year, I thought he was gone. But as the team's form dropped off and the games got harder in the second half of the year, he consistently stood up. Another couple of years in him, playing in a position - small defender - where we haven't got a lot of depth.

7: Jason Blake

I've maligned him in the past, but he was just really solid all year; rarely beaten, predictably decent kicking, a perfect link in the chain. An integral and underrated member of the statistically best defence of all time. Has finally found the role that he'll spend the rest of his career in.

7: Zac Dawson

Came from nowhere to cement his spot at full-back, and given expectations, has done a great job. For next year he needs to concentrate on eradicating the occasional silly disposal error - back there, you can't afford any.

7: Sam Fisher

Not his greatest season, but played a slightly different role to previous years, more defensive and a link in the chain rather than the primary rebounder. Still very reliable and occasionally brilliant. It's very hard to keep both him and Gilbo down.

7: Brendon Goddard

His rating is lowered by the fact that I've got such a high opinion of him. By no means a bad year, and yet we know he can break the opposition all on his own - but it doesn't happen enough. If he gets a 9 next year, we make the GF again, it's that simple.

7: Jason Gram

A seriously important player in the side because he plays a role that most can't - running, long-kicking outside player. Kicked 12 goals, 23 behinds, which is disappointing, but if things had gone differently could have won a Norm Smith medal. Still really needs to improve his disposal accuracy, but if he does he'll be a very good player.

7: Andrew McQualter

Found a role that he can play well, at defensive half-forward, and had an important season as the steadiest of our small forwards. 22 goals, 7 behinds is an excellent return, and you can't discount his 112 tackles of defensive pressure. At just 23, he needs to continue to improve - merely the same season next year will be a touch disappointing.

7: Farren Ray

I was expecting him to be the next Wulf/Fiora/Birss, but showed a lot more than that. An up-and-down season with flashes of brilliance (39 possession v Adelaide) and of disappointment (his worst two games were against Geelong). If he can bulk up and harden up a little more, will be a much better player for it.

7: Adam Schneider

If he'd kicked 5.0 in the GF his rating would probably be 8. Probably had too many anonymous games, especially towards the end of the season - but at the same time kicked 34 goals and had 114 tackles - a hugely important component of the forward line.

6: David Armitage

Unlucky that we've got a number of similar players, as he had a pretty solid three games for a 21 year old. I hope he can cement a spot next year and add hardness to the side.

6: Luke Ball

His well-documented trials and tribulations disguise the fact that he was rarely bad this year, just that he wasn't always as good as we know he can be - and that the "brand" doesn't maybe suit him. Was good in the GF when it counted, and at 25 could still take another step and be really important.

6: Michael Gardiner

A huge amount better than I thought he would be, and played at least one great game. Unfortunate that he couldn't keep up his early season goal-kicking pace. And 9 tackles isn't a lot for a man of his size. Probably needs to improve a bit more next year.

6: Jarryn Geary

Was pretty good and then was edged out of the team, but time is on his side and I'm confident that he'll keep improving. Seems quite well suited to the brand, but probably needs another bump in workrate to cement a spot.

6: Justin Koschitzke

A tough season to assess. He kicked 48 goals, 30 behinds for a career high, and picked up 11 Brownlow votes for his trouble. And yet we've all seen his best and this still ain't it. He might never get there again, but I reckon he can keep improving as a strong presence at FF - and that's something a lot of clubs don't have.

6: Stephen Milne

His rating would have been higher after Round 22, but his three finals didn't do him any favours. Did well to improve his tackling, but with the pressure of big occasions seeming to hurt him, and his 30th birthday coming along before the start of next year - maybe time's running out for the little fella.

6: Jack Steven

Only played one game but it was a good one, and showed a lot of promise. He should be strongly pushing for a place next year.

5: Raphael Clarke

Ah, Raph. How do you solve a problem like Raphael? Some good performances, some serious blunders. The jury's still well out for mine - he might clean up his game and become a good rebounding defender, or he might never get there.

5: James Gwilt

Showed glimpses of the reason that he gets picked, which hasn't previously been apparent to me - he's strong and a good kick. But he just doesn't get it enough at this point. I really hope he takes another big step in the off season, but I don't think it's likely.

4: Steven King

Did everything asked of him without ever really standing out. A very useful man to have around as a big body, even if he starts to be overtaken by younger, more lively kids next year.

5: Ben McEvoy

Was little more than a big body in most of his games, but at the same time he showed signs of becoming a better ruckman than either of the more senior guys. Strong marks around the ground, running goals - if he adds strength, and becomes a better tap ruckman, he'll be a seriously good player. Should be pushing for a starting spot by the end of next year.

4: Sean Dempster

Did well to get back strongly from his knee reco, and obviously does everything right off the field and on the training track. But he doesn't quite have a role on the field yet - not really a tagger, not really a third tall forward. Still youngish and has the physical attributes, though.

4: Robert Eddy

Didn't do a whole lot on the field, except his goals which beat West Coast. Needs to take a pretty big step next year to keep pushing at a spot in the side, and to stay on the list at the end of next year.

4: Max Hudghton

A really sad end for a champion. Couldn't quite get his body right or get any continuity, and continuing to develop Zac became a priority. Has had a great career and no-one should forget that.

3: Colm Begley

Slipped into the side for one game, didn't do a whole lot, slipped back out again. No idea what he's like on that evidence. Probably gets another year just in case.

Unrated: The Rest

X Clarke, the forgotten man, will look to push for a spot again next year, and I could see him potentially adding something to the side with his run and hardness. Who knows what will happen with Maguire - I'd say we're happy to have him stay if he's happy to do it, but he might want to find senior footy elsewhere. Leigh Fisher seems to have run his race.

Lynch, Stanley and Simpkin seem to be developing nicely, and signs were shown by Heyne, Gaertner and McGrath. Didn't hear a lot about the rest - it wouldn't be surprising if Miles, Howard and Haretuku were all shown the door, and Connors and Cahill might be in a slightly worrying position.

All developing, but it'd be nice to have a couple more pushing up to the fringes of the senior team next year. Miles and Heyne were the only ones in that group named emergencies, so let's hope Lynch especially makes some progress in the off-season.

[bergholt]

No arguments? Wow!

[SainterK]

I would like to respond, I will just wait a couple of days to be a bit more rational...

[hotdish]

Montagna +1 (Played to his full ability - was All Australian, will finish top 3 in B&F - easily a 9)
Nicky dal - +1 - like Montagna, had a great season, starting on field in AA)
Armitage -1
Milne +1
Kossie +1
Goddard +2 (All Australian!)
King +2 (was a very good 2nd ruckman-how can you rank McEvoy higher!)

[flyingwhale18]

wasnt Dal on the bench with BJ in the AA team?

[xander]

I think Steven is a bit high - at a 6 he is ranked as high as Milne, Gardiner & Kosi. Although he was very promising in that game if he certainly didn't have a season as strong as any of the other 6s. If he did he would certainly have earned more senior games.

[Moods]

Montagna +1 (Played to his full ability - was All Australian, will finish top 3 in B&F - easily a 9)
Nicky dal - +1 - like Montagna, had a great season, starting on field in AA)
Armitage -1
Milne +1
Kossie +1
Goddard +2 (All Australian!)
King +2 (was a very good 2nd ruckman-how can you rank McEvoy higher!)

Didn't Bergholt qualify at the start of thread that his ratings are partially based upon expectations of certain players. King being a 10 year plus former B&F winner and AA ruckman, would have higher expectations than a 2nd year 19 yr old ruckman I reckon.

For what it's worth, I reckon you've got most of the rating pretty much spot on.

[bergholt]

Didn't Bergholt qualify at the start of thread that his ratings are partially based upon expectations of certain players. King being a 10 year plus former B&F winner and AA ruckman, would have higher expectations than a 2nd year 19 yr old ruckman I reckon.

Yep, precisely. I didn't expect anything from McEvoy or Steven this year, so they got higher ratings than their raw performances may have suggested. It's really just rookies who get that leeway - Armo was another who got a bump.

[bergholt]

Goddard +2 (All Australian!)

There's no way I can give him a 9. If at the end of his career we end up saying that 2009 was his best season then he'll be a seriously unfulfilled talent. Players with his strength, skill and pace don't come along very often at all - he can be in the top few players in the league.