2004 - Player grades

[lamby29]

I've tried to take injuries, Pre Season expectations etc into account.

Armstrong - D
Bizzell - C+
Broadbridge - C+
Brown - A
Bruce - A
Davey - B+
Godfrey - D
Green - A
Heffernan - B-
Holland - C
Johnstone - B+
Jolly - E+
McDonald - B
Miller - B+
Neitz - B+
Nicholson - C
Read - B
Rigoni - D
Rivers - A+
Robertson - B-
Thompson - B+
Vardy - D+
Walsh - D
Ward - D-
Wheatley - B
Whelan - B
White - A+
Williams - Z
Yze - A+

Most of the young players haven't been included.

 

[dees_best]

Bruce would be a B+.

His mediocre displays in some big games have to count against him.

Although 90% of the time he was excellent.

 

[lamby29]

Bruce would be a B+.

His mediocre displays in some big games have to count against him.

Although 90% of the time he was excellent.

True, but he has still racked up 20-25 touches in his not so great games this year.

This would not have been the case in the past.

 

[Tim56]

Steven Armstrong - C

Hasn't played many games at all. Stalled at Sandy. Strong candidate for trade.

Clint Bizzell - B

Had terrible luck with injury, but when out there has produced well, if not quite at his stellar 2002/03 form.

Troy Broadbridge - B+

Has taken a big step up and seems like he might make it after all. Still needs more consistency and to provide more run from defence. Needs to be a McPhee type tall flanker, as Wheatley provides a better third tall option.

Nathan Brown - A+

Pretty much a faultless season. Courage, skill. Great year.

Cameron Bruce - B

Been excellent at times but a bit inconsistent, and tends to go missing in the big games a little.

Aaron Davey - A

Been an absolute sensation. Hasn't come back as well after his hammy but that is to be expected.

Simon Godfrey - C+

Not much really changed. In and out of the side, skills still awful. Tagging role usurped by Heffernan and Read.

Brad Green - A

Made the step up from inconsistent forward to strong midfielder. Racks up plenty of touches, still kicked a good haul of goals. Fine season.

Chris Heffernan - B

Consistent over 22 weeks. Hit some good form over the year. Not a superstar, but has had a pretty good influence.

Ben Holland - C-

Major disappointment. Better suited as a defender, but too slow for that role. At the crossroads.

Travis Johnstone - B

Travis was Travis. At times brilliant, at others infuriating. Struggled with injury.

Mark Jamar - C+

Struggled for opportunities behind a gun in Jeff White. Will be a good player. Possible trade.

Darren Jolly - C+

Ditto.

JamesMcDonald - A

A true servant. Backbone of the midfield, stands up when it counts. Not the most glamorous of players, but effective.

Brad Miller - A

Improved tremendously this year, to about the point where he is going to explode on the leagure. Our CHF for the next ten years. Has to play four full quarters, rather than just in bursts. Foot skills are a bit lacking.

David Neitz - B+

Still doing a good job. A bit errant with his kicking at goal, but even when he isn't taking marks, he's crashing packs and creating opportunities. Gun.

Al Nicholson - B

Not the most glamorous of players, but has done the job most of the time. It seems that when we play badly he is the isn't whipping boy, but against Lloyd, Tredrea, etc. when the ball is coming down as easily as it has on occasions there is nothing any key defender will do. A vital part of a good season.

Phil Read - B

Provided much needed toughness and ball winning ability. Skills can let him down at times, needs to control his aggression.

Guy Rigoni - C

Great effort simply to be playing the game after all his injuries, but unfortunately AFL football has passed him by.

Jared Rivers - A+

Held down CHB in his first full season. Winner of the Rising Star award. Not much else to say.

Russell Robertson - C

Disappointing year. At times tended towards too much lairising, and with Miller seemed a bit unsure of what his role should be. Worked hard and form picked up towards the end of the year.

Scott Thompson - B+

A real inside midfielder of the type we have been crying out for. Played a top season until he broke his foot. One to watch next year.

Peter Vardy - D+

Hardly got out on the field due to injury. When he did he was ineffective, with the exception of the Freo game. Deserves another go.

Peter Walsh - C

Did ok. Much of the year at Sandy. In a team with plenty of his type, he is surplus to requirements.

Daniel Ward - D-

Languished at Sandy most of the year, did little when at AFL level. Maybe one more go, or trade.

Paul Wheatley - B

A good 'third tall', has come back well after 2003 when he seemed to be going backwards. Strong mark, good kick, but can't expect him to hold down a key position.

Matthew Whelan - B+

Tough, reliable. Good old fashioned back pocket. Capable of holding a man as well as providing drive. Excellent year.

Jeff White - A+

At the crossroads after 2003, prodced a truly brilliant season. Simply outstanding.

Luke Williams - D

Treading water at Sandy. Should go, one way or another.

Adem Yze - B+

Spent much of the year getting cheap kicks in the backline, but produced some excellent footy. Gun.

 

[The Shev]

Will do this later, but Miller definately receives an A+ in my books. I love this guy. He kept improving throughout the year. I can now see him as a future captain of the Melbourne Football Club. He is big, strong, passionate, works hard and is just a gun. I might have to put his number 7 on my back.

GO MILLER!

 

[The Shev]

Armstrong: Almost took a backward step this year. Very disappointing. Hasn't developed as we've hoped. Might be trade bait as he is still fairly young.

Bell: Finally payed a couple of matches and looks promising. Big build for a running player, has a go and looks calm with the ball. Look out for him next year.

Bizzell: Before his injury he was brilliant. Missed the middle of the year, came back but struggled to find his form again. Will be great next year.

Broadbridge: One of the most improved players. Didn't play regularly, but was a very capable back-up defender. Tall, quick and agile. Can take a mark and play on talls and smalls.

Brown: Best year in his career. Finally gained recognition in the football world. His running from the backline was superb and his courage is unquestionable.

Bruce: Was brilliant at the start and middle of the year, playing as midfield/forward. Has all the attributes required to be a star, but needs to lift in big games and become consistant.

Carroll: Not up to AFL standard. Get rid of him as soon as possible. Not needed anymore.

Davey: Couldn't ask for more in his first year. A breath of fresh air. 28 goals as a small forward, but it was his defensive skills which were fantastic. Will be a star.

Godfrey: Didn't play regularly like last year, so he struggled to make an impact. Skills improved and played alright at times, but won't become more than a back-up midfielder.

Green: Great year in the midfield, but like Bruce dropped off towards the end. Has OP apparently so this might be why he slowed down. Hopefully he continues to play well next year. A very valuable player.

Heffernan: Much better in his second year at the club. Wasn't outstanding, but it was fairly good. Played a couple of different midfield roles and gained lots of possessions. Still has room for improvement in his game.

Holland: A questionable year. Was ordinary a lot of the time, but good a few times. Kicked a goal a match, played as a third tall and took pressure away from Neitz. Needs to prove himself next year or he might face the chop.

Jamar: Didn't play much so hard to judge him. Next year will be important for him. I'm confident he will do well though.

Johnstone: For some reason or another, he hardly played a full game all year. 16 matches, 12 goals, but saved his best for last. Proved this week that he still has it. Needs to get fit again and start playing consistantly.

Jolly: A bit disappointing after the progress he made last year, but he was injured a lot of the time. Is now equal with Jamar so must prove himself or he could be traded off.

McDonald: Didn't standout like he did last year, but didn't need to as others stepped up. Slightly interrupted by injuries early, but averaged 21 disposals which is very good and exactly what we wanted from him.

McLean: Played a few matches and showed some good signs. A bit slow but attacks the ball and is good when it is in his hands. I can see him developing into a very handy player for us.

Miller: Brilliant year. Confirmed himself as the centre half forward for the next 10 years. Got better as the year wore on. Takes marks, lead well and works hard. Has to improve kicking, but showed great leadership qualities.

Neitz: An inconsistant year, yet he managed his second best total of 69 goals. Was a bit inaccurate and didn't always take the marks when required, but there were many times when he turned up the heat and got us over the line. Will become our record games holder and goalkicker, and possibly longest serving captain. Not to mention, our first ever Coleman Medalist. Quite amazing in that aspect.

Nicholson: Was good at times, but is a battler and struggled against quicker forwards. Error prone, although most of the time I was fairly calm when he had the ball in his hands. Sadly, he must go if we want to win a flag soon.

Read: Good pick-up for free. Added toughness and mongrel to the midfield, something we've lacked recently. Controlled his temper well, except for a couple of occasions. But I don't mind having someone like him on our side. Skills are performances were decent too.

Rigoni: I think the end has arrived. Struggled for a spot in the team and rarely made an impact on matches. Time to give the youngsters a go. Appreciate his past performances for the red and blue, a great servant.

Rivers: What can I say about him that hasn't already been said. First ever unanimous winner of the Rising Star Award says it all really.

Robertson: Different role to last year and it affected him early. Got better as the year went on playing in an adjusted half forward role. His team game has improved since 2002. Freakish marking ability and goalkicking was better.

Sylvia: Interrupted beginning by OP, and took a while to get a game. Didn't have much impact, but had limited game time and matches. Will not judge him on 2004.

Thompson: Was performing great until he got injured unfortunately. Tough, inside midfielder who is ready for AFL football. Will be good next year and a valuable player, but often unnoticed by opposition teams.

Vardy: Struggled with injuries and consistancy. Proved he still has some gas left and can break a game open within minutes. I don't think we will get the best out of him anymore though.

Walsh: Another back-up player who played several matches. Is a real goer but struggled a few times. Find a bit of form late in the year and kicked some good crumbing goals. Definately keep him on the list because he bleeds red and blue.

Ward: Interrupted by injuries and wasn't in his best form this year. Needs to regain his confidence again and he will be another good back-up to have, possibly breaking into the starting team.

Wheatley: A much better year. Found his spot in the team and regained his confidence. A good medium sized defender who provides great options off the half back line.

Whelan: Brilliant. I really enjoyed watching him play this year. Very underrated I would suggested. Tough as nails, good use of the ball and stuck to his opponents well. Finally played a final, and what an effort it was.

White:[/b] Career best effort. Played as a lone ruckman which is tiring, and it showed towards the end. But a great year nevertheless, very valuable to our team and often determines if we win or not.

Williams: Well, fairly useless to our team and I don't see much reason for him staying at the club.

Yze: A much better year than last, spent a lot of time in the backline. Got easy possessions, but we needed his drive. Disposal of the ball faltered from previous years and I began to doubt his role as vice captain...until Saturday. Awesome performance and saved his best for the finals once again.

 

[Klyntonius]

Spot on Shev