Unfortunately, now that the end of the season has arrived, it's time to start assessing our list for next season. I will copy our full list to allow people to post their thoughts or post their own delistables, tradeables and untouchables:
Peter Bell: Untouchable; his leadership to our side is invaluable and he has been our best player this year, as well as putting his body on the line to get the boys up against the Crows and Lions.
Andrew Browne: Tradeable; impressed me against Melbourne last year and despite missing a few simple goals early in the year, he has a good football brain, is quick and will hopefully step up next year. He has also been one of Claremont's best players this season, which will be playing finals in the WAFL. Would rather not see him leave, but if the right deal came along, it should be considered.
Matthew Carr: Untouchable; he adds a new dimension to our midfield, being capable of negating a quality player or being damaging in his own right. He is extremely fit, is a superb kick on both sides and is capable overhead. The only problem I have is that he sometimes seems to be 'cruising', where it seems as if he isn't giving his 100%. His failed/half-hearted attempt to touch the ball from Haynes' kicked when it bounced over the line is a prime example of this.
Troy Cook: Untouchable; last season, I would have labelled him as tradeable simply due to his poor foot skills. However, his field and goal kicking has improved immensely this year and he adds vital toughness and grunt to our midfield, being our leading tackler over the past few seasons. If he maintains his kicking up to the standard it is at the moment, I would be reluctant to trade him.
Trent Croad: Tradeable; he has really underperformed this season at CHF after kicking 42 goals as a leading FF last year, and whilst his chasing and second efforts in the forward line are good, he needs to be able to read the play better. Despite the athlete he is, I doubt whether we would get much for him, in which case I would be inclined to persist with him.
Ryan Crowley: Tradeable; haven't seen much of him this season, but he is quick midfielder who is strong overhead, in a similar mould to Andrew Embley. Needs to continue to play well for Subiaco and make the most of his opportunities to crack our 22 for next season.
Ben Cunningham: Delistable; I've never been a fan of Ritchie. He has no poise and his disposal skills are poor, particularly on his right foot.
Brett Doswell: Tradeable.
Greg Edgecumbe: Tradeable; he has been in the best players for Peel Thunder this year before injuring his knee, and whilst I would be disappointed to see him leave, if the right deal came along we should consider it. He is extremely quick, athletic and uses the ball well. Should aim to crack our 22 for next season.
Jeff Farmer: Tradeable; as much as it pains me to say it, I believe we should seriously considering trading the Wiz if the right offer came along. He has been very good for us in several games this season, particularly against Adelaide, Collingwood, Melbourne, Sydney and WC; and can provide a spark in the forward line by being very dangerous in the one-on-one contests. However, he was considered to be our 'x-factor' in the finals series but failed to delivered. Needs to improve his output for next season.
Antoni Grover: Untouchable; he provides us with great run from defence and is also capable of negating a small-medium sized forward. Needs to improve his kicking at full pace for next season, but I don't believe he should be traded.
Robert Haddrill: Untouchable; one of our shining lights for this season, he has been rock solid in defence and has shut down many key forwards from the opposition. He is not the athletic defender, but he is old-fashioned in the way he reads the play and the flight of the ball very well. He is extremely strong overhead and won't give his opponent an inch.
Daniel Haines: Tradeable, I really expected Haines to step up this season, but despite the game against Sydney, he has failed to deliver. He has great poise, courage and superb vision but must crack the 22 next season, otherwise I believe his time may be up.
Paul Hasleby: Untouchable; I would go as far as saying that next to Pavlich, Hase would be the last player on our list I would trade. He is a natural footballer with a superb football brain and sublime skills by hand and foot. He is also good overhead and has worked hard to improve his pace and fitness over the last couple of pre-seasons. His form at home has been great, but his aim should be to improve his away form next season and continue to play well in big games.
Roger Hayden: Untouchable; he has been one of our best players this season and has been our best small defender. His pace and confidence overhead has been a delight to watch.
Des Headland: Untouchable; many may consider Dessy's season to be disappointing, but he has burnt the opposition in several games this year, particularly in the early game against Essendon against and St Kilda. Needs to learn to deal with opposition taggers and must aim to be far more consistent next season.
Anthony Jones: Delistable; time is up for Jonesy. I'd expect him to announce his retirement soon.
Steven Koops: Tradeable; his season was a bitter disappointment and a shadow of 2002 where he was one of our better players.
Justin Longmuir: Tradeable; I've been really disappointed with his season this year. He took a fair amount of time to get into some form at the start of the year, which was understandable considering his knee injury, but his routine when kicking for goal needs a lot of improvement. I also thought his marking in one-on-one contests was his strength, but he was outmuscled too often on Friday night, meaning he still needs to spend extra time in the gym.
Troy Longmuir: Tradeable; played some good games for us towards the end of the season, but he turns 25 next year and needs to be more consistent throughout the whole season.
Shaun McManus: Untouchable; if everyone played with the heart and intensity of Macca, we would win at least 80% of our games. His foot skills have really improved and despite enduring two knee reconstructions, is very quick, and deserves to be a part of what will (hopefully) be successful times ahead.
Luke McPharlin: Untouchable; our most athletic defender, capable of playing on a wide range of key forwards, there is no way I'd trade McPharlin unless we got something special in return. His last two seasons have been without a pre-season, so hopefully he will have a full pre-season this year and be injury free.
Paul Medhurst: Untouchable; our leading goal kicker for 2003, Medhurst is strong overhead and extremely quick at ground level, making him tough to match up on. Needs to be more consistent throughout whole the season.
Shane Parker: Untouchable; he may only have two or three seasons left in him, but he sticks to his opponent like a glove and is still a vital part of the squad. Like McManus, he deserves to be a part of our sucess.
Matthew Pavlich: Untouchable; I think Connolly has the long term view of playing Pav as a half forward/midfielder in the Hird mould when our midfield is strong enough to perform without him. I wouldn't trade Pavlich for any other player in the league.
Graham Polak: Untouchable; When his field kicking and set shot kicking improves, he will be played as a permanent CHF. Our forward struture needs improving and next season he will hopefully provide a target for us at CHF. To be honest, I was really hoping he would kick a goal last night to get the 'monkey' off his back. But as his strength/body weight, kicking and mobility improves to complement his superior marking ability, he will be one of the best CHFs in the league.
Aaron Sandilands: 211 centimetred giants with the mobility similar to that of a midfielder and ability to gather the ball cleanly at ground level don't come around too often. I believe he just needs to work on directing his taps to our players. Last night he had 41 (yes, forty-one) hitouts but we lost most of the clearances. If his overhead marking and kicking improved even more, he will be an invaluable trump card ruckman.
Byron Schammer: Untouchable; expect Schammer to step up to be one of our elite midfielders next year. He is in the Bell/Crawford mould and is equally adept with both feet.
Andrew Siegert: Tradeable; still not convinced that he can
cut it at the highest level.
Troy Simmonds: Untouchable; whilst some may say his 2003 season has not been as good as 2002, he is very valuable in giving us flexibilty as a leaping ruckman pushing forward. He is one of the quickest at the club off the mark (running in a straight line), has an extremely high vertical leap and is strong overhead. I'd be reluctant to trade him.
Scott Thornton: Tradeable; whilst he has shown a lot in the games I have seen him play, he does not quite qualify to be an 'untouchable' as yet. He is very quick and good overhead, the only query is that he sometimes appears to be too 'lazy' with his disposal. He played well on Shaun Burgoyne against Port Adelaide and on Staker and Wirrpunda in the derby, as well as playing on Cupido for part of last nights game.
Luke Toia: Delistable; time is up.
James Walker: Tradeable; whilst he is having a relatively good year, if the right offer came along, we should seriously consider it. He possesses great leg speed and is good at shutting down an opponent, but his disposal could still be better.
Clive Waterhouse: Tradeable; I believe injuries has had the better of him and he only has one or two years remaining. No other club would be interested, but he does not deserve to be delisted as yet.
Dion Woods: Untouchable; one of our best players for the year, possessed with lightning pace and a raking left foot kick, there is no way we should trade him.
*Ben Colveary: Worth persisting.
*Steven Dodd: Worth persisting; has played well for the Sharks this season.
*Daniel Gilmore: Worth persisting.
*Joshua Head: Worth persisting.
*Ricky Mott: Delistable; far too slow and immobile to be one the elite ruckman in the league IMO, and his skills are dwarfed by the Ogre.
*Luke Webster: Worth persisting; his senior games for Freo this season, his performance in the WAFL v SANFL state game and his game on Friday night prove that he is well worth hanging onto.
*Rookie - classified as 'worth persisting' or 'delistable'.
Peter Bell: Untouchable; his leadership to our side is invaluable and he has been our best player this year, as well as putting his body on the line to get the boys up against the Crows and Lions.
Andrew Browne: Tradeable; impressed me against Melbourne last year and despite missing a few simple goals early in the year, he has a good football brain, is quick and will hopefully step up next year. He has also been one of Claremont's best players this season, which will be playing finals in the WAFL. Would rather not see him leave, but if the right deal came along, it should be considered.
Matthew Carr: Untouchable; he adds a new dimension to our midfield, being capable of negating a quality player or being damaging in his own right. He is extremely fit, is a superb kick on both sides and is capable overhead. The only problem I have is that he sometimes seems to be 'cruising', where it seems as if he isn't giving his 100%. His failed/half-hearted attempt to touch the ball from Haynes' kicked when it bounced over the line is a prime example of this.
Troy Cook: Untouchable; last season, I would have labelled him as tradeable simply due to his poor foot skills. However, his field and goal kicking has improved immensely this year and he adds vital toughness and grunt to our midfield, being our leading tackler over the past few seasons. If he maintains his kicking up to the standard it is at the moment, I would be reluctant to trade him.
Trent Croad: Tradeable; he has really underperformed this season at CHF after kicking 42 goals as a leading FF last year, and whilst his chasing and second efforts in the forward line are good, he needs to be able to read the play better. Despite the athlete he is, I doubt whether we would get much for him, in which case I would be inclined to persist with him.
Ryan Crowley: Tradeable; haven't seen much of him this season, but he is quick midfielder who is strong overhead, in a similar mould to Andrew Embley. Needs to continue to play well for Subiaco and make the most of his opportunities to crack our 22 for next season.
Ben Cunningham: Delistable; I've never been a fan of Ritchie. He has no poise and his disposal skills are poor, particularly on his right foot.
Brett Doswell: Tradeable.
Greg Edgecumbe: Tradeable; he has been in the best players for Peel Thunder this year before injuring his knee, and whilst I would be disappointed to see him leave, if the right deal came along we should consider it. He is extremely quick, athletic and uses the ball well. Should aim to crack our 22 for next season.
Jeff Farmer: Tradeable; as much as it pains me to say it, I believe we should seriously considering trading the Wiz if the right offer came along. He has been very good for us in several games this season, particularly against Adelaide, Collingwood, Melbourne, Sydney and WC; and can provide a spark in the forward line by being very dangerous in the one-on-one contests. However, he was considered to be our 'x-factor' in the finals series but failed to delivered. Needs to improve his output for next season.
Antoni Grover: Untouchable; he provides us with great run from defence and is also capable of negating a small-medium sized forward. Needs to improve his kicking at full pace for next season, but I don't believe he should be traded.
Robert Haddrill: Untouchable; one of our shining lights for this season, he has been rock solid in defence and has shut down many key forwards from the opposition. He is not the athletic defender, but he is old-fashioned in the way he reads the play and the flight of the ball very well. He is extremely strong overhead and won't give his opponent an inch.
Daniel Haines: Tradeable, I really expected Haines to step up this season, but despite the game against Sydney, he has failed to deliver. He has great poise, courage and superb vision but must crack the 22 next season, otherwise I believe his time may be up.
Paul Hasleby: Untouchable; I would go as far as saying that next to Pavlich, Hase would be the last player on our list I would trade. He is a natural footballer with a superb football brain and sublime skills by hand and foot. He is also good overhead and has worked hard to improve his pace and fitness over the last couple of pre-seasons. His form at home has been great, but his aim should be to improve his away form next season and continue to play well in big games.
Roger Hayden: Untouchable; he has been one of our best players this season and has been our best small defender. His pace and confidence overhead has been a delight to watch.
Des Headland: Untouchable; many may consider Dessy's season to be disappointing, but he has burnt the opposition in several games this year, particularly in the early game against Essendon against and St Kilda. Needs to learn to deal with opposition taggers and must aim to be far more consistent next season.
Anthony Jones: Delistable; time is up for Jonesy. I'd expect him to announce his retirement soon.
Steven Koops: Tradeable; his season was a bitter disappointment and a shadow of 2002 where he was one of our better players.
Justin Longmuir: Tradeable; I've been really disappointed with his season this year. He took a fair amount of time to get into some form at the start of the year, which was understandable considering his knee injury, but his routine when kicking for goal needs a lot of improvement. I also thought his marking in one-on-one contests was his strength, but he was outmuscled too often on Friday night, meaning he still needs to spend extra time in the gym.
Troy Longmuir: Tradeable; played some good games for us towards the end of the season, but he turns 25 next year and needs to be more consistent throughout the whole season.
Shaun McManus: Untouchable; if everyone played with the heart and intensity of Macca, we would win at least 80% of our games. His foot skills have really improved and despite enduring two knee reconstructions, is very quick, and deserves to be a part of what will (hopefully) be successful times ahead.
Luke McPharlin: Untouchable; our most athletic defender, capable of playing on a wide range of key forwards, there is no way I'd trade McPharlin unless we got something special in return. His last two seasons have been without a pre-season, so hopefully he will have a full pre-season this year and be injury free.
Paul Medhurst: Untouchable; our leading goal kicker for 2003, Medhurst is strong overhead and extremely quick at ground level, making him tough to match up on. Needs to be more consistent throughout whole the season.
Shane Parker: Untouchable; he may only have two or three seasons left in him, but he sticks to his opponent like a glove and is still a vital part of the squad. Like McManus, he deserves to be a part of our sucess.
Matthew Pavlich: Untouchable; I think Connolly has the long term view of playing Pav as a half forward/midfielder in the Hird mould when our midfield is strong enough to perform without him. I wouldn't trade Pavlich for any other player in the league.
Graham Polak: Untouchable; When his field kicking and set shot kicking improves, he will be played as a permanent CHF. Our forward struture needs improving and next season he will hopefully provide a target for us at CHF. To be honest, I was really hoping he would kick a goal last night to get the 'monkey' off his back. But as his strength/body weight, kicking and mobility improves to complement his superior marking ability, he will be one of the best CHFs in the league.
Aaron Sandilands: 211 centimetred giants with the mobility similar to that of a midfielder and ability to gather the ball cleanly at ground level don't come around too often. I believe he just needs to work on directing his taps to our players. Last night he had 41 (yes, forty-one) hitouts but we lost most of the clearances. If his overhead marking and kicking improved even more, he will be an invaluable trump card ruckman.
Byron Schammer: Untouchable; expect Schammer to step up to be one of our elite midfielders next year. He is in the Bell/Crawford mould and is equally adept with both feet.
Andrew Siegert: Tradeable; still not convinced that he can
cut it at the highest level.
Troy Simmonds: Untouchable; whilst some may say his 2003 season has not been as good as 2002, he is very valuable in giving us flexibilty as a leaping ruckman pushing forward. He is one of the quickest at the club off the mark (running in a straight line), has an extremely high vertical leap and is strong overhead. I'd be reluctant to trade him.
Scott Thornton: Tradeable; whilst he has shown a lot in the games I have seen him play, he does not quite qualify to be an 'untouchable' as yet. He is very quick and good overhead, the only query is that he sometimes appears to be too 'lazy' with his disposal. He played well on Shaun Burgoyne against Port Adelaide and on Staker and Wirrpunda in the derby, as well as playing on Cupido for part of last nights game.
Luke Toia: Delistable; time is up.
James Walker: Tradeable; whilst he is having a relatively good year, if the right offer came along, we should seriously consider it. He possesses great leg speed and is good at shutting down an opponent, but his disposal could still be better.
Clive Waterhouse: Tradeable; I believe injuries has had the better of him and he only has one or two years remaining. No other club would be interested, but he does not deserve to be delisted as yet.
Dion Woods: Untouchable; one of our best players for the year, possessed with lightning pace and a raking left foot kick, there is no way we should trade him.
*Ben Colveary: Worth persisting.
*Steven Dodd: Worth persisting; has played well for the Sharks this season.
*Daniel Gilmore: Worth persisting.
*Joshua Head: Worth persisting.
*Ricky Mott: Delistable; far too slow and immobile to be one the elite ruckman in the league IMO, and his skills are dwarfed by the Ogre.
*Luke Webster: Worth persisting; his senior games for Freo this season, his performance in the WAFL v SANFL state game and his game on Friday night prove that he is well worth hanging onto.
*Rookie - classified as 'worth persisting' or 'delistable'.
), but if we traded him, there's no doubt he'd turn it on and probably win a bloody Coleman Medal for someone else....
