In What Order Do Our Coaches Rate Our Players?

Mr.Likeable

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Thread starter #1
Best & Fairest votes are awarded by the coaches in full knowledge of each player's assignment for the week. So if we divide total votes by the number of games played, we get an average votes-per-game for each player, and we can rank them.

Of course this is a flawed system. It doesn't include all sorts of important factors. But all systems are flawed, so this one is probably as interesting as any other, and it does hold some surprises.

This is how our coaches ranked the players in 2005, according to this method:

1. Hodge
2. Bateman
3. Mitchell
4. Brown
5. Crawford
6. Everitt
7. Williams
8. Sewell
9. Croad
10. Clarke
11. Hay
12. Jacobs
13. Osborne
14. Smith
15. Barker
16. Ries
17. Roughead
18. Dawson
19. Lewis
20. Dixon
21. Ladson
22. Brennan
23. Vandenberg
 

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Gary Shadforth

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#2
Nice work, Likable. I don't believe our coaches enter into such a system. I would imagine they would bracket together as no. 1 first names to be pencil-written down on a team sheet for a given round (with horses-for-courses doctrine in mind) would be your first 14 including Roughie but not Hay (now that he has spat the dummy).

One would have to maybe include Vandenburg as he is captain (will he retain it?) and AC is in love with him for some mysterious reason. Personally I feel Vanders will need to pick-up on form next year. I believe he was carrying an injury for the most part of the 2005 season ... which is no excuse as he should not be chosen if an injury persists.
 

Mr.Likeable

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I don't usually like to list all the way to the bottom, but since you asked (and I've already done the calculations):

24. Greene
25. Boyle
26. Lonie
27. Miller
28. Lekkas
29. Franklin
30. Thurgood
31. Taylor
32. Young
33. Holland
Other players did not receive votes
 

Gary Shadforth

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#5
With respect, Likable, what you have done by extending the list is to display how unacceptable your formula, of dividing total votes by the number of games played, would be for the selectors to work with in selecting teams.

What you originally wrote about such a system being flawed is so true. There is no flexibility which is a must when selecting teams such as horses for courses as one example. Such a process is completely out of the question.
 

Mr.Likeable

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I agree, Gary, that it would be foolish to pick a team on the basis of the list. Though you could certainly build a team around the Top 10 to 15.

One of the first flaws in the system that occured to me concerns the player who suffers perhaps a corked thigh early in a game, or those youngsters in particular (and sometimes established players) who are given limited game time due to experience or team balance issues. i.e. no real chance to pick up votes despite a real usefulness to the team.

However, the intrigue for me is at the top of the list, and I think any coaching panel would use a ranking something like this one - there are of course heaps of other factors - for list management.

For example, you'd want the 18 to 23 year olds to improve their position on the list year-on-year. (Mitchell, Brown, Williams, Sewell, Clarke, Osborne... Hodge goes without saying.)
You'd want your 23 to 25 year olds to be pushing into the Top 10. (Bateman, Croad, Jacobs)
You'd have to be thinking seriously about your 26 to 32 year olds who are slipping down the list year on year (pick your own example).
You'd probably give a second chance to those who've had a less than stellar year due to perhaps injury (Lekkas) or struggling to change playing habits under a new role or game-plan (Smith, Vandenberg).
And any player who doesn't rate very highly on your list, and has similar players above or younger similar players closing in from below, might well be trade bait (choose your own).

I don't pretend it's a wonderful system; but I found it an interesting way to look at things.
 
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