Most Improved 2022

[Piesinmyeyes]

Made a quick top 5 for interest
1) [PLAYERCARD]Darcy Cameron[/PLAYERCARD] (I’m prepared to admit I thought he def wasn’t up to it, been good)
2) [PLAYERCARD]John Noble[/PLAYERCARD] (feel far more assured now when he has possession, had a great year)
3) [PLAYERCARD]Nathan Murphy[/PLAYERCARD] (always thought he had the ability, though had no confidence in his body)
4) [PLAYERCARD]Isaac Quaynor[/PLAYERCARD] (becoming an excellent and consistent team member)
5) Jordy (purely for his level of consistency, never questioned his talent).
Feel free to expand….

 

[Dead Eye Didak]

For me definitely Cameron. Has either doubled or tripled all his key stats since Grundy has been out. His all round game has improved, with his intercept marking down back, to going forward and kicking goals.

Special mention to Murphy. Always thought there was a very good footballer there, just needed a good run with injury.

Eventhough he wasn't with us last season, l think Lipinski has improved his game at the Pies, with consistent and regular footy. One of the recruits of the year.

Ginnivan and Henry both making an impact this year, and hopefully continue on. Will love to see how they back up the performances of this year so far, next season.

Quaynor seems to be getting better each season. Can see him being one of the best HB's in the competition in the next year or two....

 

[Vicky Park]

[PLAYERCARD]Darcy Cameron[/PLAYERCARD] for me. I'm surprised - shocked? - at how well he's playing. Had him pegged as one of Hine's 'not quite good enough' talls. BTW, Mr Park has always liked him and has regularly defended him. Guess he's won that argument.

The improvement in Ginni, Henry and McCreery is great to see, but exactly what should happen at a club with good player development and coaching.

On the flip side, Ruscoe, Bianco, Poulter and Macrae - too soon to be worried? Plateaued or gone backwards?

 

[Gaspard]

No love for [PLAYERCARD]Josh Daicos[/PLAYERCARD] here? I see him as having taken a huge step forward.

 

[Dead Eye Didak]

Darcy Cameron for me. I'm surprised - shocked? - at how well he's playing. Had him pegged as one of Hine's 'not quite good enough' talls. BTW, Mr Park has always liked him and has regularly defended him. Guess he's won that argument.

The improvement in Ginni, Henry and McCreery is great to see, but exactly what should happen at a club with good player development and coaching.

On the flip side, Ruscoe, Bianco, Poulter and Macrae - too soon to be worried? Plateaued or gone backwards?

I'm not worried about Macrae or Poulter. For me, Bianco and Ruscoe would be looked at as a 45% to remain/55% not to remain on the list, at this point of the season. That could change as the season goes on, or could be a definite by seasons end.....

 

[domus]

[PLAYERCARD]Nathan Murphy[/PLAYERCARD] for me as I already rated Cameron, Noble, Quaynor and to a lesser extent Ginnivan/MCceery.

I wanted Murphy delisted at the end of last year! He has been a revelation.

 

[Dead Eye Didak]

No love for Josh Daicos here? I see him as having taken a huge step forward.

Daics has been much better then last year, definitely. I think Josh's performance has got a little lost in the brilliant first season of Nick....

 

[Piesinmyeyes]

Daics has been much better then last year, definitely. I think Josh's performance has got a little lost in the brilliant first season of Nick....

Would have rated Josh a tad higher, thou his goal kicking radar has been a bit off this year. Doing great around the ground, was always expected as lineage to his ol man would suggest he would become a star

 

[The Royal Sampler]

I think Jordy has taken a step back from 2021’s second half, he’s still been highly serviceable, but not an improver in my book.

1) Murphy - I don’t think even his most ardent supporters saw it coming
2) Cameron - was already solid but he’s become both very good and very dependable
3) Noble - already was a good player but now seems to be shining in Fly’s system
4) Henry - was mostly garbage last year, now inconsistent but showing exciting patches
5) McCreery - always did the manic pressure thing but is starting to add strings to his bow, build possession numbers and push upfield a little

 

[Horaceg]

Murphy and Cameron

[PLAYERCARD]Josh Daicos[/PLAYERCARD] and Noble, love what these two are doing, special mention

 

[Dead Eye Didak]

Would have rated Josh a tad higher, thou his goal kicking radar has been a bit off this year. Doing great around the ground, was always expected as lineage to his ol man would suggest he would become a star

Think the club is very fortunate to have both the Daicos boys in Black n' White. Going to see some great football from both of them for years to come....

 

[Jen2310]

Nathan Murphy for me as I already rated Cameron, Noble, Quaynor and to a lesser extent Ginnivan/MCceery.

I wanted Murphy delisted at the end of last year! He has been a revelation.

I never wanted him to be, but thought he would based he couldn't stay on the park. But he seems to be stronger now, and balancing his bravery with reckless lol

 

[Mollythedolly]

Darcy Cameron for me. I'm surprised - shocked? - at how well he's playing. Had him pegged as one of Hine's 'not quite good enough' talls. BTW, Mr Park has always liked him and has regularly defended him. Guess he's won that argument.

The improvement in Ginni, Henry and McCreery is great to see, but exactly what should happen at a club with good player development and coaching.

On the flip side, Ruscoe, Bianco, Poulter and Macrae - too soon to be worried? Plateaued or gone backwards?

I thought it was generally accepted that Cameron and Cox were better number 1 ruck options than KPF’s. The issue is that neither are as good as Grundy.

Too early to be making calls on Ruscoe, Bianco, Poulter, or Macrae IMHO.

 

[Mollythedolly]

No love for Josh Daicos here? I see him as having taken a huge step forward.

I see him more as being back on track from 2020. Shifting him into the guts 2021 didn’t work. He’s back where he’s best suited imho.

 

[gouki88]

Murph for me, no doubt. Was seriously questioning whether he would play more than one or two games this season if we were seriously injured.

 

[magpies42]

Made a quick top 5 for interest
1) Darcy Cameron (I’m prepared to admit I thought he def wasn’t up to it, been good)
2) John Noble (feel far more assured now when he has possession, had a great year)
3) Nathan Murphy (always thought he had the ability, though had no confidence in his body)
4) Isaac Quaynor (becoming an excellent and consistent team member)
5) Jordy (purely for his level of consistency, never questioned his talent).
Feel free to expand….

I would say Nathan Murphy over Darcy just because of all the injuries…

I think Darcy stepping up is symptomatic of what happens when a player is charged and empowered to deliver. We see these in a lot of sports, confidence is king and sport is 90% above the shoulders.

It’s a tough gig playing a role, you are reactive rather than proactive…c brown can’t kick that is given but I wonder if he was given the same level of responsibility as Darcy currently enjoys, what would happen to his confidence and impact on the game. I imagine it would increase.

 

[JB1975]

Agree with most of you beautiful people: Murphy.

Loving [PLAYERCARD]Darcy Cameron[/PLAYERCARD], but the distance between where Murphy is right now and where I thought he'd be is quite the canyon.

 

[biggiemediums]

Agree with so many above.

Cameron definitely. Thriving as the number one ruck. A bit nervous about what they'll do when Grundy returns, interesting situation.

Noble is becoming Mr Consistent down back. He's been an absolutely solid cog in defence this year.

Murphy has been an absolute godsend. The very small sample size we had before this year would never have led me to believe he would become a mainstay 22. Hope he has a long run, I get nervous every time there's a high ball near him as his cajons might be TOO big.

McCreery and Ginnivan, maybe it's just me - the fact that I had been pretty down on the team, frustrated and pessimistic about Collingwood from 2019-2021 - but I just didn't think McCreery or Ginnivan would be this good just a year later. They've become important players for us. Ginnivan for his nous, and McCreery for his maniacal attack on the opposition and high-impact low-possession style.

One hope I'd like to see and I think Ginnivan would improve even more is to just tone down the playing for free kicks. It's backfiring a bit due to media attention and umpires are starting to not reward him with deserved highs. I think the kid has the makings of and elite small forward, I just want to see him stand his ground a bit more, he's skilled enough.

 

[The Phantom]

How good is it that there are multiple candidates for most improved and not a single person?
The coaches have done well.

 

[jonbe54]

The two biggest improvers this year are . . .

Attacking mindset with and without the ball

And

List balance - it has a way to go but much improved.

Some of our fringe best 22 have markedly improved due to our change in style and attitude.

Been waiting for Nick for years like most here and it's a joy to see him hit the ground running in his first season.

 

[jmac70]

Spud Murphy and Sick Boy, closely followed by The Rock Cameron and The Noble One.

 

[76woodenspooners]

For me …

(1) Jack Ginnivan. Round 1 he was some anonymous 5 game player. Fast forward half a season and he’s won the ANZAC Day medal, kicked a bag of 5, GOTY nomination, kicked 23 goals in 12 games, and got the whole competition talking about him. NOBODY saw that coming. I reckon the reason why he’s not featured by others is that he’s had a quiet last few rounds (by his lofty standards) in an otherwise stratospheric rise.

(2) [PLAYERCARD]Mason Cox[/PLAYERCARD]. Barely 7 months ago he was being talked about has getting delisted. Appeared to get a reprieve with Max Lynch getting a trade and our new Senior Coach having a good relationship with him. Grundy went down injured, Cox came in against Lions and played so badly that he was promptly replaced by a 19 yo debutant ruckman. He goes away, sorts himself out, and nek minnit he’s polling 10 coaches votes in the Queens Birthday game and strung together 4 decent consistent performances. Serious people are now suggesting Grundy may come back via the seconds, and pundits are raising Cox’s name as a trade target for teams struggling for rucks. Again, NOBODY saw any of that coming.

(3) [PLAYERCARD]Josh Daicos[/PLAYERCARD]. This lad always had it. He’s won a GOTY before. Nobody questioned his highlight reel, but what people have questioned is his consistency and ability stay in games. This year playing with his Bro has clearly energised him and he is now switched on all game and finding the footy. Prior to this year he was a fringe 22, this year he’s become a staple.

(4) [PLAYERCARD]John Noble[/PLAYERCARD]. I put a lot of thought about whether this player belongs on this list: but not because of his standard of footy, but rather I’ve always reckoned he was a decent player and questioned the hate he sometimes attracted. He’s always been an attacking player and taking the game on - and that’s led to a lot of very high profile howlers. I reckon our new game style suits him and he’s flourishing.

(5) [PLAYERCARD]Darcy Cameron[/PLAYERCARD]. It’s been a steady progression and he’s coming quite good. Clearly a late developer - a 26 year old who has only played 42 games. Great to see him now taking his chances. Along with Cox making serious folks pose the question “Does Grundy return via the seconds?”

Apologies: [PLAYERCARD]Nathan Murphy[/PLAYERCARD], [PLAYERCARD]Steele Sidebottom[/PLAYERCARD]

 

[Gaspard]

For me …

(1) Jack Ginnivan. Round 1 he was some anonymous 5 game player. Fast forward half a season and he’s won the ANZAC Day medal, kicked a bag of 5, GOTY nomination, kicked 23 goals in 12 games, and got the whole competition talking about him. NOBODY saw that coming. I reckon the reason why he’s not featured by others is that he’s had a quiet last few rounds (by his lofty standards) in an otherwise stratospheric rise.

(2) Mason Cox. Barely 7 months ago he was being talked about has getting delisted. Appeared to get a reprieve with Max Lynch getting a trade and our new Senior Coach having a good relationship with him. Grundy went down injured, Cox came in against Lions and played so badly that he was promptly replaced by a 19 yo debutant ruckman. He goes away, sorts himself out, and nek minnit he’s polling 10 coaches votes in the Queens Birthday game and strung together 4 decent consistent performances. Serious people are now suggesting Grundy may come back via the seconds, and pundits are raising Cox’s name as a trade target for teams struggling for rucks. Again, NOBODY saw any of that coming.

(3) Josh Daicos. This lad always had it. He’s won a GOTY before. Nobody questioned his highlight reel, but what people have questioned is his consistency and ability stay in games. This year playing with his Bro has clearly energised him and he is now switched on all game and finding the footy. Prior to this year he was a fringe 22, this year he’s become a staple.

(4) John Noble. I put a lot of thought about whether this player belongs on this list: but not because of his standard of footy, but rather I’ve always reckoned he was a decent player and questioned the hate he sometimes attracted. He’s always been an attacking player and taking the game on - and that’s led to a lot of very high profile howlers. I reckon our new game style suits him and he’s flourishing.

(5) Darcy Cameron. It’s been a steady progression and he’s coming quite good. Clearly a late developer - a 26 year old who has only played 42 games. Great to see him now taking his chances. Along with Cox making serious folks pose the question “Does Grundy return via the seconds?”

Apologies: Nathan Murphy, Steele Sidebottom

This is a nice summary of the situation for all of these players. The order doesn't matter really. The fact that there are 6 players (I find Sidebottom a bit of a stretch in this particular list) worthy of discussion in this context is fundamental to the amazing results from the team thus far. I don't subscribe to the Grundy criticism and note that our injury list is exceptionally short for us. The good form of the established players means there has been a huge team wide lift.

 

[76woodenspooners]

This is a nice summary of the situation for all of these players. The order doesn't matter really. The fact that there are 6 players (I find Sidebottom a bit of a stretch in this particular list) worthy of discussion in this context is fundamental to the amazing results from the team thus far. I don't subscribe to the Grundy criticism and note that our injury list is exceptionally short for us. The good form of the established players means there has been a huge team wide lift.

Oliver Henry deserves to be in the conversation as well I think. Going from 7 goals in 10 games in 2021; to 20 goals in 11 games in 2022 … he’s coming along very well

 

[Tarkyn_24]

No love for Josh Daicos here? I see him as having taken a huge step forward.

Really? I actually think he’s gone backwards a little on what he produced last year.

The two standouts are clearly Cameron and Noble, while Murphy has also well exceeded expectations since coming in. As others have touched on, I have an assuredness about how IQ will perform every week that means I’m never concerned about him, which is a rather incredible level of comfort to have for such a young player (5th year this year).

WHE an unexpected one, playing Collingwood-career best footy this year.