Most improved player of 2016

[Scotland]

James Sicily from Hawthorn

He played 3 games before this year.

Roughead a good nomination from the Dogs. How about Ross from St Kilda? He's winning a heap of ball, likewise Lachie Hunter. Aaron Young and Pittard have been pretty good from Port. Nathan Wilson from GWS has also looked really good.

Does Stevie J count? He's putting up 2007-2010 numbers again (when he played as a forward) when it looked like he was fading a bit at the Cats.

I'll give a bit of credit to Shaun Hampson who has been less spudly than usual in the absence of Maric. Has more hitouts in 12 games than he's had in any season previously.

Scott Lycett our most improved by a mile.

Lachie Neale was already rated but is leading the comp in disposals which is a good effort seeing as he's played most of his footy in a good team and has lost Sandilands and Fyfe around him.

 

[Giant Pete]

Max Gawn. From us Zac Williams.

 

[Cobbler]

Sooooo... no Taberner love? The guys used his right foot 3 times. Twice he hit lasers onto his team mates chest and once was a miraculous snap from 2m out dead in front. He never used it before this season except for a quick kick out of congestion that went out of bounds on the full in 2014.

Can also pinch hit in the ruck. Averages a tick over 1 hitout a game this season (18 from his 16 games to be exact).

Has played a variety of roles. Lead up forward on the left wing. Lead up forward on the right wing. Lead up forward and double back on both wings. Can lead out from the goal square or from starting at 50m out. Has expanded his game to sometimes lead up the middle... as a decoy.

What am I missing?

 

[JC Hawks]

Sooooo... no Taberner love? The guys used his right foot 3 times. Twice he hit lasers onto his team mates chest and once was a miraculous snap from 2m out dead in front. He never used it before this season except for a quick kick out of congestion that went out of bounds on the full in 2014.

Can also pinch hit in the ruck. Averages a tick over 1 hitout a game this season (18 from his 16 games to be exact).

Has played a variety of roles. Lead up forward on the left wing. Lead up forward on the right wing. Lead up forward and double back on both wings. Can lead out from the goal square or from starting at 50m out. Has expanded his game to sometimes lead up the middle... as a decoy.

What am I missing?

Nah, still a spud.

 

[eddiespocket]

Laird was your B&F winner in 2015.

That was Rory Sloane, yes 3 Rorys

 

[Scotland]

How can one team have 3 Rorys when there is only one John in the whole league?

 

[Farm Boy]

Jayden Hunt.

 

[DERO]

Seb Ross

 

[Arbuckle]

Depends whether or not you're talking only about players who were already inside the AFL senior competition prior to this year.

If not, then I doubt anyone could have made more improvement in his ranking in the game than McDonald-Tipungwuti.

He was somewhere in the middle-tier of Essendon's VFL team last year, and is now genuinely starring in AFL company.

Phenomenal rise.

 

[gillo94]

Standouts for me

Melbourne Max Gawn
Bulldogs Caleb Daniel
St Kilda Membrey
Carlton Sam Docherty
Hawks Sicily

Most improved List
Demons as many players have taken next step in Viney, Kennedy, Hunt and few finds with Petracca and Oliver

Lists that are on the decline
Fremantle and North Melbourne without any doubt as too many veterans which seems to be very reliant on

 

[jameses]

Johannisen, Membrey, Ross, Puopolo, Young (PA), Docherty, Wilson (GWS)

 

[Jesslc]

Needs more Watts. You can't say he's soft, he will never amount to anything, he will never be a solid forward and then go silent when he starts getting above average to elite numbers.

 

[Coca Carlisle]

Dustin Martin.

 

[Muzzaraki]

Lots of players in my team have stepped up a notch but my vote would be to Rampe.

 

[Stratton_Gun]

From us I'd say Sicily

 

[Xenthor]

Rampe, Membrey, Peter Wright, Merrett, Docherty, Gawn, Hampson, Jack Martin and Mitch McGovern to name a few
AND DONT FORGET JACK MOTHER******* WATTS!!!!!

 

[ok.crows]

How can one team have 3 Rorys when there is only one John in the whole league?

As was noted by someone on the Crows board you can never have too many Rorys.

 

[tenderwarrior]

Firstly, I love the question.

I think in these threads the question should be "who (not from the AFL club you primarily support) is the most improved" etc. Some of the responses are Bay 13 worthy.

Many players are having career-best years, but Jack Watts is one that deserves to be in the conversation as a player who has improved when many had given up hope of him reaching his potential.

Aaron Hall started his run late last year, and would have been at the forefront had this question been asked a few months ago. Hall still has time to regain his early season form though.

Robbie Tarrant has been very very good as a key defender after nearly being forced to retire a year or so ago as a wasted injury-prone talent.

I know Johannisen is still young and developing, but he has had one of the sharpest upturns I have ever seen, and who knows what he could have done this year with two intact hamstrings - an Ablett of 2007 like transformation!

I had to do an edit to say Max Gawn. We knew he was a talent, but with his injuries behind him he has become one of the best players in the entire AFL.

 

[ioppolo]

Scott Lycett

 

[Spud Patrol]

Before we get too excited over old mate Membrey lets not forget 30% of his goals this are against Essendon..

 

[Jesslc]

From us I'd say Sicily

Sicily was always good. He just couldnt push anyone out of the team.

 

[aussierulesrules]

Before we get too excited over old mate Membrey lets not forget 30% of his goals this are against Essendon..

He's kicked 3 bags of 5 in his 10 games this year and one of them was against Essendon. One of the others was against a team that had won 6 of their previous 7 games and the other was against the much hyped/improved Melbourne. He also kicked 3 of our 11 against a team that had won their previous 6 games and sat top of the ladder and was only accuracy and unselfishness away from a 6 or even 7 goal haul in his other game against Essendon.

He's kicked 28 goals from 10 games and is ranked no.6 in the comp for average goals per game, behind just Franklin, Kennedy, Lynch, Cameron and Jenkins.

If it was so easy to do this sort of stuff everyone would be doing it. Like Joe Daniher (who is the same age as Membrey and has played about 3 times as many games). It's not like we're the only team that plays lowly ranked teams.

Don't personally think he's the most improved in the comp, but he's in the conversation.

 

[deeman87]

Firstly, I love the question.

I think in these threads the question should be "who (not from the AFL club you primarily support) is the most improved" etc. Some of the responses are Bay 13 worthy.

Many players are having career-best years, but Jack Watts is one that deserves to be in the conversation as a player who has improved when many had given up hope of him reaching his potential.

Aaron Hall started his run late last year, and would have been at the forefront had this question been asked a few months ago. Hall still has time to regain his early season form though.

Robbie Tarrant has been very very good as a key defender after nearly being forced to retire a year or so ago as a wasted injury-prone talent.

I know Johannisen is still young and developing, but he has had one of the sharpest upturns I have ever seen, and who knows what he could have done this year with two intact hamstrings - an Ablett of 2007 like transformation!

I had to do an edit to say Max Gawn. We knew he was a talent, but with his injuries behind him he has become one of the best players in the entire AFL.

This. So many of you are just naming players from your own team which amounts to a whole lot of bias and really cringeworthy responses. Like seriously a couple of Freo fans saying Taberner is the most improved player in the comp? The absolute most improved player in the comp???? Just what?!?! He had one 5 goal game and he's playing in a team that has gone further backwards than almost any team in history in the space of 10 months while averaging a bit over a goal a game and 13 disposals a game. Discounting players from my own club, one i think who hasn't really been mentioned is Lachie Hunter. Dude is flying under the radar like crazy averaging 32 disposals a game and almost 7 marks. up from 20 disposals a game last year. He gets to every contest and provides amazing spread and is one of many very improved dogs.

 

[Bigsaints]

Membrey would be up there but he has some god awful tats. Who thought a palm tree was a good idea.

He's a sweetheart he let his mate design it in highschool. Not that it's a well advised move but it's still nice.

 

[Topkent]

Needs more Watts. You can't say he's soft, he will never amount to anything, he will never be a solid forward and then go silent when he starts getting above average to elite numbers.

I don't think bigfooty has realised that he's actually a very good player now
He's top 20 in the afl for goals and top 15 for marks in the 50
I'd imagine he's high up on assists aswell