Most improved player?

[dlanod]

This was a curious point raised in one of the player threads.

A lot of our players have improved out of sight over their previous year(s) performance. Who do you consider our most improved player and why?

(Poll options unscientifically chosen by comparing last year's and this year's player of the year voting, and adding a couple from the previous discussion.)

 

[BrainOfMorbius]

Nick Robertson, probably. After half a dozen games into the season I was pretty much ready to give up on him, but I reckon his improvement since then has been most impressive.

Other than Nick, Lewy Taylor has also come good.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[MacMum]

It was a toss up between LewyT and JWalker....I chose Walker as he's not as gifted as Lewy, and it is credit to him imo, to put in the effort to improve like he has..

..but it could've been any of them really....they all seem to have improved in one way or another.

 

[Requiem]

I voted for Lewy Taylor, but I can see Rich claiming this title by the end of the season.

 

[dlanod]

I'm very much in favour of Taylor, but to me Robertson and Bastinac make really strong cases.

Daniel Rich was the surprise player I figured to throw in. It felt like he'd stagnated a bit in the last few years but become more consistent this year as he tied his top disposal total twice, and is having his second most disposals per game ever after 2012.

I was expecting more love for Lester and his consistent efforts this year.

 

[jackess]

McStay, Lewy, Mayes and Robbo the big improvers. Lester perhaps for his leadership.

McStay has locked down centre half back. Lewy has become a lot more damaging. Mayes has more often had good defensive and offensive games, just requires a bit more consistency. Robbo went from borderline being delisted to showing he's capable of holding down a defensive postion.

Tough call between Lewy and McStay but I went with McStay because he's still quite young to be playing as a key back.

 

[Rally]

I'll be honest - I came into this season hoping it would be the last we would see of Robertson. He has been a revelation. Probably the best turnaround I can remember.

 

[dlanod]

Mayes has more often had good defensive and offensive games, just requires a bit more consistency.

Mayes probably gets less credit because he's just a very steady hand down back, but I've been very happy with his year. We've finally got a bevy of players who disposal of the ball well out of defense instead of the killer turnovers we've coughed up in the past.

 

[Fitz Roy]

Walker has played about 3 decent games. Hold your horses!

 

[Dalions]

Due to his consistency i would have to say Taylor. He is becoming the player that we all new he could be. I salivate at the thought of a Taylor, Cameron duo in the forward half.
Closely followed by Robbo, he has surprised me. And McStay, he has always shown the signs you look for but we are seeing it much more consistently.

 

[jjami15]

I voted for Robertson. My reasoning of the distance travelled that he has shown in his development. I can understand others voting for Taylor but I believe that he had shown similar traits a few seasons back and is more back to form this year with an added improvement to his game. His ceiling is higher than Robbo's but Robertson has a greater spread of improvement. Great thread though.

 

[jackess]

I voted for Robertson. My reasoning of the distance travelled that he has shown in his development. I can understand others voting for Taylor but I believe that he had shown similar traits a few seasons back and is more back to form this year with an added improvement to his game. His ceiling is higher than Robbo's but Robertson has a greater spread of improvement. Great thread though.

I'm more confident in McStay and Taylor though keeping this improvement. IMO NRobbo has regressed quite a bit in the last month or two and has almost lost his spot in the back line. Not sure he's the automatic selection he seemed to be half way through the season.

 

[Crawb]

Taylor or Robertson

 

[winged1]

Robertson for mine and by a fair way, he has started to use his strengths and gained a lot of composure from previous years.

He started from further back than Taylor, Walker, Mayes and the others mentioned.

The only reason I cant see him getting it is because his form has dipped a little in the last month and that will be partly because of the suspension. It confuses players when they are unsure where the line is, but his body of work over the year is very good.

At the end of the Dogs game he was still running his guts out to make an option out of defence and then turning and picking up players defensively.

I admit I am a fan and always thought he would make it, but talk by some of not top 22 at the moment is just rubbish.

 

[Skoob]

For me, Lewy & Nick are pretty level in regard to improvement over last year, however felt Nick was more deserving of a vote, mainly because for Lewy it is more a return to form, rather than a new level. He did win a Rising Star on the back of the exciting form he is showing again, whereas for Nick, it is a clear improvement on what I think is fair to call a lower base.

 

[POBT]

Toss up between Taylor and Robertson. I reckon they were both at similar levels at the end of last year - fringe senior footballers with big flaws in their games. Both have overcome those flaws to become genuine AFL level footballers. I just think Taylor has probably gone a bit further and I'd put him amongst some of the better half forwards in footy now. Not elite just yet but certainly in the "very good" category for his role.

 

[cubansombrero]

Also voted for Taylor, but Mayes is pretty stiff not to have any votes at this stage. Perhaps it's because he's not really visible in his role, which is a good thing - has really improved his decision-making and skills this year and I no longer feel a sense of panic when he has the ball in hand.

Rich and Lester are interesting ones in that I don't think they've improved so much as having a better team around them has allowed them to play at their best more consistently as they're able to trust their teammates rather than trying to do everything at once on their own.

 

[Brett C]

I've gone with Rich but it was close between him and Mcstay for me. McStay, Mayes and Taylor have improved out of sight but I went with Rich because I think his improvement adds much more to the team than the other guys.

Not sure I'm on the Robertson bandwagon like a lot of others, still pretty ordinary disposal wise and despite being e fittest guy in the side he always seems to trail behind his direct opponent.

 

[POBT]

Also voted for Taylor, but Mayes is pretty stiff not to have any votes at this stage. Perhaps it's because he's not really visible in his role, which is a good thing - has really improved his decision-making and skills this year and I no longer feel a sense of panic when he has the ball in hand.

I know xplo has a view that Mayes' improvement partly came last year but it was just not all that noticeable in a badly beaten side. I'd agree with that. If you take a 2 year view of improvement, Mayes is probably close to the top of the list, at least when it comes to guys who had been on an AFL list for a few years.

 

[Greggy85]

Difficult to adjudicate.
I think Robertson is, technically, most improved -- having gone from woeful to serviceable.
But I gave my vote to McStay... taken his game to the next level!
Rich/ Taylor can't claim it -- they've been brilliant in the past.

 

[MacMum]

Walker has played about 3 decent games. Hold your horses!

If you say so..

 

[winged1]

Toss up between Taylor and Robertson. I reckon they were both at similar levels at the end of last year - fringe senior footballers with big flaws in their games. Both have overcome those flaws to become genuine AFL level footballers. I just think Taylor has probably gone a bit further and I'd put him amongst some of the better half forwards in footy now. Not elite just yet but certainly in the "very good" category for his role.

At the start of the year taylor had played nearly 65 games, Robbo only 26. Taylor won the rising star and played his first 50 games straight before being dropped. Taylor wasnt really a fringe player he played his first two years without missing a game and then the contract crap started and his form dipped.

Robbo has taken a genuine step forward this year and given us some hard two way run.

 

[Gibbo_88]

Robbo for me. Has gone from someone who made bad decisions with the ball and would try and take on the tackler far too often to being one that makes good decisions and does whatever he can for team. Taylor, Mayes and Mcstay are the others that are right up there with improvement but I think their natural talent is higher than Robbo's. It would be disappointing for them to not reach this level.

 

[dlanod]

I know xplo has a view that Mayes' improvement partly came last year but it was just not all that noticeable in a badly beaten side. I'd agree with that. If you take a 2 year view of improvement, Mayes is probably close to the top of the list, at least when it comes to guys who had been on an AFL list for a few years.

I do think Mayes' second half of last year was the start of his upswing. It also feels like that he isn't flashy or highlight-worthy like Taylor definitely can be, or Robertson with his brute strength.

 

[POBT]

At the start of the year taylor had played nearly 65 games, Robbo only 26. Taylor won the rising star and played his first 50 games straight before being dropped. Taylor wasnt really a fringe player he played his first two years without missing a game and then the contract crap started and his form dipped.

I'd argue that Taylor got a lot of games gifted to him in his second and third years due to a lack of competition for spots. His development actually regressed in that time and suggested that he'd been worked out at senior level. What he's producing now is nearly a complete turnaround on the previous two years.

I'm not knocking Robbo at all but I do think Taylor would now be a walk up start in nearly any side in the comp while I couldn't say that about Robbo.