Ive got it..... rather than the yearly average, why not give them the average according to the value of the player.
Every dollar value has a score attached to it. Therefore if a player is 250K they get 52 points ect.
Using the bad luck method:
I guess the only problem comes down to league GFs and co, say for instance Geelong have the bye rnd 22, you have Chappy, Bartel, Ablett, Corey. You then play your GF with your four best players not playing, seems pretty stupid to me.