Player Review

[JohnF]

Well the year is now done. Paul Goughenbergsteingoldler was giving each player a mark out of ten tonight on club corner. Let's do the same.

How have we rated each player on this year's performance?

[one-eyed]

Paul Goughenbergsteingoldler was giving each player a mark out of ten tonight on club corner.

Did a run down of what Gough said while I was listening.

Most blokes were given pass marks given our improvement (only two failures) but not too high scores as we obviously didn't make the finals. IMO he was far too generous to guys yet to show anything as their scores were too close to our better consistent players.

Archibald: - N/A - Kyle is one for next year. As a tall not too concerned that he hasn't cracked a senior game as tall blokes take longer to develop.

Bowden: 7 - fantastic composed year in defence. Far less clangers now and very durable. Top 3-4 in the B&F.

Brown: 9  - reckons we would have made the finals if Browny played the whole year and he would have won the B&F.

Cambo: 6.5 - terrific solid contributor in that impact off the bench role.

Chaffey: 6 - not too bad. Copped injuries. Liked him in that run with role.

Cogs: 7 - thrilled with Cogs return and his hardness. However kicking particularly on his non-dominant side can let him down. Top 3-4 B&F.

Deledio: 8 - fantastic for a first year player. Gough's rising star winner and may place high up in the B&F.

Gaspar: 7 - Showed how badly we missed him as his return this year strengthened our defence.

Gilmour: N/A  - concerned about him as a highish pick and after 2 years yet to make his debut as a small player. He would be a touch nervous come delisting time.

Graham: 6.5 - Excellent in that defensive role and exceeded expectations.

Hall: 6.5  - Alot more mobile, versatile and appears to have gained pace. Very safe after a solid year.

Hartigan: 6 - Gough has a soft spot for Brent. Considers him possibly a future leader. Unfortunately his body let him down this year. Adds a bit of dash and versatility on  a wing or in a defensive role.

Hilton: 5.5 - always gives a contest and can kick a goal. But nature of system means he could be one of ones gone.

Hyde: 6.5 - Adapted to Wallace's run and carry gameplan. Like Harts a solid character.

Jackson: 5  - a little disappointing after his first year. A big year next year. 

Johnson: 7 - Another terrific consistent year. Had Tuck and Cogs to help him win the hardball unlike previous years. 5th B&F.

Kellaway: 7 - Chubba going down in the Essendon game hurt us as we lost our next 5. Better than his brother. Wonderful player.

Knobel: 6  - first half of year impressed although faded later in the year. Seemed to get more possies which was a criticism of him at the Saints. Interesting what we do with him and our ruck next year as Simmonds has taken over as our main ruckman.

Krakouer: 5 - a touch disappointed in him. Does the magical things but doesn't get enough of the footy. Expected a bit more from Krakouer given his time on the list. Too much of a gap between best and worst.

McGuane and Limbach: N/A - first year players.

Meyer: 6 - encouraged by Danny form in the seniors. Uses the ball so well which is so important now. Needs to bulk up.

Moore: 5 - jury still out. A in-between player in that he's not midsized nor a tall.

Morrison: 4 - unlikely to be there next year. Too slow.

Newman: 6.5 - fantastic. Cool under pressure, doesn't panic and makes the right decisions. Wouldn't mind seeing him spend time in the midfield. Very solid player and level-headed.

Pattison: 5.5 - good size. One for the future. Likes the look of him. A big year for him next year.

Pettifer: 8.5 - last year's score was a 2. Staggered by his improvement. One of the most improved in the AFL. He's had more kicks and more goals in 2005 than in his previous 4 years. Kicked crucial matchwinning goals too. Needs to back it up next year. His score is high because of his improvement. 2nd most improved player at Richmond!

Polo: 5 - encouraged that he was close to senior selection. First cab off the rank next year.

Raines: 5.5 - Another one Gough has a soft spot for. Considers Rainesy a good mover and user of the ball (Andrew Kruse said others were critical). Hopefully will offer some polish in the midfield which we need to add to the hard ballwinners.

Richo: 8  - superb. Body language has been good for a while now. Fantastic wonderful player with 65 goals.

Roach: 5 - slipped back in the pecking role like Jackson. Under pressure and needs a big year next year. 

Rodan: N/A  - we need more pace in the midfield and as a result missed him. Does the team lifting things. Recovered from the knee reco well and may have even played late on in the season but Tiges were wise not too.

Schulz: 5  - came back well late in the year after the off-field troubles early on. Very important player and needs a big year next year.

Simmonds: 6 - ruck work terrific but a bit disappointing up forward. Goalkicking and marking disappointing too. As a ruckman - 7. As a forward - 3. He's a ruckman.

Stafford: 5.5 - may or may not play on. Like him up forward but we need to look to the future. Still has something to offer but 50/50.

Tambling: 5.5  - jury still out due to injuries. Needs more games uninterrupted and to bulk up. Like Pettifer will have the pressure of being a top pick on him.

Tivs: 4.5 - can look great then turns over the ball. Very frustrating player. Makes far too many mistakes and at crucial times (a la the North game). Probably the most one-sided player in the comp.

Tuck: 9.5   - amazing given he was the last player on our list and on bare minimum contract. Then kept it up for the whole year which was incredible. Our B&F. Tucky was the main reason our midfield improved. A monster of a man for a midfielder too. Interesting how he polls in the brownlow given Richo is a proven vote getter.

Thursfield: 6.5 - wrapped with his debut. Encouraging for the future. Well done to Miller for finding him given he was a rookie and overlooked by everyone in the draft.

Foley: 6 - like thursfield no doubt will be promoted to the senior list.

What we need to recruit:

* More pace in the midfield and more height in KPs. According to recruiters height is very scarce in this draft though.

* Doesn't expect us to get that involved in trades unless. Depends on interest in our players of course. No picks to be traded.

[JohnF]

I'll only mark the guys who played seniors:


Bowden - Has had another good year to back up his great year last year. He is great as a sweeper (though its a position I don't really respect that much) and though he plays loose he does commit himself and takes whatever hits he has to for the team. A little lackadaisical/arrogant with the ball at times. Needs to be told to take the first option more. 8/10

Brown - Was kicking arrss like never before and was probably Brownlow favourite when tragedy struck.Hope he makes it back as good as he was before. 9.5/10

Campbell - Did all that was asked of him and more as a benchwarmer, but was clearly past his prime and a little embarassing at times the way players out ran him. Good time to call it quits. 6.5/10 

Chaffey - Found a bit of a niche as a tagger midyear after starting the year in poor form. Injuries cut his year short. 5/10

Coughlan - A good comeback year and showed a lot of signs of being back to his best. Slowed down a little in the last third of the year but had done extrmemely well in the first two thirds. Disposal and decision making a bit of a worry as they have always been, but unrivalled hardness at the ball. 7.5/10

Deledio - Started the year a little show but didn't take long for him to find his feet. The most naturally talented player this club has produced since Matthew Knights and the sky really is the limit. 7/10.

Foley - Did ok in what I saw of him. May be a tad small for the AFL but does burrow in and have a go. Real good hands. 5/10

Gaspar - All in all a good year and definitely a hell of a lot better than last year. Got beaten on a few occasions and his kicking and decision making let him down at times, but he did a good job stopping a lot of gun forwards. 7.5/10

Graham - Did not bad. A couple of standout games and a lot of ok ones. 6/10

Hall - His best year at the club it's fair to say. Still an unco, always will be, but he did the job more often than not. 6.5/10

Hartigan - Injuries faarked him over, but he still did ok in patches. Hopefully he has a big one next year 5/10.

Hilton - Was decent in most games he played. Has obvious limitations, especially preparatory ones, but still contributed. 5/10

Hyde - Was flying till the head clash. Slowed down considerably after it but found a bit of form here and there in the last third of the year. 6/10

Jackson - Never understood the hype this bloke recieved last year and still can't. Did some ok things, but nothing to suggest he'll make it. 4.5/10

Johnson - Much maligned but battled through injury and contributed solidly throught the year. 7/10

Kellaway - Was enjoying one of the best years at the club up until he broke his jaw. 7/10

Knobel - Started off well, died in the arsre. His value starts and stops with his ruck work. 5/10

Krakouer - Disappointing year and I had a go at him on multiple occasions but he wasn't terrible. He needs to get fit and he will be a player. 5/10

Meyer - Good signs from the few games I saw of him. Needs to bulk up but plenty of composure and smarts from this lad. 4.5/10

Moore - Not a fan. Does a few ok things, but just not up to it. 4/10

Morrison - Moving right along 4/10

Newman - Solid as always. Got whipped a few times but still did well in most games. Good composure and skills. 7/10

Pattison - Strength, speed and agility training for the lad over the break. 3/10

Petifer - A very good year. Really improved. Good kicking skills the highlight. 7/10

Raines - Ok. Maybe next year wlll be his year.  5/10

Richo - Very consistent year from Richo. Still had his Richo moments, but hey, if someone told me he'd kick 65 goals at the start of the year I would have taken it for sure. Has been more unselfish this year and done more team oriented things. Body language much improved as well. 8/10

Roach - Didn't see much of him but didn't show much either. 3.5/10

Schulz - Get fit you lazy bastard. 4/10

Simmonds - Disappointing, but all the same alright. More ruck duties next year should see him improve. 5.5/10

Stafford - Injuries and probably lack of enthusiasm faarked him over. 4.5/10

Tambling - Injuries the story of his year. Will no doubt improve. Worrying sign that he fumbles so much thouhg. Really is a fumbler. 4.5/10

Thursfield - Great poise for a youngster. Really suprised me. Look forward to seeing the bulked up version in 2006. 6/10

Tivendale - No smarts or right foot. Terrible year for him, even though he did ok in some games. 4.5/10. And that's being generous.

Tuck - What a story. Will walk in the B&F. Didn't play a bad game all year and played a lot of great ones. I didn't rate him for his disposal at the start of the year. Though its not the best its certainly decent now. Future looks good if he continues to work and train hard.  9/10

[JohnF]

Paul Goughenbergsteingoldler was giving each player a mark out of ten tonight on club corner.

Did a run down of what Gough said while I was listening.

Most blokes were given pass marks given our improvement (only two failures) but not too high scores as we obviously didn't make the finals. IMO he was far too generous to guys yet to show anything as their scores were too close to our better consistent players.

Haha knew you'd get it all down MT. You're right too. He bunched up too many plodders with the decent players.

[JohnF]

Deledio: 8 - fantastic for a first year player. Gough's rising star winner and may place high up in the B&F.

lmfaoooo@Gough shooting a load in his daks when talking about Deledio.

[mightytiges]

Paul Goughenbergsteingoldler was giving each player a mark out of ten tonight on club corner.

Did a run down of what Gough said while I was listening.

Most blokes were given pass marks given our improvement (only two failures) but not too high scores as we obviously didn't make the finals. IMO he was far too generous to guys yet to show anything as their scores were too close to our better consistent players.

Haha knew you'd get it all down MT. You're right too. He bunched up too many plodders with the decent players.

He's good value Goughy. He's passionate about the Tiges and when on club corner he not afraid to speak his mind and mention something negative being an "independent" journo from the AFL site. A refreshing change from the fairly-floss rose-coloured glass drivel you got from club media officials Ryan and Greenberg in past years. Club corner too is alot better this year too without Rod from Dromana and Billy taking up 3/4 of the show .

[mightytiges]

I only did those who played seniors as well:

Bowden: 8 - pleasing he backed up his B&F year this year. Solid across half-back in a sweeper role. Top 4 rebounder in the comp.

Browny: 9.5 - superstar matchwinner. There was daylight between him and anyone else on our list. To still finish our second highest goalkicker after missing over half the season says it all. Just a cruel blow not only for him and us but for footy when his leg was snapped.

Cambo: 6.5 - obviously was past his prime as he had lost all his leg speed but retired at the right time when he was still a solid contributor and easily in our best 22 with a 18 possession average. We will miss his footy smarts and composure.

Chaffey: 6 - did a ok job as a tagger before injury ended his year. By the second half of the season I'd forgotten how shocking he was in 2004. O.P. at 28 years is a concern.

Cogs: 7.5 - A great return playing every game after missing nearly of last year with a groin problem. Top 10 handballer and top 4 contested ball winner in the League and averaged 23 possies. The only negatives were him tiring in the last third of the season and his kicking lacked depth and penetration as he struggled to kick 40m+ which would have also affected his accuracy.

Deledio: 7 - Showed easly why he was number 1 draft pick as the year progressed. Ended up with a 15 possession average but the second half of the year would be closer to 17-18. Has excellent skills plus acceleration and pace to break open the play. Still light on so will need to bulk up but as JohnF said the best junior to put on a Tiger guernsey since Knighter.

Gaspar: 7.5 - Back to his best form as his jump and speed off the mark returned to allow him to use his strength of better judgement. 9 times out of ten with shutdown a key forward. He would get a score of 8 if his kicking was better.

Graham: 6 - A good pick up given he was a mature player selected with a late pick. Did the job he was asked to do by Terry. Bonus for us was he was a teacher for our young defenders like Thursty.

Hall: 7 - Agree with John. His best year. He also improved as the year went along. Got cut open a couple of times but overall adapted well and did a reasonable job at CHB. 
 
Hartigan: 5.5 - Injury interrupted year but knows how to get his hands on the footy. Likes to run and carry the ball which Terry would be pleased with but now and then tries too much and gets hurried.

Hilton: 4 - Did well to comeback from his knee reco and play 10 games but he's been in the system for 9 years so I can't see him improving. No doubt he tries hard but he simply doesn't do enough. He'll be very lucky to stay on the list IMO.

Hyde: 6 - Started off the year like a house on fire with 20 possessin average before copping a skull fracture in round 5. Took him until the Essendon game to find that much footy but tired in the last 5 rounds. Plays alot better when his self-belief is strong.

Jackson: 3 - played 10 games but was rarely sighted in any of them with the possible exception the first doggies match. He's been played in a number of positions both at Richmond and Coburg so it might be an idea to play him for a while in one position to gain confidence.

Johnson: 7.5 - not as good as last year but still reliable and consistent despite battling through injury. Averaged 23 possies.

Kellaway: 8 - his best year ever even better than his AA year in 2000 IMHO. Chubba gave plenty of drive off half-back averaging 17 possies while also doing his typical tall defensive role. His kicking skills were significantly better as well. I know the Club considered it a major blow to our finals chances when Chubba missed the last third of the season with a broken jaw.     

Knobel: 5.5 - Started off the year well but now not sure where he fits now with Simmonds now in the ruck and Trent not being a forward. If Schulz plays an improved 2006 for the whole season and Patto makes any significant strides in 2006 it wouldn't surprise me if Knobel was no longer around by 2007.

Krakouer 6 - I don't disagree with Gough's comments on Krakouer (his best and worst are too far apart) but I think he was harder on him than may others who deserved an equally harsh assessment and lowish score. He's an awesome tackler for his size but he needs to get his hands on the footy more and not drift out of games. A big year in 2006 for Andy. 

Meyer: 3 - A low score only because he played such few games. Obviously has talent+++ and footy smarts but his body isn't yet strong and big enough for 22+ rounds of AFL.

Moore: 3 - Hasn't found a niche in the side and Thursty has gone past him for that 3rd-4th defensive role. Like Jackson didn't improve on 2004. 2006 is make or break.

Newman: 7 - after a disappointing 2004 he delivered the year we expected from him. Like Joel he was a top 10 rebounder in the League. More a HBF than a back pocket so got spanked a couple times on the best small forwards. He would of got a higher score otherwise.

Pattison: 2 - Not ready yet but not a concern as big blokes take a little while longer than smalls unless they're a freak like a Riewoldt. Like John said needs strength, speed and agility training.

Pettifer: 7.5 - 31 goals off a HFF means he had a good year. He started to show something late on in 2004 which saved himself from the cull and finally got the monkey off his back this year. I would like to see him in 2006 aim to get his goal tally up to 40 = 2 goals per game.

Raines: 3.5 - Probably our only player who IMO could argue he got a bit of a raw deal in terms of selection decisions. I thought we might have persisted with him in the seniors a bit longer after 17 possies against the Roos (albeit his opponent was Archer who got plenty of it himself). There were a couple of senior blokes who were very lucky to stay in the seniors as long as they did.

Richo: 8.5 - One of Richo's best. Very consistent and unselfish. He and Browny worked great together. His field passing has improved out of sight. He would easily score 9+ if he was more accurate in front of the big sticks - 65.46. Maybe the cheer squad needs to hold up a manaquin in full Richmond kit behind the goals for Richo to pass to when shooting for goal lol.

Roach: 2 - disappeared off the radar midway through the year and was really struggling at Coburg but worked his way back into seniors contention by round 22. Make or break year in 2006.

Schulz: 4 - after designated by Wallace as our CHB had a nightmare first half of the year caught D&D followed by doing an ankle. Got back into the side late in the year and showed promise. Given his talent hopefully he knuckle down over pre-season and do a Pettifer next year in terms of improvement.

Simmonds: 6 - A readjustment year for Simmo. Took him virtually until the last few weeks to find form and his place in the side as a ruckman who can lead up the ground to wing or centre. Appears to be getting more freedom and agility in his movement as he's slimmed down. Needs to work on his goalkicking and marking over the summer. Just drops a touch too many that he should really hold at this level.

Stafford: 5 - A very good start to the year as part of Terry's triangle but injured his ankle and never really got going after that. I had him retiring but obviously the club needs big senior blokes to protect the young cubs. 2006 will be his final year.

Tambling 5 - hamstring injuries stuffed up his year. Needs more games under his belt and to bulk up. He also needs to work on getting cleaner hands.

Tivs 4 - No right foot so he needs to U-turn to swing on his left which gets him into trouble. He can kick the ball a mile on his left but instead he chips short and misses targets far too many times. I doubt he'll be at Tigerland in 2006. Trade.

Tuck 9 - Give him the B&F now. Fantastic year after nearly disappearing into oblivion because Spud wouldn't play him. 8th in the AFL in disposals, 9th in kicks, 2nd in contested footy (one behind Judd), 9th in uncontested footy, 4th in clearances and 8th in centre bounce clearances

Thursfield 5 - just further proof we need to load up on rookies as you can find some hidden gems that fell through the draft. Two isn't enough. At $25,000 per rookie it makes you wonder if a rookie coterie could be set up.

Foley 5 - I still have my doubts purely based on his small size rather than his footy ability - Craig Ednie mark II. I'll be estactic if he proves me wrong.

[WilliamPowell]

Bowden: 7.5 – good to see him back up after his 2004 B&F year. Would like to see him play further up the ground. Was very good in the middle on Sunday in the last

Browny: 9.0 – one of the lowest points of 2005 was seeing his leg snapped in 2. Will probably end up leading the Brownlow for the first 10-13 rounds IMO. The longer the season went the more missed Brown
 
Cambo: 7.0 – spell it FOOTY SMARTS and boy we are going to miss them

Chaffey: 6.5 – was pleasantly surprised with Chaf. The OP is a worry though. Saw him climbing over the fence on Sunday and he seemed to be struggling to do that – makes you wonder how bad it is.

Cogs: 6.5 – Allowing for everything he has been through and coming back from his injury IMO the first half was good but the second half was disappointing (Sunday down at Geelong the body language at times was terrible – kudos to the Captain for going to him at half time). Lack of depth in his kicking is a real worry. Hopefully a fuller pre-season than last year will help

Deledio: 7.5 – nice to see we got a draft selection right . If he doesn’t win the rising star then it’s a joke. Excitement machine

Gaspar: 7.5 – Back to the Gas from 2001. Makes you realise how stupid it was playing to early last season
 
Graham: 6.5 – One the smartest re-cycled pick-ups we’ve had ever (granted that wouldn’t be hard). Was a great teacher to the young blokes and that was just as important as the bone crunching knocks he took late in the season that won us games (remember the Swans game)

Hall: 7 - His best year. Decision making has improved
 
Hartigan: 5.5 – has very good pace but his kicking lets him downs at times. The hamstring injuries set him back a bit but by the end of the season he had settled and was playing good footy

Hilton: 3.5 – when he is good he is great but when he isn’t – well …………. Has it been 9 years? After all this time he still floats in and he floats out.  Personally I don’t think he showed enough to be retained but I have a felling he will be

Hyde: 6 – was never quite the same after his skull fracture but showed he is suited to Tezza’s game plan

Jackson: 2.5 – I am surprised he played 10 games because I never really noticed him on the ground

Johnson: 7.5 – injuries didn’t help but he was solid all season. Granted he had a couple of average but he wasn’t alone.

Kellaway: 8.5 – gee we missed him when he was out with that broken jaw. The Wallace game plan seems to suit Chubba – was back to his B&F form IMO
 
Knobel: 6.0 – did what he was bought in to do. Talk more marks this season than he had in last couple I reckon. Kicked a few goals and carried the ruck when Stafford was out injured and Simmonds was really struggling with being too big

Krakouer 6 – can be a match winner. Is the best tackler in the AFL for his size but when he goes missing it hurts us a lot. Needs to be so much more consistent. He should spend more time in the mid-field because with his quickhands it would be a massive advantage for us – so like so many before me have said he needs to get fitter

Meyer: 3.5 - A touch of class about this kid but a long AFL season caught up with him in the 2nd half of the year – expect bigger and better things in 2006

Moore: 2.5 – Injury didn’t help him when he had his jaw broken. But I just don’t know what his position is exactly because there are others ahead of him now

Newman: 6.0 – loses a point for struggling so much against the opposition small forwards – seems to struggle more so against the really smart footballers (eg Johnson from the Doggies and especially those little twirps Milne & Matera and that really irks me)

Pattison: 2.5 – Long term once he gets bigger and has a better shape he will be a good player for us. A bit like Meyer struggled as the season wore on

Pettifer: 7.0 – we’ve waited so long for him to produce a year like this. Key is he has to repeat it in 2006 and beyond – target must be 40-50 goals next year

Raines: 4.0 – Was always good at Coburg and then when in the seniors didn’t get much game time. One of the reasons IMV was perhaps he got knocked off the ball to easily. But will be a good player for us – 2006 has to be his year

Richo: 9.0 – Sensational year by the big fella! Showed great leadership all year. His 200th against Port was an absolute beauty.
 
Roach:  1.0 – who???? Seems to have lost his way as well as his confidence. Crunch time for the kid in 2006
 
Schulz: 4.5 – I reckon some of us may not have realised how bad that ankle injury was at the start of the season. Took nearly all of the remainder for him to get over it. Was great against the Cats in round 22 at CHB – needs to knuckle down for a huge pre-season – he knows it

Simmonds: 6 – got better as the year progressed and he lost some weight (not fat – the extra bulk). Showed that he is a ruckman and excelled in the last 4-5 games playing as the number 1 ruckman. Has to improve his goal kicking – it was woeful at times

Stafford: 5.5 – started well and then finished well. Will be very important standing in the square in 2006

Tambling 6.0 – a steep learning curve for Bling in that he came from a much weaker competition and I reckon found step up to training side of things in particular a massive change – hence the injury problems. Also have to remember he is just 18-19 and a lot of us had very high expectations and I reckon the kid did as well and probably put too much pressure on. In patches he has shown what he can do with a full pre-season going into 2006 I’m sure he’ll be better for it and we’ll see the excitement machine.

Tivendale 5.0 – a player I thought would be better for the Wallace game plan. Agree with MT – one sided and as a result it was easy for the opposition to force him into making a turnover. Will he be a tiger in 2006? Time will tell I suppose but he’s still under contract and so the only option is a trade and IMO any deal must be to the benefit of the RFC.

Tuck 9.5 – a gem. Not only the most improved player at Tigerland but in the AFL. Stand-out performance from a bloke who just wanted a chance and when he got it he took it. A great footy story to boot too

Thursfield 5.5 – after the rookie draft we all said “Will who?” and what a great selection it turned out to be. Good to see we are using the rookie list the right way. Agree we need more than 2. I would like to see a minimum of 3 which I think is a possibility in 2006
 
Foley 5.5 – I was rapted when he got promoted because he had worked so bloody hard to get there. His game against Port was his standout game. Don’t worry about his size – he’s got great strength (remember the tackle on that twirp Burgoyne). A good in and under player with quick hands.

[Tiger Spirit]

Hilton: 5 – Just don’t know where we’ve been going with him for the past few seasons, or why really.  I suppose he filled some holes this season.

Gaspar: 7 – Good to see him come back to something like his true form.

Deledio: 7.5 – Probably exceeded everyone’s expectations of any first year player.  Sensational to have someone wit his ability on our list.
 
Raines: 4 – Thought he might have played a few more games, but obviously needs to do a lot more learning and needs more grounding in certain areas.

Simmonds: 6.5 – Showed on a few occasions that he can make a real impact.  Next season will tell a lot more.

Chaffey: 6.5 – Did the job asked of him on most occasions.  Outside of having a negative bent to his game, not really sure what his strong points are.   I’m probably being really harsh here, but to me he doesn’t seem the type of player that can either create opportunities or capitalise on them often enough.  Suppose it has something to do with the role he was given this season, but even in other seasons I still couldn’t see it.

Brown: 9 – Couldn’t ask for more of an impact from any player.  Look forward to seeing him come back next season.
 
Cambell: 7.5 – Did himself and his club proud with the way he went about his final season.

Stafford: 4.5 – Not really sure what to make of Staff’s season, as he didn’t really seem to have that much of an impact in any game but, for some reason, it’s good to see him play on again next season.
 
Bowden: 8 – Another consistent season from Joel and even imposed himself in games on a few occasions, which was good to see.  As one of our few good long kicks in the team, would like to see him kick long more often, rather than going for short passes as often as he does.

Richardson: 8 – One of Richo’s better season, in all respects.  Couldn’t have done any more in some games to lift his team.

Knobel: 6.5 – Wasn’t really sure what to expect, but given the criticism of him from his time at St. Kda, was at least ok.

Pettifer: 6.5 - Still think there’s a lot more improvement in Kayne and hopefully he’s now turned the corner and will continue his better form into next season.  Like any player, can go backwards in a hurry, any time he starts to get ahead of himself.

Morrison: 4 – Seems a good player at VFL level, but not really up to the speed of AFL footy.

Johnson: 7 – Another consistent season from Kane and the captaincy seems to sit well with him.

Hall: 6.5 – Surprised in a few games with some of his efforts and would have gained some confidence from some them.  Still unsure about him against better opposition though.

Tuck: 9 – His form this season surprised everyone, even those who thought he could’ve been given more of a go in 2004.  No turning back now I guess.

Meyer: 5.5 – The few games he did play he showed a lot of poise and class, but obviously needs a few pre seasons in the gym before we really get to see what he’s capable of.

Jackson: 4 – I was one of those who thought he might have a better season than the one he had.  Back to basics for Daniel, but if he has the right attitude he can make it.  Won’t give up on him just yet.

Coughlan: 7 – His best form was probably in the middle part of the season.  The start and end of the season were mainly getting him match fit and then ensuring he could last the distance.  Good to see him back out there.

Schulz: 5 – Injuries and one or two other things really disrupted his season.  Did ok in a couple of late games that make you think he could yet be a player.

Pattison: 4 – A player on a learning curve.  Seemed to play really well with Coburg but just found the going a lot tougher with the step up to AFL.

Krakouer: 5.5 – Had some reasonably good games, mixed with a few very quiet ones.  Would be good to see him close the gap between his good and not so good games.

Tambling: 5 – Was one player I was really looking forward to seeing play.  I don’t really know, but maybe he put too much pressure on himself to do well. 

Hyde: 5 – Another who surprised, especially with his early season form.  Wasn’t really the same player after his head clash against St. Kda.

Tivendale: 4.5 – The best thing you could probably say about Tiv’s season was that he tried.  Always seemed to be matched up against some tough opponents and mostly came out second best.  Thought he may have had a lot better season than the one he had, but really seemed to struggle with what was expected of him.  Apart from the odd quarter here and there, never really managed to put a good game together.

Hartigan: 5 – Would have been good to see what sort of season he could’ve had without the injuries, but if he has the right attitude has something to offer the team in the seasons ahead.

Graham: 6.5 – For a player to make such an impact in one season is a great credit to Mark.  Certainly seemed to make an impression on his teammates, as well as supporters.  Makes you wonder why the Hawks were so quick to let him go.  You couldn’t ask for a better attitude from someone in his circumstances.

Newman: 6.5 –An improvement on last season, when he looked to have stagnated.  Had some tough roles that probably wouldn’t say he improved, but in some of those games, he couldn’t have been helped by how the team was performing at the time.  To me, he seems to have a lot more positives than negatives.

Thursfield: 6 – Only played a few games, but was really impressed with some of his efforts in those he managed.  Outstanding effort to play every minute of his first game against the Swans.  Looks to have a future.

Kellaway: 6.5 – Good to see him regain some form and confidence after an indifferent 2004.

Moore: 4.5 – Still on a huge learning curve and has a way to go yet, if he is to make it.

Foley: 4.5 – Deserved the opportunities he was given at AFL level.

[hart is the best]

I think we overrate our play ,only a handfull of players should have a pastmark ,we did not make the finals and thats whats it all about.
The same players make the same mistakes and will not take as to finals

[mightytiges]

I think we overrate our play ,only a handfull of players should have a pastmark ,we did not make the finals and thats whats it all about.
The same players make the same mistakes and will not take as to finals

Welcome to OER HITB

That's partly true we do overrate our own players and we do have our favourites and non-favs.

The ratings can depend on each person's criteria. For me I don't consider 5 or 6 despite it being a pass score as good. IMO it just meant you did enough to warrant a spot in our current 22. 6.5 to 7 to me is an average score (Bell curve) while 7.5 or higher is good to excellent. I had only 13 of our guys with a score of 6.5 or more and nine with 7.5 or higher (only five got an "A" from me for 2005 - Browny, Bowden, Richo, Tuck and Kellaway).