I was assuming A grade to be the highest, which Jones is not. Close but not quite. And I agree the others should get to his level but if we are talking about stars, A+ Game winners what ever you want to call them (players like Ablett Pendles Judd as the op stated) then none of those blokes can get there IMHO.

A graders are players like Jones, Tippet, Judd, Beams, Martin.

A+ are players like Ablett, Pendles, Swan, Franklin, Watson

Ok...

At this stage Tyson looks like the only one capable of reaching A+ status, Jones is A grade. There is half a dozen or so who hopefully make it to A grade and it's a bit early to make a call on Salem Tomp and Hogan.

There is that better?

I seriously doubt he is yet at the club hopefully he will be recruited at the end of this year.

RPFC - kudos to you for working out where I have rated Howe this year. You're progressing.

You should just steer clear of this nonsense - you can't pull it off.

He is by far our most overrated player, and the gap between his good (which isn't great) and bog-ordinary is very wide. Has there been a player this year that's copped more blasts from the coach? I doubt.

If we had more depth, or more to the point, if blokes like Blease, Strauss, Tapscott and even Michie were pushing harder at Casey, I would not be surprised if Howe was not in the senior team. I should add Terlich in there somewhere too, but he's obviously played in the same team as JH, so I probably shouldn't add him in there.

Our backline is being held together by Dunn (clear standout) and Macdonald, with Jetta playing some great roles. Garland is down on form, Grimes is as hit and miss as anyone, and Howe (see above).

Howe has had a few shockers, only a handful haven't, but he has been better than a C-grade...

He is learning to play a defensive role and his marking back there has been very good and has had about 7 or 8 solid-to-good games and had his best month when we were having our best month of footy against Adel, WB, Rich, and PA.

And that is just the offensive side of his output - again, he has been apart of a very good defensive unit. And while it is more of a team-wide mindset that has shut the valve off, it is also the mainstays of that backline, and as good as Dunn and Jetta have been - McDonald, Howe, Terlich and Grimes also should receive some of the plaudits for the frugality.

I know it wasn't exactly what the OP was asking, but who says we can't have a couple at once? Having said that, Hogan.

A graders are players like Jones, Tippet, Judd, Beams, Martin.

A+ are players like Ablett, Pendles, Swan, Franklin, Watson

I take it you're referring to right now? There's no way anyone else compares to Judd in that list of players, except G Ablett. Who, for the record, has been a more consistent elite player over the journey, IMO.

Edited July 3, 201411 yr by AdamFarr

A graders are players like Jones, Tippet, Judd, Beams, Martin.

A+ are players like Ablett, Pendles, Swan, Franklin, Watson

i think Rockliff is A+

You should just steer clear of this nonsense - you can't pull it off.

Howe has had a few shockers, only a handful haven't, but he has been better than a C-grade...

He is learning to play a defensive role and his marking back there has been very good and has had about 7 or 8 solid-to-good games and had his best month when we were having our best month of footy against Adel, WB, Rich, and PA.

And that is just the offensive side of his output - again, he has been apart of a very good defensive unit. And while it is more of a team-wide mindset that has shut the valve off, it is also the mainstays of that backline, and as good as Dunn and Jetta have been - McDonald, Howe, Terlich and Grimes also should receive some of the plaudits for the frugality.

It is near impossible to have a discussion about this with someone that clearly has lower expectations than I do. Come to think of it, it's almost impossible to have a conversation with you, period.

I'll give you an activity RP, take a look at this week's "named" backline. In round 19 (roughly) when we hopefully will have Hogan in, Jetta in, who comes out of that backline? Dunn won't. Macdonald wont. Frawley shouldn't. Jetta won't. That leaves Garland, Grimes, Howe and Terlich fighting for 2 places (both flanks). Grimes plays as he is captain.

Howe has the ability to go back to HFF, but does he have a role in a forward line that would consist of Dawes, Hogan, Pedersen, Watts? We need a small forward, so that leaves a HFF spot to fight out with the likes of Kent, Matt Jones, possibly even Tyson (when Cross is back).

Howe is at this stage depth. Injuries and poor form from others has helped him maintain his spot this season. I'm not willing to give him this excuse of learning a new position-isn't it a view of yours that the HBF is the easiest position to play?

It is near impossible to have a discussion about this with someone that clearly has lower expectations than I do. Come to think of it, it's almost impossible to have a conversation with you, period.

I'll give you an activity RP, take a look at this week's "named" backline. In round 19 (roughly) when we hopefully will have Hogan in, Jetta in, who comes out of that backline? Dunn won't. Macdonald wont. Frawley shouldn't. Jetta won't. That leaves Garland, Grimes, Howe and Terlich fighting for 2 places (both flanks). Grimes plays as he is captain.

Howe has the ability to go back to HFF, but does he have a role in a forward line that would consist of Dawes, Hogan, Pedersen, Watts? We need a small forward, so that leaves a HFF spot to fight out with the likes of Kent, Matt Jones, possibly even Tyson (when Cross is back).

Howe is at this stage depth. Injuries and poor form from others has helped him maintain his spot this season. I'm not willing to give him this excuse of learning a new position-isn't it a view of yours that the HBF is the easiest position to play?

And yet here we are...

You make a good argument about him being possible squeezed out but his versatility adds to his importance to the team - it doesn't undermine it.

I can recall agreeing with TimD at the start of the season that Howe could and should be traded for someone with more weight to their game than the more than occasional screamer.

Well, he is adding weight to his game.

And HBF is the easiest place to play but that does not mean it is an unimportant position. If you have someone there like Hodge who can dictate the play from behind it is valuable, when you have someone willing to run and be bold like Shaw and Malceski it is a weapon, and when you have someone who can take help his teammates with marking and spread like Howe - it is something Melbourne hasn't had for a while.

Backlines are more than the 6 players named there on Thursday, and as Howe hasn't missed a game yet this year he doesn't look like a depth player to me, he seems to be keeping his coaches happy, I would like to be able to get a coaches view on that but the 22 that run out for the seniors don't get the public appraisal like the VFL players do...

Hogan and Viney, but I can also see Salem,Tyson and JKH in a few years time being something pretty special.

And yet here we are...

You make a good argument about him being possible squeezed out but his versatility adds to his importance to the team - it doesn't undermine it.

I can recall agreeing with TimD at the start of the season that Howe could and should be traded for someone with more weight to their game than the more than occasional screamer.

Well, he is adding weight to his game.

And HBF is the easiest place to play but that does not mean it is an unimportant position. If you have someone there like Hodge who can dictate the play from behind it is valuable, when you have someone willing to run and be bold like Shaw and Malceski it is a weapon, and when you have someone who can take help his teammates with marking and spread like Howe - it is something Melbourne hasn't had for a while.

Backlines are more than the 6 players named there on Thursday, and as Howe hasn't missed a game yet this year he doesn't look like a depth player to me, he seems to be keeping his coaches happy, I would like to be able to get a coaches view on that but the 22 that run out for the seniors don't get the public appraisal like the VFL players do...

As I said, he's very lucky that Toumpas, Strauss, Blease aren't performing well.

Wasn't there a game only a few weeks ago where most were calling for Howe and Watts' omission? Then two weeks ago when they interviewed Roos at 1/4 time Howe was again number 1 target for a spray, and again at half time.

How anyone can rate his season as "A" is kidding themselves. Our whole backline gets a "B" in my view - which is a fantastic effort and massive improvement, with Dunn an "A" and Macdonald "B+". Jetta gets a "B+", after that it drops off significantly. But as I said earlier, my expectations are clearly higher than some, but I do think mine are more realistic with the AFL benchmark.

To this stage, I would be terribly suprised if Howe was in our Top 10 of the B&F. Even in the Demonland Player of the Year he's ranked 11th, with players like Macdonald, Pedersen and Jetta below him, who I would argue all have had better years than JH.

I take it you're referring to right now? There's no way anyone else compares to Judd in that list of players, except G Ablett. Who, for the record, has been a more consistent elite player over the journey, IMO.

Yeah, right now. Ofcourse, Judd 3-4 years ago was A++++, like Gaz.

i think Rockliff is A+

I didnt name every A+ in the AFL. so thanks for your contribution. But he is borderline A+ in my opinion.

Tyson is the obvious one.

But I think Salem will end up the best player we've seen in the past 20 years.

Perhaps through his injury some have forgotten just how exciting Jesse Hogan is, could well be in the best couple of players on our list even as soon as next year

Perhaps through his injury some have forgotten just how exciting Jesse Hogan is, could well be in the best couple of players on our list even as soon as next year

I don't know if this is an indictment on our list or the calibre of the kid but he already is.

I think Dean Kent could become a genuine superstar, he has a lot of tools

I wrote this last Thursday

" I seriously doubt he is at the club at present"

After watching the game on Saturday I am convince he has yet to be recruited.

We struggle to have a genuine A grade player let alone a "Star"

If injury allows it, Jesse Hogan will be the one for mine.

Having witnessed him first hand down at Skilled last year in the game Casey won by a kick, where he was best on ground and Casey's most influential on field leader at 17 years of age. It's very hard to put into words how impressive he was that day.

The kid has so many strings to his bow. He's smart, a great reader of the play, has phenomenal game sense, is hard and tough, is a great mark, both on the lead and in a pack, and wants desperately to be the man...