#1: Jack Grimes:... Will be captain by the time he is 21 and an absolute star.

#3: Brad Miller: ...His games against Fremantle and Brisbane, I don't think I've seen too many better than those displays. If Melbourne is the resurge it will require this young man (only 24) to fulfill his full potential.

#5: Aaron Davey: He's 25 now and been in the system long enough now ... Too often he plays a game where he gathers 10-15 possesions from the midfield.

#9: Austin Wonemarri: This kid will end up with over 500 goals to his name enough said.How the hell did he slip to the rookie draft.

out of interest, grimes hasnt yet played a match. i look forward to him playing, and you may be right about him being a superstar, but captain at 21 when he hasnt played at all in his first season? at least give him til he is 22, 23...

brad miller could be great. i agree. if he plays 5 more games this year like he did against brisbane, and takes contested marks and kicks goals from outside 50 good on him. but for 5 years we have seen him play a good game followed by 6 average ones. he needs to take the pack marks and kick the goals more often.

aaron davey, 5th most important player on our list in your opinion, yet what you have said about him says it all. too often he goes missing. too often he doesnt have an impact. and he has been in the system long enough now that he should be able to play consistantly.

aussie kick 500 goals? only 43 players have ever kicked more than 500 goals. here is a list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFL_All-time_...kicking_records

i think id be stoked if he played 150 games and kicked 300 goals.

I like Wonnaemirri, Like we all do. I dont think hes really important though. He will always be an average/good player who is awesome on his day.

Absolute Rubbish! He was our only decent player earlier this year. He was hungry for the ball and knew where to be in order to get it. You shall regret that critique in time.

imo Bruce is still the best player at Melbourne

Frawls, I'm not sure how Robertson can be in our top 5 MVPs at the end of the year, given his age - plus injury status - and the place the team's at as a group.

I like Wonnaemirri, Like we all do. I dont think hes really important though. He will always be an average/good player who is awesome on his day.

i find that hard to believe how you put maric on your list yet you leave aussie out. ffs maric hasn't even played a game! aussie has worked his ass from the rookie to be our current leading goalkicker. tell 3 other rookie list players that have done that? not saying that maric is crap but i think thats a pretty [censored] weak excuse not to have him in there. atm aussie shits all over maric

Frawls, I'm not sure how Robertson can be in our top 5 MVPs at the end of the year, given his age - plus injury status - and the place the team's at as a group.

Its a curious list with two players on the LT injury list (one for 2 years now) and one player who has not played a game and who is reported to be learning the art of defensive pressure in Sandy with varying degrees of success..

out of interest, grimes hasnt yet played a match. i look forward to him playing, and you may be right about him being a superstar, but captain at 21 when he hasnt played at all in his first season? at least give him til he is 22, 23...

brad miller could be great. i agree. if he plays 5 more games this year like he did against brisbane, and takes contested marks and kicks goals from outside 50 good on him. but for 5 years we have seen him play a good game followed by 6 average ones. he needs to take the pack marks and kick the goals more often.

aaron davey, 5th most important player on our list in your opinion, yet what you have said about him says it all. too often he goes missing. too often he doesnt have an impact. and he has been in the system long enough now that he should be able to play consistantly.

aussie kick 500 goals? only 43 players have ever kicked more than 500 goals. here is a list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFL_All-time_...kicking_records

i think id be stoked if he played 150 games and kicked 300 goals.

I approached this topic keeping in mind that if Melbourne is to win a premiship these are the players to take us there.

Firstly yes it is a big call on Grimes but this kid will be special. If Morton was taken before pick 4 Craig Cameron would have taken him at 4, that's how highly he is rated at the club. His disposal is servicable but the thing I love about him most is his determination and his abillity to step up in crunch situations. In the coming years there will be multiple situations where Grimes in the dying minutes of the game will lay a game breaking tackle or kick a goal that does not necessarily come from talent but more so a passion for the jumper and an abillity to bust you gut for it.

Davey I whole heartidly agree with you. But if were going to challenge over the next 5 years he needs to step up. He has the abillity to do so and perhaps his recent admission of ill preperation for last weeks game is a sign that he knows he can achieve more we can only hope.

The same goes for Miller. I just watched his game V Freo. There is a situation where he is harrassing the ball cause a spillage picks up the loose ball barrages through Bryon Schammer and delivers to Austin. There's only one other player in the comp who can do that and his name is Jonathon Brown.

Austin perhaps 500 goals is pushing it. But he'll kick 30+ this year and if he plays for another 10 years with improvement to come out of him he'll regularly be topping the 40 mark.

I approached this topic keeping in mind that if Melbourne is to win a premiship these are the players to take us there.

ok i see what you are trying to get at 'if melbourne are to make it, these players need to step up and play at their best week in week out'. fair point.

very early call on grimes, i had heard that about the draft also, but before he plays a game, its a big call. hope he lives up to it.

i find that hard to believe how you put maric on your list yet you leave aussie out. ffs maric hasn't even played a game! aussie has worked his ass from the rookie to be our current leading goalkicker. tell 3 other rookie list players that have done that? not saying that maric is crap but i think thats a pretty [censored] weak excuse not to have him in there. atm aussie shits all over maric

Thankyou i am glad others agree. Austen has been the Recruit of the year thus Far.

Thankyou i am glad others agree. Austen has been the Recruit of the year thus Far.

Glad to see you like the bloke so much. That you cant even spell his first name.

Glad to see you like the bloke so much. That you cant even spell in first name.

With grammar like that, calling people out for spelling is the last thing I’d be doing.

With grammar like that, calling people out for spelling is the last thing I’d be doing.

Glad to see you like the bloke so much. That you cant even spell his first name.

With grammar like that, calling people out for spelling is the last thing I’d be doing.

And I thought it was School Holidays!

Today's top 10:

1) Brad Green

2) Brock Mclean

3) Cam Bruce

4) Aaron Davey

5) Jared Rivers (assuming he returns)

6) Matthew Bate

7) Russell Robertson

8) Paul Wheatley

9) Jeff White

10) Nathan Jones

Today's top 10:

1) Brad Green

2) Brock Mclean

3) Cam Bruce

4) Aaron Davey

5) Jared Rivers (assuming he returns)

6) Matthew Bate

7) Russell Robertson

8) Paul Wheatley

9) Jeff White

10) Nathan Jones

No 5 cant get on the track for 2 years. No7 was on the verge of being dropped this year for poor performance and is out injured for a year with uncertainty if and how he will return. No 9 has just been dropped to Sandy. And there in our top 10? No wonder we are on the bottom.

10 important players going forward are in my estimation:

No particular order

Green

Wheatley

McLean

Bate

Wonaeamrri

Garland

Miller

Jones

Johnson (P)

Davey

they are known entities

Others lurking:

Sylvia ( stil not quite there for me )

Warnock ..encouraging

Morton... up and comer

Petterd...needs to get back on the track

Maric... will surprise many

Grimes... might just have something this kid

Dunn.. Can cement a role.. needs more consistency

Martin.. kid has something...just not sure what

Have a lot of periphery players. Buckley, Bartram, Bell, Frawley, Johnson ©, Valenti etc

We have others whose role is simply going to dimish.. even Junior.. White is near the end.. its bye bye Carroll.. das vidanya Jamar.. I cant be sure of Beamer or Rivers to include them in any serious look forward..they can hardly get on the track !!.. Bruce plays well (sometimes) is hardly elite.. and for me not important going forward, he can be replaced easily.

and then theres a couple of kids still yet to see daylight.

Not intended as a complet wrap up of all.. just in spirit of the 10 important. Miller is in top 10 ( cant believe Im doing that..lol ) but needs to build on what he's doing.. if its all flash in the pan..then sayonara baby !!

edit: looks like I left Robbo out... oh well.....

The OP asked for most valuable, not best.

Brad Green

Most likely at the end of the season Bailey will continue with his youth policy and more of our senior players will either be delisted or traded. Our team will continue to be young and inexperienced going forward for the next couple of years which means that the remaining senior players will have a very important role in setting the right example and showing leadership on the ground. Green has proved his worth time and time again, but the next couple of seasons will be his most important as he greatly influences the next batch of demons coming through with the right work ethic and application.

Cameron Bruce

Same as Green, any player now over 26 who are still getting games are very important in providing the leadership to the younger, developing players.

Brock McLean

The engine room is where it all starts and Brock is clearly the main man in this group. He's had a great season before getting injured and I'm confident he'll continue to grow into a leader that we all know he is capable of being. Is our best midfielder.

Nathan Jones

Even though he's still young he's already shouldering the midfield load alongside McLean, the two of them will be the basis of our midfield over the next decade.

Brad Miller

Although he's not in our best top 10 he is vitally important because at the moment we lack any other key forwards capable of playing consistently at the highest level. Once the new draftees start playing he's going to be needed to give them guidance, support and to protect them.

Colin Garland

He's had a sniff now and has shown what he's capable of achieving, what the club needs to do is to build a stable defence who will play together over the next half a decade, if Colin can claim one of the key roles down back then Bailey has a player that he can mould the defence around.

Cale Morton

Perhaps only because he is such an early pick the club needs for him to develop into at least an A grade player, perhaps too much pressure at this stage but he looks to have it all - endurance, balance, poise and great disposal. We need an elite player on our list and Morton is our greatest chance for that yet.

Paul Johnson

Not our most talented player but he's shown that he's now ready to throw his big frame around the ground. We severely lack KP's capable of competing against the other giants in the AFL, which is what I see PJ's role developing into. Not specifically dominating in one position but having the flexibility to be moved anywhere on the ground to nullify his opponent, whether it be to pinch hit in the ruck and curb Sandilands dominance or to go down back to run with Richo, he's important because we don't have anyone else capable of competing on that level.

Depth

No club can win a premiership without depth. Valenti, Wona, Petterd, Wheatley, Grimes, Warnock, Bate etc They're all important