poita

I expected more from a player in his fourth year in the AFL system. Yes, he can find the goals, but his defensive work is basically non-existent and he doesn't get enough of the football to not contribute defensively as well. I would expect him to struggle for a game if Petracca comes in and we can land a couple of midfielders in the trade period.

He showed enough this year to suggest he can be a very good player. Clearly needs to go from 10 touches a game to 20 plus for this to happen, but there is plenty to work with.

I don't understand the love that people around here have for Kent. Been on the list three years and averages 10.7 disposals, 0.8 goals and 1.8 tackles a game, and even less than that this year. Everyone seems to want to get rid of Toumpas, but he averaged 15 touches and 3 tackles a game this year. Yes, Kent is capable of kicking goals on the run from outside 50, but he is also capable of spraying three more shots out on the full or going missing for half a game. He would want a big year in 2016.

If McCartney is the bees knees, why are we so keen to offload Watts & Toumpas? Wouldn't it be better to give McCartney a couple of years to work his magic with them?

I'm a little surprised to see Fitzy moved on as we don't have great depth in key positions or in the ruck, and he can play in all of those. Nevertheless, after six years, he can hardly complain. The other three had their cards marked a long time ago.

So, are we just throwing up names for the sake of looking like we are doing something useful, or is there actually more than a miniscule chance that we can land someone who can lead this club out of the mire? Because Melksham is far closer to the Newton / Michie / Dawes / Lumumba level of recruit, than the level of Dangerfield or O'Meara . If Goodwin, McCartney & co are as good as everyone says they are, shouldn't they be able to realise the potential of a Toumpas or a Watts, rather than talking up their value to another club? By all means move on Watts, Toumpas & co as part of a trade for a big fish, but what's the point of moving on a player of Watts' ability for pick 43 in a weak draft or a nobody like Melksham?

Nice work if you can get it, being paid $1m a year plus and you get to hand over most of your responsibilities to your successor.

It remains incredible to me that a bloke who is slow, poorly skilled and doesn't get enough of the football was given a three year contract, presumably on decent money. Thanks for that, Neeldy. That said, Jordie was a much better player in his first four years than some around here give him credit for, and he probably deserved more than a quarter of senior football this year to save his career. Thanks and good luck, Jordie.

I thought he was fair at best this year, although he did suffer from some poor matchups at times (eg Tippett in round 6). I would like to see him show some more leadership on the field.

He is a much better player than he showed this year, but could find himself on the fringes if he has a slow start to 2016. Needs a big pre season.

Excellent run of form through the latter half of this season, and very much justified our continued faith in him. We need to be very careful how we manage him going forward, as he always seems likely to break down when over worked. It is just a pity that he wasn't given the same opportunities to cement his spot at the end of 2014 when Jamar was floundering, but perhaps the penny had to drop for him. Maybe Spencer's run of games from round 6 onwards was the spur that Max needed to get his act together.

Putting aside the WADA shennanigans for a second, Essendon are by a large margin the worst team in the comp to trade with. They severely overvalue every one of their players, which makes it almost impossible to trade with them. I wouldn't want the club wasting it's time negotiating a trade with these morons, let alone for a mediocre player like Melksham. We've got more chance of trading for Dangerfield.

Which one of Laird and Jaensch does he reckon he will unseat?

I love how some around here think Howe should take whatever we offer him, and not bother about trying to get the best deal for himself. And in the same breath can't wait to throw the likes of Watts and Grimes to the curb. Loyalty runs both ways. You can't expect the players to think only of the club, when the club is only too willing to ditch players if and when it suits them. We tried to change the terms of Evans' contract last year. I'm sure we will do the same with Terlich (and possibly others) this year. Don't blame the players for looking after themselves.

Would love to see Jack back on the field next year, if nothing else just to see him get some reward for all the hard work he is putting in.

He is already a seriously good player, and would have been even better if he had been given a rest throughout the season. Expecting big things in 2016.

If we had 22 players running out each week with the competitive spirit of Jack Viney, we would be a very hard side to beat. If he can add a bit more polish to his kicking over games 50 - 100, we will have a super player on our hands.

Terrible from start to finish. Looked scared of getting hurt, scared of making a mistake, scared of doing too much. Most of his (all-too-rare) possessions resulted in a teammate being put in a horrible position, and I don't recall him ever negating an opponent either. Should have been dropped well before the mid year break and given an opportunity to recharge at Casey for a couple of weeks. He is well outside my best 22 at present, and I hate to think that we have to tolerate another three years of his pea-heartedness, particularly on the salary that has been reported. I would give serious consideration to paying out his contract if we see a repeat of this year in 2016.

Jack's best football is elite, I truly believe that. His worst football is a long way below that. It is disappointing that he hasn't been able to close that gap in seven years. He has had three senior coaches, and numerous assistance coaches in that time. I don't know if that has hurt his development, but it certainly hasn't helped. I would hate to see him at another club, but if the price is right I couldn't blame the club for moving him on. I certainly wouldn't move him on in a fire sale though - there would have to be something seriously good coming back the other way.

Jimmy clearly is well below where we, and presumably he, thought he would be after three years. That said, I would love to know why the likes of Stretch, Neal-Bullen, Harmes, Michie, Newton and even Lumumba were allowed weeks and weeks of mediocre performances, whereas Jimmy gets dropped after two quiet games. We know his confidence is an issue, and I doubt that this helps. I think he can play, but he needs a big pre season and a strong start to 2016.

My only concern about him after year 1 was whether he could consistently get 20 plus touches a week. He showed very early this year that he could, and he will clearly be a super player for many years to come, fitness permitting.

Nathan Jones's (relatively) poor seasons are still a benchmark which few on our list are capable of attaining. Hopefully he gets himself right over the break and has a massive 2016. If anyone in the comp deserves some success it is this bloke, and the club owes it to him to give him 43 teammates who will stop at nothing to be the best that they can be.

Could not have been more impressive. My expectations of him this year were hopeful rather than confident, but he did everything we could have asked. Now, for an injury-free pre season and a big 2016.

I just can't see the point to persisting with Dawes any further. He is not capable of being the player we need him to be, and I would much rather get games into younger players. Even if that means moving Dunn / McDonald / Garland forward so we can play Frost or Oscar in defence. Pedersen is a much better option than Dawes anyway, and additionally I hope we can find the next Josh Bruce in the trade period.

Okay. A pitiful 4 votes at his reported salary would be about $150K a vote. On that basis Vince would be worth almost $22M a season. And Lumumba wasn't dropped at any stage because ???? I think the top seven will be the same in the Bluey as well, possibly with Cross & Jones slightly higher.