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Part Three: Macdonald to Magner Joel Macdonald - a jobber. Joel Mac is a pretty good negator but struggles with the ball in his hand. He has played reasonably well in his 5 games so far this season but at this stage of his career he's probably a depth player only. Scrapes into the top 10 for most average disposals in the team (pun intended). He'll probably bow out at the end of this year as a good ordinary player. Not too many players play 100 games at the highest level, he has made the most of his ability. Rating 4/10 - has played pretty well, when in the side. James Sellar - was a bit of a surprise selection in the 2011 draft. Sellar was quite underwhelming in his first few outings for the Dees. As a CHF he couldn't lead or mark & as a ruck he couldn't win hitouts. However, he appears to have found his niche as a gorilla taming backman. At 24 & boasting a 196cm, 100kg frame he is significantly bigger than other KPDs on Melbourne's list & has the potential to be a Presti/Al Nicho/Merrett 'see ball, spoil ball' type of KPD. Initially he may be a horses for courses type of player but he's shown he is good enough to play a strictly negating role. Rating 4/10 - recent outings against Collingwood & Essendon have increased his stocks. Stefan Martin - has suffered an injury cruelled year. It is bitterly disappointing as he showed great improvement in 2011. With Mitch Clark doing well as a number 2 ruck as well as Garland & Rivers seemingly having first dibs on forward line try outs, Martin will not walk back into the team. He is a player with plenty to offer so hopefully he can find his way back into the line up before the season is out. Rating: 1/10 - hard to judge on 1.5 games but his form wasn't great. Luke Tapscott - love his aggression. But he really needs to get his hands on the ball more to utilize his raking boot. Averaging 10 disposals a game just won't cut it & he needs a clearly defined role in the team. The backline is over crowded (although Bartram's role is a possibility), he lacks the pace to play midfield & seemingly the endurance to play forward. He does play with a lot of spirit, which is what the side needs. Hopefully he can find some form upon his return from suspension. Rating: 3/10 - has a crack but just isn't quite there at the moment. Aaron Davey - see Green. Davey's pace has faded in recent years which has really limited him as a player. When he has played he is trying but his body just won't follow. The lack of pace means he can't repeatedly chase down opposition defenders when he was a young whippet, nor be the line busting quarterback he was in 2009 nor swoop on spilled crumbs in the forwardline as he can't accelerate to the fall of a contest. The lack of pace has further exacerbated omnipresent problems in his game such as commitment to ground and aerial one-on-one contests, he used to be able to use his pace to stack the odds in his favor but now he shirks the genuine 50/50's. Like Green, Davey has been a wonderful servant of the club & should be acknowledged as such despite recent form. His leadership with the club's other Aboriginal players has been invaluable & he should be congratulated for it. Again like Green, he will probably be in & out of the side for the remainder of 2012 & whatever else is left of his career. Rating: 3/10 - better than 2011 but his body looks shot. Jeremy Howe - has added another string to his bow in 2012 playing through the midfield. Howe's aerial theatrics have been as impressive as ever in 2012 following his promising debut season. His work through the middle as a link player has also been good. However, his set shot kicking has left a lot to be desired which has been a blot on an otherwise good season. With increased experience & endurance Howe could develop into the player Colin Sylvia should've been, maybe even better. Hopefully Neeld continues to give Howe & others a chance through the midfield because the old Melbourne midfield setup was B grade at best, D4 Ammos at worst. Rating: 6/10 - a good season but some of his set shot misses have been laughable. Mark Jamar - a bit of a worry. Jamar hasn't had the greatest year & his weaknesses are being further exposed as his body wearies. He has no real competition for the number 1 ruck spot, which is a greater problem for the club than Jamar with the ink fresh on his new 3 year deal. He wins a lot of hitouts but so few go to advantage which is chicken or the egg? Is it Jamar's fault for not hitting it to the midfielders? Or - is it the midfielders fault for not capitalizing on the Russian's good work? Jamar has never been a high disposal getter but his ability to get to contests, provide an out, be a link, clunk marks & kick goals are almost non-existent in 2012. It is good that he showed faith by sticking with the club but he still owes more than his current output. Rating: 3/10 - a pretty poor year from the Russian. You tend to expect more from an AA ruckman. Rohan Bail - at the crossroads. Bail has been cursed with injury since arriving with the club. Every time he seems to be getting some momentum into his game he gets injured. 2012 has been no exception. Bail has good pace, is strong over the ball & at the contest but his kicking often lets him down. He does have an opportunity, with an injury free run, to claim Clint Batram's spot in the backline. He will need to lift his disposal but it isn't an insurmountable task. If the injuries & errant kicks persist though, he's not long for this world. Rating: 3/10 - some really poor games early & then not getting any continuity of form through injury has cost Bail. Josh Tynan - was a bit stiff to be dropped after round 1. Injury in the VFL also halted his season & he has been unable to add to his solitary game for the club. If he can overcome injury woes & find form at Casey, Tynan is another who could vie for Bartram's spot. Rating: NA - I can't assess player based on one game in a collectively [censored] effort. FWIW I give the whole team zero for round 1. Jack Fitzpatrick - another who has only played one game. Fitzy had a stinker against the Hawks (he wasn't on his Pat Malone there) & still looks a gangly beanpole. He needs a few more pre seasons under his belt & kgs added to his frame if he is to become a player. His recent diagnosis of diabetes could help him & the club in better understanding what his body needs. Rating: NA - again it's hard to judge off one game in a horror team effort. James Magner - Mitsubishi started like a house on fire. Hard over the ball, Magner has impressed with his strong frame & clearance work. More recently his role in the team has changed with Howe & Grimes getting more centre square action. Magner has been used as a tagger/defensive forward, his overhead marking is good for a guy his height. His disposal & general class may mean that he isn't a very long term prospect beyond 2012 but for now he is very low on the list of worries for the Melbourne Football Club. Rating: 6/10 - started well but has tailed off in recent weeks. Would probably be top 6 in the B&F at this stage.

Part Two: Dunn to Rivers Lynden Dunn - has performed surprisingly well as a sub the past two weeks. He came on & laid a team high 7 tackles in the last qtr v Essendon as well as jagging a couple of goals against Collingwood late. Dunn is another perennial whipping boy who is playing for his career rather than it being at the crossroads. A bit like his fellow 04 draftee Bate, Dunn is the quintessential 'tweener. Too small & timid in the air to play KPF but too big, slow as well as lacking the endurance & smarts to play as a midfielder. Dunn has a few more tricks than Bate - goal instinct, more flexibility & pace as well as 'flying the flag'. So Bate will be out the door before him but if Dunn's current form keeps up it would be only slightly. Disappointing for a player who looked to have got his career back on track in 2010. Rating: 3/10 - does some nice things but not enough. Ricky Petterd - See Dunn, rinse & repeat. Petterd has had the worst season of his career to date. To only get two games in this slopfest of a year shows he is out of favor with the new coach big time. Like Dunn, Petterd had a very good 2010 & looked to have got his career on track but the last two seasons to date have been a malaise of mediocrity with mere glimpses of potential. It can't be easy playing in Melbourne's forward line but when the ball hits the deck, Petterd should be able to compete for it ferociously. Failing that he should be able to put some real defensive pressure on the rebounding defenders. Against Richmond in 2011, Petterd laid 14 forward 50 tackles but has failed to live up to anything close to that standard. Petterd has quite a few distinct competitive advantages over the Dunns & Bates of this world - he competes well in the air, his comparative pace & agility should allow him to compete better on the ground & despite being ugly, his little helicopters often find their way through the middle. Petterd has something to offer this team, but his career is at the crossroads. Rating 0/10 - an absolute stinker. Enough said. Jack Grimes - like the rest of his club, the new captain has struggled to get going in 2012, only finding some semblance of form in recent weeks. It has been encouraging from a supporter perspective to watch Grimes move to the midfield in recent weeks. His centre square work has been of a good standard & while not being the most polished kick, Grimes usually weighs up the percentages quite well - he is also the clubs leading kick getter to date & with Nathan Jones one of only two Demons averaging over 20 disposals per game. It is a massive relief that he has got to the halfway point of the season without having his ritual injury woes. Hopefully Grimes can continue to stay on the park & consolidate his good work of recent weeks. Rating 5/10 - gets a pass mark just, recent form has been encouraging. Sam Blease - is another player to have bounced back to form in recent weeks. He initially struggled with a move up the ground from his 2011 role of HBF. However in recent weeks he has shown glimpses of the line breaking pace & elite disposal that give him every chance of being a very good player in this competition. Blease does struggle with endurance & the defensive side to his game also requires improvement but that blistering speed gives him the ability to be a 70m player. Like Grimes, hopefully he can consolidate his recent form into the second half of the season. Rating 4/10 - has looked pretty good over the past month but goes cold for long periods Brad Green - the old war horse appears to be on his way to the knackery. Green has been a fantastic servant of the club over a long period of time but his form drop over the past two years has been dramatic. He does suffer from the fact that the position from which he won the 2010 B&F is now obsolete thanks to the press. The captaincy, subsequent stripping of it & simply getting older have also left Green a shadow of the player he was. Watching him play, you can tell the mind is willing but the body has just about packed up, he gets to contests too late, catches opponents too high & gives away too many frees. He looked to be getting back to form against Collingwood before a groin injury cruelly intervened. Hopefully he can get back for a few games in the back end of the season, he has built up enough credits over time to earn a farewell tour. Rating 2/10 - Great servant, horror year. Colin Garland - at first a subtle, then a dramatic role change have tested Garland's limitations as a player in 2012. Previous coach Dean Bailey tended to use James Frawley as his occasional trouble shooter with small forwards while Garlo generally used his closing speed on the lead up forwards. Under Neeld in the early parts of the season those roles were reversed & it was up to Garland to have a go at minding the likes of Stephen Milne & Cyril Rioli. Tasks to which he applied himself as well as anyone could with the ball entering & re-entering the 50 at a million miles an hour. Then as other key defenders emerged, Garland was thrown forward against the Bombers, kicking two crunch goals (it could've/should've been 4 or 5) in a move that got the Dees over the line for their sole victory of 2012. An under rated fixture of the Dees side for the past 5 seasons, it will be interesting to monitor Garland's role progression for the rest of 2012 & beyond. Rating 5/10 - pretty average year but works hard. Brent Moloney - put simply the 2011 Melbourne B&F has had a stinker. Dropped from the leadership group, lackluster form & his manager spouting ill-timed contract comments have just about made Moloney public enemy number 1 with Melbourne fans. It has clearly been a massive adjustment for Moloney with the coaching upheaval in the past 12 months he has gone from prince to pauper & it has clearly stung his ego. He is also clearly struggling to come to grips with the gameplan and his role in it under Neeld. His best game of the season was playing as a high half forward in the win over the Bombers. Whether he stays or goes the orator of the 2009 B&F 'straight line' speech needs to put his money where his mouth is for the remainder of 2012. Rating: 1/10 - like Sylvia he's had a shocker. Liam Jurrah - another Dee who has had a horror season. Already struggling with the adjustment under new coach Mark Neeld, Jurrah was allegedly involved in a pre season incident in the NT which is now before the courts. Sadly, Jurrah has been unable to lift this black cloud hanging over him with on field exploits as he has been cruelled with injury, managing just one senior game - a nightmare against the Swans. All Demons supporters will be wishing LJ the best of luck & will hope to see him back in the field asap for the rest of 2012 & beyond. Rating: NA - it's a horror year but a lot of it has been out of his control. Tom McDonald - has looked the part in 2012. Playing KPD against some of the competitions best forwards in a team getting ritually slaughtered at the tender age of 19, McDonald could pretty much be excused no matter what performance he turned in, in 2012. But, the kid has been excellent! His disposal could do with a tidy up but he has shown the dogged determination that is essential for quality key defenders. He is courageous & wins a hell of a lot of one-on-ones for such a young & inexperienced player. In a dark year, the club has found a player of the future. Rating: 5/10 - has battled well, needs to clean up the disposal. Dan Nicholson - after a reasonable start to his career in 2011, Nicholson was on the outer at the beginning of 2012. However, he has regained his spot in the past few weeks & his pace & willingness to take the game on have given the Dees the kind of run & carry that was lacking for the first 8 rounds of 2012. Nicholson averages the third most disposals at the club this tear & while he could be a bit more polished with his kicking he has the tools to become a dashing 70m player for the club. Hopefully he can maintain & enhance his form in the second half of the season. Rating 5/10 - has had a bit of an impact in the few games he's had. Jared Rivers - is one of a select few senior Demons to have raised his stocks in 2012. His reading of the play & intercept marking have always been strengths but with improved disposal he looks a far better player than in recent years. He has been used cleverly by Neeld (no QB 2011 gorilla goalsquare maulings for JR this year) & has been allowed to play to his strengths. Like Garland, the influx of KPDs into the Melbourne side has indicated that he may have to move forward for structural reasons. However, Rivers has had a good year & can hold his head high in 2012. Rating 6/10 - has dropped off slightly over the past few weeks but early season form was excellent.

Part One: Jones to McKenzie Nathan Jones - has been a shining light in a very dark year for the Demons to date. He is the only midfielder averaging over 20 disposals. His decision making, finishing and ability to run & spread have all improved. It is pleasing to see Jones develop into a nicely rounded midfielder given he was on the fringes of the team in 2010. It is a testament to his hard work that he has turned his career around. He isn't the complete package like a Judd, Ablett or Pendlebury. However there's no reason he can't be a very good player on that rung below the champion midfielders - think Sewell, S Thompson, Boyd or James McDonald. At 24 with 100+ games under his belt he is entering his prime & leading from the front. Rating: 8/10 - busts his nut & is leading from the front. Clint Bartram - is another player who seems to enjoy Neeld's structure. Bartram is a brave player who rarely loses 50/50 contests & has the tough job of minding the opposition's best small forwards. Occasionally his direct opponent has got off the chain, ditto for the rest of the defenders when the Demons' third world midfield has been ritually smashed. Bartram seems to be playing to his limitations more in that the nightmarish switch stuff ups from 2011 seem to have faded from his game. That left foot checkside goal against the Saints was outrageous & a highlight of the season to date. Ultimately Clint Bartram is a jobber & may well fall out of the side in coming years due to natural attrition, not to mention a bung knee. However, if fit, he offers the ability to play a difficult role, courage & leadership something the Dees really lack across the board so if fit his short to medium term future should be secure. Rating: 5/10 - sadly gone for the year, but played his role well nonetheless. Jack Watts - is finding his feet in the backline & was given the tag by Mick Malthouse as 'best rebounder in the competition' (N.B. The same MM who said Jarod Harbrow was winning the Brownlow in R7 of 2010!). Nonetheless, Watts has been able to make the most of his exquisite skill & ability to read the play as a rebounding defender. It just wasn't working in the forward line for Jack due to a lack of conviction in his approach to aerial contests. He could do with more confidence & another pre-season but it is looking increasingly unlikely that Melbourne will get the forward they hoped for when his name was first called in November 2008. Watts is too talented to not be a very good player at AFL level for a long time but it looks as though it will be as a rebounding defender at this stage. Rating 4/10 before his move to the backline it was a 2. Matthew Bate - has fallen out of favor with the selectors again after playing most of the first 7 rounds. It isn't entirely his own fault as the use of him as sub was pretty bizarre given that Bate has never been an impact player. Mark Neeld was evidently keen to keep him on the list, presumably due to a lack of mature bodied midfielders at the Dees. It just hasn't worked for Bate whose career has been at the crossroads for some time. Bate cut his teeth as a good lead up half forward even finishing third in the B&F in that role. However, the evolution of the press has killed that role & Bate has lacked the adaptability to adjust with the game. He lacks pace & critically the competitive mongrel to rip the ball out of a stoppage ala Jones or Magner (his hands are quite good when it's all going well for him though). Matty Bate is a footballer from a bygone era and has had a better career than most players who are drafted. Rating 3/10 - probably finished at the Dees. Might get a shot elsewhere on basement wages but he just isn't good enough at this level. Jamie Bennell - this is another chicken & egg. Has Bennell struggled because he hasn't really had a defined role in the team? Or - is it his own fault for not making one his own? Bennell is looking like a player devoid of confidence. He has never had a fierce appetite for the contest nor a real defensive work ethic, you suspect his endurance fitness probably isn't up to scratch either given his inability to at least accumulate some cheap ball throughout the course of his career. These issues mean that he can't get confidence through laying a few tackles, getting body contact or chip scabbing off half back. It's a real shame with Bennell because Melbourne are screaming out for a decent crumbing forward. He has good enough attributes & still has time to make that position his own but it's running out fast! Rating: 1/10 - a real stinker of a year & just doesn't look up to AFL standard. James Frawley - has battled admirably against some of the comps best forwards receiving a million forward 50 entries per game in 2012. He hasn't got back to that level of 2010 AA Fullback but is still providing reasonably good output on a weekly basis. The fact he is playing on the Buddy Franklin types instead of the Luke Breusts of this world should help both Chippa's & the Dees' development. Rating 4/10 - has battled, but gets marked harshly as an AA fullback. Jack Trengove - in what has been an annus horribilis for Melbourne, so too it has been for the first year skipper. A reasonable assumption is that Trengove is carrying a groin injury. He shows all the classic signs of OP - poor acceleration, can't kick over a jam tin & seems to have lost his vertical leap altogether. However, if you take Misson, Neeld & co at face value Trengove is not injured. The only possible explanations in this scenario are that a combination of a heavier pre-season workload, late pre-season injury, increased opposition attention, adjusting to the new coach/roles & initial burden of captaincy has hurt JT in 2012. He'll fight his way out of this slump & will stay in the side as he is showing enough endeavor but hopefully JT can turn it around in the back end of 2012. Rating 3/10 - probably generous but gets a bonus point for effort Cale Morton - a perennial whipping boy. Morton is one of the most frustrating players on the Dees list. The good Cale is good at working into space & spreading from a contest, his endurance is an asset & he is a nice size with the agility to play a number of roles on different opponents. Some days you look at him & think 'this guy could be a better version of Cam Bruce or our answer to Goddard, Gibbs or Mackie off a HBF'. The bad Cale then pops up and simultaneously causes a howler of a turnover, squibs a contest & then displays the type of body language that epitomizes defeat. Such is the gap between his best and worst he is pretty much a week to week proposition but he just needs to lift his intensity, endeavor & be a bit more determined in games instead of looking so defeated. He can still be a good player for this club. Rating: 4/10 - Does some good things, but the howlers & the shirking really hurt his stocks. Mitch Clark - has just about been recruit of the season. He should be lauded for his attitude and intensity. Clark has really embraced the club & has justified his rather large salary to date. Often playing a lone hand up forward, Clark has clunked marks, crashed packs, kicked tough goals & worked his tail off defensively. He is on target for 50 goals in 2012 which would be an outstanding effort in a side that really struggles with F50 entries. Clark could play in front a little bit more but it should be noted that he is often double & triple teamed. He is looming as Melbourne's best recruit since Jeff White. Rating 9/10 - busts his nut, week in, week out. If it weren't for his massive pay packet you'd feel sorry for him. His attitude & intensity are a joy to watch. Bravo Mitch! Colin Sylvia - another 'crowd favorite'. Like Watts & Morton, Sylvia's laconic style is a major source of frustration for Dees fans. An interrupted pre-season & adjusting to his role under Neeld have no doubt set him back. However, what really tests the most patient of fans is when he is seen smiling & laughing on the field after he & the team have turned another awful performance. I doubt Neeld will suffer Sylvia's antics much longer & he'll most likely be shopped around at the end of the season. Sylvia has the ability & attributes to be a quality finisher, the second half of 2012 will be career defining. Rating: 1/10 - career worst form & really should be having more of an impact (or at least looking like he cares) interrupted pre season notwithstanding. Jordie McKenzie - another of a very select bunch of Melbourne players to come away with his stocks enhanced in the first half of 2012. He isn't an elite user of the ball, lacks acceleration & does make poor decisions on occasion. However, he does do an excellent job of tagging, he isn't afraid to put his head over the ball & has a very good tackling technique which makes his contribution to the team invaluable. Tagging the competitions best midfielders week in, week out when your own midfield gets smashed isn't easy & Jordie Mac does an admirable job. Rating: 6/10 - another who busts his nut & is rarely beaten.