He enhanced his game by playing a couple of tagging roles this year with good result. He's got great leg speed and can run a line, but needs to continue to work on his decision making and kicking.
Mark Austin
The million dollar question with Mark is 'will he ever get continuity in his football?' He's got great size, great competitive spirit and he's quick, so hopefully all his durability issues are behind him. We still think he can occupy a key defensive role.
Eddie Betts
He got himself in super physical condition after that misdemeanour and reaped the rewards. He's a very good centre bounce player so we'll be looking to use him more through that area.
Paul Bower
At his best he can win the ball off half-back and he's got good run and dash with good straight-line pace. Needs to work on his overhead stuff and his physicality in the contest, but has played on Nick Riewoldt and Lance Franklin with pretty good results.
Jaryd Cachia
Very hard at the ball and tackles well, but needs to do a bit of work on his decision making when he's got the ball in his hands. He is a tough kid who could develop into a tagger.
Andrew Carrazzo
Plays everywhere for us; he's such a handy utility. Needs to stay on top of his disposal, but he just works so hard for the team.
Levi Casboult
He's still really in his infancy as a footballer. He improved his kicking remarkably with Darren Harris, but just needs to keep working on his repeat efforts and forward line pressure.
Joe Dare
He's a good, old-fashioned natural footballer. He reads the game very well and wins a lot of the ball. He can be quite a good player if he nails down the fitness required at AFL level.
Marcus Davies
Runs hard, runs in straight lines and tackles hard. We'll be working on his ability to do the repeat efforts and his kicking. He's got great natural aggression.
David Ellard
He's a credit to himself after three years of reserve football and never giving up. Gets inside and wins the hard ball and is really good on the defensive spread. He's a totally team-oriented player. He needs to work on the quickness of his disposal at AFL level.
Jeff Garlett
He became a bit more aggressive at the footy in a straight line. He's got great pace and good goal sense. He puts on pressure but struggles with tackles because of his size so he'll work on that. We're going to use him up through the wing position a little more.
Bryce Gibbs
He spent half the year in the midfield and half at half-back and finished the season strongly. I'd love to keep him in the midfield full-time because he has all the assets to be a star, but the rationale was we're a better midfield with him in it, but we're a better team when he's at half-back.
Shaun Hampson
A brilliant athlete, but we're still working with him on his game sense. He had a very injury-interrupted pre-season last year, so he's still got massive improvement in him and his ruckwork improved again this year.
Lachie Henderson
He had a fantastic first year at the club. He's a genuine young man who is very football savvy. On his day he's a terrific mark and a great set shot on goal. Like all our young players we're going to work with him on his consistency.
Ryan Houlihan
Played some excellent defensive forward roles and hit the scoreboard doing it. Had season-ending surgery, but he's an experienced player with outstanding skills. When he brings his physical pressure on top of that he's a wonderful asset to the team.
Michael Jamison
It was probably his first full season with us. He's very good one-on-one, but just needs to develop his aerial assistance for teammates a bit more. He's got good pace, is a good kick out of defence and has great leadership potential.
Aaron Joseph
He's got the ability to win his own ball, but we'd like him to win a bit more as he develops. He did some really good one-on-one jobs on elite players. He's a great competitor.
Chris Judd
Obviously a wonderful contested ball player and a brilliant year rewarded with the Brownlow. He won't rest on his laurels and we'll keep working with him on a few things like his accountability away from contests as teams try to expose him offensively.
Rohan Kerr
He's a skilful player who's probably come from a fair way back, but is developing his fitness. Can find the football and can finish well.
Matthew Kreuzer
He is progressing well from the knee reconstruction. It was no coincidence that our defensive form dropped off when he went down because he has such an extraordinary work ethic. We'll be developing his forward line play as well because I think everyone's a bit unsure if you can take two specialist ruckmen with the new interchange rules.
Kane Lucas
We're really excited about Kane's development in our midfield. He wins plenty of the ball and carries a line. We'll be working on his ability to win the contested football and his disposal under pressure.
Brock McLean
He certainly added to us in the games he played. He did some bullocking work and we're just looking forward to getting him durable. We've tailored a very specific individual program for him. We're trying to share the load in winning inside ball and he'll be important in that.
Marc Murphy
His season was incredible given that he started training four weeks prior to round one. To be able to produce what he did with that pre-season as a young lad is a credit to him. He's certainly worked on and improved the defensive elements of his game and will continue to grow that.
Setanta O'hAilpin
He was a positive in a restructured forward line early in the year when his repeat efforts and ground-level ball were outstanding. His form did taper with injury and a bit of confidence, so he just needs to recapture that early-season ability to compete.
Mitch Robinson
He's a high-octane player, he cracks in and can create good pressure. We'll be working on putting a little bit of polish on his game. He's a beautiful long kick, but needs to direct it a little better at times.
Jordan Russell
He flourished as a footballer in the last two seasons. He's a credit to hard work and persistence. His final was outstanding.
Heath Scotland
His first three quarters of the year were very good. He improved his ability to win contested football. His season probably tapered a bit so he needs to get back to winning his own ball.
Kade Simpson
He developed some real consistency in his game. The difference between his best and his average had been too great at times, but he worked very hard to correct that playing inside, outside and forward. He's terrific overhead for his size. He amazes me how hard he plays for his size.
Bret Thornton
He's a good zoning defender and a strong mark. He probably needs to recapture the purest of what is required of a defensive player and that's the ability to win and have one-on-one contests.
Zac Tuohy
He's very powerfully built, covers the ground and kicks it well. He's still learning the caper, but he sticks his head over the ball and I reckon he's a chance. We'll keep working on his decision making and game sense. He's got potential.
Jarrad Waite
He had a pretty good year back from a knee reconstruction. He's such an exceptional athletic talent. Just needs to keep working on his consistency of effort. He can have some of the best quarters you'll ever see and then fade out of it a bit.
Andrew Walker
He came back from his shoulder injury and really enhanced our backline. He did drop some form there and then re-invented himself a bit up forward and kicked three goals in that final. Everyone knows what he's capable of athletically and we're working with him to deliver that consistently.
Robbie Warnock
He finished the year superbly after his hard work on the track started to pay off. He's a good tap ruckman and gets around the ground well. His repeat efforts will continue to be a focus.
Simon White
He had a promising start to his AFL career. He's very brave in the air and helped out his teammates when required. He's come off a rookie list so he's still got some work to do in his development. He even showed some promise up forward in one game.
Chris Yarran
Not everyone who gets drafted early becomes a gun straight away and we think he's progressing very nicely. He's got himself in very good physical order. He's got exquisite finishing skills and great goal sense and we'll keep working on developing him in all aspects of his game.
Delisted players: Joe Anderson, Steven Browne, Josh Donaldson, Brad Fisher, Chris Johnson, Rhys O'Keefe, Caleb Tiller
Retired: Richard Hadley, Simon Wiggins
Traded: Shaun Grigg, Sam Jacobs
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
