Dylan Addison
He was up and down, by his standards. He had some problems with his knees and some other injuries. He was disappointed with his year but he played some good games early, he started off well, and then he dropped away and got injured and other players took his opportunities. It wasn't the year he thought he would have had on the back of last year.

Jason Akermanis
It was a good, solid year from Aker. He kicked his fair share of goals and had his fair share of assists. He did very well. It was a good year for him.

Jarrad Boumann
He's improved. He played a lot of senior footy in the second half of the year at Willy seniors, which shows he's improving. We're really looking forward to his pre-season this year.

Matthew Boyd
It was obviously a very good year from our best and fairest winner. He was very consistent all the way through. He was just fantastic and his leadership was outstanding, both on the ground and off the ground. His direction was very good.

Tim Callan
He went out hard in the off-season and overtrained himself a bit, and then he had a lot of back problems throughout the year. He really couldn't get into a rhythm, and then when the side was settled, he was trying to play injured at Williamstown. It was one of those years he'll want to put behind him injury-wise, but in saying that, he played the last couple of games and played some good footy. He'll take a lot out of that.

Adam Cooney
He had an injury-interrupted year. He didn't really get going until halfway through the year as he just had no continuity with his training. It was hard for him but he got better as the year went on so hopefully we can get a good pre-season out of him now.

Ayce Cordy
It was a tough year for him because he had shoulder, knee and back problems. He lacked training continuity and in the middle of the year, he started to find it hard in terms of the whole commitment with training each day and getting up each weekend. But he's a great kid and does a lot of things right, and we're really looking forward to his second pre-season. We always knew it would take time with him, and he has put on 11kg and grown a centimetre.

Daniel Cross
It was another great season for him to back up from last year. He had that ankle injury late that looked like it was going to be the year, and to his credit, his rehab was outstanding. To get back for the finals when it looked like it was all over was just fantastic.

Nathan Eagleton
He had a good year. He was our leading inside 50 player, his running ability was outstanding, and when he was on song, he was a damaging player for us.

Andrejs Everitt
It was a disappointing year for Andrejs. He wanted to prove everyone wrong from the year before in terms of his second-year blues and he trained really hard and then missed 12 weeks with glandular fever. It was a real setback - he missed six weeks of running and then another six weeks without contact. He was then behind the eight ball coming into that February-March period when you're trying to secure a spot leading into the games, and then he was up and down for the year.

Daniel Giansiracusa
He started off okay and then struggled a bit. About round seven, he really found some continuity and played some really good football for about seven weeks, and then he did his knee against the Kangaroos. His rehab work, like Crossy, was outstanding. To get back towards the end of the year when it was looking like he was done was a credit to him. He's one that will look to stay fit over the pre-season and build a solid base.

Lindsay Gilbee
It was a really tough year for Lindsay. He had a great pre-season but then with his father passing away, it was a really hard emotional year for him. Towards the end of the season, he started to play his best footy and he had a great finals series. With this year behind him, we're looking forward to him having another really good pre-season.

Jarrad Grant
He struggled in his second year. He's getting better but he needs to work on his body. He's a good young kid, he's heading in the right direction, but it's just going to take a bit longer. He realises how hard he's got to work to make it.

Ryan Griffen
He was up and down. He started well but dropped off, he had some good patches and then in the second half of the year he started to find some consistent form. His defensive efforts were a lot better, he improved a lot with that during the year, and that was a really pleasing part for him and his teammates. He's just got to work on his consistency throughout the year.

Mitch Hahn
He had a great start to his pre-season and then he missed about seven weeks with a knee problem over January. He lost a bit but his effort was good, and his defensive efforts throughout the year were good. He's one we've got to make sure we get his body right over the pre-season. He had some big games and played well at crucial times, but there were times when his body and his knee hurt him.

Jarrod Harbrow
He had a great year going from the forward line down to the backline. It was a great change up and he provided us with a great amount of run and rebound. He was fantastic and it's great for us to now have a rebounder like that in our backline.

Ryan Hargrave
He was nominated in the All-Australian squad after another great year. He had a quiet patch when his body was playing up a little bit but it was a terrific year all up.

Shaun Higgins
It was tough for him after a great pre-season. His groin started to play up before the season started so we really had to monitor him closely. To his credit, he did a lot of core work away from the club to get his body out there each weekend, as he couldn't train a lot. When he was out there, his class shone through and we're looking forward to getting his body right next year.

Josh Hill
He played 23 games and missed the last two, so he'll be disappointed. He had some ups and down, but overall, it was another year in the right direction. His defensive stuff was great, he kicked 30-odd goals, and he's a very good elusive forward when on the ground and in the air. Hopefully missing some finals drives him to playing every game next year.

Ben Hudson
His first year with us was consistent without being fantastic with a few down patches, and his second was better. His leadership, like Boydy, was outstanding, especially on the ground. His direction was really good.

Brad Johnson
He and Aker were fantastic. They kept on keeping on, they played large ground time, and their experience and enthusiasm for the battle was still there. It was another really good year from Johnno.

Liam Jones
It's hard to comment on Liam because his first year was in school. One thing we do know is we're looking forward to his first real pre-season. He's a lively type and we think he can go places for us in our forward line in the future.

Brian Lake
It was an interesting year for Lake. It started off okay and then slowed mid-year, but then his last eight or so weeks were fantastic. He was All-Australian and was the dominant full-back, along with Matthew Scarlett, throughout the year. If we can keep his fitness levels and his body right, there's no reason why he can't play some great footy over the next few years.

Malcolm Lynch
Up and down. He struggled and started to show a little bit towards the end of the year. Overall, he would have been disappointed with his year. He had injury problems and form troubles.

Will Minson
His ruck work was outstanding. People have got to realise he's a big bull and he's getting better and better in the ruck. He would have been a little bit disappointed with his forward line stuff. He's considerably raw in attack; it's only been the last two years he's been down there a bit, but we're happy with his ruck work and he knows what he's got to work on up forward.

Dale Morris
Another really good, consistent year from Dale. Hargrave, Gilbee, Lake and Morris are very durable. They just keep on playing, and Dale was great with how he played out the finals with that leg injury. It showed in the best and fairest when he finished third. There's no shortage of hardness with him.

Robert Murphy
He just couldn't get going because his knee injury was serious. He couldn't get out on the track consistently. Some games he was right and others he wasn't. We're confident now we can get his body right this pre-season so he can put that continuity together and have that muscle and that work load in his body that he really needs.

Guy O'Keefe 
He played really well at Williamstown. He came into the selection frame a couple of times, but with our small forward line, Akermanis and Giansiracusa probably held him out a bit. He had a good year in the VFL.

Paul O'Shea 
He struggled on and off the field with his body. He had a major hip problem and then got glandular fever, and finally got to play a handful of games towards the end of the year.

Sam Reid
He had some groin problems. He's a really hard trainer and now we're looking forward to getting his body right again. He played some really important games towards the end of the year, and there's a lot to like about him. Bulldogs' supporters should be looking forward to him having a pre-season that can allow his body to produce week in, week out.

Jordan Roughead
He had a lot of shoulder problems and a few minor injuries. Like Ayce, he found it hard to back up each week in training and playing. He'll be better for the year, and we're really looking for both of them to step up next year.

Wayde Skipper 
He had an outstanding year at Williamstown but Minson and Hudson held him out in the ones. He had a great year, he won the best and fairest at Williamstown, and it was tough for him but his professionalism was outstanding.

Brennan Stack
He showed some good signs, played some good footy at Williamstown either back or forward, and a few games at AFL level. He knows if he can work hard then he's a chance to make it. When he drops off his work rate, he gets left behind a bit. However, he showed plenty of encouraging signs.

Stephen Tiller
He started okay and then he had a terrible run with injuries; groin and hip problems mainly. It was disappointing because he finished so well last year in our finals games. He's a determined kid and his persistence has been fantastic, and with a bit of luck, we'll see him playing senior footy for us.

Callan Ward
He was great for his second year. It was really his first year because he played school footy last year. His hardness is great, and his outside play is starting to get better. He had 31 shots on goal for the year. He's a terrific young kid who loves to work hard and we look forward to him becoming a regular midfielder for us over the next 10 years.

Scott Welsh 
He had back problems through the pre-season and struggled there for awhile, but we bought him in for some crucial games and he really helped us get to the finals. He's a good performer under pressure and he was great for us over the two years we had him.

Cameron Wight
He struggled and would have loved to have played more. His consistency let him down and he knows the areas he's got to work on in order to become a regular AFL player.

Tom Williams
Again it was his body at times, and it was also sometimes his form. He's got a tremendous work rate, and he knows he's got a lot of work to do in order to keep up with the modern game. He knows all the ins and outs of playing defence, and we want him to slot in there and play that second or third tall role for us. It will help us immensely.

Easton Wood
It was a great development year for Easton. He played some seniors towards the year of the year, probably when he didn't expect to. He probably could have played the last couple of games as well. We're looking forward to him working on his base this pre-season. It's exciting for him, because he knows his deficiencies and if he works hard, he can provide a lot of support for that backline.

Rookie list

Jamason Daniels
He had a couple of injuries but broke through to play VFL ones a couple of times. He struggled a bit with consistency. As a young player, we look forward to his second year because he'll know what it's all about next season.

James Mulligan
We're going to elevate him up because he showed some good signs as a key defender. Bit by bit, he's taken some steps. He needs to work really hard, and he's another player that will really help us as a third tall in defence because it will release Dale Morris. He's one we're looking to play next year.

Chris Ogle
He was up and down with body issues - he also got glandular fever at one stage. He also struggled with the tempo of things. He'll learn a lot from that, and it will be interesting to see how his career pans out.

Liam Picken 
Obviously it was a fantastic year from Liam with him playing 23 games out of 25. A mature aged rookie, he was hard at it and worked really hard, and he summed up just rewards for his work ethic.

John Shaw 
He only played a couple of senior games in the VFL. It was like Hudson and Minson holding out Skipper; Skipper and Roughead and Cordy at times held out John. It was hard for him to get a gauge on how he was going, but he showed a fair bit with his ruck work. He needs to work on a few areas around the ground and it will be interesting to see how his future pans out, because he's got a great work ethic.

Henry White
Henry played some early practice matches for us and played some good games at Willy seniors. He probably needs to work on some areas in terms of his decision making and his disposal, but I think he's also got a great work ethic and hopefully he'll get another opportunity.

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.