He's had an outstanding year for a kid coming off a knee reconstruction and missing 12 months of footy. He did really well down back, and we tried him up forward for about four weeks. Next year it'll be interesting where we put him. My early call would be back.
Sam Butler
A terrific season for a guy who virtually missed two years of footy. I'm a big believer that if you miss a year in footy, it takes you a while to get back up and going, and Sam just started to get going near the end of the season. I reckon he's shown something in defence, and he might spend another 12 months there.
Dean Cox
He was outstanding until he got injured mid-year – he was on track to have one of his best seasons. I don't know if he can get much better, but another five per cent improvement from Dean would be great.
Brad Ebert
A solid year from Brad after playing 17 games; I reckon he's coming along nicely. He's probably another 12 months away from being the footballer he wants to be and we want him to be, but he's played some good, consistent footy, so he just needs to improve on a few areas now.
Andrew Embley
Probably his best season for a couple of years, especially the latter half. Hopefully we can get him back to the wing and get him playing some really good footy through there again. He played 21 games and was mostly used at half-forward and onball, and he played some good footy at half-back.
Chad Fletcher
I thought Chad had an outstanding year in the WAFL. He played five games for us, but we obviously went down a different path with the kids. His form line in the WAFL warranted games, but we made a decision to play the young guys. He got one last game in round 22, and I think everyone was a winner there.
Darren Glass
Probably our most consistent player, and he'll go very close in the fairest and best. He played every game for us this year, held the defence together and is really growing as a captain.
Ash Hansen
Not the year he wanted – he was a little bit up and down after playing some good footy early. He went back to Swan Districts and got back in the side before getting injured. He has some things to work on, but hopefully he'll be back in the side next year.
Tim Houlihan
He put in a solid effort early in the year with East Fremantle in the WAFL and pushed for selection. He got his chance in round 16, held his spot for the rest of the year, and showed signs that he can be a good footballer at this level. His power running was good - he's just got to be a bit more polished with his skills.
Adam Hunter
We know about his career-ending shoulder injury, but he played eight games early and got to his 150th, which was a key focus for Adam and the club. Unfortunately his shoulder's not stacking up, so we all move on.
Shannon Hurn
One of the shining lights, playing all 22 games. If he can improve another 10 per cent next year, I think he's going to be one of the better-quality half-backs going around. I reckon he's 12 months away from completely understanding the tempo of the game at this level and moving up the ground, but you don't want to move blokes too early, and he's only 22.
Brett Jones
Injuries cost Brett his spot, and he played nine games. It wasn't a great year, but that's something he'll improve on over the summer. He's a quality player and you don't play in a premiership if you're no good. He needs to get used to our new style of play.
Jordan Jones
He had a slow start due to injury but ended up playing really well across half-back and a little bit at centre half-back for Peel Thunder. As the year went on he actually got fitter and we were very happy with the way he progressed. I think at AFL level he'll end up being that third tall backman who plays on the medium-sized forwards and maybe on the wing at times.
Josh Kennedy
Outstanding year from Josh, and his body really held up. He played six WAFL games and 16 AFL, so for him that's a terrific year body-wise. When he holds up, he's a pretty good player. Without putting too many wraps on him, he could become a very good forward. He's showing signs he could match it with the best of them.
Daniel Kerr
'Kerry' was disappointing. The injuries got a hold of him and his form line wasn't great. He probably wasn't right with his body early in the year with the way he operates, but he knows that, and he's going to go away and work through that. When he can play 20 games for us, you know he's going to be in the top 10 best players.
Mark LeCras
One out of the box this year, and he's another one who will vie for the best and fairest. He couldn't have done much more up forward, booting 58 goals, and we tried him in the midfield as well, which was good for us to see. When he's up around 100 games, he should be awesome.
Quinten Lynch
Mr Consistency. He played all 22 games for us, had a solid year, and you can't falter what he's done. He had to change from playing full-forward to going into the ruck when Cox went down, and he took the brunt of that. When Cox comes back, he has to head back to the forward line and find his niche there.
Eric Mackenzie
Up and down from Eric. He needs to work on a few areas, which [defensive coach] Daniel Metropolis has gone through with him. He played 16 games and I think he's going to be a very good player, but he's just got to work through those parts of his game.
Chris Masten
Outstanding from Chris in his second year. I thought he was very good. His groin was good and unfortunately he got injured late in the year, but if he can get his body right he'll just keep improving, and he'll be a very good player. He should be as good as Rhys Palmer; they're both on the same wavelength, I think.
Pat McGinnity
Probably the surprise packet for us. He came in, played a role and adapted to our game plan really well across his seven games late in the season. He's got to polish up on certain skills, but he's going to be a nice player, simply because he has a real crack.
Ben McKinley
I thought Ben had a pretty good year, kicking 30 goals from his 17 games. He's adapting to the game style after taking a while to do that. I don't see him as just a full-forward, personally. If we were going to make him a full-forward, I don't think he'd stack up over a period of time with his size and weight. I think he can play a strong role as the third marking player, which is why he needs to add to his game at ground level.
Jamie McNamara
Probably disappointed himself that he didn't get more than the six games, but his form in the WAFL was fair to good. We'll see what happens with Jamie.
Nic Naitanui
We were waiting for him to get in – he was injured early – but once he got in, he started to get used to the tempo and gained confidence over his 10 games. He doesn't want to make mistakes, which is why I think you're not seeing him kick much. His confidence started to show more in his last game when he burst through the centre against Richmond, bowled over a few blokes and got the clearance. You can see him saying, 'I'm ready to take this comp on', and in another 10 games he'll really be ready to go.
Mark Nicoski
Was very good early, but then got injured and never came back. So the second half of the year was disappointing for him, but he played 13 games and I thought he was very good in the first half of the season.
Tony Notte
He hasn’t set the world on fire at WAFL level, but he's just been solid. He's somebody that we're looking forward to in the next year or two. He needs to add to his body, but he's a true blue forward – probably the smartest I've seen in my time at the club. I think he needs to say, 'I'm ready to go next year'. It'll be his third year in the system, so he needs to put his hand up and play a few games.
Matt Priddis
Outstanding and consistent in his 20 games for us this season. He plays a role, and we always know what we'll get from Matt. It'll be great to have him stabilising the midfield for a couple of years.
Matt Rosa
He had a terrific year, but probably needs to work on his kicking. He played all 22 games for us this year and is another one we think will become a very good player.
Will Schofield
In and out and only managed three games, but I've got no doubt he'll be very good for us in the next 12-24 months. He's still only 20, and I think he'll mature into a good player as a half-back or maybe even in the midfield or on the wing.
Mark Seaby
With Nic coming in and Mark wanting to leave at the end of the year, we went down the path of rucking Lynch and playing an extra running-type player. We know Mark's going to move on next year.
Adam Selwood
Another one that will go close in the fairest and best after an outstanding year. He's taken over from Stenglein as a stopper, so whether he stays in that role or goes back to half-back, we'll wait and see. When he was released, he really seemed to find the footy.
Scott Selwood
Halfway through next year, I think Scott will realise that he's good enough to play at the level. He's looking more like a backline player who will eventually move into the midfield. He's marginally quicker than his brother and also very hard.
Luke Shuey
He's pretty highly rated even though he hasn't played a game yet. Hopefully he'll be a key midfielder for the club in our premiership years down the track. With all he's gone through, he's mentally very strong, and if he can back that up with his football ability, I think we've got a beauty.
Ashley Smith
I think Ashley's played really well. He had no base pre-season, played at Perth, and his last six or so weeks were very good. He's got pace and he can kick the ball really well. He saw how hard you've got to work to produce the goods at this level, and with another pre-season, hopefully he can snare a few games next year.
Matt Spangher
A really good year from Matt. He played some solid WAFL footy and earned his spot every time for us, playing 11 games. He's come in and done a job every time. He's been battling with a few guys for those key back roles, and with Hunter going down, that opened up an opportunity.
Brent Staker
A different year for Brent with just the six games. He played good early but then got a couple of hand injuries and couldn't get into it after that. He played the last couple of games and was good in the final round.
Tyson Stenglein
Solid early, but we went down a different path. Adam Selwood going into the middle probably cost Tyson his role. He played a little bit of half-forward, but that tagging run-with role is becoming less and less prevalent. Tyson's never been a 20-plus possession getter, so he probably got pushed out of the side because of that.
Tom Swift
When he came in, he didn't really shape up, and we weren't sure if he was going to go any good. But the last half a dozen games he played were outstanding, and we’re looking forward to him playing good footy. Our recruiters always rated him extremely highly, and he showed that potential in his 10 games for the season.
Beau Waters
With his elbow, hopefully he'll be fine next year and pushing up to play half-back or maybe half-forward for us. He's handled the rehab really well and had a role in the coach's box for the whole year doing some midfield stuff with Scott Burns. He's learned a fair bit about the game.
Beau Wilkes
He's just been solid and needs to work on a few things in the backline. Once he does that, I think he'll be a good player for us. Played three games for us late in the year after some good WAFL form.
David Wirrpanda
'Wirra' had an up and down year, playing 18 games. He played back and forward and will go down alongside the really good players at this footy club. He's had an outstanding career.
Rookie list
Ash Arrowsmith
He just had a fair year and has gone off our rookie list. For Ash, it was pretty difficult travelling down to Peel for a kid coming over from Melbourne.
Liam Bedford
Also just a fair year from Liam. He played reserves at Claremont and just couldn't get into it. He came over from Geelong and had a few injuries and couldn't get going.
Adam Cockie
He's had a good year and jumped up to play seven AFL games, which is a bonus for him. He's got things to work on with his fitness, but he's hard at it, and they're the types of players you want.
Ryan Davis
He played three games for us and had a solid year for Swan Districts. He's from NSW and is still learning the game, so we don't expect too much from him early. He's played 14 AFL games in his first two years, and we didn't expect he'd play any.
Lewis Stevenson
He's been very good for Claremont and has just grown throughout the whole year. He's another one that I think will be a handy player. His kick and his skill level is his biggest asset. He's got the skills of Jason Akermanis, I reckon – left and right foot – he just needs to get his work rate up.
Will Sullivan
Will had a difficult year with Perth, but he was solid. [Perth coach] Darren Jarman isn't big on ruckmen, so he had to battle through periods of the year on the bench, but he managed to play some pretty good footy.
Callum Wilson
Callum early on was playing solid football, and he bobbed up with some big games for South Fremantle at full forward. That got his name up there and he did well with us in his four games. Forward and back are still options for him.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
