Gary Ablett (Gold Coast)
He had a fantastic year, playing a bit more up forward than in previous seasons. Kicked a lot of goals and had a big impact on many games. It is sad to see him go, but we wish him all the best.

Tom Allwright*
Unfortunately hurt his knee during pre-season and had to have an operation. Missed a lot of the season, then came back and played in the VFL. With a new coach, we'll be working out what we do with him over the next few weeks.

Jimmy Bartel
Started the season really well, playing some good footy in the midfield and also up forward. Hurt his ankle and elbow in the middle of the year, which hurt his output in the second half of the season.

Mark Blake
It was a frustrating year for Mark, given that he missed out on a spot in the last two finals. He is a very good tap ruckman when he's at his best, but we're looking for Blakey to be a bit better around the ground.

Mitchell Brown
Another injury-plagued player - we've had a few this year. He came back from a broken ankle that he suffered last season and played some really good games in the VFL. He was just starting to push for selection in the seniors when he dislocated his shoulder and missed the rest of the season. Has a lot of talent and if we can get him fit he'll play some senior footy next year.

Shannon Byrnes
Had a consistent year, playing up forward and on the wing. Really dynamic player for us, really good at putting on forward pressure, and he may play more through the midfield next year with the new coach coming in.

Paul Chapman
Chappy picked up a lot of possessions and almost always used the ball well. He consistently wins one-on-one contests and will be crucial to our chances in 2011.

Allen Christensen
He played mainly up forward in the VFL. Really good at ground-level and can smell a goal when he pushes forward. Will push for a spot in the seniors during pre-season and in the early rounds next year, although he needs to add weight.

Joel Corey
It was a frustrating year for Joel as he had a knee condition that needed constant attention. Came into the side late in the season, but wasn't fully fit. Hopefully, with the right kind of treatment, we can see the best of Joel Corey again.

Josh Cowan
Another talented first-year player who sees the game very well, Josh is good on the outside of contests, but can also win his own ball. Josh will hopefully play some senior footy next year, but he needs to put some weight on.

Nathan Djerrkura (traded to Western Bulldogs)
It was a frustrating year for Nathan as he played a lot in the VFL. He played across half-forward against Fremantle in the seniors and was okay, but we wish him all the best at the Bulldogs. We hope he gets more opportunities there.

Marcus Drum
Came over from Fremantle and had quite a few different injuries during 2010. Unfortunately, he only played two games this year. With a bit of luck he can prepare his body and have a real crack at breaking into the seniors next year.

Mitchell Duncan
A good story, as he was a first-year player who broke into the team and played a number of games early in the season. He uses the ball really well, although he's still developing. He's got a really good attitude towards getting better. He's got some areas that he needs to fix so he can become a more complete player.

Ranga Ediriwickrama* (delisted)
Had a few hamstring problems over the last two years and just didn't quite have the fortune to train hard enough to get his body right.

Corey Enright
He had a fantastic year playing across half-back and started getting tagged by defensive forwards. Wins a lot of one-on-one contests and uses the ball well.

Ryan Gamble (delisted)
He'll go into the draft. It's been frustrating for Ryan over the last couple of years, as he hasn't had many chances to play in the senior team. He was a forward in previous years, but he played the majority of the season down back in the VFL and did quite well. We wish him well for the future.

Tom Gillies
He had a disappointing year. Had been quite good in previous seasons, but for whatever reason had a downer this year. We need Tommy to have a big pre-season, get stronger, and come back and be hungry for a spot in the team. With that attitude we think he can develop into a good backline player for us.

Tom Hawkins
Played up forward and went into the ruck, where he played some really good games in the middle of the season. Then hurt his foot and missed six or seven weeks. He took a while to reach those heights when he came back. With a bit of practice, he might become a good ruckman or he might end up playing more in the forward line again, depending on how our young ruckmen come through.

Simon Hogan
It was a frustrating year for Hoges. Didn't get the amount of opportunities he would have liked. With a good pre-season, he can get his body right and strong and he can be a good midfielder for us.

Josh Hunt
Coming back off a knee reconstruction Josh was fantastic. It normally takes a while for players to recapture their best form, but Josh was terrific. We need to improve as a team in a few areas and Josh can really help us do that.

Taylor Hunt
Played a few games in the seniors late in the season and didn't look out of place at all. He's going to play a lot of footy for this club and he just needs to make sure he keeps up his hunger to work hard. He's a great kick, is quick and can win his own footy, so he's going to be a very good player.

Ben Johnson*
Was on the rookie list and had a fantastic year. About halfway through he really started to take some massive strides forward, but unfortunately he got hurt late in the season and missed the last few rounds of the VFL. He'll either be on the main list or the rookie list next year. We're really excited about Ben and if he can keep taking strides forward next year, he'll end up playing senior footy.

Steve Johnson
He had a fairly good year, although he wasn't fully fit when the season started. As the season went on he got better and better. He kicked a lot of goals, although with Gary leaving he might get more opportunities through the midfield next year. He might even have a bigger impact on games if he gets going in the middle.

James Kelly
James had a fantastic year, playing mostly down back and through the midfield. A really good player all round, and he'll have to keep being versatile as we develop.

Jeremy Laidler (traded to Carlton)
It was disappointing to lose Jeremy to Carlton. He had a fantastic game against the Western Bulldogs in round 20, but unfortunately for him he didn't have the opportunities he wanted this year. He thought he wasn't going to get many games over the next year or so and that's why he's moved on. We wish him well as he was a fantastic person to have around the club.

Cameron Ling
Filling the shoes of Tom Harley was always going to be tough, but Lingy had a great year as captain. His leadership is first class and we're going to need our leaders to stand up if we’re going to bring all our young kids through.

Tom Lonergan
Tommy took some big steps this year, playing down back. If the opposition got on top of Harry Taylor or Scarlo then we'd change the matchup and Tommy would really shut those players down. He can take more steps forward next year.

Andrew Mackie
A disappointing year for Mack, given he didn't play in the last two finals. He's a better player than that and with a bit of hard work over pre-season you'll see the best of Andrew Mackie next year. He's got talent, he just needs to harness it.

Daniel Menzel
Daniel has a lot of talent and played up forward in the seniors during the latter part of the year. Kicked a few goals in the AFL and has some special tricks. He could move into the midfield with a bit of extra development.

Darren Milburn
It was a great year for the old stager, who just keeps going. He really holds the fort in the backline and with the right pre-season - he might need to get a bit fitter - he'll certainly hold up next year and be a great asset for the footy club.

Cameron Mooney
Had a few injuries, but had a fairly good year overall. Was a great target inside 50 and we're going to need that next year as well.

Steven Motlop
He was unlucky to miss a lot of footy due to an injury. Did his shoulder in round two against Hawthorn and needed a reconstruction. He came back and played a bit in the VFL at the end of the season and showed his pace and great ball-use. We see him fitting into a spot in the seniors next year. Just needs to put a bit of weight on, but he'll develop into a great player.

Brad Ottens
Otto had a serviceable year. He was a bit disappointed with a few of his performances during the year, but if the Cats are going to challenge for the flag next season we really need Otto to stand up.

James Podsiadly*
To kick 50 goals in you first year of AFL footy is a marvellous effort. It was a real joy for the other players to see Pods succeed. He can get better with a bit more training and practice. He's got the ability to kick even more goals next year.

Max Rooke (retired)
Only played one game in his final season, which was a disappointing way to finish his career. Was a fantastic person to have around the club and is going to be dearly missed. We need to find someone to take his place.

Matthew Scarlett
Good season that was interrupted by hamstring and lower-back issues. Highly respected throughout the club and if he's fit next year we'll certainly be a force.

Joel Selwood
Won the best-and-fairest and has become a great leader. He'll drive this footy club to success in future years.

Dawson Simpson
Played two games this year and had a real impact against Aaron Sandilands when we took on Fremantle. Also took on Dean Cox from West Coast, so he's been able to match it with two of the more mature ruckmen in the competition. Great work ethic and with the same application in the coming pre-season he might play quite a few more games next year.

Mathew Stokes
He had a very good year after missing early games. To slot straight back into a forward role was a fantastic effort and is always a good contributor in big games.

Jesse Stringer*
He had a lot of injury issues. We think he's got a lot of ability and with a good pre-season behind him we can see his best next year.

Harry Taylor
A great effort to get in the All Australian team, now one of the club's best leaders.

Adam Varcoe*
Had a knee reconstruction halfway through the year, which is disappointing. With a bit of luck he can come back and be a better player.

Travis Varcoe
Missed the first six weeks with a broken thumb, but came back and was fantastic across the half-forward line and through the midfield. Has speed and great skills and we've got high expectations that Travis can spend more time in the midfield.

Nathan Vardy
A highly-promising forward/ruckman, Nathan is a really great athlete for someone who is 200cm tall. With another pre-season under his belt, he should be able to put some more weight on and add some power to his game. He will be pushing for a spot in the seniors early next year.

Trent West
Had a reasonable season and had a few opportunities to play in the seniors. He was getting better and better, but unfortunately for him Brad Ottens got fit again and Westy had to go back to the VFL. However, we see Westy improving each year and he'll hopefully play more senior footy for us next year.

Jack Weston*
Played full-back in the VFL for most of the year and showed great speed and poise. Had a few injuries, but we look forward to developing Jack into a really good key defender. With the right work-rate he'll become a really good defender.

David Wojcinski
Wojo had his best year at the club in 2010. At the age of 30, he's still improving. It was great to see him breaking lines and kicking the ball down the ground.* Rookie-listed player

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