Review 2011 season player reviews: Stake your claim in the BigFooty Annual.

[Canary]

#38 – JEREMY HOWE

Plucked from the TSL, Howe was picked up at number 33 in the 2010 draft as somewhat of a smoky.

STATISTICS

Games – 13
Goals – 18
Disp (avg) – 12.3 (warped by his three games involved as a sub)
Marks (avg) – 5.3
Tackles (avg) – 1.5
B & F – 18th (78) votes
Brownlow - 1
Harold Ball – Best first year player

EXPECTATIONS

Many people didn’t really know what to expect with Jumping Jeremy Howe, but what we did know was that he was exciting. Most of us had only really seen the YouTube highlights package which showcased his incredible vertical leap.

Already he was being compared to Russell Robertson.

During the pre-season and the early stages of the VFL, we were getting rave reports about Jeremy Howe and his work ethic around training and then the manifestation of that ethic on the pitch.

2011

After a few solid weeks in the VFL, Jeremy debuted against Essendon in round 11, the week after the infamous ‘bruise-free’ game. Jeremy bought a lot of physicality to the forward line, and did some grunt work up the ground (if I remember correctly, for the first time that year, we had a new kick-in strategy. Instead of kicking straight to Jamar, we’d kick to Howe, who didn’t disappoint). Howe worked up the ground. All in all, it was a solid 19 disposal, 6 mark debut from Howe, who capped it off with a goal in the third quarter.

Howe didn’t miss a game after his debut and effectively took Dunn/Bate’s role in the side, as a roaming half-forward who can actually take a mark overhead. Howe followed up his debut with a solid performance in our demolition at the hands of the pies. Against Fremantle the following week, Jumping Jeremy had 21 disposals (personal best), and took 12 marks, kicking 2.1. Jeremy had a bit of lull in the next six games or so staying around the 10-12 disposal mark. During this period he started as the sub against Port.

Still, even with a low possession count, Jeremy impressed with his work ethic and ability to find the goals, kicking 8 goals, including a bag of three against Hawthorn.

Jeremy’s ‘breakout’ game, if you could call it that, was against West Coast in round 21. Jeremy was clearly our BOG and was rewarded with a brownlow vote. Howe was essentially our only player on the field during the second quarter. With 18 disposals and an incredible 10 marks and 3 goals, Jeremy cemented himself as a key facet of the Melbourne forward line moving forward. Also in the Melbourne game, Jumping Jeremy took his biggest mark of the year, and impressive leap over a single Eagle.

The last few rounds ended with less of a fanfare than Jeremy would’ve wanted, having a terrible game against Richmond when he was subbed off in the third quarter, before starting off as the sub against the Gold Coast (then coming on and kicking 2), and in the final game against Port, Jeremy was part of the middle of the pack.

LOOKING AHEAD

This was a really solid year for Jeremy, and definitely something to build upon. He capped the year off by winning the best first year player award (not particularly hard considering he was up against a 2-game player, a 4-game rookie and a 9-game rookie). Jeremy really looks to have strengthened and added an extra layer of potency to our forward line, and with Clark slotting in next year, expect Jeremy to have a bigger impact as the third/fourth tall next year, while potentially rotating through the midfield with Petterd/Sylvia.

Next year, I would expect a full 22 game season, with possibly 25/30 goals, possibly 40-ish if he’s played mostly in the forward line and not subbed as liberally as under Bailey. A number around the 16/18 mark for disposal and 7 marks (knowing Jeremy, probably 5 of them will be contested!).

Look for a big pre-season from Jeremy as he looks to impress Neeld. 7/10

 

[ThePuppetMaster]

# 47 – James Strauss

Expectations for season 2011:

James was a very interesting proposition at the start of this season; I know that many of the Demon faithful were losing confidence in the lad ... and rapidly losing it at that.

I still had a lot of faith in him, it was blatantly obvious that the current tactical climate (ie. the forward press) provided a baptism of fire for young rebounding defenders (especially those who are 'project' players); and this was evident in James' AFL games in 2010, he struggled with the pace and physicality of the game.

I wrote in my season preview for Strauss that I expected him to step up and play somewhere between 10 and 15 AFL games this season, and barring injury there's no doubt he would have accomplished that.

Key Statistics:

Season (keep in mind these are affected by the 1 disposal he had before he broke his leg in his 9th game of 2011)
- Disposals = 12.9
- Rebound 50's = 2.1
- Marks = 2.0
- Tackles = 2.9
- DT/SC = 49.9/52.4
- Disp eff (average) = 83.34%

Overall Performance:

Strauss had a good season of development. He put on considerable size over the pre-season and has become a fairly powerful unit (standing at 6'2" as well). He hit some excellent form in the VFL competition with some highlights including his performance in a round 9 defeat at Williamstown where his fantastic footskills were on display.

He came back into the senior team in round 11 for the Friday night game against Essendon and performed admirably; he was given roles on David Zaharakis and Leroy Jetta and was excellent in his one on one defensive efforts as well as providing good ball use. He had further encouraging games against Collingwood, Fremantle and the Western Bulldogs.

His form dropped off a little towards the end of his season, however this was also a period where Melbourne played up in Darwin and then got routinely thumped by some of the competition's best sides. Strauss' defensive intent was consistent throughout the season and was a really prominent feature of his game.

His season ended shockingly and abruptly when he broke his leg in an awkward landing during the Demons second encounter with Carlton, the worst was immediately feared.

However... he seems to have healed very well from this injury, he's been out of the moon-boot for over a month (according to eye-witness reports... my eyes) and it seems likely he'll be able to complete between 40 and 50% of the pre-season workload.

I would rate his season as a 6/10 season; a good development season and one he should be able to draw a lot of confidence from.

Where to go??

Unfortunately his injury has set him back, if he had been able to get a full pre-season under his belt I would have no doubt that he'd be looking at securing a best 22 spot for the majority of the 2012 season (15+) games.

As it is; I would hope for a similar exposure to AFL football to 2011 - at least 10 AFL games and working towards becoming a regular in 2013 onwards.

As for where I see his career ultimately heading; I'm unsure.

I don't doubt he'll be a 100+ game player for Melbourne, but for me he could very well turn into a fantastic midfield weapon; he has the size, speed and delivery which could see him becoming 'Nick Dal Santo mk 2' in my opinion... add to that the fact that he has a textbook kicking action and a very similar running style to NDS!

At the least he'll be a powerful play-making defender, not unlike a Shaw (either really) type.

 

[Crimson Azure]

Here is where we are at:

Available for review:


Bail, Rohan
Bartram, Clint
Bate, Matthew
Bennell, Jamie
Davey, Aaron
Davis, Troy
Dunn, Lynden
Fitzpatrick, Jack
Johnston, Cameron
Lawrence, Kelvin
McNamara, Tom
Jamar, Mark
Jetta, Neville
Macdonald, Joel
McDonald, Tom
Morton, Cale
Rivers, Jared
Spencer, Jake
Warnock, Matthew
Wonaeamirri, Austin

Claimed players:

Martin, Stefan - sivart
Frawley, James - Whelan=Legend
Garland, Colin - WhatsGoodForYou
Blease, Sam - High Flying Flag
Evans, Michael - Striker475
Newton, Michael - Supermercado
Nicholson, Daniel - Deestroy
Green, Brad - High Flying Flag
Grimes, Jack - Demon 86
Tapscott, Luke - SJSMD
Trengove, Jack - sivart
Petterd, Ricky - eth38
McKenzie, Jordie - ThePupperMaster
Cook, Lucas - ThePupperMaster

Completed:

Gawn, Max - Supermercado - Completed
Gysberts, Jordan - Captain Jack - Completed
Howe, Jeremy - Canary - Completed
Jones, Nathan - Striker475 - Completed
Jurrah, Liam - Bond, Shane Bond - Completed
Maric, Addam - Supermercado - Completed
Moloney, Brent - Bond, Shane Bond - Completed
Strauss, James - ThePuppetMaster - Completed
Sylvia, Colin - Crimson Azure - Completed
Scully, Tom - Demon 86 - Completed
Watts, Jack - ThePuppetMaster - Completed
Campbell, Robert - Crimson Azure - Completed

We still have a lot of work to do, so anyone else who is interested take a look at the players available & choose one or more to review.

 

[ThePuppetMaster]

I'll take Jordie McKenzie; and Lucas Cook.

 

[Bond.ShaneBond]

Robert Campbell

Thoughts before the season:

Thoughts during the season:

Thoughts after the season:

Good luck for the future.


Will that do?

 

[Crimson Azure]

I'll take Jordie McKenzie; and Lucas Cook.

Done, good work on the latest reviews too.

 

[Crimson Azure]

Robert Campbell

Thoughts before the season:

Thoughts during the season:

Thoughts after the season:

Good luck for the future.


Will that do?

Didn't even see this post & was doing it now as I knew no one else would.

Haha!

 

[Crimson Azure]

#26 Robert Campbell (Rookie)

2011 Todd viney review
Big Footy player thread


2011
Matches: 0
Goals: 0
Kicks: 0
Marks: 0
Handballs: 0
Disposals: 0
Tackles: 0

Expectations for 2011:

Robbie was always recruited as a bit part player, so no one really expected him to dominate or play all 22 games. What was expected was for him to play the role of the second ruckman & provide some support for Jamar who had played the bulk of game time in 2010. It was also understood that he was also to assist with the training of younger & less experienced players such as Martin & Gawn. One concern from many supporters was that he had been injury prone before his initial retirement from Hawthorn & the fear was that this may remain the status quo with the Dees.

Overall performance:

As was the fear before the season, Campbell was struck down with injury before the season started & didn’t play his first game for Casey until round six where he again suffered another injury (knee) which saw him out for another month before returning for Casey.

Campbell never managed to take the field for the Dees but played a solid 13 games in total & from reports was at times a great asset for the club. Due to his injury & the exceptional form of Stefan Martin early in the season his efforts for senior selection were becoming less & less likely. Add to that the fact that he never hit his best from until the last third of the season & Melbourne’s preference to blood the young Gawn, he, in reality was never going to don the red & blue.

It all ended with his retirement at season’s end & thus there are no expectations for him going forward.

 

[Bond.ShaneBond]

Mine is better.

 

[Crimson Azure]

Mine is better.

More concise, I'll give you that.

 

[Crimson Azure]

Courtesy of Deestroy:

#49 Daniel Nicholson

2011 info
Games: 9
Goals: 2
Position: Run with player/defender

Drafted with Melbourne’s first pick in the 2010 rookie draft (pick 14) Nicholson impressed early in the season playing a number of run with roles with Casey showing good pace, good endurance and the ability to find the football. After being the second rookie elevated in 2 weeks (the round after Evans had an impressive debut) Nicholson showed enough to keep his spot and eventually played 9 AFL games before the season was out.

At AFL level he was able to show a lot of what impressed in the VFL. Exceptional pace and endurance, and an ability to back himself and evade tackles not seen since Aaron Davey burst onto the scene (considered using the Johnstone example as Nicholson shows a similar ability to find time where none appears to exist, but unlike Johnstone there doesn’t seem to be any laziness in Nicholsons game).

He has spent most of his time off half back and in run with roles through the midfield, a position that opened up following the long-term injury to Rohan Bail earlier in the season. What did expose him on occasion, is his disposal by foot. This is likely the reason he has lasted out of the AFL system until this time, as he has all the physical attributes and a seemingly strong work ethic. The other thing that did worry me was his confidence in himself to break tackles went too far at times, and he tried to take the game on far too much. This is something that may come with experience, but like those that said for years Johnstone might apply himself the next year or Morton might put on half a kilogram of weight, some things just never leave a player.

These are going to be the big question for Nicholson going forward that determine if he makes it as an AFL footballer or ends up as another rookie that has a promising few games when no-one knows who he is and then slides away into oblivion in the years that follow (think Jace Bode who showed a bit at the end of a bad season, signed a 2 year deal and was never heard from again).

I don’t pretend to have a crystal ball but my gut feeling is that given his deficiencies by foot he may be pushing a rock uphill to make it, but given Melbourne’s current list he should be given every chance as a potential run with player/line breaker off half back to give it a go. The return of Bail might cost him games early, but with his pace he may yet be able to prove himself as an impact player (sub) or a back pocket runner if his defensive game is good enough.

Many called for him to be placed on the senior list, but with the ability to list a rookie mid season and the likelihood that a long-term injury will open up a spot in any case, I think it would’ve been stupid not to keep him on the rookie list at this stage. Didn’t hurt McKenzie’s development, and if Nicholson is good enough it won’t hurt his either.

No doubt this will be a make or break season. If he continues to improve he may be able to get permanently onto the senior list ,but there is no room for error. Any regression or second year blues and it’s likely he won’t be around in 2013, especially with Evans in such a similar position in direct competition for a senior spot.

In summary Nicholson has shown a bit, suggested he may make it but it’s anyone’s guess what will happen for him in 2012. Definitely a watch this space.

 

[WattsGoodForYou]

#20 Colin Garland

Statistics:

Matches: 18
Goals: 1
Kicks: 167
Marks: 74
Handballs: 100
Disposals: 267
Tackles: 42

After returning from a foot injury a foot injury, obtained in 2009, Colin was able to show why he was so highly rated by Melbourne faithful in 2010. As such, Garland signed a contract extension in 2010 which would tie him to the club until the end of 2012. This would mean that the young backman would need to continue to build upon his promise, which had been shown in 2008 & 2010 to retain his place.

Ditched was the stoner looking Garland, who would not of looked out of place next to Jay and Silent Bob, player profile picture and replaced by the picture of a young man who looked surer in his own abilities, though showing the smirk of a man who looked as if had just seen Juice attempt to kick it from 10 metres out . Lauded for his ‘leadership’ and his dedication to study opponents vision, in early pre-season reports by the club, much was expected of Garland for the 2011 season.

Garlands season started of with the daunting task of defending two of the leagues most dangerous players in Goodes and Franklin. Garlands influence on Goodes was enough to help put Melbourne in the position of winning , the draw was the ultimate result. While Garland’s early influence on Frankiln was also pleasing, once the Hawthorn midfield was on top, the score line was always going to be ugly.

The round 6 fixture, against West Coast at Patterson’s, was showed to be the start of bad things to come for the Melbourne FC on a whole, the team was entirely outplayed by the 2010 spooner’s and certainly worse off for the early bye . Garland’s game though not solid did show signs of his usual late spoils and contests, which are the staple of his game. Late in the game, when the result was out of question, Garland was beaten on a lead by Kennedy, causing much displeasure Garland was seen punching the turf. This moment showed true passion which was often not seen by some other players and by that of Garlands namesake, Judy, in many a Christmas special of years gone by .

After a solid performance in the round 7 drubbing of Adelaide, round 8 saw Garland go down with an ankle injury which would put him out till round 13. The injury saw Garland limp off early in the piece sparking fears he may have re-injured his troublesome foot.

Garland’s season recovered well and saw him put in strong performances in rounds 13-17, including the round 15 game against the Bulldogs, which saw Garland amass his well deserved 50th.

Round 18 through to 21 was one the darkest 4 match periods in the clubs history. As always, despite the teams performances, Garland’s personal contributions remained solid, excluding round 18 when the entire team was replaced by aliens from the planet Omicron Persei 8.

Round 22 was one of Garland’s best for the season having a major influnec on the backline, effectively shutting his opponent down. While the round 23 contest with GC saw Garland collect a season high 29 dispossals, including a rare goal, while playing more as an rebounding half-back. This capped off a period of four consecutive games which saw the backman collect at least 20 disposals. Furthermore, Garland’s long, accurate kick ins were part of a the new game plan, trialed by interim coach Todd Viney, dubbed Vineys vacuum.

The round 23 game against Port, at Adelaide oval, showed Garland compete strongly in his usual fashion until a couple of out-of charcter late clangers from kick-ins(attempting Vineys Vacuum) resulted in Port goals. Leaving the proud backman looking displeased to say the least.

Garland finished a well deserved 6th place in the B&F capping of a year of solid performances, in a team which some experts believed performed well below their capabilities. Garland’s year was highlighted by his spoiling, 1 on 1 contests, improved disposal and effective kick ins. Garland’s abilty to play on talls and smalls makes Garland a highly respected and importnat member of the team.

2012 will be an important year for Garland. With the trading of Matthew Warnock to GC, this makes Garland a senior member of the backline. Furthermore, with the addition of new coach Neeld, the decision whether to add bulk to Garlands frame, as to play more on larger players or keep him to a similar size to keep him versatile, will be interesting. Additionally with the development of youngsters Tom MacD and Try Davis it will be interesting to see whether or not Garland will pinch hit up forward, where his long kicking, pace and strong 1 on 1 performances could be used. For mine he is part of the import back line quartet ( Frawley, Rivers, Grimes & Garland) who are all versatile enough to play on opponents of all shapes and sizes. I see no reason why Garland could not go on to achieve highers honors such as AA, achieved by counterpart James Frawley in 2010, with the right match ups, solid pre-seasons and right people around him, in years to come.

 

[Crimson Azure]

1. Can anyone who selected a player but is yet to do their review please get onto it ASAP

2. If anyone has any photos of players they would be happy to have used as part of the players reviews post them in this thread.

Thanks guys.

 

[Crimson Azure]

Bump again.

Those who have selected a playeyer but not done the review have until then end of the week & then they will be put back up for review.

If you need a little more time but 100% intend to do it, let me know. As long as you intend to do the review before the 30/11 thats fine.

I just want to make sure that as well as being a great addition to this thread & the change rooms player thread those who put forward the effort should get the credit in the site wide downloadable PDF for the player reviews of 2011.

 

[Crimson Azure]

Some more, this is a great chance to have your thoughts & views on BF for good & this will be an annual event to take part in.

If you choose a player & review them, you will have first option to review every year from this point forward.

For those who don't intend to do their review please let me know by PM or in this thread so it can go out to all posters the 'your player' is available.

 

[00Stinger]

Some more, this is a great chance to have your thoughts & views on BF for good & this will be an annual event to take part in.

If you choose a player & review them, you will have first option to review every year from this point forward.

For those who don't intend to do their review please let me know by PM or in this thread so it can go out to all posters the 'your player' is available.

Been flat out with work.

I'll have Trengove and Martin finished by weeks end

 

[Crimson Azure]

Been flat out with work.

I'll have Trengove and Martin finished by weeks end

Thanks for the update sivart.

 

[Tulip]

I'll have Blease and Green ready to upload by the weekend. Been exhausted by VCE exams

 

[Crimson Azure]

I'll have Blease and Green ready to upload by the weekend. Been exhausted by VCE exams

Again, thanks for the update & I hope the exams are going well.

 

[Crimson Azure]

#10 Cale Morton

Big Footy 2011 preview
Big footy Player profile thread
MFC site 2011 season review
MFC site profile


2011

Matches: 14
Goals: 5
Kicks: 126
Marks: 63
Handballs: 99
Disposals: 225
Tackles: 21

Expectations for 2011:

Cale needed to have a big 2011 to redeem the faith of diehard MFC supporters & thats exactly what was expected from him. His first season showed a lot of promise & most expected that once he put on some weight he would become one of our best players. Injury curtailed his second season but once he returned he again showed some promise but his 2010 season disappointed many supporters & many lost faith that he would ever become an elite player for the club.

For the above reasons all in sundry who follow trhe Dees want him to show some desperation, hardness & willingness to throw himself into the contest. Most felt he has the ability but at times lacked the desire, which has seen him scapegoat & the first criticised when the team performs poorly.

As a number four pick he need to show this season exactly why he was taken there & rated so highly.

Overall Performance in 2011:

Exactly what Melbourne supporters wanted to see - desperation, hardness & a will to compete, Cale failed to show. It was not that his year was exceptionally poor it was more that he didn't show enough of the qualities that we wanted.

The coaching staff were heavily criticised for not dropping him at time during the season & as a result any lack of form was magnified due to keeping his spot in the team.

Cale played 14 games this year & averaged 16 disposals per game so from a pure statistical point of view his output seemed ok. however at seasons end the stand in coach Todd Viney stated that "This is one of those years that he'd like to forget." I would imagine the supporters feel the same way but, alas, 2011 will not be a forgotten year for supporters.

Standout game: Rd 4 against the Suns was a good game for Cale. Although the MFC ended up winning by 90 odd points for the most part the game blew out in the last quarter, Cale's move forward & 3 goals was a good move for him & paid off.

Cale's season ended meekly but at least he started to tackle near the end of the season, the cause was Viney I'm sure.

What of 2012?:

Cale is guaranteed another two seasons with the club after re-signing at seasons end but the real test for Cale will be how he responds to his 2011 form & the appointment of a coach who demands his players be 'competitors' not just 'players.'

What does this mean for Cale? Well the heat has been on Cale from a supporters standpoint for the last two years & I don't expect the to dissapate any time soon. Now he has the eyes of a new coaching panel upon him so he will need to make some big changes & for the most part these are mental. He can only make do with the physical attributes he was given but a concerted effort to build on his slight frame may give him the confidence to become the player most think he can if he truly dedicates himself.

The other option is that the no nonsense Neeld will allow him to play out his career with Casey & be delisted at contact end or traded for nothing at the end of 2012.

Cale, the ball is in your court.

 

[00Stinger]

Jack TRENGOVE #9

2011 STATS (Avg per game)
Games: 19
Disposals: 20.4
Marks: 4.8
Tackles: 5.3
DT Avg: 89.7
SC Avg: 87.7

EXPECTATIONS 2011

After a promising debut season in 2010, the former number 2 draft pick was expected to increase his consistency and show a progression towards hopefully being a future star for the Melbourne Football Club.
In his debut season he showed great promise, however he did tail off towards the end of the season. The expectation for 2011 was that after another pre-season he would be able to finish the year off strongly.
After promising debut seasons many players tend to struggle from ‘Second year blues’. This comes from the increased attention from opposition teams and is something that was hoped Jack would overcome.
OVERALL PERFORMANCE
To sum up his season in one word, ‘Consistent’.
Jack played most of the season as an inside midfielder and played well beyond his years. There was no sign of the ‘second year’ blues as Jack established himself as one of Melbourne’s most important players. He missed just three matches for the season which came about due to an unlucky suspension for a sling tackle. He finished the year fifth in the MFC best and fairest, and looks to be a natural leader both on and off the field.
Jack had a very consistent year, without really dominating games he never had a bad game either. This is a great sign as younger players seem to struggle to close the gap between their best and worst. He works very hard both offensively and defensively. This was represented by his average of over 5 tackles a game, whilst still averaging over 20 disposals a game. An interesting fact was that he had career highs for disposals, kicks, handballs, marks, tackles and goals in a match this season. It is noted that it was only his second season of AFL football, however it shows the improvement in his game from his debut season.
WHAT OF 2012:


2012 could really be the year that Jack breaks out as a star of the competition. He has all the tools to go along with his professionalism to truly become a great player. He plays an inside midfielders’ game, shows great pressure and is a terrific tackler. He has a never say die attitude, which he could teach a few of his other team mates. The thing that stands out about Jack and separates him from other inside midfielders is his overhead marking. As was seen several times this year he can be laying two or three tackles in a pack and then moments later be using another player as a step ladder. He looks to have a great aerobic capacity aswell (if its anything like his sister, it could be elite).
Next year hopefully we will see jack really dominate games, which is probably the only thing lacking from his game at the moment. He will continue to play the inside midfielders role, however could spend a little more time forward as he is a proven goal kicker.

 

[Crimson Azure]

All those who haven't contacted me or advised me when they will complete their reviews will have trheir player up for selection again.

Even if you don't plan to write the review for the player yoiu selected please let me know.

thanks

 

[00Stinger]

All those who haven't contacted me or advised me when they will complete their reviews will have trheir player up for selection again.

Even if you don't plan to write the review for the player yoiu selected please let me know.

thanks

I'll have Martin finished tonight/tomorrow for you Crimson

 

[Demon 86]

# 16– JackGrimes

Expectations for season 2011:

As always, expectations of Jack Grimes were high leading into 2011. Everyone knows the talent he has, and everyone was hoping for an injury free season that allowed Jack to show off his undoubted ability and leadership qualities.

At a minimum, 2011 was to be the year that Jack Grimes stamped himself as one of our most important players moving forward, and you could go as far as to say that 2011 was potentially an audition or sorts for the captaincy in the not too distant future.


Key Statistics:

Season

Note- all stats skewed by being injured in first 5 minutes of his last game.

- Games = 6
- Disposals = 19
- Goals = 0.2
- Marks = 5.3
- Tackles = 1.8
- DT/SC = 74/78

Overall Performance:

2011 was yet another year ruined by injury for the unlucky Jack Grimes. He managed only 6 games before succumbing to a nasty foot injury- the same kind that ended former Cat Matthew Egan’s career. Prior to his injury he was working his way into some fairly ominous form, accumulating lots of the ball and providing plenty of his customary fearless intercept marks in defence.

His kicking skills were questioned by some after some ordinary clangers against the Swans in round one, and his next two games weren’t fantastic by his standards either. His opening three games saw him walk away with hauls of 23, 20 and 16 disposals and some questionable kicking efficiency.

Rounds 4 & 6 saw Jack get back to the sort of form we all know he’s capable of, accumulating 27 disposals in consecutive games. His game against the GC was fantastic as he bossed the half back line, and he was one of only a couple of players to hold his head up after a terrible team performance at Subiaco the following week.

Unfortunately that was pretty much it for season 2011 for Jack, as he went down in fairly innocuous fashion in the opening few minutes of the round 7 demolition of Adelaide at the MCG. No one could have predicted at the time that he would miss the rest of the season with a career threatening injury, and it left a bitter taste in the mouth after a massive win that would have otherwise been a perfect day for the MFC.

As he only managed 6 games, it’s not possible or fair to rate Jack’s season. He still managed to win the Ron Barrassi medal for leadership despite missing 16 games, which just goes to prove how highly regarded he is.

Where to go??

Well getting himself 100% fit is the only thing Melbourne supporters are hoping for at this stage. Well maybe not quite, we’d all love him to dominate 2012 and become the player we all know he can become, but realistically he should be aiming to overcome his injury and stay on the park as much as possible next year.

Had he not missed ¾ of the season we might be seriously discussing his name as a captaincy contender for 2012 onwards, and despite this he is still a (very) remote chance. Jack is well overdue for some good luck, and the football Gods owe him a lot of favours. Here’s hoping that 2012 is the year he gets repaid.

 

[Supermercado]

29. Michael Newton

Games - 3
Goals - 5
Sub: on = 0, off = 0
Best and Fairest - 4 votes (38th)

"Juice squeezed out"

When word came through that Michael "Juice" Newton had been delisted a wave of celebration unseen since the end of the Second World War swept through the Melbourne Football Club online community. These two were even seen using it as an excuse for a quick snog in the middle of the street.

It seems almost rude, at the very least impolite, to celebrate somebody losing their job. Especially when we're all punching away at keyboards having done relatively bugger all (or in my case absolutely bugger all) on the football field. After all if you followed his tweets he seemed like quite a nice guy, how could we wish him badly?

This is why you should never follow players on Twitter. Not only do they waste your time talking ad nauseum about how much they love playing FIFA and eating chicken parmas but you start to feel bad for wanting them to get the chop. But, sorry Juice this is the new model MFC. No more sunshine and lollypops, no more holding hands and singing Kumbaya when we're 114 points down at half time. You're either part of the solution or part of the problem.

Of course when it came to Juice the fans turned years ago. After we practically picketed Daniher's house for about a year for him to be given a game Neale finally relented just as he was shown the door and debuted him in that tragic final game when the hated Bombers pipped us at the post. He looked ok, hardly a world beater but there was enough to show that just around the corner we'd have a quality forward on our books.

Unfortunately four and a half years later we found ourselves in exactly the same position. With a forward who was ok, but just ok. To give him some credit he did kick 35 goals in 28 games, but other than that towering mark against North and fifteen minutes in the first quarter against them this year he never played like the tall forward we needed and with mid-sized forward options coming out the yin-yang his days were numbered the moment he injured himself after the Round 11 loss to Carlton. When Mitch Clark chose bags of cash over family and friends it make the task of axing him even easier for Mark Neeld and his legion of assistants and list managers.

His debut season had shown promise. In playing the last ten games of the season, often in rancid teams, he managed three goals in his second match. Sadly that haul, on the same day Ricky Petterd suffered serious injury, was to be his career high.

The law of diminishing returns struck Newton hard. After his encouraging debut season he was a rightful starter in Dean Bailey's first match as senior coach, but despite booting the Demons only two scores of the first half he had just four kicks for the game and didn't reappear again until Round 15.

Six games in 2008 were followed by five the next year and four in 2010. If the TAB had taken odds on him playing three this year we'd have all made a fortune.

Retained as a rookie at the end of 2010 with the promise of a new role splitting time forward and in the ruck Newton's chances of being an automatic selection were dashed when Stefan Martin took his chance and made the second ruckman position his own. It took until Mark Jamar suffered an injury for Newton to earn a recall to the side, and for the first quarter of the match against North Melbourne he looked like the penny had finally dropped. He was leading hard, marking, kicking goals (well, two anyway, but one of them was a pearler) and generally acting like a league full forward. It didn't last.

Gamely, but ultimately unsuccessfully, backing up Martin in the ruck Newton failed to have an impact for the rest of the match and despite adding two more goals in the second half of the following week's loss to St Kilda the calls for his head had started in earnest again. It was almost cruel to be calling for a man who had four goals in two games to be axed but you feel like both times he could have had four of five but just wasn't up to playing AFL standard football.

With the clamour for the introduction of Maximum Gawn reaching almost deafening levels Newton was preferred against Carlton on a Friday night purely for his alleged goalkicking ability but found his chances limited when Dean Bailey opened with a defensive mindset that ruined any chances the forwards had of racking up a big score. He booted one goal, giving him at least one in 23 of his 28 league appearances, but once more looked out of place and error prone.

He might have made way for the man they call GAWN the next week, or Bailey might have persisted with him in the hope that it would all eventually click but fate dealt Juice a cruel hand when he suffered a serious midweek foot injury. With his career already hanging by a thread Newton would play just one more senior match for Casey, returning in their huge finals loss to Port Melbourne before being dumped from the Scorpions team.

Escaping the first round of axings it looked as if the man who had already been delisted and re-drafted as a rookie had at least one more life but just days before final list lodgement was made it was revealed through Twitter that he was in Canada carving pumpkins. The dream was over, and when pre-season training began neither he nor Austin Wonaeamirri were required to turn up.

Newton played in six career wins and 22 losses. Three of those wins were in 2007.

So Juice, from all of us, for the memories, for the frustration and for what could have been we wish you all the best for the future wherever that may be. I wish it could have turned out better than this but you should know that being a cult hero at this club gives you the same job security as an Italian Prime Minister. It was written in the stars that it was never destined to work.