Post season review of Mike Sheahan’s top 50 for 2011

4th October 2011 Category: Analysis

Image: Slattery Media Group

Below is Mike Sheahan’s top 50 AFL players, as named at the start of the 2011 season. We’ve gone through the list to see how things might have changed, post season 2011.
 
<< = dramatic drop
< = slight drop
>> = dramatic rise
> = slight rise
-- = steady
 
1. Lance Franklin: -- 
2. Brendon Goddard: < Everyone was hot for Goddard after the 2010 Grand Final’s. It was always going to be tough to maintain that level of performance. Probably slipped back to the 20's.
3. Gary Ablett: --
4. Chris Judd: < Fair at the time and still fair now, though his in-ability to shake tags late in the season might see him slip below Pendlebury and Swan.
5. Nick Riewoldt: << Injury affected, but even if he’s healthy in 2012, hard to see him overcoming his kicking issues.
6. Aaron Sandilands: << On the slide, mostly because of injury. Hard to imagine he’ll be this high again.
7. Dane Swan: > Has to be top 5 now.
8. Luke Hodge: --
9. Joel Selwood: --
10. Scott Pendlebury: > You could argue he’s the best player in the league. Consistent, flexible, can’t be tagged and doesn’t get injured.
11. Adam Cooney: << Big slip. Will start next season outside of the top 50, but could still recover his spot. 
12. Jonathon Brown: << Some of his injuries might have been caused by age. First signs this year that he’s human.
13. Matthew Pavlich: < Plays more in bursts now. Overtaken by Goodes and Thomas.
14. Paul Chapman: < Slowed slightly, doesn’t impact the game as much as he used to.
15. Adam Goodes: --
16. Jimmy Bartel: --
17. Cyril Rioli: --
18. Lenny Hayes: << Drops off the list only because of injury.
19. Matthew Scarlett: -- 
20. Dale Thomas: > Has overtaken some of the older stars, like Chapman and Brown.
21. Shaun Burgoyne: << Still capable of playing elite football, but won’t be this high again.
22. Brian Lake: << Based on last season he deserved his spot, but can’t imagine he’ll ever get back into the top 50 discussion.
23. Jack Riewoldt: < Hard to know whether or not 2010 was an aberration. Slight drop, but still top 50.
24. Alan Didak: << Seems the game (in particular the game Collingwood play) has caught up with him. Dramatic drop.
25. Ryan Griffen: < He’s a hard one to gauge, almost fluctuates by the week. By virtue of that fact, he drops out of the top 30.
26. Brent Harvey: < First signs that he’s explosiveness is fading.
27. Marc Murphy: >> Joined the elite this season.
28. Matthew Boyd: >> Top possession winner in the league, should crack the teens in the next list.
29. Mark LeCras: < Undeniable class, but too easily stopped. Struggled with the extra attention in finals.
30. Shaun Higgins: << This wasn’t even a good call at the time. If you’re going to include a soft, skillful, outside player from the Bulldogs, surely Robert Murphy is ahead of Higgins.
31. Brad Green: << Banished! Never to be seen in the top 50 again!
32. Steve Johnson: > His finals performance might earn him a slight rise.
33. Heath Shaw: -
34. Corey Enright: -
35. Darren Jolly: < Slipped below Cox and Mumford. Probably just ahead of Goldstein, but will likely fall further next season.
36. Sam Fisher: -
37. Brett Deledio: -
38. Jobe Watson: > Too low for Watson, impacts his own teams performance as much as anyone in the competition.
39. Shane Mumford: -
40. Travis Boak: << Who would know? I guess they had to have someone in the top 50. The next list won’t include a Power player.
41. David Mundy: << Interrupted season, hard to know he’s true standing in the league. Based on 2011 has to drop off the list.
42. Leigh Montagna: -
43. Andrew Swallow: -
44. Nick Dal Santo: > In terms of flexible half back/wingmen, he’s top of the list.
45. Jarrad Waite: << When he plays, he’s damaging, but doesn’t play often enough.
46. Harry O'Brien: < In terms of value to the Collingwood backline, he’s probably been trumped by Ben Reid this season so might drop out.
47. Aaron Davey: << Banished! Can’t even call him trade bait any more.
48. Dale Morris: < Good at what he does, but doesn’t change games. Plays a role that’s easily filled.
49. James Frawley: -
50. Kieren Jack: < Everyone loves the way Jack goes about it, but top 50’s a bit rich.
 
Players that should have been included at the start of the season, but weren’t:
  • Sam Mitchell: Not only is he top 50, he’s top 10 now. Shocking omission.
  • Scott Thompson: If Boyd is 28, Thompson’s got to be around the same mark.
  • Harry Taylor: Glaring omission, not just based on this season. All Australian in 2010.
Players that are guaranteed to join the list:
  • Nathan Fyfe: Came from nowhere, now one of Freo’s most important players.
  • Matt Priddis: Been around the mark for some years, one of the major reasons for West Coast’s revival.
  • Travis Cloke: Number one contested mark in the competition. Might take Nick Riewoldt’s spot in the top 10.
Players that could join the list:
  • Daniel Kerr: Hampered by injury last season. In terms of “if they played every week players” he’s top of the pile. Might make the list on the back of his finals performance.
  • Luke Ball: An incredibly consistent year, and a great finals series. 4 Grand Finals in a row has to say something.
  • Brent Moloney: Maybe didn’t justify selection at the start of season, but probably makes the list now.
  • Dustin Martin/Trent Cotchin: Both had great seasons, might only be room for one of them.
  • Kade Simpson/Heath Scotland: Someone outside of Judd and Murphy will get recognised. Probably out of these two.
  • Josh Gibson/Grant Birchall: Like with Carlton, Hawthorn’s improvement should be recognised. The backline held up against adversity this season.

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