3 Big Improvers

[SENsei]

Wight - had a taste and will only get better

who's he....?

Sean Wight is making a comeback at 47 y.o.

White.........

Sadly that would be one hell of a comeback from Sean Wight. Passed away in 2011.

[gringo]

Agree on Ross, don't see anything in him to suggest he will make it as an AFL footballer. I guess if he does he will be the biggest improver,as he is a long way off an AFL standard midfielder

I think he's a quiet achiever. His numbers keep on building and his personality is so low key you just don't notice him. Newnes is a bit ahead but similar. He just goes about his business with out much fan fare. He had 28 disposals against geelong this year and had in a bulk of his full games around 20 disposals. I think we are not noticing his full improvement because he hasn't had a break out game yet. My guess is guys like Newnes, Dunstan and Ross are all at a level currently that suggests they are on a very solid progression upwards. Dustan I have left off as sometimes the second year is a drop off as the training and physicality catch up.

[minneapolis]

I am hoping that Daniel Markworth, Spencer White and Blake Acres have significant improvement. All of them have the football talent but can they develop enough on the playing field? These three guys playing well and establishing themselves as very good AFL footballers are an essential step to becoming a top four side I believe. Only a team with sufficient highly-skilled players can move up the ladder. Some of the other guys mentioned here might improve but I don't believe they will take us to the top four. IMHO.

BTW the weather high today is -10C. Enjoy your summer guys.

[bigcarl]

I am so pleased Rhys Stanley was traded. He'd be amongst everyone's three players in hopes of improving this year. Trading him was a great move by the club. Just imagine if we were still stuck with that albatross.

I agree, he's a bona fide spud and I sincerely hope he doesn't prove us wrong at Geelong

[Bunk_Moreland]

I am so pleased Rhys Stanley was traded. He'd be amongst everyone's three players in hopes of improving this year. Trading him was a great move by the club. Just imagine if we were still stuck with that albatross.

I agree, he's a bona fide spud and I sincerely hope he doesn't prove us wrong at Geelong

Concentrate on Goddard at the Saints and don't worry how Rhys is going at Geelong.

[Dr Spaceman]

Concentrate on Goddard at the Saints and don't worry how Rhys is going at Geelong.

Totally agree. (or "totes" as the young gen would say ️)

[magnifisaint]

The three worst players on the list

[gringo]

I am hoping that Daniel Markworth, Spencer White and Blake Acres have significant improvement. All of them have the football talent but can they develop enough on the playing field? These three guys playing well and establishing themselves as very good AFL footballers are an essential step to becoming a top four side I believe. Only a team with sufficient highly-skilled players can move up the ladder. Some of the other guys mentioned here might improve but I don't believe they will take us to the top four. IMHO.

BTW the weather high today is -10C. Enjoy your summer guys.

I don't think any one player can take you to the top 4 or even a group of 5 or so. You need a gradual improvement over the whole group until a point where they can compete against seasoned players. The bulldogs are a a couple of seasons ahead of us with guys like Liberatore leading the comp for clearances, Jackson Mc Crae way up in the competition for stats and several other really solid kids already having progressed to the next level. Their biggest issues is the lack of experience just behind that group. They are all in a similar position to a bulk of our guys, under experienced and inconsistent. They have become impatient and shaken a few things up which may be visionary or stupid but time will tell.

At the moment we just have to hope the wait will be worth it. A lot of kids get time put in and don't make it while others no one saw coming become stars. I though Xavier Clarke would become a star and thought Joey was making up numbers early on. We thought Ball just needed a run of good luck to be better than Judd and Hodge. Just as I'd written off Goddard as a wasted pick one he became a gun.

Stay warm.... I just came back from the Flinders ranges, it was 46 degrees one day.

[Megamaguire]

Bluthy said ...
Armo - he started off as a genuine leader when Lenny was out early before injury cruelled his season.
It's basically his midfield now and I'll think he'll rise to the challenge

Spencer White - there is just something about him that loves the big stage. Fitness and endurance is still a worry but
'if he can stay out there' I think he could be really exciting this year

Ross - I get the feeling with Lenny out he'll feel he belongs in there now. Sure he aint the quickest but neither was Diesel Williams. He seems to have an extra bit of time on the ball and I want to see him really start to use it.[/quote]

I'm hoping the same thing 4 Spence. If he can maneouver himself into a routine that keeps him out on the ground for most of the season he could well learn the trade real quick. Only seen a small ammount of Spence last season but he appeared to move nicely. (I initially went with Newnes, Wright and wondered about making Ross my 3rd. 'Big Improver' - Like Ross a lot as i think he has great attitude to go with his physical abilities. That's right Hickey was my 3rd. choice but if Seb or Spence push into the top 3 Improvers it'll be 'BIG' !

G O S A I N T S !

[Sobraz]

Spencer will explode this year...

Markworth will improve greatly, but he's coming from a low base.

Expecting a good year from Josh Bruce. I like the way he approaches the game and his endevour, reckon he'll be a lot more consistent and a bit of a cult figure come seasons end.

Big Hickey fan, but I think he's already closer to a certainty than the 3 above.

[MC Gusto]

Roberton
Acres
Longer

I've deliberately singled out players that weren't much chop last year that I feel have significant upside. I obviously hope that those better performers in newnes, billings, Webster, Dunstan etc continue on with their development and improvement.

Bruce and White would have been on the list if it were 5, hickey if it were 6!

[borderbarry]

Are we allowed to include rookies?

Jason Holmes, if he can start taking marks could be anything.

Daniel Markworth, does not have to do much other than get games.

Jack Billings. Was 3rd on our goal kicking last, would like to see him improve on that.

[Bluthy]

Jack Billings. Was 3rd on our goal kicking last, would like to see him improve on that.

You know its going to annoy me this season if people are heaping loads of pressure on 2nd year players and then bagging them if they are not taking a step forward. As we've seen with Jack Steven development is not a linear thing. Billings and Dunstan in particular may have the 2nd year blues as they start carrying niggling injuries due to a full AFL year already, have work put into them by the oppo who have seen they can be dangerous, and they are no longer playing on the sheer adrenalin of being in the AFL but it starts to become a bit more of a grind. Billings and Dunstan were both way ahead of their targeted development last year. At nearly every other club they would only have a few AFL games under their belt, if any. If they come back to the field a bit this season without the experience of Lenny around them so be it. We need to keep expectations for Billings, Dunstan, Acres, Templeton, McCartin and Goddard very low and then anything they produce is a bonus. The ones who should be carrying responsibility are the players who have been in the system for 4 years or so and should have the big bodies and fitness to really crack in.

[Con Gorozidis]

Jack Billings. Was 3rd on our goal kicking last, would like to see him improve on that.

You know its going to annoy me this season if people are heaping loads of pressure on 2nd year players and then bagging them if they are not taking a step forward.

Have to agree. I am guilty of talking up Acres but really we shouldnt put pressure or expectations on the 2nd years. Even Dunstan.

I think the blow-torch should be fairly on Newnes, Webster, Hickey, Lee, Roberton, Ross, Wright, White, Bruce, Membrey, Shenton, Siposs, Markworth. Thats a third our our list right there. These are the guys who need to step up imho. I think they are all fair game as all have been around long enough now.

From a list development point of view Of this group of 13 only Newnes is a certainty to make it for me - but we need at least 8 of them to be good.

[Bluthy]

Jack Billings. Was 3rd on our goal kicking last, would like to see him improve on that.

You know its going to annoy me this season if people are heaping loads of pressure on 2nd year players and then bagging them if they are not taking a step forward.

Have to agree. I am guilty of talking up Acres but really we shouldnt put pressure or expectations on the 2nd years. Even Dunstan.

I think the blow torch should be on Newnes, Webster, Hickey, Lee, Roberton, Ross, Wright, White, Bruce, Membrey, Shenton, Siposs, Markworth. These are the guys who need to step up imho. I think they are all fair game as all have been around long enough now.

But isn't this topic about who you think will improve. Maybe some think the younger guys will improve more than others. There is no pressure on them anyway. The pressure is on the 3rd and 4th year players. They will get delisted if they struggle. The young guys wont.

I'm more just talking about the backlash on this board which can be a tedious reaction where players are built up with some hype (heck I do it too). If Dunstan struggles this year, which is possible with such a dearth of genuine mids to share the grunt work, I can see the "He was just a big bodied kid hence why he did so well - doesn't have the talent..." And Billings "We may have wasted the no. 3 pick just look at .....tearing it up.. etc I think Billings will be started a lot in the middle this year as we have so many forwards on our books now to try out. Thats a whole other world for Jack to learn and he'll look like a toddler in there with the brute mids. With Lenny gone getting our hands on the footy first is going to be damn hard. They may even play Billings on the half back line to learn and give us some rebound - he's a good mark and can use his long, accurate kickng. Either way its another year of learning for Dunny and Jack and all the young players and we should respect that sometimes you need to go backwards to go forward (Heck that's what the club is doing as a whole). We shouldn't go overboard one way or another: "Told you - Absolute star - brownlow medal for sure!", "Jesus he's going backwards already, we could have got....what were the recruiters thinking!".

[remboy]

Based on nothing I hope that Acres and Markworth stay injury free and get a chance to show what some judges are so excited about. I also hope that Jack Billings will take a big step. He was ok for a first year player but having missed some footy in his under 18 year and part of the pre season hopefully Alan Richardson is right and he will blossom this year.

[samuraisaint]

Longer
Curren
Sippa

[cwrcyn]

Acres
Ross
Lee

[Jimmy O'Dea]

Siposs
Lee
Markworth

Because they couldn't be any less inspiring than 2014

Don't count on Lee being any more inspiring. Nothing to do with ability just a bit too hard for him, even at VFL level they stick it to him physically.

[LTN16]

Siposs
Lee
Markworth

Because they couldn't be any less inspiring than 2014

Don't count on Lee being any more inspiring. Nothing to do with ability just a bit too hard for him, even at VFL level they stick it to him physically.

And nothing to do with injures

[SaintPav]

Having said that and with my recent sports predictions (Steve Smith is not an Australian Test quality batsman ), it means Seb Ross will win the Brownlow and the B&F this year.

Not now.

[SaintPav]

Most likely.

Newnes
Wright
Roberton

[loris]

Having said that and with my recent sports predictions (Steve Smith is not an Australian Test quality batsman ), it means Seb Ross will win the Brownlow and the B&F this year.

Not now.

Come on B_M did you make that prediction about Steve Smith or was it that other poster we are not allowed to mention as it might upset your sensibilities? joffaboy.

You can't take credit for his predictions, that is fiddling the books.

But will definitely hold you to your Seb Ross predictions for this season.

Actually don't think it will be this year but I think in the coming years we will see Seb blossom into a fine, skillful player who will poll well in the Chas, very much like Nick Dal Santo did a number of times.

[MCG-Unit]

Templeton, Weller

[gringo]

After watching training and talking to a few players I'm going Lee, Newness and Ross who all seem to be pumped. Shenton said he's miles ahead on fitness and Roberton sounds ready to roll too.

Dunstan is still in non contact work and coming off a 6 month shoulder so I think he'll struggle to get as good as he was last year.