Chief football writer Mark Duffield rates every player on the Dockers’ list after a disappointing season

THE STARS

Lachie Neale: All-Australian squad member, who averaged 30 disposals and seven clearances per game and kicked 10 goals. Genuine chance of winning a second Doig Medal.

David Mundy: An exceptional year from the 33-year-old. Averaged 22 disposals each week and kicked 19 goals as he combined midfield and forward roles.

Nat Fyfe: His first half of the year was the equal of any player in the competition, but he missed seven games with a suspension and then a torn hamstring. Kicked 11 goals. Would love to see him play forward more in 2019.

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Luke Ryan: A massive bonus from the 2016 national draft. Is brave in the air and kicks the ball beautifully. Don’t be surprised if he finishes top five in the best and fairest.

Ed Langdon: Averaged 23 disposals per game and kicked 11 goals. If he improves his kicking, has the capacity to be an elite running midfielder.

THE RELIABLE

Alex Pearce: His return from two broken legs might be the biggest positive out of the season. Held down a key-defensive post, played 21 games and displayed great leadership qualities.

Joel Hamling: Second very solid season as a tall defender. Affected by calf muscle injury late in the year, but he and Pearce look capable of locking down their critical roles for years to come.

Nathan Wilson: Averaged 18 disposals per game running off half-back. Gives the Dockers another “kicking” rebounder. Rates with Bradley Hill and Hamling as the best of their trades of the past two years.

Michael Walters: Kicked 22 goals and helped out around the middle. His best games were very good, but had a few flat ones. Will benefit from more midfield depth which will help the Dockers keep him forward.

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THE NEXT WAVE

Adam Cerra (18): Looks the best of the Dockers youngsters and the club will be keen to lock him in beyond the end of 2019. Clean and cool with the ball and can play forward, midfield and back. When a teenager is capable of being best afield in his first season, the club is entitled to be on good terms with itself.

Andrew Brayshaw (18): Was a regular up until the round 20 derby when his jaw and teeth were smashed by Andrew Gaff’s fist. A rock-solid year in which he averaged almost 16 disposals per game and showed a propensity to tackle.

Bailey Banfield (20): Earned and kept his spot early before he tired late. Looks to have use as a tagger and defensive forward. His kicking needs work, but a successful first year.

Brennan Cox (20): Has clean hands in the air, but just needs to round out his game with more intensity and better kicking. Still managed 18 goals from 16 games. Has just turned 20.

Sean Darcy (20): A posterior cruciate liagement injury looked set to derail his season completely, but he got back and ended up playing seven matches. A raw, but very promising ruckman.

Taylin Duman (20): Played 10 games and Ross Lyon would have loved his last match against Collingwood when he played with real poise at half-back. Needs more time in the gym, but has a bit to work with.

Darcy Tucker (21): Has played 48 games in three seasons. Was promising early and laboured late. Needs to find the level next year that Langdon discovered this season.

Stefan Giro (19): Averaged almost 15 disposals in 10 games, but was guilty of butchering the football. Is an elite runner, but has some things to work on.

Mitch Crowden (19): Found a spot early, had some impact, then tired and faded. Chalked up nine games, but has things to work on.

Sam Switkowski (21): A small forward who showed a bit in his two games late in the year. Has pace and sniffs a scoring chance. There is hope here.

Scott Jones (23): Played five games as a ruckman and pinch-hitting forward. Good competitor. Would like to see what the Dockers have after a big pre-season. Huge man.

Lloyd Meek (20): Looked promising early, then was dropped to Peel reserves before improving late in the season. The Dockers have six ruckmen on their list and it will be interesting to see if all are retained.

Luke Strnadica (20): Has improved rapidly, graduating from Peel reserves to seniors, kicking 10 goals in his last 10 games as a forward-ruck. Should be kept to see where he is at after summer.

Hugh Dixon (18): Keep an eye on him. Tall forward who shone in the pre-season, but sustained a significant ankle injury in round one at Peel. Kicked 10 goals in nine WAFL games.

Tom North (19): Like Dixon, shone pre-season, but had a few injury niggles in the season proper and played only 11 games. Has a strong body and definite AFL potential.

Griffin Logue (20): Played 13 AFL games last year, but a foot injury wiped him out of 2018, restricting him to only three WAFL games off a wrecked pre-season. Will be hoping to get a better run at it in 2019.

Ryan Nyhuis (21): Played eight games and it might have been more but for a three-match ban for his sling tackle on Robbie Gray. Useful. Should earn a new contract, but looms as a depth player.

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THE ABSENTEES

Aaron Sandilands: The Dockers were competitive early when he led the ruck, but collapsed when the veteran went down with a calf injury. Missed 11 games. Next year will be his last.

Stephen Hill: When you don’t have many great ball users, it hurts when one goes down. On and off the field with a quad problem which wouldn’t come right. Missed nine games.

Bradley Hill: The reigning Doig medallist sparked fears of an anterior cruciate ligament injury in round two and ended up missing 12 games. Finished with a blinder against Collingwood.

Connor Blakely: Was having a strong fourth season at just 22 when a knee injury finished him early. Missed nine games and will be a key next year.

Matt Taberner: Looked to have taken a significant step at the start of the season, but sustained a foot injury and missed 13 games. Kicked 10 goals in nine games and they looked a better team with him.

THE DISAPPOINTMENTS

Harley Bennell: In fairness, after another off-field indiscretion over summer it was calf issues only that kept him out of the AFL. Still has played only twice at the elite level in three seasons. Next year has to be make or break.

Cam McCarthy: We see glimpses of the 23-year-old’s talent and then weeks on end when there aren’t even glimpses. Kicked 19 goals, but there is too big a gap between his best and worst and he doesn’t look fit enough. Needs a big 2019.

Brandon Matera: Kicked 13 goals from 18 games, but finished the year in the WAFL. More suited to a role closer to goal than the high-forward role he found himself playing at times.

Shane Kersten: Played nine games, mainly in defence. Not without hope, but looks like a depth player more than a first-22 player. Will need something more next year to hold his place.

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THE CLOCK IS TICKING

Michael Apeness (23): Has a contract for 2019. Played five games, but is injured so often, another year of injuries would surely see him out. Has ability.

Tommy Sheridan: (24): Played 13 games and averaged 17 disposals. Is useful at times, but you suspect his best role is the one Bradley Hill and Langdon have made their own.

Ethan Hughes (23): Played just five games this year, but his round 23 effort against Collingwood certainly boosted his stocks.

Brady Grey (23): No one tries harder, but his lack of polish hurts him in a team that needs to lift its skill execution. Probably on the cusp when final list management calls are made.

Cameron Sutcliffe (26): Regular member of the team between 2013 and 2016, but he played just four games in 2018 and doesn’t really fit at either end of the ground now. In trouble.

THE SURVIVOR

Hayden Ballantyne (31): Four-goal haul in the last game helped cool the heat on the club for extending him by a year. Nearly pinched the club’s goal kicking, finishing with 21 goals.

THE DEPARTED

Michael Johnson (33): Played well right up to the end with a solid game on Mason Cox in round 23. Finished with 244 games and one All-Australian jumper. A very good player and enjoyed a very good career.

Danyle Pearce (32): A 258-game career that included 104 at Fremantle and grand finals at two clubs. He was a standout at Peel after being dropped early in the season.

Lee Spurr (31): Didn’t play an AFL game after a knee injury sustained in the pre-season. Got the most out of himself in 120 games and was a respected on-field leader.