Names such as Mitch Golby, Ryan Lester, Rohan Bewick and Ryan Harwood have gone from being on the fringe to playing regular senior football, while the likes of Jack Redden, Daniel Rich, Pearce Hanley and Joel Patfull have all enjoyed career-best seasons.
But according to AFL Media’s Michael Whiting, Golby gets the nod as the player that has improved the most.
“Stranded on the Rookie List last year, Golby not only got a call-up to the seniors, but grabbed it with both hands,” Whiting wrote on afl.com.au.
“He played the first 13 games of the season before sustaining a foot injury, and mixed shutdown roles across half-back with an improving offensive game that helped springboard the Lions from defence to attack.”
Whiting then gazed into the crystal ball and gave his prediction that Jared Polec would be most likely to follow in Golby’s footsteps and have a breakout season in 2013.
“The former No.5 draft pick has had two injury-interrupted seasons to start his Lions career, but showed glimpses of his promise this year,” he wrote.
“His classy left-foot delivery and outside run adds a different dimension to the Lions midfield. A fine finisher, Polec can add the polish the Lions are looking for.”
The article prompted lions.com.au to go back through the 2012 season and find out which players have made the biggest gains from a statistical point of view.
Rohan Bewick
Bewick’s average disposals might have only gone up marginally (around 10%), but it’s important to note that he has played the role of the substitute on more than one occasion.
His impact on the scoreboard, however, has been most significant. Bewick kicked 18 goals from his 16 games in 2012 to rank equal 4th on the Club’s goal-kicking tally.
His forward contribution has also been consistent, scoring at least one goal in 12 of his past 13 outings.
Mitch Golby
One of only two Lions AFL Rising Star nominees, Golby played in each of the Club’s first 13 senior matches before a foot injury prematurely ended his season.
He averaged 18.5 disposals - an increase of more than five from 2011 - and became a reliable member of the back six.
His season highlights included six games of 20-plus disposals, with a personal best return of 26 against the Gold Coast Suns back in Round 4.
Josh Green
After starting the season with the Lions Reserves, Green earned his senior spot in Round 8 and went on to play in 12 of the team’s final 15 matches.
But arguably his season highlight came in just one quarter of football against the West Coast Eagles in Round 10, when he came on as the substitute in the final term and booted three sensational goals to lift the Lions to a famous victory.
Green finished the season with 15 goals - which ranked him 7th overall at the Club.
Pearce Hanley
It’s hard to argue that Hanley has improved this season considering he finished 4th in the Club Champion award last year, but the Irishman seems to have taken his game to an even higher level in 2012.
He might have only slightly increased his disposal rate, but at his best he proved to be one of the most damaging defenders/wingmen in the competition.
Of particular note were his performances against the Western Bulldogs (Rounds 12 and 23), Adelaide (Round 21) and Melbourne (Rounds 1 and 14). He also collected a career-best 34 disposals against Sydney at the SCG, proving he can step up against quality opposition.
Ryan Harwood
An in-an-under midfielder by trade, Harwood was shifted into defence this season and proved one of the Lions’ finds of the season.
After playing in just four of the team’s first 10 matches, he went on to play in each of the Lions’ final 12 games as a member of the back-six.
He averaged a personal-best 15.2 disposals per game this season, including a career-high 29 against Melbourne in Round 14.
Ryan Lester
A rather quiet achiever, Lester has been the Club’s ‘Mr Fix It’ this season, playing in a variety of roles as the team requires.
He played in all but three of the Lions’ games in 2012 after managing just three during his debut season.
His average disposals rose from 12 to 15 this season, and he seems to have adopted the Joel Patfull ability of going about his business with minimal fuss.
At just 20 years of age, Lester already looks as though he’s been playing senior AFL football far longer than he has.
PERSONAL BEST STATS (IN A SEASON)
Total Games
22 - Tom Rockliff (previous best 20)
19 - Ryan Lester (previous best 3)
16 - Rohan Bewick (previous best 12)
16 - Ryan Harwood (previous best 7)
13 - Mitch Golby (previous best 8)
12 - Jared Polec (previous best 3)
12 - Josh Green (previous best 5)
8 - Claye Beams (previous best 5)
Average Disposals
24.9 - Jack Redden (previous best 23.9)
21.7 - Daniel Rich (previous best 19.4)
20.9 - Pearce Hanley (previous best 20.4)
18.5 - Mitch Golby (previous best 13.0)
16.3 - James Hawksley (previous best 16.0)
15.2 - Ryan Harwood (previous best 14.5)
14.8 - Claye Beams (previous best 9.4)
13.2 - Jordan Lisle (previous best (11.2)
12.4 - Rohan Bewick (previous best 11.2)
12.0 - Niall McKeever (previous best 10.7)
9.5 - Aaron Cornelius (previous best 9.0)
8.1 - Patrick Karnezis (previous best 8.0)
Total Goals
26 - Daniel Merrett (previous best 13)
20 - Daniel Rich (previous best 14)
18 - Tom Rockliff (previous best 12)
18 - Rohan Bewick (previous best 5)
15 - Josh Green (previous best 0)
13 - Aaron Cornelius (previous best 10)
8 - Jared Polec (previous best 1)
8 - Andrew Raines (previous best 1)
7 - Pearce Hanley (previous best 3)
4 - Jordan Lisle (previous best 1)
3 - Ryan Lester (previous best 2)
