Well, i think it was obvious that all the old/slow players - Watson, Stanton, Howlett, Hocking etc - were never going to get back to their peak form post suspension, purely as a function of age and lack of speed.
Hurley had a great year culminating in AA selection, his only year that was better was 2015. Hooker played a very good year in a position that was new to him. Heppell finished 3rd in the Crichton so even if he didn’t produce his very best stuff, he was hardly struggling as some on here claim. Not sure why the non-EFC trio came back so well - two (Ryder and Hibberd) probably had career-best years - but they managed just fine.
My point isn’t whether the players were better post suspension, but rather that, in aggregate, players generally came back at or around their career baselines (except the old guys). Myers and Colyer were no exception - their career baselines are “mediocre fringe 22 players” and that’s in line with what they turned out in 2017. I think the tendency with those two is for EFC faithful to remember patches of their careers when they were something better than “mediocre fringe 22” - and they both have had patches here and there - but in the main that’s where i think they’ve been the majority of their careers, and where they’ll likely stay.