One of the most relevant games of the weekend was the Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne. Have we finally solved our ruckline dilemma? And have some players that we’ve locked away all preseason created cause for concern. Check out my review of the match.
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Jackson Macrae
Just two weeks ago, the fantasy community got spooked that Jackson Macrae was spending time in an intra-club match rotating between the midfield and half-forward. I said on a podcast with Rids that it was the perfect role for him and that it was getting time on the wing that we wanted to avoid. However, throughout this match, we saw Macae be and do what he’s done for so long, and that be in a role that propels him to be one of the best fantasy prospects across the formats. He’s been in all my teams since day one, and I saw nothing that would make me want to move him.
I wrote about him earlier in the preseason during the 50 most relevant. You can read the article & listen to the podcast here.
Marcus Bontempelli
No Josh Dunkley + a set tall forward line = a move midfield stable role for Marcus Bontempelli. Simply put, if you were bullish on Bont before this game, then he’s done everything you need to lock him in.
I wrote about him earlier in the preseason during the 50 most relevant. You can read the article & listen to the podcast here.
Bailey Smith
Flying under the radar this preseason has been Bailey Smith. For the first time in the preseason, we got a public viewing of his role, and it was Bazlenka returning to his combination centre-bounce midfield and as a high half-forward. In this role, he dominated early in 2022 and switched-on fantasy coaches already have him in the mix for their starting squads, especially in AFLFantasy & DreamTeam.
I wrote about him earlier in the preseason during the 50 most relevant. You can read the article & listen to the podcast here.
Oskar Baker
I was super impressed with his outside run and carry. His ability to work between the arcs and link up across the flanks was excellent. I’d be very surprised if we didn’t see Oskar Baker get his club debut in round one. He is an absolute lock in DreamTeam & SuperCoach if he’s named.
Tim English
Have you been part of the ‘set & forget’ mindset for multiple years? It’s done for these reasons. But, in 2023, it’s still a genuine play. Tim English built beautifully into the game and gave me confidence that what we saw from Tim pre-injury last year is what he’ll be this year—worried about his injury history? That’s an extra reason to start him again… Don’t make me go off on the injury history talk again, lol.
I wrote about him earlier in the preseason during the 50 most relevant. You can read the article & listen to the podcast here.
Toby McLean
At the start of the preseason, Toby McLean was one of the first picked for many, but as the preseason has gone on, people have started too cool on him. One of the reasons for it is we’ve got an overflow of forward cash cows. As a result, we no longer have to ‘pay up’ in AFLFantasy & DreamTeam for him. He played primarily as a forward and pushed up the ground on the weekend. I didn’t love the role, but his picking up much midfield time was always a long shot. The other consideration is that he’s a genuine vest candidate most weeks. So beyond SuperCoach, I understand why the community has decided to fade him.
I wrote about him earlier in the preseason during the 50 most relevant. You can read the article & listen to the podcast here.
Tom Liberatore
Looking for a unique in the midfield? Tom Liberatore is someone to at least consider in SuperCoach. Historically he’s got multiple years where he’s averaged 105 but does have just the one season (2014) where he went over 110. He showed again on the weekend why he’s one of the most elite inside and contested footballers in the game. Unless you are bullish that he can go well north of 110, he’s just a draft option or someone to target should he have a slow start to the year.
Tom Powell
We had some of our ‘midprice’ guys show plenty during the weekend. So many teams have one of Jacob Hopper, Dom Sheed, Finn Callaghan or James Worpel. Another name you can throw into that mix with MID/FWD eligible Tom Powell putting on another strong performance in the offseason. He’s back in that Kangaroos midfield mix under Clarko and winning more than a fair share of the ball. Two years ago, he was one of the best cash cows for the year and showed plenty of fantasy pedigree. Perhaps he’s primed to ‘breakout’ in his third year.
Will Phillips
He won’t be one of the highest-scoring cash cows, but Will Phillips does look like he’ll have some of the best job security of all available options. Phillips played his role through the midfield and showed glimpses of why the Kangaroos drafted some early a few seasons ago. The ideal would be to find a way to slide him to the bench emergency spot, but not a disaster if he’s your M8.
I wrote about him earlier in the preseason during the 50 most relevant. You can read the article & listen to the podcast here.
Luke Davies-Uniacke
Over the preseason, LDU has been one of the most in-demand ‘breakout’ players that could become a premium and someone you hold for the year. If you were bullish heading into the game, he did nothing that should concern you and make you cool on him. However, some guys in this realm have bashed the door down in the preseason. So his ownership might fade because of what others have done, not because of Luke.
I wrote about him earlier in the preseason during the 50 most relevant. You can read the article & listen to the podcast here.
Become a Patron!Harry Sheezel
Harry’s the best forward cash cow we’ve got available to us. In the intra-club match simulations and the practice game, we saw that Clarko was happy to use him across the flanks at either end of the ground. He’s a classy user of the ball by hand and foot, and you can see the Kangaroos players and fans falling in love with him. The kid is a future jet!
Miller Bergman
A smokey for a game in round one. Bergman got limited time, but he looked good across the backline when he was on the field. He is a cash cow to monitor across the season, but he does scream a vest candidate to me.
Charlie Comben
Was an option as a forward cash cow heading into the weekend, but Charlie Comben has left it as someone your only picking if all the other cows fall over. He struggled to find his role with both Tristan Xerri and Todd Goldstein playing. A pass unless we get desperate.
