Tag: Trent Cotchin

AAMI Community Series Review | Hawks Vs Tigers

It was a young Hawthorn unit taking on an experienced Richmond outfit. The result was no surprise, but we learnt plenty from a fantasy footy perspective.

Josh Ward

Arguably the biggest takeaway from the game. Lock in Josh Ward. He was sensational across the game, in my eyes he was the best Hawk on the ground. Ward won plenty of the ball, he made good decisions both with and without the footy & is a certainty to play round one.

Connor Nash

Late last year the Hawks started to deploy Nash as a centre bounce midfielder. That role was evident yet again throughout this match. As a forward listed player player he could be a viable stepping stone for us to consider. The challenge with going ’all in’ on him in salary cap formats is that the Hawks were without Mitchell and O’Meara. How much of this role is the Hawks new normal? Or was he only given the heavy midfield minutes due to the absence of options? Sadly, we won’t know for certain until four rounds into the season.

Jai Newcombe

Took his time to build into the game, but as the final siren went it was evident as to why Sam Mitchell is such a fan of his. Jai adds a defensive hard edge to the midfield and will allow other Hawk mids to play to their offensive best. I don’t mind him as a late draft pickup.

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James Sicily

The Tigers had a super tall forward line with Riewoldt, Lynch, Balta & a resting ruck all inside 50. As a result, Sicily had to play a more accountable role and found less opportunities to peel off and intercept. Other opposition teams won’t play this many tall forwards, that means he should be freed to play his standard intercepting role. James offers excellent value and with the lack of cheap options in the backline he’s someone that every coach needs to consider regardless of the format.

Connor MacDonald

The year of expensive cash cows continues with Connor plying his craft across the game. He looks was a fantasy star as a junior and we saw glimpses of it as the game went on. He’s already been hyped for a round one debut, and did his chances no harm with this game. I believe the hawks will be pushing to get 50+ games into him, Jai & Josh as a midfield trio as quickly as possible. If named round one, he’s a good chance to get multiple games early.

Noteable Outs

Tom Mitchell & Jaeger O’Meara

Dustin Martin

Dusty played… He looked good, and with so many doubts on forward premos he could just be the safest building block in this line.

Hugo Ralphsmith

Much has been made about the lack of cows in 2022. As a result, anyone priced under $300k that looks like they’ll get games we need to seriously consider. He’s available to be picked as a MID/FWD but is playing predominantly off halfback. I’ve been impressed with his development in the offseason, and as good as he’s looked I still have a slight concern. That is he’s a possible sub candidate most weeks. If named one round, I can see plenty making room for him at F5 or F6.

Trent Cotchin

Not fantasy relevant, but when he’s fit and firing he’s so important to the Tigers structure. If he can get 20+ games then for those hoping for Richmond to miss finals again you might find yourselves disappointed.

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Jayden Short

Over the past few years Jayden has shown he’s a genuine top tier defensive premium. This match just sent up a massive flare around just how good he can be. If you were hot on him before this match, understandably nothing has changed.

Daniel Rioli

Seems to finally has found his feet in the Tigers defensive 6. I couldn’t touch him in salary gap formats, but late on draft day he could be a brilliant flyer.

Ultimate Footy | Free Agency Pick Ups | Round 20

We’re getting to the pointy end of the season and that means the talent pool is drying up, so we must continue to get creative in how we look for surprise packets in the waiver wires. This week’s list looks at a versatile young Giant and a Tiger champion in the twilight of his glittered career. Also, on the list is a Docker with the unenvied record of being named the medical sub more times than any other player.


BACK/FWD:

Kieran Briggs – GWS
% owned – 11%
2021 average – 55.7

A player with just 3 senior career games next to his name is an odd choice for this article but some opportunities lay ahead that could result in a better fantasy output. The ruckmen stocks at the Giants continue to drop with young gun Matthew Flynn recently joining Brayden Preuss on the sidelines long term. That leaves the aging wonder that is Shane Mumford and young Briggs as ruck options.

Mumford has been remarkable this season considering his age but it has been well documented that he cannot play more than 2 or 3 games in a row which has seen Flynn get games as well as Briggs.
In his 3 games this season, Briggs has shown he can put together reasonable scores playing as a ruck/forward, sharing with Flynn. His best score was a 62 thanks to an impressive 6 tackles against Carlton followed by a 60 the week after against Hawthorn.


With Mumford carrying a sore back, and needing weeks off at times, Briggs is the last man standing and could see himself playing as the sole ruck in some games. That should be enough to add an extra 20 points to his scoring.

CENTRE:

Trent Cotchin – Richmond
% owned – 70%
2021 average – 72.6

A Brownlow medallist and three time premiership captain, Cotchin has been a giant of the game but has not been much of a fantasy option for years now with 2017 being the last time he averaged over 90 in a season. Even though his disposals average has declined in recent years, Cotchin can still score thanks to his tackling, averaging just under 4 a game this year.
Richmond have been hit hard by injuries to senior players this season and in recent times, the midfield, in particular, has been hit hard. This could explain a slight spike in Cotchin’s centre bounce attendances in the last few weeks.
With Martin out for the season, and question marks around the fitness of Prestia and Edwards, Cotchin will be leading the midfield charge hoping to teach the young Tiger cubs around him.
In wins this season, Cotchin has averaged 85 with that number dropping to 64 in losses so with Richmond’s season hanging by a thread, he’ll be doing everything he can to keep the season alive.

Connor Blakely – Fremantle
% owned – 14%
2021 average – 33.6

In his 7th season in the AFL, Blakely has endured what one can only imagine has been an incredibly frustrating season in 2021. He been named as the medical substitute 8 times this year (the most of any player in the league), getting onto the ground 6 times. On top of that, he has played just two games as part of the starting 22 with a very poor output.

It’s a big fall from grace for a guy who averaged 90+ across the 2017-18 seasons but also does make sense when you consider he has been out of favour at the Dockers since coach Justin Longmuir took over at the start of 2020. He was nearly traded last year but decided to stay and fight for his spot.

So why pick him? There should be an opportunity for Blakely in the final rounds of the season as captain Nat Fyfe is now out for the season and Michael Walters is at long odds to return from his hamstring injury before the end of the season. This could open a spot for Blakely as the 25-year-old is now one of their most experienced midfielders and the likes of young guns Brayshaw and Cerra will develop quicker with experience around them. It’s a long shot, but if Blakely gets a go at it, he has a history of scoring well with a high ceiling. In the earlier mentioned seasons when he averaged over 90, he scored 130+ on four occasions.



JLT Players Of Interest: Hawthorn Vs Richmond

It was a tale of two halves with the Hawks dominating the first while the Tigers came out on top in the second. Both sides would’ve felt like they got what they wanted out of the game, but from a fantasy perspective, we learnt plenty.

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Richmond

Trent Cotchin

His game mirrored precisely that of his team. Weak in the first half and lacked his usual skill, composure and intensity, but after half time he was a bull, winning clearances at will. His seven inside 50’s and two last quarter goals were the difference in the game. I wouldn’t touch him in salary caps as I believe we have stronger value options than him in the midfield, but in drafts, he’s certainly going to deliver stronger scoring returns that on last season.

Jack Higgins

Was injected into the centre bounces in the last term and provided another spark for the Tigers. He looks to have elevated his game to another level with 22 possessions, eight score involvements and three goals. While certainly a breakout candidate the format I’d be more inclined to own Higgins is in AFLFantasy. He’s the perfect F3/F4 because his upside based on his price he offers some value.

Dustin Martin

If you were locked on Dusty before tonight, then you should still be very confident on him this year. Played his midfield role and was dominant winning ten clearances. He presents value in every format of the game and this preseason Dusty’s looking ready to take his mantle back as one the best fantasy players in the game.

Jack Graham

I love this kid! Goes at it a million miles an hour and never gives up. Graham adds plenty of pressure on the ball carrier, had no problem winning the clearance and was critical in many of the Tigers score involvements. In draft leagues, he’s going super late, but I think he’s a great option to draft as his upside is enormous given the point your likely selecting him.

Noah Balta

Reinforced the steady work, he did from last week and kicked a goal, added some excellent pressure around the ground and won 6 hitouts when needed in the ruck contest. Even with Tom Lynch likely to play it looks like the Tigers love his versatility and presence and he should be ready to roll cash cow for us.

Jayden Short

Couldn’t get his running game going, but you could say the same for Bachar Houli. If you were a Short owner before last nights game, then his performance shouldn’t deter you from starting him. We’ve seen over the 2018 season and last rounds JLT what he can deliver, and I think he keeps lifting his game to another level. I’m not sold it’s enough to be a top 10 defender, but he could go close.

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Hawthorn

Jaeger O’Meara

The absence of Tom Mitchell in 2019 means the responsibility of leading the midfield falls to O’Meara. If this match was any indication, he’s going to relish the responsibility to lead his hawks. Thirty-three possessions, 10 of those were contested, four clearances, three inside 50’s and five score involvements. On a recent podcast fellow panellist, Jimmy talked up O’Meara’s scoring potential and relative low ownership percentage, games like this remind people just how fantasy relevant JOM can be.

James Worpel

Did his ownership numbers no harm with another strong performance. Twenty-four touches, a goal and plenty of midfield time for this second-year player. The injury of Tom Mitchell has forced the Hawks hand to give players like Worpedo more exposure into the midfield, and at the moment he’s showing signs he’ll be a midfield bull for many seasons to come. The questions are, can you get more value for money with some cheaper options lower down? And will he score enough to average 90+ for the season?

James Cousins

Cuz was excellent early on winning plenty of clearances and drove the ball inside fifty on multiple occasions. Like his teammates, he fell away in the second half and made some errors with the ball under the Richmond pressure. Priced a little out of the market in AFLFantasy, but in SuperCoach especially he provides plenty of value if you’re looking for a low ownership option.

Jack Scrimshaw

Had the ball on a string inside the first term picking up a dozen possessions. Found it a little more tough going in the second and third terms but made some excellent decisions by foot to open up the game in the last. After an interrupted preseason Jack looks like he’s made his way into the Hawks best 22 and is a genuine cash cow we need to consider.

James Sicily

Played just over 50% of the game time but most importantly was used back in his fantasy-relevant role inside defensive 50 for the Hawks. Sicily was involved in all facets of the game current, and potential owners would’ve been hoping for from kick-ins, contested and intercept marks. The positive for Sicily owners is he’s had a ‘quiet’ preseason and could be more unique than what you’d expect. #WINNING

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