That is it! The 2023 fantasy season is in the bag and we can finally put our phones down for a while. Hopefully you were able to make the right luxury trades to get that final score you needed to finish the season (unlike me who went Short (99) to Newman (82) and Serong (120) to Green (109), and held Day, Taranto ewww).
The big scores may not have came for the retirees last week, but came this round with Isaac Smith (160) going off. Who said key forwards aren’t fantasy friendly with Tex (164) and Larkey (162) providing exactly what people needed to finish the year.
So as we clock off for the season, lets look at some of the key talking points and learnings that might help us prepare for 2024…
- The ruck is well and truly alive
With the change in rules and game styles, many feared that rucks would no longer score like the glory days of Gawndy. Well, no one told Tim English and Rowan Marshall this! Two of the top 3 averaging players for the year. Also did you notice how Gawn went as solo ruck? Sean Darcy while fit? Luke Jackson solo? Or how about the emergence of Big Briggsy? The one failed year of set and forget rucks last year scared plenty, but I tell you what, it looks like we will be spoilt for choice next year. Take the above mentioned, the fact that Tom Hickey retired, Grundy could be on the move and several clubs needing a solid R1, next year looks to be the year of the ruck!
- The forwards were real
At the start of the year many were worried that we were startin too many value premiums in the forward line, leaving us thin elsewhere. Well it turned out to be the right call… Guess who the top performing forwards were this year? Gulden, Taranto, Rozee, Cogs, Butters and Dunkley (who we did have to pay up for). This game is all about value and it can come in different places in different years, so do not be afraid to load up one line if the rookies are better elsewhere and you see the value.
- Pay up for gun rooks
Now this has been a trend for a while, but if we have learnt anything the last couple of years, paying up it important. After Nick Daicos last year, Harry Sheezel and Will Ashcroft were brilliant this year, with Sheezel proving to be a keeper for the whole year. There is nothing more painful that constantly burning trades early on rookies who are in and out of teams and making us very little cash. Pay up, find value elsewhere and you will be able to make the moves you ‘want’ to do, not ‘have’ to do.
- Premium does not always mean premium
One of my favourite sayings in fantasy is that you are getting a guy for what he will do and not for what he has done. This is also the hardest part of the game are we are constantly trying to predict the future. Enter the so called uber premiums in 2023… Many drafts (including my home keeper in 2021) had guys like Steele, Miller, Macrae and Mills all in the top few picks and again we saw value this year when they would return to that 120 average. Think again… The drop off has been significant and painful for many coaches. Each year there are guys who have been going between 95-105 who go bang and find their way into the top group (e.g. Bont, Marshall, Dawson) and guys who are definitely going 120 (e.g. Laird) do not quite crack it. Again predicting the future is key and if you can fin the secret formula, let me know can ya?
- Breakout candidates
Speaking of predicting the future, we always get a little snapshot at the end of the season as to what might happen in the following year. This is where we look for role changes, trades, new coaches, etc. So who might we be looking at for next year?
Below are the names I am currently putting on the watch list and why:
Sam Flanders – Change in coach and role saw Flanders go off to finish the year and if Dimma has any sense, he will go from strength to strength.
Harry Himmelberg – Took a while for Kingsley to realise he is a backman and sure this comes with some risk, but man he has been good down back and I cannot see him going anywhere, regardless of where he is playing.
Paddy Dow – Here we go again… but probably switches clubs and gets games.
George Hewett – If fit has showed this year was a blip.
Jy Simpkin – Surely bounces back?
Ben Hobbs – Was a great value pick this year and Essendon SUCK… Have to give guys like hobbs the keys in there and should only get better.
Tarryn Thomas – Hear me out… We have been here before, but since returning he quietly went about his business and with a full preseason and no incidents (fingers crossed) we could finally see the guy we thought he was.
Harry Sheezel – Nick Daicos 2.0? No Ziebell…
Zac Fisher – New club or not, if he maintains that HB role, could be huge value.
Liam Henry – We finally got to see what Henry is capable of. Another possibly on the move, now not sure if that is a positive or not?
And on and on I could keep going… How many will actually be good? Who knows…
Well, that’s a wrap for 2023. I hope if you are reading this you have found some enjoyment or some useful advice through these articles throughout the season.
Thank you for your support and now that you have most of my starting squad, I look forward to losing to each of you all over again!
