Rookie Review – 2020 Marsh Series Week 2

As well as raising lots of much-needed money for those who need it most, the Bushfire Relief game last Friday night was a tremendous spectacle. If you didn’t get a kick out of seeing the game’s best players lining up next to and opposed to each other, then you’re a harder person to please than I. If there was any downside to the occasion at all, it was that the players involved had to make themselves unavailable for this weekend’s Marsh Series games. That makes it a little more difficult to draw any hard conclusions from these games as far as Supercoach is concerned, but there were still some promising performances for us to talk about….

GAME 1: ESSENDON vs WEST COAST

Due to a combination of factors, there was scant rookie relevance in this game. The clear standout was Bailey J. Williams ($123,900 def/ruc), who has only recently been gifted dual position status by Champion Data. He lived up to the label by predominantly spending time in the back half, and giving NicNat and Vardy a chop out in the ruck when required. His 70 points from 70% TOG included 12 touches, 5 hitouts and a goal, and was promising enough to get him on your radar for game 2. At 199cm and 95kg, he’s pretty hard to miss!
The other Eagle of interest was third year swingman Jarrod Brander ($133,000 def/fwd), who floated through a variety of roles without overly impressing in any of them. 11 possessions at 63% efficiency (46 points) should be enough to see him keep his place for next weekend, and he will need to be monitored from then on. Anthony Treacy and Hamish Brayshaw were given limited game time, and would seem unlikely to hold their spots when the SOO players return to the club this week.
For the Bombers, Brandon Zerk-Thatcher ($189,000 def) has attracted some interest as a slow-burn option at the back, and was very solid in his 61 point effort from 83% TOG, including a game-high 9 intercepts among his 14 possessions. With Michael Hurley suffering a calf twinge, there may be opportunity there for BZT. Irving Mosquito and Cian McBride played in the pockets at either end and saw little of the footy, while Harrison Jones somehow scored 44 from only three touches!

GAME 2: GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY vs SYDNEY

Despite missing up to ten members of their frontline squad, the Giants completely steamrolled their crosstown rivals by 94 points. Midfield beast and pick 10 in the draft Tom Green ($166,800 mid) was literally in the middle of it all, gathering 21 disposals (including a game-high 15 contested), attending 15 centre bounces, and slotting two majors for his 106 points on debut. Rated as the best ever contested ball player in under-age footy by Champion Data, Green is ready made for AFL. The only question is can he get into the Giants 22? Fellow top 10 draftee Lachlan Ash ($193,800 def/mid) was also highly impressive in garnering 88 points from 72% TOG, stemming from 19 touches at a stellar 94% efficiency. Already pencilled in for a round 1 debut, you should also strongly consider him for your backline!
Of the other baby Giants, Nick Shipley ($123,900 mid) showed the benefit of experience with 35 points from 40% TOG, while Jye Caldwell (15 CBAs but only 42 points) and Xavier O’Halloran (25 points in 62% TOG) played minor roles in their side’s big win.
It was a dirty day for the lacklustre Swans, but Justin McInerney ($123,900 def) showed a bit of spark on the wing, gathering 19 disposals for his 80 points. Popular defender Will Gould ($117,300 def) did enough to keep himself in all your teams with 68 points from 10 disposals (100% efficiency), but pick 5 Dylan Stephens ($189,300 mid) disappointed, only managing 38 points in 73% game time. Stephens looks promising for a round 1 debut but will need to lift significantly in game 2 to justify his elevated price tag.

GAME 3: FREMANTLE vs CARLTON

The Dockers had three top 10 picks in last year’s draft, but the only one active in week 1 of the Marsh Series was Caleb Serong ($175,800 mid). Likened to Lachie Neale for his ball winning ability and endurance, Serong started slowly but still managed 60 from only 56% TOG, including 14 possessions (11 contested) at 71% efficiency, 11 centre bounce attendances and zero clangers. Caleb should be on your shortlist for midfield rookies if he receives more time on ground in week 2.
Second year defender Tobe Watson ($123,900 def) impressed with 62 points from 13 touches, five marks and 4 one percenters. Sam Sturt ($123,900 fwd) started the game on the half forward flank but only occasionally saw the pill, with his 39 points (76% TOG) coming from nine possessions and a goal. The other Freo rookies in this game, Minairo Frederick and Hugh Dixon, received limited game time and had a combined eight possessions.
For the Blues, Tom Williamson ($146,300 def) fell short of what many of his owners would have been hoping for with 52 points from 83% TOG. Competing for the ball with the likes of Docherty, Simpson and Newman, it may be expecting too much for him to be a viable cow this year? Hopefully he shows more in game 2. The other Carlton rookies in this game Tom De Koning, Cameron Polson and Sam Philp are probably not relevant and posted modest numbers.

GAME 4: COLLINGWOOD vs RICHMOND

This game was heavily affected by the absence of star players, so it’s hard to take too much from the stats here. The cynical side of me fully expected Darcy Cameron ($123,900 fwd/ruc) to dominate in this lower standard of footy, and guess what – he did! 12 touches, seven marks, 20 hitouts and a couple of goals add up to a game high 127 points for the Pies new recruit. But will he still be there when Grundy returns next weekend?
Also impressive was Irish key defender Mark Keane ($123,900 def), who recorded 86 points from 86% TOG and generally held his post extremely well. It’s likely Darcy Moore takes his spot for the season proper, but remember the name. Tyler Brown ($123,900 mid) comes with a great footy pedigree, and 65 points (73% TOG) from 16 possessions on the wing was evidence of that. Nathan Murphy ($123,900 def) sat out the first half but made the very most of his game time, compiling 58 points thanks to 100% efficiency from his ten disposals and 7 marks. Finally Trent Bianco ($117,300 mid/def) has been a fixture of many Supercoach teams this pre-season, but he only played garbage time in the final quarter and scored 14 points.
For the understrength Tigers, all eyes were on grand final hero Marlion Pickett ($123,900 mid). Perhaps the lack of occasion affected his effort, as Pickett recorded seven clangers but still managed 61 points (79% TOG). 12 contested possessions, a game-high 19 CBAs and four tackles are all good signs though, and it’s extremely safe to leave Pickett in your midfield for now. Third ruckman Callum Coleman-Jones ($195,500 ruc) was perfectly adequate again with 59 points from 75% TOG, but is not likely to feature after this weekend unless injury strikes Soldo or Nankervis.
Unfortunately there’s not much to discuss regarding the other Richmond rooks. Riley Collier-Dawkins ($123,900 mid) looked a little off the pace for his 30 points despite 13 CBAs, while draftee Thomson Dow (20 points in 20% TOG) and small forward Jake Aarts (36 points in 38% TOG) acquitted themselves well despite seeing limited time on field.

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