2023 Wrapped & 2024 Crystal Gaze

Apologies all, this was meant to be out Monday morning. Unfortunately, some decent Melbourne weather and 18 holes of golf pushed it back to Tuesday morning, and then work called so it was pushed back again to Wednesday morning. Anyway, here is the…

Season Wrap

Adelaide: Cruelly denied a chance to play finals in 2023, Adelaide admittedly didn’t make enough noise away from home throughout  the season to suggest they could go all the way anyway. A fairly popular SuperCoach team, the Crows had a few out and out stars plus several rookies that cycled through our 2023 lineups.

2023:

Players to go 100+

– Rory Laird (116.9): Started off the season with a 50 but dropped 17 tons before 2023 wrapped up. Some C worthy scores and despite constant injury concerns, only missed the 1 game.

– Jordan Dawson (115.9): Showed an elite ceiling and, like Laird, had 17 tons. Ended up in 58% of teams, played all 23 games with a season low of 78.

– Others to mention: O’Brien didn’t miss a game and averaged 95.8 while having the most hitouts in the competition, while guys like Rankine, Keays, Soligo, Milera, Rachelle and Smith scored tons throughout. Hinge had a really nice finish to the season, ending on 505K for a 133K price rise. Didn’t drop below 80 after round 15 with 5 tons in that time. Walker obviously had some massive games (208, 167, 157) but paired that with several 30’s and 40’s. Matt Crouch made his way back into the team and was elite in his possession finding, averaging 98 with 27 touches.

– Rookies: Michalanney and Pedlar were popular to begin the season and provided good coverage, playing 22 and 21 games respectively. Guys like Borlase, Nankervis and Keane came into calculations late in the season as downgrade targets.

2024 Crystal Ball:

– Can’t see Dawson or Laird falling far from their 2023 averages, both should be fine picks although confident Dawson will only be available as a midfielder in 2024

– Matt Crouch showed he still has elite ball finding ability and scoring potential, one to keep an eye on

– ROB should be ROB again

– Semi breakout possibility for guys like Rankine, Rachelle, Schoenberg and Jones

– Sam Berry (4 games) really dropped from what he did in 2022 and could be underpriced, one to keep an eye on in preseason to see if he is in Adelaide’s plans going forward

 

Brisbane: Finishing in 2nd spot and primed to make a run at the grand final, Brisbane was great during the regular season and I felt like every team had 3-5 Lions players at some point. Here’s a wrap of their season.

2023:

Players to go 100+

– Josh Dunkley (115.2): Close to the most popular player at a few points in the season, Dunkley had a poor finish (89, 3 round average) but had 16/17 tons before that finish. C worthy scores with 6 over 130, the best being 153 against the Suns in round 10. Won’t have forward status in 2024.

– Lachie Neale (110.4): Nothing to scoff at but down on the 120+ he had done for three of the four years prior. 5 scores above 130 with a monster 176 against North early in the year.

– Others to mention: Several tons throughout the year to McInerney, McCluggage, Zorko, Andrews and Jarrod Berry, plus Daniher and Cameron when they got some goals to go through. Although none were consistent enough to really warrant selection, Andrews being the most selected at 2.2% ownership.

– Rookies: Spoilt for choice we were with the Lions. Everyone had Ashcroft who was as good as keeper at M8 if it had to be done before an ACL injury finished his season. Scored 6 tons with a best of 148. Wilmot stuck around for 23 games and was just such good coverage especially after the bye where he had 8/12 scores above 80 with a best of 120. McKenna also played 23 games although never bettered his round 1 score of 93, still a great pick for under 200K. Fletcher came into consideration a bit later and looks a player, while Joyce, Sharp, Lohmann and even Robertson when he dipped below 200K we’re seen in several thousand teams.

2024 Crystal Ball:

– Dunkley, Neale to be safe picks again

– Coleman to breakout if he can stay healthy, the retirement of Rich only helps him

– Ashcroft out for a while and Lyons seemingly being pushed into a sub role opens up some midfield space. Bailey, Rayner, maybe even Robertson can get a solid run

– Tough to tell where the value is. Experienced side, maybe a trade opens up some scoring opportunities? Currently very doubtful we’ll have anywhere near as many Lions in 24 compared to 23

 

Carlton

2023: Rollercoaster. Started great, putrid in the middle, then locked in 5th spot with a big old win streak. Hoping they can make some noise in this finals series. A great SuperCoach team in 2023 and should be the same in 2024.

– Players to average 100+

 – Adam Cerra (108.3): Broke out and was hardly picked up, a handy POD that I don’t think ever saw more than 6-7% ownership. Started quiet but then went with 7 scores of 125+ over a 10 week period. Frustratingly missed the final month but a great season all the same.

 – Sam Walsh (103.2): Just 15 games for Walsh but ultra consistent with just 2 below 90 (72, 87). Just 1 score above 120 but for an injury interrupted pre-season, it’s very respectable.

 – Sam Docherty (100.6): Up and down for Doch in 2024, finishing with 10 tons but also 4 poor scores below 80. I won’t soon forget his 39 touch, 10 mark, 1 goal game that resulted in just 87 points.

– Nic Newman (100.2): Stormed home with a 125 five round average after some poor scores in the middle part of the season. Season best was 144 but also had monsters of 139, 137 and 132 thrown in as he finished with 13 tons and over 600K in price.

 – Others to mention: Where form teams are, great scores will follow. Cripps (97.5) and Curnow (97.6) both had elite periods, but that’s to be expected when you’re a Brownlow medallist and two time Coleman winner. Curnow had 186 and 178, both against the Eagles. Others to ton were Saad, (especially early), Hewett (later in the season) plus occasionally Weitering and Acres. De Koning had a nice run at one point too.

– Rookies: Hollands played 17 games and showed great running power, with a season best of 95 coming against the Saints in round 21. Cincotta was in heaps of teams but never bettered his 88 from his second game, while Cowan was barely sight he’d after round 6 but provided that kick start of cash early. Later in the season, Cunningham and Fogarty both made 100K with averages of 62 each.

2024 Crystal Ball:

 – Walsh, Cerra to go 110+ if they can stay fit, wouldn’t be starting either after the finish to this season though with injuries

– Cripps has value but would have to take some real convincing over preseason

– Hewett value is he regains DPP

– Curnow the only key forward to even look at, expect big scores but is it enough to even it out?

– Newman clearly has the potential and could be a starting pick.

– Docherty better suited to loose role off half-back than in the middle, will have to see what 2024 brings to his role

– Hard to tell if there’s any breakouts in here. Maybe De Koning if they commit to him being the #1 ruck? Williams also missed the entire season but injury history says it’s a massive risk

 

 Collingwood: Minor premiership locked in and looked unbeatable for a good part of it. Injuries to key personnel around the pointy end made them a touch vulnerable but will be going into the finals series at almost full strength. Not a bunch of SuperCoach relevancy all the same but let’s take a look at the Pies season.

2023:

– Players to average 100+:

– Nick Daicos (116.3): Obviously didn’t finish the year but was insanely good throughout. Had a month of 130+ and overall fifteen tons, including 10 captain worthy scores of 125+. Season best came in round 4 with 151. Highly picked again next year even if he doesn’t have D/M status.

Others to mention: Surprisingly no one else at the ladder leading Pies went at triple figures but all of Josh Daicos (99), Pendlebury (94), Cameron (92), De Goey (96) and Mitchell (94) had great scores year round. Pendlebury finished the year with four tons in a row, while Moore had a streak of five and four for his nine tons on the season. Mitchell and Cameron started great, and De Goey showed a solid ceiling with four of 120+. Finally the older Daicos, Josh, had 14 tons in a breakout year.

Rookies: Not many to cover here, the only one to get enough games for a price rise was Harrison who came along later in the season. Heaps of 1-2 gamers who may benefit from a trade or another pre-season (Macrae, Kelly etc)

  2024 Crystal Ball:

– Daicos, either one really, to be fairly popular selections

 – Cameron the same if he can retain R/F status, scores like a premium more often than not

– De Goey = value if he retains midfield minutes

– Not much else to say on the Pies, with just Daicos going 100+ this year, hard to tell who has improved scoring potential going into 2024

 

Essendon: What started strongly again turned to a failed season with the final fortnight stinging, considering finals were still a chance. The usual suspects starred again while numerous others showed spurts of elite scoring.

2023:

– Players to average 100+

– Zach Merrett (116.3): Highest averaging season and eighth in a row above 100, Merrett again delivered with fifteen tons and just two scores below 90 for the season. Eight of those were above 130 with two monsters of 162 and 168 headlining them.

– Darcy Parish (108.1): Missed between round 8 and round 15 but was ultra consistent with just 1 below 90 all year. 13/18 tons but didn’t show that ceiling of years past with just four of those being 120+. All the same, slightly under valued heading into 2024 and just penned a new contract to stay at Windy Hill.

Others to mention: Mentioned in the season preview as “feeling lucky”, it wrung true for Ridley (94) and Redman (90) who both had genuine premium scores but were just too inconsistent. Ridley had been flying before a quad strain ended his season in round 19, while Redman produced some nice 130+ scores but also had his fair share of 50-70. Both would carry the same “feeling lucky” tag into 2024. Martin had seven tons and the lowest of those was 120, showing elite potential but still went as low as 34 and 49. Others who popped off for tons here and there were McGrath and Langford.

Rookies: A lot of us started the season with Davey Jnr how made his way back into the side in round 20 in what was a solid first season. Menzie played 21 games with a best of 75, while high pick Tsatas played the final four and really showed ball winning skills and SC scoring potential. Other players priced below 200K to play were Cox and Baldwin.

2024 Crystal Ball:

– Merrett and Parish safe picks again, both would be paying good odds to be in that 110+ average range

– Ridley had it going in the back half and if that role is there again, he’ll be worth considering

– Tsatas to be really highly picked in the middle

– Points up for grabs at the Bombers, can guys like Hobbs or McGrath or Caldwell pushed into that 95+ range? Shiel lost over 200K and averaged 69, Snelling and D’Ambrosio finished at 202K and 186K respectively, are they options if they can break back into the best 22?

 

Fremantle: At the end of the day, it was a pretty big drop for Fremantle after what was a really good 2022. Such a young core of players at this club though and the SuperCoach potential of 6-7 players to be premiums next year is evident.

2023:

Players to average 100+

– Caleb Serong (111.2): Breakout season complete for Serong with 16/23 tons to his name, six of those at over 130. Twin 146’s were his best return and that average for someone priced below 500K to start the season is an absolute steal. Finished 1st for total disposals and 4th for clearances.

– Luke Ryan (109.5): He’s done this before and returned to that triple figure average for the first time since 2020. Never dipped below 83 which shows a high floor and showed off his ceiling with 171 in round 1 plus 168 in round 17. Finished 2nd for total kicks, total marks and metres gained in the league and 1st for total rebounds from 50. Add into that 3rd for effective disposals. Great year.

– Andrew Brayshaw (109): On the other end of the spectrum, Brayshaw was a bit of a bust to start the year with just two tons before round 8. From there onwards though he only dropped below a ton twice, finishing with 16 with four going above 130. Season best was 149 as he performed week in, week out. Second overall for total disposals and the same spot for effective touches.

– Sean Darcy (105.5): Injury and up and down scoring made him frustrating to own but when he’s on, Darcy is one of the premier ruckman going around. Finished up in round 18 but of his eight tons, the lowest was 114, with a 151 against the Swans in round 9 being the best of the lot.

– Others to mention: Luke Jackson (97.9) smashed it once Darcy was done for the year, with 173 being the best of his young career against the Lions in round 21. Overall he had twelve tons for 2023. Hayden Young (94) found his way into the midfield late in the year as a tagger but also finished with four consecutive tons, showing some promise of a breakout midfield role next year, his best for the season though still being 137 in round 1. Schultz, Clark and Cox also found tons here and there, as did O’Meara.

Rookies: Johnson was solid, playing 18 games and provided decent cover, his best for the year was 99 against the Bombers. Sturt made nearly 150K from his starting price, while some others that didn’t play as prominently were Treacy, Hamling, Corbett, Worner and Stanley. Some late season highlights included Emmett’s 98 in his second game, plus the rise of Corey Wagner who had 2 tons in the final five weeks to rise 272K on the season.

2024 Crystal Ball

– Like Merrett and Parish, Brayshaw and Serong would be good chances to go 110+ again and are safe picks

– Young showed great potential and ideally with DPP, will be tempting as a breakout option

– Ryan safe if he retains that role and gamestyle where Fremantle possess the ball

– Darcy and Jackson tantalising picks, especially if a trade happens and each have solo ruck duties, although the formers injury history is starting to stand up

– Brodie (5 games), Chapman (3), Wilson (4), Colyer (0) should get a discount but will need massive pre-seasons to break into what is a young, but promising, best 22

 

Geelong: Premiership hangover to a point, the Cats were in the race for the finals but ultimately fell short. Fairly irrelevant in SuperCoach, as they have been for multiple years now, this’ll be a quicker review.

2023:

Players to average 100+

– Tom Stewart (113.7): Bettered the next Cat by over 20 points on average, the five time All Australian went down early in round 1 but returned with just one score under 90 (69 round 22) in another fine season. Six over 130, the best being a 167 in round 3, then 152 in round 19.

Others to mention: Standard tons throughout the season to Blicavs, Duncan, Dangerfield, Holmes and Miers popping up with a few including 159 against Port late in the season. Atkins took a step with a move to the middle, scoring five tons from round 16 onwards to finish 50K above his starting price. Cameron and Hawkins also had tons to their name but required bags of goals to do so, with highest scores of 156 and 184 respectively.

Rookies: Ratugolea showed some nice form early in the season and was a solid starting pick, while Knevitt showed enough in his 8 games. Simpson was highly picked in the middle of the season but only played 6 games, while other youngsters to get a game were Dempsey, Mullin, Neale, Conway, Whyte, Clohesy and Clark.

2024 Crystal Ball:

– Stewart will be up there again, worth the 600+K he will be priced at

– Points free in the middle, natural progression of Holmes and Atkins show some value

– Pick 8 last year, Jhye Clark, I imagine will see more game time in 2024 and with just 1 score of 13, he’ll be cheap.

– Don’t think we’ll be seeing many Geelong players in our team once again next year

 

Gold Coast: Another nothing season at the end of the day, the Suns showed promise in patches but weren’t consistent enough to make real noise and challenge for a first finals appearance. New coach, Damien Hardwick, next season, could propel this team with heaps of talent into September.

2023:

Players to average 100+

– Jarrod Witts (106.1): If you started him, it was a great pick, with the Suns skipper enjoying a superb season with 13 tons and just two missed games. Had the ruck pretty much to himself and was super consistent, but unfortunately produced a season worse 54 in round 24.

– Noah Anderson (104.9): Great season in the middle for the highly touted Anderson, the highlight of his year coming in round 8 with a massive 189 against the Demons. Scored triple figures in more than half of his games and a chance to go 110+ in the next half decade I would think. Won their BnF.

– Matt Rowell (102.3): Ranked 1st in the league for tackles, 2nd for contested possessions and 2nd for clearances, proving that he is one of the best inside midfielders going around. Couple of big 150+ scores in his 13 tons, capped off the Suns elite centre square setup.

Others to mention: Have to start with Flanders. Admittedly, horrid starting pick with scores of 64, 46 and an injury affected 26, but then went nuts with six tons in the final ten games with big scores of 130, 125 and 121. Miller started the year with five tons and looked a great pick but a knee injury saw him miss nearly three months and was never the same upon returning. Powell had a nice run of things, while Ellis, Ainsworth and Swallow had multiple tons each.

Rookies: Atkins nearly doubled his starting price and had a rich vein of form just before finals were he covered on field very nicely. Humphrey was also great around the byes and averaged 105 over a four week period where he made quick cash before peaking at 407K. King, Oea, Berry and Uwland all made cash from their starting prices, while some others youngsters in Moyle, Johnson and Tsitas also enjoyed some games. Charlie Constable was still in 53.2% of teams despite not playing after round 2.

2024 Crystal Ball

– Miller has value written all over him with a sub 100 average and I imagine would be highly picked

– Anderson and Rowell to continue their rise and be PODs to start

– Witts currently doesn’t have competition for his spot and should continue on his way

– Flanders had an elite finish to the season but is there enough room in the middle for him, Miller, Rowell and Anderson? Or does one of the other three take a back seat

– Budarick should get an injury discount and could be considered. Seems to be rated very highly internally as a rebounding back man

 

GWS: Finished up in seventh spot with a final round victory. Not the team to write off with star power everywhere, and that can be said for SuperCoach as well.

2023:

Players to average 100+

– Tom Green (111.2): Took the next step this season even if he did have frustrating time off due to a sling tackle and hamstring at seperate ends of the year. Capped the season with a 145, the best of his twelve tons but importantly they were often big scores of 120 or more.

– Kieren Briggs (108.9): Finished at R2 for plenty of coaches, gaining 319K overall. 10/14 tons with a season best of 139 in round 23, Briggs was a sensation and also super consistent, only falling below 90 twice, and that 87 and 79 aren’t even that low.

– Stephen Coniglio (101.7): Ineffective disposals were his thing most of the time as Cogs found plenty of it (5th in total disposals league wide) but showed an annoying floor multiple times. Still, played all 23 games for 14 tons, the best of those being in round 1 with 143.

– Josh Kelly (101.6): Seventh season in a row for Kelly to go 100+ but it’s always little injuries that hold him back, missing 4 games this year which is about standard. Showed his ceiling a few times with 164, 148 and 139 mixed in with some frustrating 80’s.

Other to mention: Heaps of tons to other Giants, including Himmelberg, Greene, Whitfield (later in the season), Ash, Ward, Taylor and Jesse Hogan with his monster 197 in round 23 after a 9 goal haul.

Rookies: Daniels and Buckley, while not rookies, were the standouts here. Both had been shut down with injuries in 2022 and hence, started below 200K while going onto average very respectable numbers of 75 and 78. O’Halloran (60) made some nice cash too. Cadman didn’t have a great first season after arriving as the first pick but tall forwards take time. McMullin played late in the season, while Angwin, Fahey and Rowston saw some time throughout the season in the best 22. Fleeton and Stone only played 2 and 3 games respectively, while Madden gets a shoutout for being the most popular loophole of the season.

2024 Crystal Ball:

– Green really popular and no reason to not select him, cleaner use would see him go to 118-120 easily

– Can’t find a reason say Briggs won’t be a safe pick either, although could he bring the high intensity for a whole season/do Pruess and Flynn break back in?

– Kelly underpriced for his potential but will be 29 when the seasons starts and injury history says he’ll miss multiple games

– Cumming well down on his potential, if he can take back that rebounding role, his 70 average price looks juicy

 

Hawthorn: Heaps of potential with their current list, the Hawks had some massive scalps throughout the year and look set to take more steps forward in 2024.

2023:

Players to average 100+

– James Sicily (114.1): Just like Tom Stewart at the Cats, was the only player to go 100+ for his club and that was expected to start the year. Frustratingly got suspended twice but they’ll be fond memories of his large scores to outweigh that. Went massive with 172, 171 and 166 plus another four of 130+ all after round 9, which were 7 of his 11 scores in that timeframe.

Other to mention: Some really exciting stuff from the Hawks, especially in the middle where they had Worpel, Day and Newcombe all go at 90+ on average. Moore, Hardwick and Amon also started to get their scoring going consistently later in the year, while import Conor Nash also had great games, a 148 being the best of his six tons.

Rookies: Weddle made over 200K with a best score of 114 against the Eagles in round 10, while Seamus Mitchell also gained over 250K on his starting price before falling into a sub role later in the season. Others to make solid cash were forwards Brockman and Greene, while Butler, Mackenzie, Long and later in the season, Ryan all played enough games to have price rises. Ramsden, Serong, Hurstwaite and Bailey Macdonald all played 2 games.

2024 Crystal Ball:

– Sicily a starting pick option as D1/2, that ceiling would be a great buffer if he can produce it early in the year

– Natural progression of Day and Newcombe has them primed to go at 100+ and it would help if the Hawks can chalk together 10+ wins

– Not much else at this point, maybe a Ward or Connor Macdonald can break out even further?

– Number 1 ruck spot between Reeves and Meek could be potential for R2

 

Melbourne: Top 4 again for the Demons and very near full strength, they’re my tip to take it all out. Some out and out SuperCoach stars on their roster too.

2023:

Players to average 100+

– Clayton Oliver (120.6): Obviously the most frustrating hold of the season but when he was on the park, VC/C was attached to him nearly every week. Bar the Magniness tagged 84, his lowest score was 98 and everything else was in triple figures. Best was 156 early on against the Swans.

– Christian Petracca (119.5): Twenty tons, mad numbers and those under 100 read like: 97, 97, 95. If perma captains were still a thing, he’d have been mine in 2023, you knew what was coming. Only four of those tons were above 130 but clearly has that ceiling, his season best being 167 against North. If he walks away with a Brownlow medal it’ll be well deserved.

– Max Gawn (104.5): Poor three round average of 80 to finish but can clearly still score with the best. Had the highest score of the season with 215 against the Lions in round 18, with a 174 just a few weeks after that. Another great year.

– Jack Viney (100.1): Underrated year from Viney who was just ultra consistent the entire time. Eleven tons, a few 50’s early but 149 and 156 showed that his ceiling is up there. Really solid M8 pick for his 1.3% of coaches.

– Other to mention: Tons throughout the year to multiple Demons. Brayshaw had a few 120+, Rivers had six tons, May five and couple each to Langdon, Lever and Grundy. The former Pie was on a high when solo tucking early in the year, going 143, 144 and 128 before having the share the load.

Rookies: Pretty settled lineup at the Demons but that didn’t mean no rookies were seen. Van Rooyen had an excellent season averaging 65 and reaching 348K at one point, pretty similar to Chandler who went at 64 and peaked at 357K. Judd McVee played all 23 games and averaged 57 which doesn’t set the world on fire, but coverage is important and his 6.2% of owners never had to stress. Laurie, Woewoddin and Turner all got some game time towards the end of the year.

2024 Crystal Ball

– I’ll personally be building my team around Clayton Oliver

– Petracca to be the most popular player if he gets forward status

– Rivers and Sparrow have breakout potential

– Gawn if he is solo is also a safe choice

– Grundy if he’s traded will be very popular, might get fwd status too

 

North Melbourne: Won the first two, lost the next twenty, won the last one. Pretty dismal season but there’s promise in a fair few players on this list IMO, especially from a fantasy perspective.

2023:

Players to average 100+

– Luke Davies-Uniacke (113.6): Got 14 games in after some injury troubles and didn’t finish the year, but made the most of them with ten tons including four above 130. Started hot with 143 and 155 before finishing with six consecutive tons, all being above 125 bar the 106 against the Demons, so a great year all in all.

Others to mention: Feels cruel that champion data couldn’t find 11 more points to bump Sheezel to that triple figure average. Took out the rising star and finished his first season with fifteen tons plus a mint three round average to finish of 128. Tarryn Thomas averaged 90 which is a great return if you got him at 295K, while Scott showed good ball winning ability and scoring potential with two above 130. Ziebell had heaps of great scores, including a 179 before he started copping the vest, while Goldstein was also kicking along nicely with 107 average before splitting the ruck load, his season best being 171. Larkey also gets a shout for his 173.

– Rookies: Heaps, the best obviously being Sheezel but Phillips, Wardlaw and Ford all showed nice scoring ability throughout. Goater was heavily picked to start the year but only got the 10 games, two less than Bergman. Comben played early, Spicer got 6 games in the middle and Harvey got three games late. Archer, Hansen Jnr and Drury also got a run. All up only three listed players didn’t play senior football for the year.

2024 Crystal Ball

– LDU has great scoring behind him but injury seems to be a trend and would proceed with caution

– Sheezel in the same role would be hard to ignore

– Xerri a budget M2 if Goldy takes a backseat

– Heaps of young kids on this list and I’m sure we’ll have our fair share of rookies from North again next year

 

Port Adelaide: Travelling up the the Gabba this week but a massive chance to take it all out. Set up their season early with a massive winning streak and had some of the best SuperCoach picks of the year.

2023:

Players to average 100+:

– Zak Butters (113.8): Played all 23 games and is a real chance to take out the Brownlow, after just winning two majors awards last week I’ve convinced myself he’ll be a podium finish. Started slow with 2/7 tons but then went nuts with his season best coming thanks to a 184 in the wet vs the Demons. His final five games read: 134, 137, 139, 129 and 158.

– Connor Rozee (107.6): A full time move to the middle was always going to happen and Rozee returned with fourteen tons capped by a 141 against the Bombers. Only two below 92, those being 84 and 75 which shows a massive amount of consistency too.

– Dan Houston (106.1): A breakout season to a point for Houston, who has had periods of footy in the past where he scores like a premium. Held it together for 23 games in 2023 though with thirteen tons with three big ones of 146, 156 and 176 coming between rounds 14-18.

Other to mention: Wines and Drew also played all 23 games, the same as the three above and had a few tons each throughout the year, as did Burton, Finlayson, Farrell and Horne-Francis.

Rookies: Port got a few debuts throughout, the best of the bunch being Dylan Williams who had a respectable 66 average from his 20 game season. Teakle, Evans, Lord, Fantasia, Visentini and Sinn all played the required three games but were never heavily owned.

2024 Crystal Ball

– Butters to be elite and slight value pick, will be building my midfield around him and Oliver

– Rozee a safe option again

– Jason Horne Francis to breakout, more midfield time with Boak and Wines taking a back seat

– Houston to be a safe pick too

 

Richmond: Kind of in the hunt all season but also kind of not? Richmond said goodbye to some champions on and off the field throughout but once again didn’t really feature in our SuperCoach teams.

2023:

Players to average 100+

– Tim Taranto (106.7): Very average end to the season with just 1 ton from round 14 onwards but the beauty was everyone had him. Rewind and this guy was going at pretty much 115 before that with 12/14 tons to start the year including C worthy scores of 147, 144 and 140 over a five week burst. Overall a fantastic year.

– Toby Nankervis (104.3): Very similar to Sean Darcy, when Nank was playing he was great, but just didn’t play enough. 15 games, 9 tons with the best of those being 135 vs North late in the year.

Others to mention: Jayden Short averaged 98 for the third year running but did regain that distributor role off half back at times where he scores much better, 8 tons for him. Dustin Martin and Shai Bolton went at 94 and 96 respectively but had monster scores throughout. Dusty finished the season with 158 and 139 while Bolton dropped three 150+ scores over the season. Vlastuin had 7 tons, Prestia had his usual few as did Rioli, Baker, Broad, Soldo and Hopper.

Rookies: Not many popular ones from the Tigers but guys like Young would’ve been since cover with 19 games played across the year. Banks got on the park with the final six games of the season, while the sub vest held back Clarke, Coulthard and Mansell from really making cash. Bauer played 4 games while Trezise and Tom Brown made debuts in round 24. Hugo Ralphsmith also ended the season priced at 136K which shocked me and thought it was worth a mention!

2024 Crystal Ball

– Open spot in the middle with Cotchin gone, numerous guys who could step up

– Short could be value if he gets that distributor role back

– Breakout for Daniel Rioli is on the cards

– Don’t see many Tigers in our 2024 lineup, unless a new coach and game plan brings a more SuperCoach friendly style.

 

St Kilda: A sixth spot finish means a home final and kudos to them because it felt like no one really thought they were going to stick around in the top 8. Some SuperCoach stars in this team and a few on the horizon.

2023:

Players to average 100+

– Rowan Marshall (114.3): Kind of started slow but it never really hurt with massive ownership before he started dropping monster scores later on. Best of the year was 159 vs Port in round 7 but also finished insanely well with 146, 141 and 154. Safe pick again to start next year.

– Jack Sinclair (106.7): Had the most effective touches in the competition over 2023, which is a great sign for SuperCoach scoring. 15/23 tons for the distributing backman, the best being a 160 point masterclass against the Giants just before the byes.

Others to mention: The Saints had a really solid supporting cast but some of the more consistent ones were the seasoned veterans of Crouch, Wood, Steele and Wilkie. All bar Steele (20 games) played all 23 and had several tons each as their averages were all mid the high 90’s. Steele was a popular pick and frustrated owners but there were some nice scores of 160 and 140 within the season too. Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera was a standout across half-back and never had monster scores but also never had a bad game. Mitch Owens also had some standout performances as a second year player.

Rookies: Not many for the Saints, with minimal debuts this year. Caminiti provided some nice money early, while Philipou played all 23 games, a solid effort from the first year player. Apart from that, Bytel struggled with injury and form while Peris was the only other debut for the year.

2024 Crystal Ball

– Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera had 105+ potential, could it be next year?

– Same with Sinclair, clearly they can do-exist already

– Marshall a good shout for another fine season, no one really taking ruck time off him

– Steele presents value but more of a wait and see going from 2023’s inconsistency

 

Sydney: Snuck into 8th spot and not the team to count out of finals. Very quiet SuperCoach year with just 4 players averaging 90+

2023:

Players to average 100+

– Errol Gulden (111.3): His pre-season performance all but locked him into round 1 lineups and no one ever looked back. Had an annoying floor with 40s and 60s but it all evens out when he drops back to back 156’s in rounds 8 and 9 to then better that with a 164 later on. All in all a great year for Errol with fifteen tons. Led the league for metres gained per game if you take away Charlie Contstable (554 vs 562).

– Chad Warner (100.3): Scored tons in more than half of his appearances in 2023, the best of those being a couple of 137’s in round 4 and round 11. Solid season once again and tipping he’ll improve further in 2024.

Others to mention: It looked like the seagull was back in action with 4/5 tons to start the year but Jake Lloyd didn’t add many more after that. 139 against the Blues in round 11 was his season best as he finished with a 95 average. Parker is still elite and had some inspiring games of 130+ a few times. Blakey showed a ceiling (151) and had 8 tons across the season, while sporadic triple figure scores came from Rowbotton, Mills, Heeney, McLean and Florent.

Rookies: The Swans had some mature age players get enough game time to make cash, with Melican and Francis seeing their price grow across the back end of the year. The myth Will Gould actually played 4 games before fading back into the 2’s, while some others to get games included Roberts, Sheather, the younger Warner, McAndrew and Buller.

2024 Crystal Ball:

– Gulden a great pick again even if he is just a midfielder

– Campbell had the gamestyle to breakout, one I’m watching closely

– Warner a chance to go 110+

– Mills would have to have a clear, locked in midfield role to see his way into my side

 

West Coast: Don’t want to discuss this much as an Eagles supporter. Interested to see what we do with the first pick…

2023:

Players to average 100+

– Tim Kelly (102.7): Took out our BnF and rightfully so, an outstanding year on a personal level. 11/22 tons and a nice ceiling with a couple above 130 but nothing better than his final round 146.

Others to mention: Defenders Hurn, Barrass, McGovern, Duggan and Witherden all had several tons each but maybe that’s because the ball was almost always there. Yeo had some nice games, Allen had a few tons while Williams did well for a first season of solo rucking and showed off a ceiling with a couple of 133’s throughout.

Rookies: Pretty sure everyone had Chesser and Ginbey at some point and both were promising. Hewett seems a player, as does Long who inherited Luke Shueys 13. Maric came along in the mid season draft and went at 54 from 10 games, not bad for a fresh forward in a wooden spoon team, while other rookies to play included Edwards, Williams, Trew and Barnett.

2024:

– Pretty much whoever we take in the draft will be in our 2024 starting lineups

– Hewett and Chesser could be seen again

– Hurn retiring opens up a more settled role for Witherden of Duggan which could see them improve their scoring potential which has already been seen in spurts

 

Western Bulldogs: A team full of stars couldn’t make the finals unfortunately, but SuperCoach wise it was a great year for the Dogs.

2023:

Players to average 100+

– Marcus Bontempelli (129.7): Almost didn’t even drop below 100, with and 89 vs Brisbane in round 3 being his only double digit score. Eight score above 130 including massive returns of 182, 169, 164 and 162 at various points in the year. Favourite for the Brownlow and rightfully so.

– Tim English (128): In many ways, just a good a year as the guy above him. Didn’t even drop below 130 before round 7 and had massive scores after that too, the best being a 173 before following it with 163 two weeks later. His lowest average throughout the year was 122.9, which is insane.

– Tom Liberatore (116): Take away his injury affected score of 25 and the worst for the year was just 75. 17/21 tons for Libba who showed elite scoring with 7 scores above 130 and even ran as peoples VC at times while being in a team with the two best scorers in the comp.

– Adam Treloar (107.7): In just 2.2% of teams but super consistent. Missed 4 games but had 12 tons next to his name including 5 going above 130. Season best was a 144 against one of his former sides in the Giants in round 20.

– Others to mention: A sad day as Jack Macrae had his season average dip below 100 for the first time since 2016 as he fell 2 points short of a triple figure average. A poor finish to the year but still a few great returns of 145 x 2 and 131 throughout. Bailey Dale was up and down but still averaged 90, while Daniel had an elite period with a 169 being his best of the year. Richards, Lobb, Naughton and Smith all had tons here and there.

Rookies: Oscar Baker provided some nice money early in the season and eventually played 18 games across 2023. O’Donnell got better as the season went on and showed some scoring ability with 88 in round 22, while Josh Bruce made some cash during his 8 games. Toby McLean was a popular pre-season option but only got 6 games, while Arthur Jones made 13 appearances but had just 2 scores above 50.

2024 Crystal Ball

– English, Bont, Libba, I can’t argue against any of them

– Macrae, Dale, Daniel, Richards all have an argument if the role is right

– Smith well down, a trade could help but value no matter where he is

 

There it is, 2023 wrapped up, thanks for reading my essay!

One final thought, and feel free to put yours in the comments, but if you had to pick 5 starting picks right now, who would it be?

For me, building blocks would look a little like this:

– Hayden Young, Oliver, Butters, Reid, Tsatas

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