The Swans had a small dip in season 2023 after an excellent 2022 season. The Bloods culture and game style remain the same with a few rookies getting some game time but for the most part it is the older mix that fill the best 23. They can be exciting to watch and with an expected finals berth to come and some more relevant players, Sydney are worth keeping an eye on.
Defenders
Feeling Lucky:
Jake Lloyd ($535 300) and Nick Blakey ($499 600) aren’t the top names in defence that we are looking to start but they are worth a mention. Lloyd has been a stalwart down back in his career but over the last 2 seasons he has lost some of his seagull prowess with more attacking halfback options now to share points with. He is fairly priced and is likely to average around the same again. The Lizard on the other hand is an up and comer and with natural progression, more confidence and the trust from his coaches and teammates should see him increase his scoring this season. I’m not sure he’ll reach the heights of 105 but an average of close to 100 could be on the cards.
Midfielders
Lock and Load:
Errol Gulden ($622 100) had himself a year! He increased his average by 26 points with an average of 111 showing an ability to reach massive scores. He doesn’t need a large number of CBA’s to score with his ball winning ability and goal kicking on show from anywhere. He sits in 40% of teams which is still a lot but if it weren’t for an early bye that number would be over 60%. Still a great option if you don’t have too many early bye players.
Feeling Lucky:
Chad Warner ($560 300) just broke the 100 mark last year with a small increase from 96 previously. He is the main man in the middle for the swans in terms of CBA’s but he hasn’t been able to really cash in on that. Don’t get me wrong he is a good player but he had a few too many low scores last year, if he can increase the lows of 50-60 to 80-90 then he will become more appealing for Supercoach.
Money Maker:
Matt Roberts ($156 800) ended up playing 6 games last year but only 2 were full games. In those games he scored 93 from 70% time on ground and 34 from 61%. This pre-season has seen him turn into a defender off of half back. Another year in the system to hopefully increase his TOG and with a nice role it could see him as a great cash cow for us this year.
Rucks
Lock and Load:
Brodie Grundy ($481 900) priced under $500k is crazy! It comes on the back of sharing the duties with Max Gawn for the majority of his 17 games last year with just 6 games in 2022 with injury struggles. Prior to this he has been extremely durable barely missing games and scoring points at will. The days of a 130 average which he did back to back in 2018 and 2019 won’t be reached but he could be anywhere from 15-25 points underpriced. His average of 86 is his lowest since 2014, Grundy could average anywhere from 100-115 this year as he looks to be solo ruck again.
Forwards
Feeling Lucky:
Taylor Adams ($437 200) has made his way to Syndey this year looking to get back into the midfield. With a career average over 90 he has shown he has the ability to score with the right role and when he is fit. Now available as a forward and under priced he has been pretty popular in pre-season. Unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury a couple of weeks ago and will miss around a month.
James Jordan ($275 500) also moved in the off-season seeking more opportunities. He looks to have the wing spot locked up while pinch hitting in the middle. In his 2nd year in 2022 he averaged 75 so the scoring is there. With greater opportunities and early season injuries to Mills, Parker and Adams expect him to start the year well.
Money Maker:
Corey Warner ($123 900) only managed 3 games last year and seems to be in the mix without quite making it. This is unlikely to change but a possible downgrade target.
*UPDATE*
Originally, I was going to add Isaac Heeney ($483 700) into the ‘Feeling Lucky’ section but he generally is around the 90 mark. He had a breakout year in 2022 where he averaged 101 with chunks of midfield time for parts of the year. When given the time in the middle he is an excellent scorer which was highlighted in the Opening Round. Expect his ownership to increase and rightfully so, could this be the year he moves into more of a full-time midfielder?
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I’m oh so tempted by heeney.. should he keep that midfield role he can comfortably finish a top 6 forward.. he himself said earlier in the pre season that he would be midfield this year I just didn’t believe him. But I’m starting to now haha hard to squeeze him in when I trust dimma more than I do horse so I’m opting for Flanders but that can change before round 1.
Not sure the swans midfield make up when Adams and Parker return. You’d assume heeney gets pushed out to some degree