The Phantom’s take: Is Luke Dahlhaus now just a role player? Where does Conca rank alongside young Docker midfielders?
AMID the hysteria of the AFL’s Trade Period, The Phantom crunches the numbers and analyses every trade and move as they happen. Ex-Bulldog Luke Dahlhaus is heading down the highway to the Cattery and Tiger Reece Conca flying to Fremantle.
AMID the hysteria of the AFL’s Trade Period, The Phantom crunches the numbers and analyses every trade and free agency move as they happen.
Luke Dahlhaus
Western Bulldogs to Geelong (free agency)
THE NUMBERS
2018 — Games: 17, SuperCoach average: 77
Average 2014-2017: 91, 96,104, 92
Prior to the trade period, The Phantom believed a new club could bring back the old midfield-first Dahlhaus.
But that was before the 26-year-old found his way to the Cattery.
How does the premiership-winning Bulldog fit into Geelong’s already overcrowded midfield?
He doesn’t.
Just like Toby McLean — and then Josh Dunkley — did at the Bulldogs, it’s unlikely Dahlhaus’ midfield minutes increase with new team-mates Patrick Dangerfield, Joel Selwood, Gary Ablett, Mitch Duncan, Sam Menegola and maybe Tim Kelly — depending on his own potential move west — in the engine room.
Even though, as a SuperCoach prospect, we need Dahlhaus in the middle, the Cats aren’t after another midfielder.
They will hope Dahlhaus can fit in nicely at half-forward in 2019.
In his breakout year of 2015, Dahlhaus averaged 26 disposals, five tackles and 104 SuperCoach points per game, while also booting 16 goals.
The former Geelong Falcon ranked No. 1 at the Bulldogs for disposals, contested possessions, tackles and goal assists.
Dahlhaus averaged more than 25 disposals in the next two years before being pushed into the forward line in 2018.
But he had little impact, finishing outside the top 10 in the Bulldogs’ best-and-fairest count for the first time since his debut season of 2011 and posting just one SuperCoach ton.
The 26-year-old kicked 2.4 from 15 shots at goal and, while he laid 72 tackles — the fourth-most at the Bulldogs — only 11 of them were inside 50.
Tom Hawkins (30), Brandan Parfitt (22), Dangerfield (21), Lachie Fogarty (20) and Menegola (18) laid more.
THE BIG QUESTION
Is he now more just a role player or can we forget 2018?
ESTIMATED 2019 SUPERCOACH PRICE
$420,000
THE PHANTOM’S EARLY VERDICT
While The Phantom believes Dahlhaus will have a bigger impact in his first season at the Cattery, as long as he remains more a forward than a midfielder, I won’t be picking him.
Reece Conca
Richmond to Fremantle (free agency)
THE NUMBERS
2018 — Games: 16, SuperCoach average: 72
Average 2014-2017: 78, 58, 88, 83
Ignoring the elimination final against the Blues, when he tore his hamstring in the opening minutes, between Round 22, 2013 and Round 11, 2014, Conca showed exactly why the Tigers picked him at No.6 in the 2010 national draft.
The 26-year-old averaged 22 disposals, six tackles and 93 SuperCoach points in an eleven-game stretch that had both Perth-based clubs interested in luring him home by the end of the year.
But he failed to build from there.
Conca played just 21 of the next 77 home-and-away matches, scoring 80 SuperCoach points or more on just three occasions, as he endured a horrible run with injury.
After overcoming a foot issue late in 2017, Conca returned to feature in the Tigers’ VFL finals campaign but, ultimately, failed to regain his spot in a senior side that would go all the way.
Just as it looked like the luck had turned his way after playing the first 13 games of 2018 — posting two SuperCoach tons along the way — the luckless midfielder suffered a broken angle in the Round 15 clash with the Swans.
Fingers crossed the bad luck doesn’t follow him West, where, with the pending departure of ball magnet Lachie Neale, a bigger role in a young midfield beckons.
But is there still time for him to become the player many thought he would be?
It would seem, with the memories of 2013 and 2014 still in their mind, the Dockers think so.
The Phantom doesn’t share the same optimism.
THE BIG QUESTION
If he can stay fit, does he offer more than any of Fremantle’s young midfield stars?
ESTIMATED SUPERCOACH 2019 STARTING PRICE
$395,000
THE PHANTOM’S EARLY VERDICT
While, in the absence of Neale, Conca might help reinforce Ross Lyon’s inside-midfield brigade, he would have to have a huge injury-free pre-season to get near The Phantom’s radar.