The Phantom’s take: Players at new clubs who must be on your 2019 SuperCoach watchlist
From injured stars to up-and-comers looking for opportunity, The Phantom looks at players at new clubs in 2019 who must be on your SuperCoach watchlist.
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From injured stars to up-and-comers looking for opportunity, The Phantom looks back at his traded player guide and analyses the players at new clubs in 2019 who must be on your SuperCoach watchlist.
Nic Newman
(Carlton, $394,100 Def)
2018 — Games: 21, SuperCoach average: 73
Average 2017: 83
SuperCoaches rejoice; Newman has a new home, which should mean more opportunity in 2019.
And, going by the numbers in his short career, it might mean a spike in SuperCoach scoring, too.
In his 28 home-and-away matches, the neat-kicking left-footer scored 80 or more points in 16 of them, with four career SuperCoach tons to his name.
After dominating in the NEAFL, Newman earned a senior debut in Round 2, 2017 and by Round 3, he had passed the 100-point mark for the first time.
Only three weeks later, the 25-year-old tallied 35 disposals — at 82 per cent efficiency — 11 marks, 13 contested possessions and a game-high 151 SuperCoach points.
The last ball magnet coach John Longmire made bide their in the NEAFL was Tom Mitchell.
Just saying.
Tom Lynch
(Richmond, $425,600 Fwd)
2018 — Games: 10, SuperCoach average: 78
Average 2014-2017: 85, 93, 88, 83
Any player who boasts a career-high score of 180 is always SuperCoach relevant.
But when you are a key-forward playing in a team which averaged 47 inside 50s per game — the second lowest in the competition — in 2018 and only one more in 2017, it’s tricky.
Still, Lynch kicked more than 40 goals in four consecutive seasons from 2014 to 2017 and booted 66 goals and a took a league-high 62 contested marks in a standout 2016 campaign.
After stagnating in 2017, the 25-year-old only managed 10 games in his final season on the Gold Coast before a persistent knee injury ended his year after Round 14.
While Lynch posted that career high in Round 2 against the Blues, the star forward failed to score more than 71 in six of the next eight games, recording his lowest season average since 2013.
But 2019 is a different story.
Richmond is flag favourite, despite their preliminary final exit in 2019 and, more importantly, put the ball inside 50 13 more times per game than the Suns last season.
This resulted in the Tigers taking, on average, 13 marks inside 50 per game — the second-most in the competition and five more than the 18th-ranked Gold Coast.
Sure, Richmond’s game isn’t built around dominant tall forwards but there is no doubt Lynch will get his hands on the ball more this year.
Chad Wingard
(Hawthorn, $481,100 Fwd)
2018 — Games: 21, SuperCoach average: 89
Average 2014-2017: 80, 98, 81, 93
While he’s been inconsistent in the past, Wingard is a star.
There is no doubt about it.
At his peak, he was, arguably, Port Adelaide’s second-best player, behind Robbie Gray.
The 25-year-old left-footer is a mercurial forward, booting 232 goals and directly assisting 111 others in 147 games at Alberton.
But he’s also a creative and dangerous midfielder as he’s shown at different stages of his career.
No more so than in the second half of 2018.
After a quiet start to the year, Wingard moved into the midfield in Round 12 and averaged 24 disposals, 12 contested possessions, five clearances, five inside 50s, five tackles and 103 SuperCoach points per game, while also booting 11 goals.
He ranked No. 1 for inside 50s and No. 2 for goal assists at the Power last season.
If Clarkson persists with Wingard further up the ground, he might just develop into the SuperCoach premium he’s threatened to become for so long.
Kade Kolodjashnij
(Melbourne, $363,700 Def)
2018 — Games: 8, SuperCoach average: 67
Average 2014-2017: 68, 89, 69, 72
Kade Kolodjashnij is a bit of a forgotten man.
While twin brother Jake played every game in 2018, cementing his spot in Geelong’s back six, Kade has only managed 19 appearances in the past two seasons after battling concussion issues.
But, after receiving positive news — a weakness in his neck was the primary source of the ongoing issue, rather than the concussion itself — late in the season, Kolodjashnij returned to the senior side in Round 18 and has done enough to convince Melbourne he is right to go.
In 2015, as a 19-year-old in just his second season in the competition, the classy left-footer averaged 22 disposals — 17 effective — and 89 SuperCoach points per game.
Kolodjashnij ranked No. 1 at the Suns for metres gained and No. 12 in the competition for intercept possessions.
The No. 5 selection at the 2013 National Draft struggled with an abdomen issue the following season and is yet to recapture the form of his sophomore year.
But, if he can get a clear run at it in 2019, expect Kolodjashnij, who has been training with the midfield group during the pre-season, to bounce back in a big way in a team that wins plenty of the football.
It might not take him long to remind everyone just how good he can be.
Aaron Hall
(North Melbourne, $389,200 Mid)
2018 — Games: 6, SuperCoach average: 80
Average 2014-2017: 59, 79, 95, 92
The 27-year-old’s offensive power has never been questioned.
It’s what he does without the ball that’s come under the spotlight and it’s the major reason Hall found himself in the reserves on a number of occasions in the past two seasons.
But, with a more sound defensive structure in place, does he have to worry about defending at the Kangaroos?
Of course he has to; team defence is part of the modern game but the playmaking midfielder might get more of a license to thrill at his new home.
And if he does, we could see a return to the form that saw he become a popular SuperCoach name in 2016 and 2017.
Hall started 2016 with a bang, polling three Brownlow Medal votes in each of the first three games after a blistering run of form.
The speedy midfielder averaged 36 disposals, seven marks, six inside 50s and 129 SuperCoach points in the opening three rounds.
He went on to average 5.3 inside 50s — the equal-second highest in the competition — and 19.7 uncontested possessions (equal 7th) per game.
While Hall still sat inside the top 10 for both statistics the following season, an inconsistent year saw his average fall from 95 to 92 in 2017.
Inconsistent is another tag Hall is yet to shake after posting scores of 76, 21, 84, 110, 137 and 50 in his six games in 2018 before suffering a season-ending pectoral injury in Round 12.
Can he become more than a ‘what if’?
Dan Hannebery
(St Kilda, $326,100 Mid)
2018 — Games: 14, SuperCoach average: 60
Average 2014-2017: 101, 114, 113, 97
At this time in 2016, Hannebery had just recorded his second-consecutive SuperCoach season average of 113 or more and earned this third All-Australian jacket in four years.
The midfielder had also tallied more disposals than any other player in the competition at an average of 31.
But at the same time, a collision with Easton Wood in the Grand Final kick started his battle with injury.
Two years later, Hannebery has limped through a season which saw him play just 14 games and fail to win more than 18 disposals in seven of them.
The 27-year-old’s SuperCoach price fell to a staggeringly low $279k by Round 23, 2018.
And, while Hannebery has left the club he thought he would finish his career at, his last game as a Swan resulted in 24 disposals, 10 contested possessions, eight marks and 96 SuperCoach points in the elimination final loss to the Giants.
Is it enough to pick him in 2019?
If he’s fit and enjoys a decent summer at his new home, it’s going to be hard to ignore the left-footer, who will step straight into a midfield crying out for star power.
But with a pre-season hamstring injury prior to Christmas, it remains a big ‘if.’
Dom Tyson
(North Melbourne, $411,000 Mid)
2018 — Games: 14, SuperCoach average: 76
Average 2014-2017: 94, 80, 91, 81
In his first season at Melbourne - after 13 games as a Giant - the 186cm left-footer had an immediate impact, ranking second at his new club for contested possessions, clearances and goals in 2014.
Tyson posted nine SuperCoach tons — four in excess of 120 — and averaged 24 disposals, five marks, five clearances and 94 points per game to finish second in Melbourne’s best and fairest.
Injury halted his progress the following season but in 2016, Tyson was, again, a key contributor on the inside, averaging 25 disposals, 11 contested possessions and four clearances per game.
But as the young midfield stars started to develop around him — Clayton Oliver, Jack Viney and Christian Petracca, in particular — Tyson was slowly pushed to more of an outside midfield role.
By the end of 2018, Tyson was averaging just 8 contested possessions per game, three less than in 2016.
And his scoring dried up, too.
After booting 33.23 in his first three years at the Demons, Tyson has contributed 7.15 in the past two seasons.
It’s been an obvious decline for the once-prolific goal-kicking midfielder.
But with his new club trading for some quality on the outside in Jared Polec and Hall, the 25-year-old should get the opportunity to bolster an on-ball brigade that ranked 18th for clearances in 2018.
Will Setterfield
(Carlton, $144,900 Fwd)
2018 — Games: 0, SuperCoach average: —
Average 2017: 44
Before rupturing his ACL during a pre-season trial against the Swans, the No. 5 selection from the 2016 national draft was a popular SuperCoach season last summer.
And, after a move to Carlton, it’s likely to be a similar story in 2019.
The tall midfielder, who was rated as one of the most complete in his draft year, has only two AFL games to his name after battling injury in his first year at the Giants.
But his debut against the Tigers in Round 18 was an impressive one.
The 190cm Setterfield tallied 12 disposals, six tackles and 63 SuperCoach points, rotating through half-forward and the midfield, on debut.
In that draft year of 2016, Setterfield averaged 121 points in the TAC cup and was the only midfielder in the competition to rate elite for goals, score assists and tackles per game.
Like fellow ex-Giant Matthew Kennedy, Setterfield should get an opportunity in Carlton’s developing midfield next season.
And he’s still rookie price.
Anthony Miles
(Gold Coast, $342,000 Mid)
2018 — Games: 1, SuperCoach average: 90
Average 2014-2017: 100, 97, 90, 71
This move will good for everyone.
Good for Miles, good for the Suns and great for SuperCoaches.
The 26-year-old makes his way to the Gold Coast, where he should, once again, feature in the first-choice midfield, after 71 senior appearances in seven years at Punt Road.
In 51 of those matches, the tough inside-midfielder tallied 20 disposals or more and scored at least 80 SuperCoach points in 46 of them.
While he only played six games in the past two seasons, Miles played 53 out of a possible 54 matches between Round 12, 2014 and Round 21, 2016.
And his numbers rank him as one of Richmond’s best performed midfielders during this time.
In 2015, Miles ranked third at the club for disposals, 2nd for contested possessions, 2nd for tackles and 2nd for inside 50s while also recording 25 more clearances than any other Tiger.
With the arrival of Dion Prestia and the rise of Kane Lambert, Jack Graham and Jack Higgins, in particular, Miles has struggled to command a spot in the midfield in the past two years and his lack of pace has seen him unable to fit in elsewhere.
But he couldn’t have done anymore in the VFL, averaging 29 disposals, eight clearances and 121 SuperCoach points at the level since 2014.
The Suns, who ranked 18th for disposals, 12th for contested possessions and 17th for inside 50s, need ready-made midfielders who can win the ball and get it forward.
And they’ve got one.
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