KFC SuperCoach: The case for and against Dan Houston as midfield role beckons
Ken Hinkley has locked him in for a midfield role, but does that mean Dan Houston should be a lock in SuperCoach? Here’s the case for and against picking Port Adelaide’s rising star.
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Ken Hinkley has done it again.
Last year the Power coach presented SuperCoaches with a gift when he debuted Connor Rozee, Xavier Duursma, Zak Butters and Willem Drew early.
This season, Hinkley has confirmed Dan Houston is a “lock” to play predominantly in midfield after mixing his time between defence and an on-ball role last year.
“He’s a lock. Put him in. Put him in the midfield when he plays his footy,” Hinkley said recently.
“It doesn’t mean he can’t go back and still play in the backline. But we (saw) what he added to us in the midfield last year.
“He’s trained the whole pre-season with the midfield group. We hope that he maintains the form that he’s got and he can play in the midfield.”
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Houston provided a taste of his midfield talents when he averaged 89 ranking points from Round 11 last season, spending 77 per cent of time in the engine room from rounds 11-23.
The 22-year-old has attracted plenty of pre-season hype after he finished 2019 with scores of 134, 88, 105 and 117, averaging 111 in the last month of the campaign.
He backed up the hype with a strong showing in Port Adelaide’s intraclub, finishing with 22 disposals and six clearances.
In the Power’s first game of the Marsh Series on Sunday, he attended the most centre bounces of any Port Adelaide player — 24 — and had 96 SuperCoach points.
Houston’s SuperCoach popularity has skyrocketed to 27 per cent, with Jake Lloyd ($591,400, 29 per cent) and Sam Docherty ($436,100, 51 per cent) the only premiums who feature in more teams.
The question now is whether he can live up to the hype during a full season as an on-baller.
The Power – and SuperCoaches – are very bullish.
But there’s reason to be cautious too.
THE CASE FOR
– Houston doesn’t need to have a dramatic spike to finish as a top-six defender. He lifted his average by 11.8 points a year in 2019 and a similar rise would launch him above 100. He was the 15th-ranked defender last year.
– His durability: Houston has played 43 games in the past two years and only missed five games since debuting in Round 1, 2017.
– He’s got a high ceiling. Houston amassed 134 points when he had 29 disposals and booted two goals against Essendon in Round 20.
– His role: Ken Hinkley says Houston is a lock to start in the Power midfield and he’ll have ample opportunities to make that role his own with Ollie Wines on the long-term injury list after shoulder surgery.
THE CASE AGAINST
– Houston spent 77 per cent of time in midfield from Round 11 last year and averaged 89. He had seven scores of 85 or more but also three of 62 of less.
– Port’s midfield mix is a huge unknown. Sam Powell-Pepper has been slated to spend more time in attack, but the Power seems determined to give Connor Rozee exposure on-ball too. Where does Houston sit when Ollie Wines, Tom Rockliff, Travis Boak and Brad Ebert are fit?
– It’s an awkward price. At $484,800 Houston will need to score triple figures to justify his starting price. If you can find an extra $40,000, why wouldn’t you just start Rory Laird?
– It could mean leaving out Sam Docherty. In a year replete with defensive rookies, how many premiums can you start with? A mix of Lloyd, Laird, Houston and Docherty will be popular, but you’ve also got to fit Dylan Roberton, Hayden Young, Tom Doedee, Will Gould and potentially Stephen Hill in.
– He’s never played a full season as an AFL midfielder.
VERDICT: Wait and see. If you’re not convinced after two games in the Marsh Series, you can always grab him at the same price before Round 2 if he starts the year strongly. A four-game sample is plenty.
Originally published as KFC SuperCoach: The case for and against Dan Houston as midfield role beckons