The case for and against picking Collingwood prodigal son Dayne Beams in SuperCoach

Dayne Beams returns to Collingwood but what will it mean for his SuperCoach status? Will the stacked Magpies midfield count against him or can he continue his elite scoring?

The prodigal son returns to Collingwood.

Dayne Beams spent four years in Brisbane but makes his return to the Holden Centre, adding to an already stacked midfield.

We look at the pros and cons of picking the $557,600 midfielder.

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WHY I SHOULD PICK HIM

HE’S STILL ELITE

Beams has averaged 100-plus SuperCoach points in seven of the last eight years, only dropping below in 2016 when he played two games due to injury.

Last year, the midfielder played 21 games and averaged 102 but heated up in the second half of the season after a slow start.

In fact, Beams averaged 116 after the Lions’ bye, scoring eight tons in 10 games, including five scores of 120-plus.

When at full flight there are few better SuperCoach scorers, he’s averaged 115 and 113 in 2015-16 with a career best average of 122 as a Magpie in 2012.

Dayne Beams in action at Collingwood pre-season training.

HE’LL BE HAPPIER

Despite confessing his love of the club and his teammates, rumours were rife Beams was unhappy in Brisbane last year.

A happy footballer is a productive footballer and Beams’ mental health issues have been well documented.

“I make decisions based on that I’m a father and a husband, I don’t make decisions from a football point of view. I do what’s best for my family and at the moment with the stuff that I am still going through, it was best for me to get back to Victoria and be around my family,” he said in October last year.

WHY I SHOULDN’T PICK HIM

TOO MANY MOUTHS TO FEED

Collingwood’s midfield is stacked.

Led by captain Scott Pendlebury and B&F winner Steele Sidebottom, it also contains Adam Treloar, Taylor Adams (although he’ll miss the opening weeks through injury), Tom Phillips, Brayden Sier and Jordan De Goey. And let’s not forget ruckman Brodie Grundy.

Four Magpies averaged 100-plus last year (Grundy, Treloar, Pendlebury and Sidebottom) and three more averaged 90-plus (Adams, Crisp and Phillips).

That’s a lot of players to share the SuperCoach points.

In comparison Beams’ competition for touches in Brisbane was Dayne Zorko, Mitch Robinson and - with all due respect - a group of young guns such as Hugh McCluggage and Jarrod Berry.

INJURIES

There’s no denying his scoring power but Beams does have a history of injury.

He played 21 games last year with Brisbane, the first time he’d played 20 or more games since 2012.

Since that year he’s played seven, 19, 16, two and 19.

Despite being only 29, don’t be surprised if Beams is given a week off at some stage during the year given his injury history and the Magpies desire to have him fit at the business end of the season.

Originally published as The case for and against picking Collingwood prodigal son Dayne Beams in SuperCoach