At a glance
4 wins / 13 losses – 9th on ladder
Wins
| Round 6 | Feelin Dusty |
| Round 9 | Defenestrators |
| Round 10 | Taxmanian Devils |
| Round 20 | MaherShalalHashBaz |
Top 5 Scorers 2021
| Love Sparkles | Tot. | Avg. | Last 5 Avg |
| Jack Steele SK | 2670 | 121.4 | 128.8 |
| Brayden Fiorini GC | 948 | 105.3 | 111 |
| Tom Stewart GE | 1936 | 96.8 | 105 |
| Jy Simpkin NM | 2100 | 95.5 | 99 |
| Luke Shuey WC | 613 | 87.6 | 108.5 |
All-Australians
2021 Pre-Season Draft
| Pick | Player | Team | Games | Avg | Still on List? |
| 16 | W. Setterfield CA – C | The Love Sparkles | 3 | 58.3 | Y |
| 26 | W. Brodie GC – C,F | The Love Sparkles | 3 | 46 | Y |
| 46 | D. MacPherson GC – F | The Love Sparkles | 5 | 79.8 | Y |
| 56 | J. Gunston HW – F | The Love Sparkles | 0 | 0 | N |
| 76 | H. Hartlett PA – B | The Love Sparkles | 5 | 54 | N |
| 86 | W. Gould SY – B | The Love Sparkles | 0 | 0 | N |
| 88 | J. Graham RI – C | The Love Sparkles | 12 | 77.8 | Y |
| 96 | J. Hogan GWS – F | The Love Sparkles | 4 | 76.8 | Y |
| 106 | L. Meek FR – R | The Love Sparkles | 0 | 0 | N |
| 116 | C. Blakely FR – C | The Love Sparkles | 0 | 0 | N |
| 126 | R. Conca FR – B | The Love Sparkles | 0 | 0 | N |
| 136 | E. Ratugolea GE – R,F | The Love Sparkles | 0 | 0 | N |
| 146 | T. Brown CW – C | The Love Sparkles | 1 | 49 | N |
| 156 | C. Brown CW – F | The Love Sparkles | 1 | 55 | N |
| 166 | G. Birchall BL – B | The Love Sparkles | 14 | 71.9 | N |
| 176 | B. Zerk-Thatcher ES – B | The Love Sparkles | 0 | 0 | N |
| 186 | J. Sharp GC – C | The Love Sparkles | 5 | 86.2 | N |
| 196 | J. Brander WC – C,F | The Love Sparkles | 5 | 61.8 | Y |
Most inspired selection: Jack Graham – pick 88
The Sparkles will probably be disappointed with this draft haul.
Setterfield and Brodie have long held promise as solid fantasy players, with the shortfall being an inability to stay in the best 22. That shortfall reared its ugly head again this year, and they only took the field for the Sparkles 6 times combined.
There are a lot of 0 games played here. But the worst part is half of the best selections did their best work for other teams. If the Sparkles had held their 186th selection in Sharp, this draft would probably be a B based on him alone.
It’s hard to criticise the strategy here though. This feels like a swing-for-the-fences draft, a healthy mix of solid (or seemingly solid) older hands and players who could pop. Jack Graham is the only one who delivered, and a midfielder averaging 77.8 isn’t earth shattering. He goes into 2022 with forward status, which is nice. But the Sparkles will be hoping for a better haul in 2022.
Trades
| Date | Team 1 | Received | Team 2 | Received |
| 4 May 2021 | Roughnecks | Jake Lloyd Brad Hill | Love Sparkles | Adam Cerra Isaac Cumming |
| 9 March 2021 | Love Sparkles | Justin McInerney Solomon’s Soldiers 2022 Rd 1 Pick Solomon’s Soldiers 2022 Rd 3 Pick | Solomon’s Soldiers | Toby Greene |
| 8 February 2021 | Solomon’s Soldiers | Love Sparkles Rd 1 Pick Love Sparkles Rd 4 Pick | Love Sparkles | Noah Anderson Oscar Allen |
“I don’t always trade, but when I do, they’re big ones” – Greg, probably.
Look at these. These are all seismic, transformational moves.
The Sparkles clearly came into 2021 on a mission to get younger. Shortly before the draft they shipped out the sixth overall pick for 2020’s number one pick – I suspect they’re very happy with how that played out. Anderson is a surefire keeper and long term foundational piece for a rebuilding side like the Sparkles. Allen was a gamble worth taking, and may still be held into 2022.
A month later they traded Toby Greene for a proper haul. A first and a third is probably the market rate for a top 5 player in his position – especially if they’re not yet 30. But McInernery’s finish to the season puts him in the ‘gold’ variety of steak knives – and makes this trade about as good as it could be (even before we consider Greene’s penchant for touching umpires).
Not content with trading their best forward, the Sparkles sought value for their best defender and long term club cornerstone Jake Lloyd. What’s better than getting a first and third? Two sure-fire keepers under 23. If either Cerra or Cumming become top ten players in their position, then this is landslide for the Sparkles. But even if they don’t, the Sparkles are unlikely to ever rue this deal. Cumming maintaining his output once Whitfield returned to the GSW side is the key indicator here. If he maintains that output, then the Sparkles have traded a 105avg defender for a 90avg defender and gotten a potential 100avg midfielder for the trouble.
All in all, this feels like a near masterclass in team transformation. Who knows if Cerra, Cumming or Anderson are ever as impactful as Greene and Lloyd were. Possibly not – those two are exceptional players. But the coach made a decision his team as currently constructed weren’t going to win a flag, and took dramatic measures once that decision had been made. Even if it doesn’t work out, it’s hard to not applaud how successfully they achieved that overhaul. The rebuild feels 70% done already.
List at end of season
| Love Sparkles | Tot. | Avg. | Last 5 Avg |
| Jack Steele SK | 2670 | 121.4 | 128.8 |
| Brayden Fiorini GC | 948 | 105.3 | 111 |
| Tom Stewart GE | 1936 | 96.8 | 105 |
| Jy Simpkin NM | 2100 | 95.5 | 99 |
| Luke Shuey WC | 613 | 87.6 | 108.5 |
| Adam Cerra FR | 1572 | 87.3 | 111.8 |
| Isaac Cumming GWS | 1894 | 86.1 | 92.2 |
| Matthew Kennedy CA | 1031 | 85.9 | 95.4 |
| Todd Goldstein NM | 1887 | 85.8 | 85.8 |
| Jarman Impey HW | 1114 | 85.7 | – |
| Bailey Dale WB | 1838 | 83.5 | 84 |
| Luke Davies-Uniacke | 1632 | 81.6 | 90.2 |
| Noah Anderson GC | 1619 | 81 | 86.8 |
| Jack Graham RI | 1725 | 78.4 | 83.6 |
| Zac Williams CA | 1001 | 71.5 | 53 |
| Trent McKenzie PA | 857 | 71.4 | 66 |
| Alex Neal-Bullen | 1561 | 71 | 84.4 |
| Rory Lobb FR | 917 | 70.5 | – |
| Lachlan Bramble HW | 704 | 70.4 | 75.6 |
| James Jordon ME | 1471 | 70 | 46.3 |
| Jesse Hogan GWS | 558 | 69.8 | 60.8 |
| Justin McInerney SY | 1390 | 69.5 | 79.8 |
| Ned Reeves HW | 345 | 69 | 74.5 |
| Harris Andrews BL | 1417 | 67.5 | 70 |
| Bailey Williams WB | 1280 | 67.4 | 66.6 |
| Darcy MacPherson GC | 724 | 65.8 | 70 |
| Hayden Crozier WB | 656 | 65.6 | – |
| Kieren Briggs GWS | 323 | 64.6 | 78 |
| Sam Powell-Pepper PA | 892 | 63.7 | 53.3 |
| Jake Lever ME | 1389 | 63.1 | 61.2 |
| Dylan Shiel ES | 442 | 63.1 | 61.8 |
| Jarrod Brander WC | 679 | 61.7 | 46 |
| Trent Bianco CW | 673 | 61.2 | 63.3 |
| Will Setterfield CA | 483 | 60.4 | – |
| Jai Newcombe HW | 350 | 58.3 | 57.5 |
| Connor Budarick GC | 116 | 58 | – |
| Oscar Allen WC | 1212 | 57.7 | 50.8 |
| Will Brodie GC | 205 | 51.3 | 67 |
| Jarrod Berry BL | 451 | 50.1 | 56.8 |
| Tom Rockliff PA | 27 | 27 | – |
Player to watch in 2022
Zac Williams
Pretty simple – does Williams return to his GWS scoring, or was his first year at Carlton the new normal?
A return to the 90+ player would give the team another defensive pillar alongside Tom Stewart, and ensure the Sparkles have a very strong backline (impressive given they shipped out Lloyd). Stewart, Williams, Cumming, Impey, Dale and McInerney has the makings of a top tier line in our league. It’s also the case that Stewart is the only one coming into 2022 having delivered at 80+ for two years running.
2021 In Review
This was tied for the worst year on-field for the Sparkles in their history, with the perennial finalists plunging to 9th (somewhat determinedly though).
But are they the 9th worst team in the competition? I don’t think so. This is a team that managed to beat the eventual premiers.
They have the highest scoring midfielder to anchor the team, and enough promising prospects that you could make an argument they have the best group of up-and-comers and not get laughed out the room. The framework is here for an immediate return to finals contention.
The obvious weak point heading into 2022 is one they share with several teams – they’re very thin up forward. I think there is a world where their midfield and backline propel them into the mix for fifth place. But they’re thin, and Steele is the only bankable ‘top 10 in their position’ player they possess (setting aside rucks here, and Tom Stewart is obviously a top 10 defender, but is coming of an injury affected year).
Competition for finals spots is going to be high next year, which may ultimately keep them looking in from the outside once again. But they should be competitive most weeks, and I wouldn’t be shocked if they played finals. Not bad for 9th.
Season Grade: C–