At a glance
7 wins / 10 losses – 6th on Ladder
Lost Elimination Final v Defenestrators
Wins
| Round 1 | Feelin Dusty |
| Round 3 | The Taxmanian Devils |
| Round 4 | Te Puke Pukekos |
| Round 5 | Roughnecks |
| Round 8 | The Love Sparkles |
| Round 10 | Feelin Dusty |
| Round 15 | The Taxmanian Devils |
Top 5 Scorers 2021
| MSHB | Tot. | Avg. | Last 5 Avg |
| Zach Merrett ES | 2427 | 110.3 | 98 |
| Andrew Gaff WC | 2041 | 97.2 | 97.2 |
| Jack Redden WC | 1687 | 93.7 | 102 |
| Josh Dunkley WB | 1007 | 91.5 | 57.8 |
| Dom Sheed WC | 2010 | 91.4 | 81.6 |
All-Australians & Award Winners
Note: Dayne Zorko was traded to the Puttanesca Chiefs on the eve of the finals.
2021 Pre-Season Draft
| Pick | Player | Team | Games | Avg | Still on List? |
| 5 | H. Morrison HW – B,C | MaherShalalHashBaz | 11 | 70.3 | N |
| 8 | Z. Fisher CA – F | MaherShalalHashBaz | 2 | 59.5 | Y |
| 15 | T. Atkins GE – F | MaherShalalHashBaz | 16 | 71.4 | Y |
| 25 | D. Greaves HW – B | MaherShalalHashBaz | 1 | 59 | N |
| 35 | L. Jones PA – B | MaherShalalHashBaz | 0 | 0 | N |
| 45 | C. Warner SY – F | MaherShalalHashBaz | 7 | 71.7 | Y |
| 55 | L. McDonald SY – F | MaherShalalHashBaz | 0 | 0 | Y |
| 75 | J. Hunt ME – F | MaherShalalHashBaz | 4 | 57.3 | N |
| 85 | G. Hewett SY – C | MaherShalalHashBaz | 7 | 65.7 | N |
| 95 | J. Rowe AD – F | MaherShalalHashBaz | 2 | 51 | N |
| 98 | T. Marshall PA – F | MaherShalalHashBaz | 1 | 47 | N |
| 105 | J. Selwood GE – C | MaherShalalHashBaz | 17 | 86.5 | Y |
| 115 | D. Hannebery SK – C | MaherShalalHashBaz | 0 | 0 | N |
| 125 | L. McNeil WB – C | MaherShalalHashBaz | 0 | 0 | N |
| 128 | C. Idun GWS – B | MaherShalalHashBaz | 7 | 52.3 | Y |
| 135 | J. Walker NM – B | MaherShalalHashBaz | 1 | 46 | N |
| 145 | J. Redden WC – C | MaherShalalHashBaz | 15 | 88.6 | Y |
| 165 | H. Jones ES – F | MaherShalalHashBaz | 0 | 0 | N |
| 175 | R. Tarrant NM – B | MaherShalalHashBaz | 0 | 0 | N |
| 188 | T. Cole WC – B | MaherShalalHashBaz | 2 | 58.5 | N |
| 195 | B. Brown ME – F | MaherShalalHashBaz | 1 | 63 | N |
Most inspired selection: Jarrod Redden – pick 145 (round 15)
Not too many picks in the 15th round that give you an 85+ average and play 15+ games. Redden and Aaron Hall are the only two that come to mind, so Coach Jordan’s got to be happy with this one. Sometimes a player just needs the right opportunity to thrive, and Redden found that with injuries to Shuey and Kelly, opening the door. And sometimes it just pays to pick players from the team you love.
Chad Warner – pick 45 (5th round) is the other one to get excited about. Coming into his third year, he looked really composed in the early part of the season, before a stress fracture took him out for the rest of the year. Finishing 4th in the rising star count, he has Dusty Martin potential, but coach Jordan will want to see that potential realised sooner rather than later.
Rest of draft
Hindsight can often be like a thumbtack on a comfy chair. I could see a world where this draft works, but unfortunately it was not to be in 2021. The pre-season form of Fisher and Morrison didn’t translate to the regular season. And gambles on role and injury with the likes of Hannebery, Conor Idun, George Hewett and Daemon Greaves, didn’t pan out either. Tom Atkins, Joel Selwood and Chad Warner were shining lights and brought hope to this team. Tom Hickey was a sensational pick up off the waiver wire too. There’s also a lot to like about Logan McDonald, if coach Jordan can afford to stash him for a while. That may be glass half full type of stuff here as the stats indicate that the MaherShalalHashBaz keepers did most of the heavy lifting for this team.
Trades
| Date | Team 1 | Received | Team 2 | Received |
| 26 July 2021 | Puttanesca Chiefs | Dayne Zorko | MaherShalalHashBaz | Puttanesca Chiefs Round 1 Pick |
Only the one trade for MaherShalalHashBaz, but it may be what this trade symbolises, rather than the result of this trade, that makes it so interesting. The Chief’s clearly went all in on getting their hands on the trophy for a fourth time, bolstering their very strong hand. While coach Jordan, identified that the uphill battle of the 2021 finals was too much and cashed in while the timing was right.
List at end of 2021 season
| MSHB | Tot. | Avg. | Last 5 Avg |
| Zach Merrett ES | 2427 | 110.3 | 98 |
| Andrew Gaff WC | 2041 | 97.2 | 97.2 |
| Jack Redden WC | 1687 | 93.7 | 102 |
| Josh Dunkley WB | 1007 | 91.5 | 57.8 |
| Dom Sheed WC | 2010 | 91.4 | 81.6 |
| Ed Curnow CA | 1958 | 89 | 92.2 |
| Joel Selwood GE | 1837 | 87.5 | 87.6 |
| Andrew McGrath ES | 1184 | 84.6 | 63.5 |
| Tom Hickey SY | 1645 | 82.3 | 89.4 |
| Dan Houston PA | 1678 | 79.9 | 79 |
| Oscar McInerney BL | 1610 | 76.7 | 91 |
| Tom Phillips HW | 1608 | 73.1 | 72.8 |
| Peter Ladhams PA | 1091 | 72.7 | 77 |
| Joe Daniher BL | 1589 | 72.2 | 77.8 |
| Tom Green GWS | 1221 | 71.8 | 73 |
| Josh Daicos CW | 1213 | 71.4 | 73 |
| Tom Atkins GE | 1322 | 69.6 | 66 |
| Chad Warner SY | 829 | 69.1 | – |
| Harry Cunningham SY | 1376 | 68.8 | 73.3 |
| Charlie Dixon PA | 1505 | 68.4 | 62.8 |
| Sydney Stack RI | 473 | 67.6 | 74.2 |
| Lachlan Sholl AD | 1211 | 67.3 | 63.5 |
| Jake Waterman WC | 926 | 66.1 | 79.7 |
| Daniel McStay BL | 1176 | 65.3 | 90.8 |
| Jack Silvagni CA | 954 | 63.6 | 95.7 |
| Ryan Byrnes SK | 1008 | 63 | 56.8 |
| Cameron Zurhaar NM | 1237 | 61.9 | 53.5 |
| Thomas Highmore SK | 734 | 61.2 | 76.5 |
| Mitch Lewis HW | 842 | 60.1 | 70.4 |
| Trent Rivers ME | 1292 | 58.7 | 61.2 |
| Zac Fisher CA | 578 | 57.8 | 58.4 |
| Riley Collier | 509 | 56.6 | 58 |
| Liam Ryan WC | 791 | 56.5 | 54.7 |
| Connor Idun GWS | 1172 | 55.8 | 54.4 |
| Luke Edwards WC | 369 | 52.7 | 40 |
| Charlie Curnow CA | 202 | 50.5 | 50.5 |
| Trey Ruscoe CW | 420 | 46.7 | 64 |
| Logan McDonald SY | 304 | 43.4 | – |
| Wayne Milera AD | – | – | – |
| Reef McInnes CW | – | – | – |
Player to watch in 2022
Tom Green
He was coach Jordan’s 1st rnd draft pick coming off his premiership winning year, and he couldn’t have been happier. Two years in, and the stacked GWS midfield has made it hard for the kid to get a good crack at it, and hence an average of 70-75 was about expected, which is what he got. Encouragingly, even with so much talent, he was able to play 17 games, demonstrating his endurance and AFL ready body. Coming into his third year, with another pre-season under his belt, Green looks ready to take the next step and spread the load more evenly in the midfield.
2021 In Review
Started out the season like a house on fire winning 4 of the first 5 games, some may reflect on this as false hope. But little did coach Jordan know that these early wins proved necessary to remain as one of only 3 teams in the league to have played finals every year, as MaherShalalHashBaz snuck into 6th place despite going on a 6 game losing streak to finish the year, which included a loss to the Defenestrators in the Elimination Final.
A lot went wrong for this team, as they battled form and injuries, but an emphatic win in round 5 against the Roughnecks was a highlight and at the time gave them the hope that they could go all the way. A 10 point win to the Pukekos in round 4 also proved pivotal, as this was the team who they pushed out of finals on percentage. They may not have appreciated Lachlan Sholl’s scoring for the rest of the season, but a 130 that week was very necessary (also partial credit to Nelson’s friends distracting him long enough to not update his team that week).
This is a team at a crossroads now. Good enough to still compete in finals (and keep their record in tact) but arguably battling uphill to win the flag. Which way will this team go? The late season trade of Dayne Zorko for a 1st rounder may have signaled their intent.
Season Grade: C