It’s that time of year where we’ve all played each other once, so this is the perfect time to have a look at how the season has gone so far, and make some (probably wrong) predictions on how the season will shape up through the rest of the year.
Game of the year
Defenestrators (1996) defeated Solomon’s Soldiers (1983), Week 6
The 2022 grand final rematch saw the 4-1 Soldiers, coming off a loss to the Sparkles the week prior, looking to get back onto the winners list and reassert dominance over the Defenestrators after going 3-0 against them in 2022. The Defenestrators on the other hand were coming into this game off a win against Threat Level Midnight, but by no means had they found their stride for 2023 yet, sitting on a 3-2 W/L ledger.
Unlike the actual grand final replay where the Swans didn’t even look like a SANFL side, this game lived up to the hype. Marcus Bontempelli kicked things off on the Friday night with a score of 148 off the back of 2 goals and 10 tackles through the midfield. Adam Treloar did level up the ton tally with a 112 of his own, but the opening game was all about Bont. And then the Giants played…
Many teams in our league cash in big when certain teams play well (Vipers with Freo the most obvious), and for Paul it’s the Giants. In their game against Brisbane they had Coniglio (135), Kelly (125), Daniels (95 – in 3 games since hasn’t passed 50), as well as Dan Rich on 97 for the Lions. This game flipped the switch on who was winning the match up, and while there were many twists and turns throughout the rest of the weekend, the Defenestrators kept their nose in front the whole time.
Prior to this game, there had only been 4 scores of 1900 across the league, so for both teams to go above 1980 in the head-to-head was a rare occurrence that hasn’t been replicated since. The high scoring nature of this game made it a great watch for the neutral supporters (I’ve been told), and worthy of game of the year honours.
Fun fact: In the 2022 Grand Final, the Soldier’s winning score was 1995. Paul getting 1996 this game to shed the demons of that game seems rather fitting when looking back.
Surprise packet of the year
Roughnecks – 4th on ladder (7-2, 101.78%)
Given the way the Roughnecks ended 2022 and the multitude of 1st round picks in their possession again, this looked like a clear cut case of a team in full rebuild, and so not a contender for 2023. Indeed 6/7 coaches who had done the pre season survey indicated they thought the Roughnecks were on the way down and missing finals, so this wasn’t a crazy take.
A week 1 win over the Love Sparkles was celebrated as a stepping stone for the “Baby Roughnecks”, but no one still considered them a threat for finals. This was just a young team with an inconsistent score above projected. A win over the Chiefs had us asking more about what Mark was doing than thinking Adam was legit, and then a demolition by Paul in week 3 had the normal order of things restored, or so we thought…
A trade with Mark gave a clear sign of intent from both clubs, with Adam bringing in an A grade midfield trio to assist the younger players in being consistent and competitive throughout the season. This move cost some young players, and some picks, but gives the Roughnecks a strong core to threaten teams this year, and to take into the future.
The wins just kept coming from there, with a 5-game win streak only snapped in week 9 by the Soldiers. The Roughnecks weren’t disgraced in this one though, with 1807 still being the 3rd highest score of the round. They are certainly a team with a deep finals run as their goal, though it will be interesting to try and get some insight from Adam about what his expectations are of par for this year and beyond.
Fun Fact: Prior to this year, only Paul and Adam have made finals every year of our league history. By being the surprise packet they are, this streak should continue, much to the displeasure of Paul who wanted the solo title.
Draftee of the year
Harry Sheezel, average 102.3 (4th pick overall by Threat Level Midnight)
Can’t say I overthought this one. Ashcroft at 1 was always a given, and he certainly looks like an accomplished footballer already in the Lions midfield, but you can’t go past Sheezel at 4 for the draftee of the year. I don’t think a draftee has ever come in in their rookie year and averaged a ton over their first 9 games (Sam Walsh maybe got close, but I don’t think it was this good). To do it as an eligible forward makes him an even better pick up again, as with Clarko playing him off half back he’s getting as much ball as he wants.
Was always thought of highly, going to North alongside Wardlaw at picks 2&3, however I will admit I was surprised at his early fantasy prowess (as was Rowan clearly, not even having him on the field for round 1). Phillipou and Tsatas will be great players if their draft year play is anything to go by, but on a re-draft of our league Sheezel would easily jump to #2, and give Jordan some serious thought about the number 1 pick.
Fun fact: Sheezel is the first rookie in our league history to score a ton in each of his first 4 games. Even the mature age players like Tim Kelly and Michael Barlow years previously didn’t start with that much scoring.
Breakout player of the year
Tim English (120.2 ave), Tom Green (115.8 ave), Nick Daicos (114.6 ave)
The league is in good hands with the next generation of fantasy pigs rising quickly. With Daicos in year 2, Green in year 4 and English in year 7 (give the ruck some slack as they all take time), these jets are going to be mainstays of their respective teams for many years to come (not that I won’t try and change that…)
Tim English is the clear R1 for the league at the moment, scoring a ton in each of his first 6 games, and 7 from his 9 finished so far. With a low score of 92 the floor is quite high, and the ceiling is yet to be fully tested, with scores of 145 and 151 already produced. Quality of opponent isn’t seeming to affect him (115 against Gawndy week 1, and 145 against the in form Nankervis week 4 great cases in point here), so there is no telling where the rest of the season will take him.
Tom Green is relishing the midfield role made available to him through Taranto and Hopper being traded to Richmond, with a 30 point jump in his average from last year coming through now. Taken at pick 10 in the loaded 2020 draft (Rowell, Anderson, Jackson, Serong, Young, Day, Warner all part of that draft class), was also pick 10 in our fantasy draft, going to reigning premier Jordan in a pick that had joy radiating through the Zerna house that he fell so far. Hasn’t come on as quick as some of the others, but with a 115 average and a top score of 170 (!), the sky is the limit for his fantasy potential.
Nick Daicos. Do I need to say any more? A solid tanking effort gave the Sparkles to opportunity to have him, and while his rookie year showed the natural talent that had him high on everyone’s radar, he’s gone to another level in year 2. Only a hard tag at AFL level can reduce his fantasy impact, and even then he’s still not dropping below 80 – the definition of a set and forget defender who can win games off his own boot. Even I haven’t bothered sending Greg any trade requests for him, because I know it just isn’t going to happen.
Fun fact: Of these three players, only Tom Green was picked in the pre season survey as a potential break out player of the year. This being said, English has been backed many years previously, so partial credit will go there, and 3 teams did nominate Daicos as the player they would take from another team if they could add one player, so all three players are living to the potential seen coming.
Team by team breakdown
The Love Sparkles (8-1, 106.44%)
The season so far
After a shock round 1 result to the Roughnecks (less shocking in hindsight, but at the time was big), the Sparkles have gone on a currently unended 8 game win streak, with great results against other potential grand finalists in myself (Alex) and Paul, as well as taking care of the pesky Vipers who can go nuclear on any given week. They’ve scored the third most points of anyone, and been fortunate to have conceded the second least helping build that percentage up should that be a factor at the end of the season.
There have been some injuries to some prime movers (LDU, Steele) to navigate through, but the depth generated from the draft this preseason has meant that the wins have kept coming while waiting for the stars to come back.
Best draft pick
Liam Baker (pick 68). By the 7th round, we’re all looking for value – either depth players or project players are valuable. What you don’t expect to find is a solid starter for a premiership contender. Baker is averaging 83 across the opening 9 games, and is now a set and forget forward for the Sparkles line up. A high score of 122 shows the scoring potential he has, and the tigers seem to be on the rise at the moment so this could become more common.
Current B&F leader prediction
It’s Nick Daicos. He’s 1 vote off the lead for the Dangergawn medal, and with 7 tons from 9 games he’s been impactful in every game. Noah Anderson will be closing the gap after a slow start to the season, and if Jack Steele stays healthy you can never rule him out, but really Daicos’s to lose.
Predicted finish
Top 2. Anything less would be a disappointment given the hot start to the year. Still 2 matches each against the Defenestrators and Roughnecks which could create a loss or 2, and playing through the bye rounds does create a wildcard factor that isn’t present in normal circumstances (though he has drawn the Vipers the week Freo have the bye), but overall should be right around the mark to earn a first week bye.
Fun fact
Greg has never finished top 2 before, though in my opinion this could be the first of many should he get there with the age of this list.
Solomon’s Soldiers (7-2, 113.65%)
The season so far
A mixed bag for the highest scoring team in the league so far. Three scores above 2000 highlight the scoring potential this team has to offer. With a low score of 1871 the floor is high as well, so while they can be beaten, it’s taking big scores against to be defeated. Confidence at Soldiers HQ was dented after back to back losses against premiership fancies Greg and Paul, but a couple of big scores and a morale boosting win over the Roughnecks in round 9 has given them more cause for optimism heading into the second half of the year.
Injuries have started rearing their heads, but hopefully there will be some players coming back as well to balance out the players missing.
Best draft pick
This draft was all about the 5th round for the Soldiers, and it delivered some beauties. Dayne Zorko and Toby Green picked at 42 & 43 are mainstays of the Soldiers forward line (when not injured), as well as Dangerfield and Setterfield both doing surprisingly better than projected preseason in the midfield. Setterfield with an average of 94 at pick 50 a great value pickup indeed. Honourable mention to Jeremy Cameron at pick 13 having a 99 average, also a lock in the Soldiers forward line for the season.
Current B&F leader (no prediction required)
It’s tight at the top of the Soldiers B&F leader board, with Marcus Bontempelli holding a very slim lead over Brad Crouch, while Sam Docherty and James Sicily are both one good game away from being right up there as well. Toby Nankervis was leading after 4 rounds prior to his injury, and even having missed 5 games is still in the top 10. With a return due within a fortnight, he’ll be hoping to start the climb straight back up.
Predicted finish
Top 2. With scores as high as we’ve done so far, anything less would be an immense disappointment. Facing a tough matchup with Greg during the bye rounds with most of the Soldiers midfield taking the week off at the same time, but should get a solid win over Paul the following week as the Giants and Blues have that week off together. If the Soldiers can maintain their scoring rate through the rest of the match ups, there shouldn’t be too many more losses to take away the top 2 goal.
Fun fact
Last year the Soldiers broke the record for most points in a home and away season for our league. With the extra 4 games this year that will obviously be broken – however they are currently tracking very close to the record on a points per game basis. A few more 2000+ scores will be required to make sure of that though.
Defenestrators (7-2, 105.67%)
The season so far
A rough start losing two of their first four games, the Defenestrators have turned a corner and peeled off five straight to be equal 2nd on points, percentage having them right in the middle of the 3-team log jam on 7-2. When the Giants play well, this team looks unbeatable, and with the second highest scoring team in the competition, you can’t sleep on the team that has played the last 3 grand finals.
Ruck injuries early in season made Paul very happy that he kept 3 rucks, and with Gawn already back and Cameron due back this week, the health of the unit as a whole is looking good again. Adam Treloar doing a hammy isn’t news at this stage of his career, but still unfortunate for the Defenestrators each time it happens.
Best draft pick
An easy one here, with Jack Ziebell taken at pick 76 averaging 104. After a down year last year, Clarko has released him back into defence where he scored well in 2021, and Paul was able to see that coming better than the rest of us and gain the services of a forward/defender hybrid to plug any gaps as they come up.
Current B&F leader prediction
This one is one of the harder ones to work out. Sam Walsh is the pinnacle of talent on this roster, however having missed 4 games he probably isn’t on top yet. Kelly and Cogs are both averaging the ton meaning they are some of the top contenders, as well as Ziebell and his uncontested ball winning ways racking up the points. Gawn can always come up the leader board quickly, and I’m not going to rule out a surge from Jack Sinclair either given his form to end last season.
Predicted finish
Top 4. This could become top 2 with 2/2 wins against Greg in the match ups to come, but given Greg is a win ahead at the moment and has the superior percentage, anything less would make a hard hill to climb. Paul also has a double up against Adam who is also currently on 7 wins, so a vital 4 games there to determine the make up of the top end of the ladder.
Fun fact
The Defenestrators already have the record for most consecutive grand finals played in with 3 (Mark played in 4 in a 5-year span, but it was the middle year that he missed). Looking to make the big dance again this year to try and establish a record that would take a herculean effort to break.
Roughnecks (7-2, 101.78%)
The season so far
Smashing expectations is the bare minimum you can say about this team. As mentioned earlier, they were flagged for a rebuild and missing finals, however with a 7-2 record and the big guns being bought into this team, finals are well and truly in the Roughnecks planning. Those August plans of a nice holiday for Zoe will have to be cancelled. Hope you get your deposits back.
Good wins against the Sparkles and Vipers, and a lucky escape against the Devils headline the season. Only 2 losses, but they were both crushing losses hurting the Roughnecks percentage, and so will need to gain wins on the teams above them to push for a higher ladder position. A great run with injuries so far has this team scoring at their maximum potential, and this is getting the job done more often than not.
Best draft pick
His season average isn’t reflecting it yet, but Chayce Jones at pick 186 has been a very shrewd selection. While his season average of 70 isn’t a headline grabber, it is steadily rising making this a great get at the late stage of the draft. His role at the Crows as they rise is beginning to include some accumulation of touches, and given the later rounds are almost a formality with no real talent expected makes this such a good punt. Also, a shout out for Wangeneen-Milera with an average of 81 taken at the end of the 6th round.
Current B&F leader prediction
Tim Taranto. Then daylight. Taranto is currently the joint leader of the Dangergawn medal with Tim English, and averages 12 more points than any other forward in the game The talk pre season was that Josh Dunkley would be the most dominant forward in the comp, but Taranto’s move to the Tigers has unlocked his maximum ability to score in fantasy as a pure on baller – having the forward status is just adding insult to injury for everyone else that doesn’t have him.
Predicted finish
According to my 3-year-old who is sitting next to me, 4th (she had to pick a number between 1 and 8). I don’t think she’s wrong though. The Roughnecks have been lucky with not many teams bringing monster scores against them, and as they’re the fourth highest scoring team at the moment, holding steady here seems the most likely outcome. As mentioned with the other teams above, double up matches still to come against Greg and Paul will play the biggest role in determining the final makeup of the ladder – then it’s just a matter of holding serve against the lower teams on the ladder.
Fun fact
Roughnecks were the greatest beneficiaries of the first wave of position changes, with Bailey Smith adding forward, Lachie Whitfield back, Dawson and Rachele mid (not always required, but great for flexibility), and so along with Taranto this is the most flexibility of top end talent of any team in our league.
Lethal Vipers (6-3, 103.44%)
The season so far
The Vipers have come into another year where at their best they will give everyone a scare, and their worst is still a score that you can’t phone it in to cover them. All 3 losses to teams above them on the ladder, of course meaning they have a clean sheet against the lower half of the ladder. Andrew Brayshaw is back up to a 108 average, and with Luke Ryan (101) and Sean Darcy (100) alongside, Freo are giving Nathan double joy as each weekend rolls around. Throw in a Libba average of 105 – clearly benefitting from Dunkley leaving the kennel, and you have a team that drops points thick and fast with the right teams playing.
Will be looking to claim some big scalps in the second half of the season, and really push for that maiden grand final appearance/premiership. The Roughnecks potentially the most vulnerable in the top 4 so that spot will be Nathan’s first target, before moving on to higher goals.
Best draft pick
It’s Will Powell (pick 185), and it’s not even close. Potentially the best pick of the draft for the entire league such a steal this was. A set and forget defender in the 19th round who is locked into this team’s 22, just as he is locked in for GC. I assume we all forgot the upward trajectory Powell was on prior to the horrific leg break he suffered last year, but credit to Nathan for taking the punt on his return, and now may he bear the fruits of this selection for the rest of 2023, and beyond if deemed worthy of keeping.
Current B&F leader prediction
As something that will make the Freo fan glad, it’s probably a 2 horse race between Andy Brayshaw and Luke Ryan. Both known to be able to score well, but for Ryan at least this is the first season I can recall when he’s put it all together and been the consistent scorer for the Vipers. Looking at the list, there are many players that can score big on any given week, but given the consistency of these guys, I reckon Brayshaw has it to lose.
Predicted finish
Fourth to sixth. Nathan has the percentage to jump Adam if he can claw back a win on him, however being a win and percentage behind the top 3 (and having to play Greg when Freo have the bye will make that a hard one to pick off) means I don’t see a rise beyond 4th. I also don’t think there’s too much danger of falling out of the finals, such is the strength through all the lines in this squad.
Fun fact
Contrary to what you’d expect with a Freo-heavy list, the Vipers highest score this year has come during a Freo loss, while their lowest has come during a Freo win. A good position to be in meaning you’re not relying on your actual AFL team to make sure you have a chance at your fantasy game as well.
Threat Level Midnight (4-5, 99.54%)
The season so far
A new coach, with a new approach to enter this year. Rowan has come in looking to be competitive right away, and the hot start he had definitely put the league on notice with 3 straight wins to start the year. 21 keepers as earned by Jaye prior to the coaching transition (still smoother than the Pies have ever done) meant Rowan could bring back an extra veteran scorer to aid this team through his inaugural year, and a couple of trades to bring in Wines and De Goey show his intent of getting good points through his midfield.
Only wins against the teams below him on the ladder means he hasn’t taken any big scalps in his debut season, but has been in the upper bracket of scores across the league a number of weeks, so I believe one will come by the end of the season. A 26 point win against Max round 3 may well prove vital to the Midnight’s season given that win is all that separates the 2 teams. With 2 more head to head games against Max to come, these games could be the make of break moments of the season.
Best draft pick
I’m going to ignore Sheezel for this one as I’ve already covered him earlier, so instead I’m going to suggest the steal of the Midnight draft was Mason Wood at pick 114. Wood had a good 2022, but I know for myself, and potentially other coaches, there was no guarantee this could be replicated given he’s already in his late 20’s, and with a new coach there was no guarantee what his role would be. Rowan took the punt, and it’s paying great rewards with an average of almost 93 to be locked into the midfield for the rest of the season.
Current B&F leader prediction
Caleb Serong must be the current leader with a season average of 108, however I’d bet my bottom dollar that Gulden is closing fast with his last 2 weeks bringing his season average to 100. The fact there is so much young talent pushing for this honour is a great sign for Rowan, and a real threat level for the rest of the league.
Harry Sheezel could also realistically be fighting up the top of the leaderboard in his rookie year. It will be interesting to see what method (if any) Rowan uses to determine his club B&F (if you want any suggestions, feel free to ask the league).
Predicted finish
6th to 8th. The top 5 feel very secure being 2 wins and percentage away from 6th, and so Rowan is at the top of the three teams currently fighting for 6th, with the Devils and (another win behind, but not mathematically out) MSHB still looking to compete for that slot. Double ups against Max and Jordan will be crucial to how the bottom of the ladder shapes up. Win all 4, and 6th is virtually guatanteed.
Fun fact
After being named a contentious keeper call by Paul preseason, Callum Wilkie is the highest averaging defender for TLM after 9 rounds. A solid middle finger salute season to prove the naysayer wrong by Wilkie making Rowan look like a shrewd list manager indeed coming into the league.
The Taxmanian Devils (3-6, 100.28%)
The season so far
Another season starting with bad luck for Max, which seems to be the theme of his last couple of years. Only 3 wins to 6 losses, yet still a percentage of over 100 shows that his losses are always close, and that he’s never out of a game. A score of 1828 in week 7 the highlight of the season so far, knowing that when it all clicks, he can score enough to win against most teams here. A close loss to Rowan was offset by an equally close win against Mark 2 weeks later, and now has his fate in his own hands with a double up against Rowan to come in the last 12 games – win both and do the right thing against the other lower teams and he’ll take pole position on that maiden finals spot.
The development of the younger players in this squad has been great to watch from a Devils perspective, meaning that even if they don’t play finals this year, there is a clear light at the end of the tunnel for them. Butters last 6 weeks have been incredible and having acquired Jackson at the end of last season, it will be very pleasing to Max to see his midfield minutes increasing, and the scoring that is coming with that.
Best draft pick
It hurts me to say this as he was a player that I considered keeping, but eventually decided to throw back to the pool, but Blake Acres at pick 33 was a great pick up. Averaging 93 through the midfield, he’s come into a great situation with Carlton playing a possession friendly game that he is benefitting from out on the wings.
Current B&F leader prediction
Cripps has been consistent getting up to a 95 average, however I’m riding the Butters train all the way to the station with this one. Some big tons so far, and with Rozee and JHF in the Port (and also Devils) teams, doesn’t get the number 1 tagger and so is freed up to play his game, to great effect currently. Acres will be somewhere around the mark alongside Rozee, and so this could be one of the closest counts across the league this year.
Predicted finish
6th to 8th. I could almost copy and paste what I wrote for TLM here, as it’s the same situation just being the one a game behind instead of a game ahead. The 2 remaining head to heads with Rowan are what the whole season will Hinge on, so no pressure. Max doesn’t get the extra double up against a non finalist like Rowan gets, so he may need to steal an extra win from a top 5 team to make the climb into finals, but the 1828 scored week 7 shows that is indeed possible.
Fun fact
The Taxmanian Devils are the only list without a player averaging 100 after 9 weeks, yet they have scored more points than the 3 teams below them on the ladder. It shows a depth of squad is required to post a competitive score, but the tons are what may cost another year of missing finals. Time will tell.
MaherShalalHashBaz (2-7, 96.99%)
The season so far
Is it right to call this season a success with only 2 wins from 9 games? Finals were never in Jordan’s planning for 2023 (and even 2024 was IF everything went perfect), yet after 9 games he’s not mathematically out of it. Only 2 wins means he needs to gain 2 wins plus percentage on Rowan to climb into that 6th spot (and assuming Max 1 win ahead also fell over his own feet), but considering all that has come to pass so far, it’s not impossible. Already doubled last year’s win tally (albeit against an actively tanking Nelson and an underperforming/now rebuilding Mark), but last year he couldn’t have even split those, so onwards and upwards for MSHB.
The winner of the Will Ashcroft cup last year has got some seriously talented young players coming through, and so once they gain the consistency that comes with multiple preseasons and games, this unit will be a nice cohesive bunch. Tom Green is still giving Jordan excessive joy, and with Finn Callaghan, Chad Warner and Ashcroft all under 23, there is some long term scorers making a name for themselves this year.
Best draft pick
If you look past Ashcroft (anyone could have done that at pick 1), I’m going to nominate Jayden Hunt at pick 111. Probably biased by the fact he moved to the Eagles in the offseason, but Jordan decided he was worth looking at, and with the Eagles injury list, he’s got all the opportunity he needs. Averaging 77 is solid for a defender you pick in the second half of the draft, and he’s firmly established in the best 22 for MSHB.
Current B&F leader prediction
Tom Green by the length of the Flemington straight. He’s put together a monster start to the year, and with Zach Merrett the only other HashBaz-er (is that what we call them – 8 years in and I’ve never worked it out) to average 100, it’s an easy call to make. The fact the Merrett is a 2 time Dangergawn medallist, and 5 time MSHB B&F means we can’t rule him out, but Tom has to have the inside track to victory at this point.
Predicted finish
8th seems about right. Might get to 4-5 wins, which is a huge step forward from the 1 last year, but I don’t see Jordan gaining any more on Max and Rowan to climb higher than he currently is. As stated before, the year is still considered a win for the improvement shown, and with a shrewd draft next year could knock on the door of finals again then.
Fun fact
After winning the premiership in 2019 (3.5 completed seasons since then), only 3 premiership players remain on the HashBaz-ers list – Dom Sheed (who signed a 10 year contract after kicking the winning goal in the 2018 AFL grand final), Zach Merrett and Andy McGrath. Four 2019 premiership players have gone on to win another premiership with another club since then though. A severe list turnover from Jordan, hopefully able to replicate that result at some point in the future.
Puttanesca Chiefs (1-8, 94.9%)
The season so far
I don’t even know where to begin with this one. The Chiefs have been a perennial contender for so long, it just doesn’t feel real writing their review this low. A round 1 loss wasn’t so much doom and gloom because he lost, but more so because he scored the second lowest total in the league – worse than Jordan. The Chiefs suddenly didn’t strike the same fear as they had in different years, and after a few rounds deliberating, Mark decided to commit fully to a rebuild by offering some prized midfielders onto the competition. This sparked a bidding war which Adam won (albeit in unique circumstances as I heard directly from Mark), and so the Chiefs are going young again with the hope of setting up a new dynasty to rival the first one.
There are still players to watch on this list that Mark hopes will be part of the new guard – led by Clayton Oliver and Rowan Marshall. On any given week those 2 players can add 300 to a total and put the Chiefs in calculations for a win, but when you look deep at the list, it is evident that this is not a contender for the next year or 2 while the reset happens. Will the fans have the patience to stick out a rebuild? They’ve been spoilt with success over the last 6 years, so this is their first great test.
Best draft pick
For the first time, there’s not a lot to write home about in this draft class. Jhye Clark at the Cats will be a good player, but he’s too far down the pecking order to have a good read on yet. Tom Atkins at pick 36 might have to be it from a perspective of having played each week and having dual position status. Enough young players came in through trades, as well as multiple high draft selections, that this won’t be a concern to the team at this point, but they wouldn’t want another haul similar next year.
Current B&F leader prediction
I’m not wasting time on this – It’s Clayton Oliver. Hasn’t missed a ton yet, is outright 4th in the Dangergawn medal, and with the other premium mids that were on this list traded away, there is very little competition. Rowan Marshall the only other player in with a shot. He’s averaging 102, but that’s still over 10 points short of Clarrie, and I don’t see that changing.
Predicted finish
9th is the only realistic option here. Nelson is tanking harder than anyone in our league has done before, so Mark can’t fall to 10th. Jordan is a year ahead in his rebuild, and has more players averaging 90+, so he shouldn’t fall below the Chiefs, which locks this team into 9th, picking 2nd in the draft. Time to start looking at the draft pool outside of Harley Reid and making the selection.
Fun fact
This year will continue the Chief’s streak into an 8th year of never playing the first week of finals (in a meaningful way). In 8 seasons (including this one), he’s missed finals twice, and earned the first week bye by being top 2 the other 6 years. A crazy streak given he’s got the 3 premierships, as the only other teams to be able to say they’ve never played that week have never played finals at all. Also 6 straight prelims will be hard for anyone to top, though Paul is getting closer.
Harley Reid Pukekos (0-9, 78.08%)
The season so far
When you’re not trying to win at all, what is a pass mark? Nelson approached the season with one goal in mind – get his own Ashcroft type player to turn the franchise around, and thus the tanking began. A young draft (barring Franklin who pretty much has to be on the Pukekos list at this point) started the process, but the real work began in the few weeks between the draft and the season. 3 separate trades, 3 first round picks in, and thus the rebuild process has begun. Yeo, Wines, and Crisp all went out in search of glory that Nelson couldn’t provide, and so in next year’s draft the Pukekos will have 5 of the first 11 draft picks.
There isn’t much to say about the games that have been played. Nelson hasn’t fielded a full team yet, and sure enough has comfortably been the leagues lowest scorer. Some young guys are getting opportunity while the veterans are being “rested”, so we will see some names on Adam’s previews for milestone games (assuming those continue – my vote is for yes please) add a lot of young Pukekos in the nearer future.
Best draft pick
Bailey Williams (from the dogs) at pick 182 was an incredibly astute pick. Averaging 77 as a defender/mid, if Nelson was trying to win he’d be locked into the defence. As it is, he’ll be handy for next year when the effort starts again.
Current B&F leader prediction
We all know it’s Tim English. Nelson may not be getting any silverware this year as a team, but he’s still trying to put a medal around 1 player’s neck. English the only premo playing every week for the Pukekos to get that elusive medal, in a similar way (though not as unashamedly) as Merrett won it for MSHB last year – just a lack of competition within his own squad for votes.
Predicted finished
I’ve written enough. It’s 10th. He’s trying for it, and no one can stop him.
Fun fact
In winning the spoon, Nelson will join the Soldiers and MSHB as the only 3 teams to have won a premiership and a wooden spoon in our league history. To extend this list, either Mark or Paul will need to “win” a wooden spoon, or the Devils, Vipers or Midnight would need to win a premiership. The Roughnecks and Sparkles need to do both, so they might take some time to achieve this feat.
