AT A GLANCE
Wins
6
Losses
15
9th on the ladder
Season Summary
Life comes at you fast. One year you’re in a Preliminary Final (again. Like always). The next you’re 9th on the ladder.
Dynasty over? Just like that? The rest of us can come out from the dark and bask in the gentle glow that is “a chance of winning”?
For the first time in the league’s history, there are real question marks for the Chiefs. They have two stars – Oliver and Marshall – then a collection of question marks. And now Oliver has question marks of his own.
Are they staring at a long rebuild ahead? Who are the up and comers on this list? I think there are a few, but how high will they fly – and how soon will it happen?
Significant player turnover means they have draft assets to use. Best case scenario, a lot of the rebuild is done – the Chiefs made a dramatic trade that saw them bring in a lot of young assets and premium picks. If they nail those picks, could they return to competitiveness sooner than expected?
But perhaps the biggest question mark remaining is will they cut back even further? Such was their dominance that even with the mass exodus of premiership stars, they still have established assets to work with. Might we see a Jayden Short trade? A Tim Kelly trade? Or, gasp, Oliver or Marshall on the move? Watch this space.
top five Players
Rowan Marshall
23 games
115.8 average
Ranked 3rd for season
Clayton Oliver
13 games
113.8 average
Ranked 4th for season
Tim Kelly
22 games
98.7 average
Ranked 31st for season
Jayden Short
16 games
92.5 average
Ranked 51st for season
Bailey Scott
23 games
85.6 average
Ranked 87th for season
ALL-AUSTRALIANS
Rowan Marshall
2023 PRE-SEASON DRAFT
| Round | Pick | Player | Games Played | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Clark (Gee) | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 17 | Himmelberg (GWS) | 9 | 79.78 |
| 3 | 27 | Close (Gee) | 11 | 60.64 |
| 4 | 36 | Atkins (Gee) | 20 | 76.55 |
| 4 | 37 | B. Scott (NTH) | 14 | 84.86 |
| 5 | 47 | Jed Anderson (GC) | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | 57 | Cox (Fre) | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | 67 | M. King (STK) | 4 | 51.25 |
| 8 | 77 | Harmes (MEL) | 2 | 69 |
| 9 | 87 | Budarick (GC) | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | 107 | Bramble (HAW) | 3 | 59.67 |
| 12 | 117 | J. Burgoyne (PA) | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | 127 | Fiorini (GC) | 9 | 75.22 |
| 14 | 137 | Cottrell (CA) | 7 | 63.14 |
| 15 | 147 | R. Byrnes (STK) | 16 | 62.25 |
| 16 | 157 | Spargo (MEL) | 1 | 52 |
| 17 | 167 | Greenwood (NTH) | 10 | 65.5 |
| 18 | 177 | Weightman (WB) | 5 | 71.4 |
| 19 | 187 | Z. Reid (ESS) | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | 197 | C. Murley (COLL) | 0 | 0 |
Most Inspired Selection
Bailey Scott
Pick 37
The draft has long been a happy hunting ground for Coach Buscumb, and this year he did his best work in round 4, with his best selections coming back to back with picks 36 and 37.
Atkins was great, playing in nearly every game for the Chiefs. But Scott gets the nod here because of his age… and scoring power. This is a team in a rebuild and they’ve snared what looks to be a long term keeper in the 4th round.
All eyes now turn to Jhye Clark. The Chiefs will be hoping he’ll be a mainstay for the club, and unfortunately we didn’t get to see much of him at AFL level. Expect that to change in 2024.
Trades
I believe the scientific term for the trade on the 6th of April is “a biggun”
Something I’ve come to believe in is going hard when you’ve made a call. If you’re going for a flag, don’t hedge your bets. And if you don’t think you can win one with what you’ve got, and you think you need to refresh things, then commit to it hard.
The Chiefs certainly did that.
Out the door went three legendary Chiefs, with a bundle of premierships, AA selections, and two Franklin Medals between them. And what they got in return was, if all goes well, half the rebuild done.
Whether this was a good trade for the Chiefs is something we won’t know for a few years at least. But points for taking an almighty swing I say. I think on balance league history suggests coaches haven’t tended to regret parting with those older players for premium draft picks. Will that prove the same here?
The Chiefs other trade saw them shift a ruckman they couldn’t field for a younger ruck and a solid draft selection. De Koning shows promise – and with rucks, it’s always matter of how long you need to wait. But rebuilding teams can afford to wait, and De Koning may have forward status along the way. Best case scenario, De Koning is fieldable up forward and becomes a top line ruck right around the time Marshall starts to fall away.
| Date | Team | Received | Team | Received |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 6, 2023 |  | Roughnecks Round 1 Pick Roughnecks Round 2 Pick Nick Blakey Max Holmes Oliver Hollands Sam Berry |  | Rory Laird Jack Macrae Lachie Whitfield |
| March 23, 2023 |  | Reilly O’Brien | | Tom De Koning Taxmanian Devils Round 5 Pick |
LIST AT END OF 2023 SEASON
| Player | Games | Average | Player Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rowan Marshall Ruck | 23 | 115.8 | 3 |
| Clayton Oliver Midfielder | 13 | 113.8 | 4 |
| Tim Kelly Midfielder | 22 | 98.7 | 31 |
| Jayden Short Midfielder / Defender | 16 | 92.5 | 51 |
| Bailey Scott Defender / Midfielder | 23 | 85.6 | 87 |
| Angus Brayshaw Defender / Midfielder | 23 | 85.3 | 88 |
| Tom Atkins Defender / Midfielder | 23 | 79.9 | 119 |
| James Rowbottom Midfielder | 23 | 79.3 | 122 |
| Alex Witherden Defender | 22 | 78.4 | 128 |
| Taylor Adams Midfielder / Forward | 22 | 76.5 | 139 |
| Max Holmes Midfielder | 21 | 75.9 | 147 |
| Ben Ainsworth Forward | 21 | 74.1 | 165 |
| Jake Waterman Forward | 11 | 74.1 | 166 |
| Matt Flynn Ruck | 9 | 73.8 | 171 |
| Harry Himmelberg Defender / Forward | 22 | 72.3 | 186 |
| Nick Blakey Defender | 23 | 71.4 | 196 |
| Brayden Fiorini Midfielder | 17 | 70.8 | 200 |
| Tanner Bruhn Midfielder / Forward | 19 | 70.7 | 204 |
| Brodie Kemp Defender / Forward | 15 | 70.1 | 212 |
| Brennan Cox Defender | 20 | 69.9 | 214 |
| Tom De Koning Ruck | 16 | 66.3 | 249 |
| Ryan Burton Defender | 20 | 64.2 | 263 |
| Charlie Cameron Forward | 23 | 63.6 | 268 |
| Bayley Fritsch Forward | 15 | 63.1 | 276 |
| Ryan Lester Defender | 16 | 63.1 | 277 |
| Matthew Cottrell Midfielder / Forward | 14 | 62.3 | 289 |
| Lachlan Bramble Defender / Midfielder | 11 | 62.2 | 291 |
| Josh Battle Defender | 22 | 62 | 292 |
| Ryan Byrnes Midfielder / Forward | 20 | 62 | 294 |
| Curtis Taylor Midfielder / Forward | 16 | 61.3 | 301 |
| Jack Billings Midfielder | 3 | 60.7 | 308 |
| Eric Hipwood Forward | 23 | 59.3 | 330 |
| Kade Chandler Forward | 21 | 59 | 335 |
| Oliver Hollands Midfielder | 17 | 58.2 | 343 |
| Brad Close Forward | 21 | 55.9 | 369 |
| Sam Taylor Defender | 15 | 55.9 | 370 |
| Ethan Hughes Defender / Midfielder | 20 | 54.5 | 394 |
| Jaidyn Stephenson Forward | 21 | 53.6 | 406 |
| Sam Berry Midfielder | 4 | 49.3 | 462 |
| Jhye Clark Midfielder | 1 | 36 | 583 |
Player To Watch in 2024
The Trade-in Four
The trade with the Roughnecks won’t be complete until we see what happens with picks 5 and 15. But the performances of Holmes, Berry, Blakey and Hollands will help determine whether it’s a raging success or not. Holmes has star quality, but can he turn that into a 100+ average? Hollands is going to be a long term solid citizen at worst, but the wing position hasn’t been overly fantasy friendly in recent years. Blakey is clearly an important player for the Swans, but can he increase his average beyond that 70 to 80 range he currently operates in? Berry’s tackle rate ensures solid scores regardless of how many touches he has, but can he get back into the Crows side, or will he need to wait?
