AT A GLANCE
Wins
8
Losses
13
7th on the ladder
Season Summary
One season at the foot of the ladder was enough for coach Burgess to go “not for me” and promptly escape the bottom of the barrel.
MSHB were backed in some quarters to repeat as wooden spooners. They faired far better than that. Truth be told, they should probably be a bit disappointed to have missed finals – they were in the box seat for sixth place a few weeks before the season ended.
I’m a big fan of this midfield moving forward. Zach Merrett and Tom Green are two blue chip, top 10 scorers in the league. The next step is building a collection of players to join them in the top 50. Wing Daicos is one such player (45) and Chad Warner (50) scrapped in despite a disappointing season against expectations. He should climb.
An aggressive trade has welcomed Callum Mills into the fold. He’s one. Ashcroft is one – once he comes back from his injury. And alongside them is a long list of very appealing lottery tickets. Callaghan and Hewett. Erasmus and Johnson. Sheldrick and Soligo. Is this the best young collection of midfielders in the league?
The immediate issue is bolstering all the lines not named “midfield”. Pre-season draft looms large for this group. With only two clubs really in rebuild mode, competition will be hot for finals places. Nailing those other lines could be the difference between making it back into the business end of the season, or spending another season from the outside looking in.
top five Players
Zach Merrett
22 games
112.9 average
Ranked 6th for season
Tom Green
19 games
110.6 average
Ranked 9th for season
Josh Daicos
23 games
94.7 average
Ranked 45th for season
Chad Warner
20 games
92.7 average
Ranked 50th for season
Dom Sheed
15 games
89.6 average
Ranked 66th for season
ALL-AUSTRALIANS
Zach Merrett
Tom Green
2023 PRE-SEASON DRAFT
| Round | Pick | Player | Games Played | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Ashcroft (BL) | 18 | 82.89 |
| 2 | 11 | Hewett (WC) | 3 | 58.33 |
| 2 | 20 | D. Jones (GWS) | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 21 | Cadman (GWS) | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 31 | Wilmot (BL) | 9 | 65.22 |
| 5 | 41 | Sheldrick (SYD) | 5 | 82.2 |
| 6 | 51 | Ollie Henry (GEE) | 7 | 60.86 |
| 8 | 71 | Wingard (HAW) | 8 | 75.88 |
| 9 | 81 | O. Allen (WC) | 14 | 60.21 |
| 10 | 91 | Hardwick (HAW) | 20 | 78.85 |
| 11 | 101 | L. Cowan (CA) | 1 | 35 |
| 12 | 111 | J. Hunt (WC) | 19 | 77.63 |
| 13 | 121 | Michallaney (ADL) | 3 | 53.33 |
| 14 | 131 | Hughes (FRE) | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | 141 | Comben (NTH) | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | 151 | Zurhaar (NM) | 10 | 63.1 |
| 17 | 161 | Natainui (WC) | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | 171 | Gould (SYD) | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | 181 | B. Walker (FRE) | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | 191 | B. George (NTH) | 0 | 0 |
Most Inspired Selection
Jayden Hunt
Pick 111
The award is most inspired, not most obvious, so we’re overlooking Ashcroft here (also sidenote, where do we stand on Ashcroft v Sheezel after season 1…)
Hardwick played 20 games, which is tremendous value in the 10th round. But I think the next best selection after Hunt is Sheldrick at pick 41, and truth be told, I’d much rather Sheldrick over Hunt moving forward. Sheldrick showed some great signs in the backhalf of the season, and looms as a mainstay in the middle in what is fast becoming a very strong looking midfield at MSHB.
Coach Burgess would be a smidge disappointed to get nothing out of picks 20 and 21, but when you’re rebuilding, you take swings, and two first rounders – and the number one pick – are worth the swing.
Trades
Just the two trades for the 2019 premiers, but they get an A for both.
The club made a mistake trading Max Gawn for Andrew Gaff. But they’ve done well to turn Gaff (and a solid-if-unspectacular ruckman) into a 3rd and 4th round selection. Gaff did turn a corner late in the year as he got thrown into the middle of a baron West Coast midfield. But he was borderline unfieldable in the immediate aftermath of the trade.
MSHB also conducted the first trade of the off-season by shipping out pick 4 and 64 for Callum Mills and Jade Gresham (and some picks).
This is a trade of a team looking to take a step forward. They’re flush with great prospects after two seasons in the doldrums. Pick 4 isn’t likely to help as much as Mills will in 2024. It’s not likely to help as much as even Gresham would. This trade is a signal. The downward trajectory part of the rebuild is done. Now begins the climb.
| Date | Team | Received | Team | Received |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 30, 2023 |  | MaherShalalHashBaz Round 1 pick (pick 4) MaherShalalHashBaz Round 7 pick (pick 64) |  | Callum Mills Jade Gresham Solomon’s Soldiers Round 5 pick (pick 50) Threat Level Midnight Round 10 pick (pick 93) |
| April 27, 2023 |  | Oscar McInerney Andrew Gaff | | Ned Moyle Paddy Dow Love Sparkles Round 3 pick Love Sparkles Round 4 pick |
LIST AT END OF 2023 SEASON
| Player | Games | Average | Player Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zach Merrett Midfielder | 22 | 112.9 | 6 |
| Tom Green Midfielder | 19 | 110.6 | 9 |
| Josh Daicos Midfielder | 23 | 94.7 | 45 |
| Chad Warner Midfielder | 20 | 92.7 | 50 |
| Dom Sheed Midfielder | 15 | 89.6 | 66 |
| Charlie Curnow Forward | 23 | 86.8 | 82 |
| Callum Mills Midfielder | 19 | 84.1 | 94 |
| Will Ashcroft Midfielder | 18 | 82.9 | 101 |
| Andrew McGrath Defender / Midfielder | 23 | 81.8 | 105 |
| Blake Hardwick Defender | 23 | 81 | 110 |
| Jayden Hunt Defender / Midfielder | 23 | 76.7 | 137 |
| Joe Daniher Forward | 23 | 76.2 | 144 |
| Finn Callaghan Midfielder | 18 | 75.8 | 149 |
| Rory Atkins Defender / Midfielder | 17 | 74.7 | 158 |
| Jade Gresham Midfielder / Forward | 22 | 73.6 | 172 |
| Corey Wagner Defender / Midfielder | 9 | 72.8 | 179 |
| Rhys Stanley Ruck | 13 | 71.3 | 198 |
| Jake Soligo Midfielder / Forward | 21 | 67.6 | 232 |
| Jamaine Jones Defender | 13 | 66.6 | 244 |
| Nick Haynes Defender | 19 | 66.5 | 248 |
| Oscar Allen Forward | 23 | 64.1 | 264 |
| Angus Sheldrick Midfielder / Forward | 7 | 62.4 | 287 |
| Brady Hough Defender / Midfielder | 15 | 61.5 | 299 |
| Darcy Wilmot Defender / Midfielder | 23 | 60.7 | 310 |
| Chad Wingard Forward | 14 | 60.4 | 313 |
| Dylan Williams Forward / Defender | 20 | 60 | 322 |
| Aidan Corr Defender | 19 | 58.8 | 337 |
| Marc Pittonet Ruck | 15 | 58.7 | 339 |
| Andrew Phillips Ruck / Forward | 20 | 57 | 356 |
| Matthew Johnson Midfielder | 18 | 56.7 | 363 |
| Harry Cunningham Defender / Forward | 23 | 55 | 380 |
| Logan McDonald Forward | 19 | 54.7 | 389 |
| Max Michalanney Defender | 22 | 52.4 | 419 |
| Neil Erasmus Midfielder | 14 | 51.7 | 427 |
| Callum Ah Chee Midfielder | 9 | 50.9 | 440 |
| Joel Amartey Forward | 14 | 50.8 | 441 |
| Elijah Hewett Midfielder | 14 | 46.3 | 496 |
| Brandon Ryan Forward | 3 | 38.7 | 567 |
| Josh Fahey Defender / Midfielder | 7 | 33.7 | 601 |
| Sam Darcy Defender / Forward | 3 | 20 | 642 |
Player To Watch in 2024
Angus Sheldrick
MSHB drafted Sheldrick in the second round of the 2022 pre-season draft. He struggled to break into the Swans team that first year, and coach Burgess delisted him at season’s end. But clearly his interest hadn’t waned entirely, as he was drafted again – at a lower price, in 2023.
This decision was rewarded. Sheldrick showed a very strong scoring ability, and looks a mainstay for the Swans moving forward. Bringing in Taylor Adams may present a hurdle for 2024, but I’m confident Sheldrick will be a key MSHBer for the foreseeable future.
