Every club has its stars and it’s… guys who are good to have in the locker room.
But as fantasy coaches those are the important guys to us. It’s not the 10, 15 or 19 guys we know are locks for the team; it’s the last one that we agonise over, and in hindsight makes us wonder what-if we’d selected differently. Be it age, role, job security, injury history or just not liking the player, there are plenty of reasons why we may hold or fold on a player when we shouldn’t.
So without further ado, here’s a very unqualified opinion on that last keeper of each team who may have raised the eyebrows (or at least caught the interest) of other coaches:
Curtis Taylor (Puttenesca Chiefs)
I killed Jack Billings last season so this year it’s Curtis Taylor’s turn to receive my fantasy curse. A prodigious talent but hasn’t averaged better than 65 across his 5 seasons in the AFL. Will he be the fantasy player coach Mark is hoping for or is this just a stop-gap given the scarcity of forwards (and also given he has a full keeper contingent in every other line).
Eligible Suitors: Tom Atkins, Jack Billings, Harry Himmelberg
Last Seasons Contentious Call: Jack Billings
Harry Perryman (Defenestrators)
A constant of the Defenestrators team for years now, however Perryman’s 2023 record does not make for pretty viewing with 8 scores below 60. Caught between a stacked backline and midfield, his role has never really been settled and 2024 projects to be no different, so the volatility of scoring looks set to continue too. Also given coach Zerna traded a 4th round pick to get in a guy by the name of Brodie Smith who averaged 10 points more than Perryman last year, he may regret this decision in 12 months time.
Eligible Suitors: Jarman Impey, Brodie Smith, Darcy Cameron
Last Seasons Contentious Call: Shannon Hurn
Dayne Zorko (Solomon’s Soldiers)
I lit a fire under James Worpel and Dan Rioli who excelled across the last two seasons, so this article is clearly just a pump up for the back to back premiers. And Dayne Zorko feels like a man who doesn’t need much additional motivation to perform. Fits the demographic of this team and their need for forwards so this is arguably an obvious keeper selection, but given the age (35) and some trouble with soft tissue injuries in the past, he had the chance to balance the age of the list with the likes of Rioli (who he, in typical Soldier’s fashion, traded away), Walker or Yeo (who he traded a 1st round pick to acquire) who could offer similar value at a younger age. But hey, he’s going for a 3 peat, who am I to question anything coach Alex does.
Eligible Suitors: Taylor Walker, Mason Wood, Elliot Yeo
Last Seasons Contentious Call: James Worpel
Scott Pendlebury (Roughnecks)
Another old fart proving I’m really just an ageist, Scott Pendlebury is 36 but unlike the Soldiers, he feels more like he’s the school teacher to a bunch of rowdy kids than a peer alongside mature heads. Old enough to be their dad (at least for most of this list) Pendlebury clearly showed he still had it averaging 100 at the back end of the season and Collingwood won a premiership, so it’s fair to assume this will be status quo for 2024. The obvious concern is will the scoring still be their come finals or will age, injuries or talent around him have brought him crashing back to earth. Either way I think this pick signals the intent that the Roughnecks are going all in for 2024.
Eligible Suitors: Heath Chapman, Jarrod Witts, Mark Blicavs
Last Seasons Contentious Call: Joshua Goater
James Jordon (Love Sparkles)
James Jordon has been here before, so we’re going back to this well. And there are a lot of similar vibes to last time. Jordon lives just on the fringes of the 22 and as much on the fringes of an inside mid role, Jordon has the talent to be an elite fantasy scorer when the stars align but could just as likely be an elite scorer for your VFL fantasy team instead. It’s a boom or bust prospect, and given the upside it is arguably to right call but Will Brodie, who is another boom or bust prospect in a similar vein, who has been there before. It makes sense that the forward status tips this scale, given the scarcity of high scorers on this line, so even a few big games from him could make this a valuable keeper selection. The likes of a Jamie Cripps is a much more stable option in the forward line, but coach Greg will be hoping that fortune favors the brave.
Eligible Suitors: Jamie Cripps, Will Brodie, Darcy MacPherson
Last Seasons Contentious Call: Jack Graham
Logan McDonald (MaherShalalHashBaz)
With a more active offseason than the actual AFL trade period, it was a head scratcher to see who coach Jordan was going to keep at the end of it all (or who was even on his list). Logan McDonald survived the carnage and retained his spot in the 20. A top 5 draft pick with plenty of talent and a forward, I think the interest comes in comparing him to a Sam Darcy who profiles very similarly to McDonald, but just couldn’t make the cut. Will be interesting to see who ends up the better scorer out of these two.
Eligible Suitors: Sam Darcy, Corey Wagner, Dom Sheed
Last Seasons Contentious Call: Josh Fahey
Noah Long (Te Puke Pukekos)
Long is one of those feel good stories where the little guy rises through obscurity to play a prominent role for a team in need. This is both true for the West Coast Eagles and for the Pukekos, who are both looking for Long to assist in lifting them off the bottom of the ladder. The story of this article is scarcity of forwards which gives Long a bit of rope, but the interesting thing here is the Pukekos already have 9 pure forwards in their keepers. Winning the premiership in 2024 does not appear to be this team’s primary objective, so I’m not sure if coach Nelson cares much for positional balance, but at the very least he can be zigging in the draft while everyone else is zagging.
Eligible Suitors: Bailey Williams, Lachie Weller, Ed Langdon
Last Seasons Contentious Call: Ed Langdon
Jye Amiss (Lethal Vipers)
While off field issues still plague Tarryn Thomas, his on field results speak for themselves so I’ll pivot to another young talent in Jye Amiss. The Viper’s love a good key forward, and this first round draft pick showed immense talent in his second season in the AFL playing 22 games and kicking over 40 goals; he’s heralded by many as a future star. However despite all this success he averaged under 50 for the season. Being a forward and a Docker certainly helped his cause to be retained by coach Nathan, but is it enough to become the fantasy star the Vipers need? Especially given his place could have been held by former premium players such as Luke Parker and Jack Crisp.
Eligible Suitors: Luke Parker, Jack Crisp, Nat Fyfe
Last Seasons Contentious Call: Tarryn Thomas
Connor Idun (Taxmanian Devils)
The Devils love themselves a breakout candidate (who doesn’t?) so can Idun be that man in 2024? A key defensive cog for GWS with his intercepting abilities on display last year, which was essential given the absence of Taylor and Haynes from that backline at times. He improved on his 2022 average by 10 points, so it will be interesting to see if he can continue on that trend and become a more attacking option or if he will remain a lockdown defender.
Eligible Suitors: Hunter Clark, Nick Hind, Luke McDonald
Last Seasons Contentious Call: Noah Cumberland
Will Phillips (Threat Level Midnight)
I guess Callum Wilkie did alright last year, but this year the spotlight turns to Will Phillips. A top 3 pick as a midfielder in the AFL draft and the number 1 overall pick in the 2021 Fantasy draft, it’s fair to say it was assumed he’d be a sure fire pick. However 3 years on his star is fading and with two big years of talent injection into the North Melbourne football club, that midfield is getting awfully crowded. Not to mention he’s one of 12 pure midfielders kept by coach Rowan, making him dangerously close to being expendable! Will this article be the fire he needs to have a Wilkie-esque breakout or will he become the next Paddy Dow?
Eligible Suitors: Adam Saad, David Swallow, Cam Rayner
Last Seasons Contentious Call: Callum Wilkie