AT A GLANCE
Wins
14
Losses
7
3rd on the ladder
Season Summary
Another year making finals, but unfortunately falling short at the first hurdle. There was no shame in how this season ended however, with Max and the Taxmanian Devils putting up a score that would have smashed anyone. It was an unfortunate set of circumstances that led to Nathan being in this game, too. With 3 rounds to play, there was a path to 2nd spot on the ladder and the bye that comes with it open. 8 different match results needed to go their way across the 3 weeks, with the first 6 of them all happening exactly as required. It was the week before finals that Paul won when he needed to lose that cost the Vipers the spot, and from there the writing was on the wall.
The year started with the Vipers as an outlier – they were better than the teams fighting to make the finals, but they weren’t putting up scores to rival the teams battling it out for the top 4. And then the bye rounds ended. After the bye rounds, they were the second highest scoring team in the league, and suddenly the wins started coming, opening up the door to a better finishing position, and creating fear amongst the other contenders.
If this form carries into 2024, this will be a team to fear for their maiden finals win, and then more. Led by a solid brigade of players in their prime or still getting there, and supported with some older, reliable scorers, this team has the mix to take it to anyone.
top five Players
Andrew Brayshaw
23 games
110.3 average
Ranked 10th for season
Tom Liberatore
21 games
103.3 average
Ranked 22nd for season
Luke Ryan
23 games
99.,4 average
Ranked 29th for season
Liam Duggan
22 games
96.3 average
Ranked 40th for season
Touk Miller
13 games
96.2 average
Ranked 41st for season
ALL-AUSTRALIANS
Luke Ryan
Andrew Brayshaw
Tom Liberatore
2023 PRE-SEASON DRAFT
| Round | Pick | Player | Games Played | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 15 | O’Meara (Fre) | 20 | 77.9 |
| 3 | 25 | Hall (NTH) | 6 | 92.17 |
| 6 | 55 | Logue (NTH) | 3 | 42 |
| 7 | 65 | Georgiades (PA) | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | 75 | Hayward (SYD) | 6 | 61.67 |
| 9 | 85 | Amiss (FRE) | 3 | 47.67 |
| 9 | 90 | Finlayson (PA) | 12 | 74.33 |
| 10 | 95 | M. Hinge (ADL) | 14 | 77.36 |
| 11 | 105 | Fantasia (PA) | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | 115 | J. Ross (Rich) | 10 | 74.6 |
| 13 | 125 | Taberner (FRE) | 2 | 40 |
| 14 | 135 | Answerth (BL) | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | 145 | Miers (GEE) | 17 | 69.59 |
| 16 | 155 | L. Henry (FRE) | 10 | 82.7 |
| 17 | 165 | T. Bianco (COLL) | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | 175 | Barrass (WC) | 5 | 52.6 |
| 19 | 185 | W. Powell (GC) | 13 | 83.54 |
| 20 | 195 | J. Bytel (STK) | 0 | 0 |
Most Inspired Selection
Wil Powell
Pick 185
What a selection getting such a talented young player all the way in the 19th round! Powell was on a very upward trajectory in the first half of 2022, before an horrific broken leg ended his campaign quickly. As a league, we all seemed to forget the talent he had been showing prior to that, but sure enough Nathan found him at the end of the draft, and now will never let go. Only 13 games played for the Vipers this year (against 18 for the Suns), but will surely be set and forget in defence for 2024.
Honourable mention to Liam Henry at pick 155 scoring an average of 82 across his 10 games.
Trades
Only one trade done by the Vipers this year, looking to add some more midfield points to keep their list as competitive as possible. Seeing the cleanout at the Pukekos, Nathan decided that the reliable Jack Crisp was something his engine room needed. Parting with a first round pick is never ideal, but Nathan got his man and settled his midfield for the year.
| Date | Team | Received | Team | Received |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 16, 2023 |  | Lethal Vipers Round 1 Pick Lethal Vipers Round 6 Pick |  | Jack Crisp Threat Level Midnight Round 4 Pick |
LIST AT END OF 2023 SEASON
| Player | Games | Average | Player Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Brayshaw Midfielder | 23 | 110.3 | 10 |
| Tom Liberatore Midfielder | 21 | 103.3 | 22 |
| Luke Ryan Defender | 23 | 99.4 | 29 |
| Liam Duggan Defender | 22 | 96.3 | 40 |
| Touk Miller Midfielder | 13 | 96.2 | 41 |
| Sean Darcy Ruck | 15 | 95.4 | 42 |
| Aaron Hall Defender | 6 | 92.2 | 52 |
| Mitch Duncan Defender | 16 | 91.3 | 59 |
| Luke Parker Midfielder | 22 | 89.9 | 63 |
| Mason Redman Defender | 23 | 85.8 | 85 |
| Jack Crisp Midfielder | 23 | 82.9 | 100 |
| Wil Powell Defender | 18 | 82.1 | 103 |
| Tarryn Thomas Midfielder / Forward | 12 | 79.3 | 123 |
| Lachie Hunter Midfielder | 22 | 79.2 | 124 |
| Lachie Schultz Forward | 23 | 78.5 | 127 |
| Ben Keays Midfielder / Forward | 23 | 77.3 | 131 |
| Liam Henry Midfielder / Forward | 16 | 76.8 | 135 |
| Bailey J. Williams Ruck | 23 | 76.7 | 136 |
| Harry Morrison Midfielder | 13 | 76.5 | 138 |
| Mitchell Hinge Defender / Midfielder | 22 | 75.7 | 150 |
| Gryan Miers Forward | 23 | 75.5 | 152 |
| Jaeger O’Meara Midfielder | 21 | 75.4 | 153 |
| Jye Caldwell Midfielder / Forward | 21 | 75.1 | 155 |
| Jeremy Finlayson Ruck / Forward | 20 | 72.6 | 182 |
| Oliver Florent Defender | 23 | 71 | 199 |
| Patrick Lipinski Midfielder / Forward | 11 | 69.7 | 217 |
| Aaron Naughton Forward | 23 | 66.9 | 238 |
| Noah Balta Defender / Forward | 23 | 64.7 | 258 |
| Jack Higgins Forward | 21 | 63.7 | 266 |
| Ben Cunnington Midfielder / Forward | 9 | 63 | 279 |
| Will Hayward Forward | 22 | 63 | 280 |
| Mark O’Connor Defender / Midfielder | 22 | 61.9 | 296 |
| Jamarra Ugle-Hagan Forward | 23 | 60 | 321 |
| Nathan O’Driscoll Midfielder | 10 | 56.5 | 366 |
| Oliver Henry Forward | 22 | 55.9 | 371 |
| Will Hoskin-Elliott Forward / Midfielder | 20 | 55.5 | 375 |
| Laitham Vandermeer Forward | 11 | 53.1 | 407 |
| Nat Fyfe Midfielder / Forward | 9 | 49.3 | 463 |
| Jye Amiss Forward | 22 | 47.9 | 480 |
| Trent Bianco Midfielder / Forward | 1 | 34 | 598 |
Player To Watch in 2024
Sean Darcy
As of the writing of this review, Freo have just signed their guy to a massive extension, so now the question is what does that mean for his fantasy production? An interesting year to watch the Dockers ruck situation with Jackson coming in, and so with both rucks on long term deals now, who knows what their role splits will be? At his best, Darcy can be a 100+ average ruck with the ability to go nuclear on any given week. Darcy as R1 with Jackson being the backup would be ideal for Nathan, but it’s (in my mind) the biggest wait and see for 2024.
