Every club has its stars and its… 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 hind sight 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.
Brodie Kemp
At 23 he’s young enough to prove me wrong and fits the age profile of this list, but this one feels like a stop gap option. Coach Buscumb has been a believer in Kemp for a while, so he must see something this author doesn’t. Helps that he’s locked himself into the Blues best 22.
Eligible Suitors: Ben Ainsworth, Taylor Adams, Aaron Cadman
Last Seasons Contentious Call: Curtis Taylor
Neil Erasmus
Coach Zerna paid the 5th round pick to get him in, only to be rewarded with nothing last year, and next year could project to be much the same. One of the toughest (and youngest) midfields to crack into, Ras looks more likely to be fools gold than deliver on a promise, but that hasn’t stopped the Defenstrators taking the plunge on perceived upside.
Eligible Suitors: Tom Mitchell, Zac Fisher, Patrick Dangerfield
Last Seasons Contentious Call: Harry Perryman
Nate Caddy
Caddy project’s as an exciting forward in an otherwise lean forward line, made even more bear by the exit of Jake Stringer in the offseason, so the future looks bright for Caddy. But the jury is still out on when that occurs, given the rawness to his abilities, and if that will translate to fantasy scoring. Time will tell, and the Soldiers certainly have time on their hands now. This article generally sparks a significant boost in fantasy scoring for the player named from the Solomon’s Soldiers, so you’re welcome Alex.
Eligible Suitors: Billy Dowling, Will Phillips, Luke McDonald
Last Seasons Contentious Call: Dayne Zorko
Adam Cerra
A walk up 90+ average seemed on the cards for Cerra until his progress stalled last season due to injury and team fit. The midfield has only gotten deeper with the addition of Jagga Smith and Elijah Hollands chipping in, where does Cerra fit in this team and can he get back to his ball winning best. The reigning premiers didn’t think so, or at least couldn’t find a spot in their stacked list for the 25 yr old, so maybe he plays with a chip on his shoulder and that fires him up. You can at least see the potential that the Roughneck’s have bought into.
Eligible Suitors: Elliot Yeo, Callum Wilkie, Jack Bowes
Last Seasons Contentious Call: Scott Pendlebury
Sam Clohesy
We saw a very up and down season from Clohesy, with some blisteringly high scores and some pretty forgettable games. Fortunately he ended the season with a 3 game average of 84 which gives hope that there is some good scoring potential there. The additions of Rioli and Noble make for a crowded wing/half back line for Gold Coast, and so questions about fit and role will be asked of the 22 yr old. He didn’t miss a game in his first year for the Suns once he got in the team, so maybe this author is just jumping at shadows.
Eligible Suitors: Bailey Williams, Oscar McInerney, Brad Hill
Last Seasons Contentious Call: James Jordon
Arie Schoenmaker
In a stacked keeper list, this selection stood out given only 4 games played at an average of under 60 ppg. However the lad with the booming boot does appear to have a role with the Saints copious amount of injuries and his junior years show a fantasy pedigree. Do the Saints let him off the chain, do they need him playing a more lockdown role or do they play him at all? For a team in the box seat to win the cup this year, this is a big gamble for the MaherShalalHashBaz given an otherwise stable list.
Eligible Suitors: Jaegar O’Meara, Reilly O’Brien, Toby Conway
Last Seasons Contentious Call: Logan McDonald
Jackson Mead
A testament to the improvement of the list, as it was tougher to poke holes in it this year than last. However, Mead still stood out as an interesting selection. The age profile fits, however is he in their best 22 as Port still have finals aspirations, so they won’t be gifting games to their kids. Mead is a bit of a boom or bust proposition, potentially getting a shot as the next man up if injuries strike the Power, but I struggle to see him getting meaningful games in 2025. However Boak’s retirement sems imminent, so maybe there is a spot or two up for grabs, and Mead seems poised to take them if there is.
Eligible Suitors: Jacob Hopper, Jack Lukosius, Brayden Campbell
Last Seasons Contentious Call: Noah Long
Will Setterfield
I can’t go Amiss two years in a row (pun intended) so I’ve gone with Setterfield. There are plenty of cooks in the Essendon midfield kitchen and who falls out as the preferred options for 2025 is the big question. While Setterfield is certainly in the mix, I don’t personally have him pegged as the starting option, so he may have to bide his time in the twos until opportunity enables him to showcase his fantasy talents. Prove me wrong Essendon (although Essendon are a club that has notoriously struggled to prove anyone wrong in the past, so I’m not holding my breath).
Eligible Suitors: Dylan Shiel, Jarrod Witts, Josh Battle
Last Seasons Contentious Call: Jye Amiss
George Hewett
Tough to pick a weak link in the minor premier’s keeper list, but Hewett has some intriguing outcomes. The Blues midfield just got deeper with the addition of Jagga Smith and the seeming health of Adam Cerra (admittedly helped by the departures of Matt Kennedy and Jack Carroll). However do the Blues move away from Hewett in the midfield, which has occurred in the past, which would add a serious wrinkle to an otherwise strong list.
Eligible Suitors: Matt Kennedy, Luke Parker, Jack Crisp
Last Seasons Contentious Call: Connor Idun
Josh Worrell
There are vacancies in the Adelaide defence, so Worrell appears to be the man to fill one, although that is not a guarantee. But the bigger question is, what is his role going to be. Laird has moved back to defence, Milera is healthy (for now) and they’ve added Issac Cumming, all distributors out of defence meaning the lock down roles are Adelaide’s biggest positional need at the moment, and hence this could be Worrell’s lot in life. He showed us a couple of 85 pt games to give some hope to coach Rowan, but for a team looking to push for its first finals appearance under the current management, he’ll be hoping for more than that.
Eligible Suitors: Cam Guthrie, Brayden Fiorini, Mitch Lewis
Last Seasons Contentious Call: Will Phillips