Hi,
Welcome to my next AFL Fantasy Blog.
Hopefully you have seen my Fantasy previews and here are my top 10 Cash Cows under $200k heading into the JLT series.
10: N Larkey $170k Forward - North Melbourne
Pick 73 in the 2016 draft surprisingly broke into the seniors in his first season to play a couple of games late in the year.
Larkey makes this list based mainly on the fact North are rebuilding so he will see a lot of opportunities to play senior football and build on that $170k entry level price.
9: A Pearce $197k Defender - Fremantle
Fremantle have locked away this talented Defender until 2020 so they obviously rate him highly.
Injury ruined his 2017 season but he does have 21 games to his name.
He played 13 games in 2015 and 8 in 2016 for averages of 44 & 39.
Has a high score of 88 in a game, this 200cm key defender now has a couple of years in the system under his belt and should be ready for regular senior Football now. Has had a full preseason, is injury free so one to keep a big watch for in the JLT series.
8: S Murray $170k Defender - Collingwood
Murray was involved in one of the strangest trades I have seen in a while. Murray was drafted by Sydney at pick 66 in the 2015 Rookie Draft. Yes Rookie Draft.
In his 2 years at the Swans he did not make a senior debut, yet Collingwood were willing to trade away their future 2nd round pick in the 2018 Draft in exchange for him and the Swans 3rd round pick. What makes it even stranger, is all the experts are already describing the upcoming 2018 Draft as a likely "Super Draft!"
Why would the Pies agree to go backwards on a valuable 2nd round pick for an untried Rookie list player?? Seems like madness!
Well if you look a bit closer into Murray you will see he dominated off the half back flank in the NEAFL and was named in the 2017 NEAFL team of the year. He averaged 22 possessions and is renowned for his speed & willingness to take the game on, so maybe there is method to the madness for the Pies.
We all know the importance of the creative half back flanker in the modern game so the Pies have obviously scouted him and believe he can step straight into a role in the senior side.
I am going to back the Pies in here and believe they know what they are doing, so selecting a defender at $170k that is expected to play a lot of senior Football is a no brainer.
Having said that, there will be a lot of nervous Pies fans watching him in the JLT series hoping he shows some early form to warrant the high price.
7: A Morgan $170k Defender - North Melbourne
Morgan is a delisted free agent from Essendon that North pounced on in the off season.
This was a nice poach by North as Essendon were willing to offer him another 1 year deal but the former 2nd round pick in the 2015 draft rejected this to accept an offer from North instead.
Morgan had a lot of hamstring issues in his first season at the Bombers and only managed the 10 VFL games but proved he was over those by playing 17 very promising VFL games in 2017.
Morgan is a lightning fast half back flanker but given the amount of options the Bombers have in this position, not to mention their recruitment of Saad, it was a smart move by Morgan to accept a deal at North.
He will get a lot of opportunity at senior level this year and I expect he will be a Round 1 starter in the Kangaroos side.
6: T Doedee $170k Defender - Adelaide
Doedee was a shock 1st round pick in the 2015 Draft when the Crows took the bolter at pick 17.
Doedee is yet to debut for the Crows but had a very strong year in the SANFL and generated a lot of hype for his intercept marking ability.
This would see him as a natural replacement for the departed Lever and he will get first crack at filling that role in Defence for the Crows this season.
This highly rated athletic 189cm Defender will get a lot of senior opportunites this year and is a must pick for only $170k.
Big watch in the JLT series.
5: K Kirby $185k Forward - Collingwood
Runner up in the VFL goalkicking last year, Kirby lit up the VFL in his debut season and this culminated in a senior debut in Round 23. Not bad for a pick 50 in the 2016 draft.
Described as a cross between Byron Pickett and Cyril Rioli, he will bring a lot of X factor to the Pies forward line.
Great value at $185k as he is expected to see a lot of senior Footy this year. Keep an eye out for him in the JLT series.
4: P Ahern $170k Midfielder - North Melbourne
North feature a bit in this list due to the sheer amount of senior spots that will be up for grabs in a rebuilding year for them. Ahern is a former Pick 7 by GWS in the 2014 Draft so was a highly rated junior.
Had 2 ACL injuries at the Giants and was traded to the Kangaroos for a bargain pick, however did miss his first season on the Kangaroos list last year recovering from that knee injury.
He is now fully fit and has completed a full preseason so will line up in the JLT series.
I expect to see him showcase the talent that generated so much excitement in his draft year and barring injury he will be a regular in North's midfield this year. At $170k, he is one cash cow that could make you a big profit.
3: N Freeman $170k Midfielder - St Kilda
Freeman is a speedy midfielder who drew comparisons to Dangerfield in his 2013 draft year and was subsequently taken by the Pies at pick 10. Freemans career has since been wrecked by recurring hamstring issues.
After hamstrings wiped out his first 2 years at Collingwood he requested a trade to St Kilda in the 2015 off season.
Unfortunately a change of club did not change his injury fortune and most of his 2016 season was also lost to hamstring injurys. In 2017 the highly rated midfielder looked to of finally got past the injury curse and played most of the season in the VFL.
By Round 18 he was on the verge of getting picked for the Saints senior side when yet another injury got in the way. Fortunately this time it was just an ankle injury and Freeman has since had a full uninterrupted pre season.
He will feature heavily in the JLT series and given his immense talent he will be a strong chance of making the seniors for their Round 1 team.
Given the Saints are screaming out for pacey midfielders to complement all their inside on ballers, I expect Freeman to play a lot of senior Footy this year if he stays injury free.
2: D Cameron $170k Ruck - Sydney
Very highly rated at the Swans and was on the verge of a debut in the Round 1 team last year before an injury setback.
Cameron is a great story of perserverence after he was overlooked in several drafts before being taken in the 3rd round by the Swans in the 2016 AFL Draft.
He was a mature age recruit and is 22 years old going into this season, so he is physically ready to play at the top level.
The Swans have already extended his contract in anticipation of a good season and the sudden retirement of Tippet will help with his senior opportunities this year.
Big watch on this bottom priced Ruck in the JLT series.
1: W Rioli $170k Forward - West Coast
Rioli was a 3rd round pick in the 2016 draft and has generated a lot of hype at the Eagles for his showings in the WAFL last season. He was almost a shock call up for the Finals series but West Coast chose to take a more conservative option given he had no senior experience.
The news out of West Coast is they aim to have Rioli and mature age recruit Ryan form a small forward X factor partnership in their Forward line this season so you can expect Rioli to get a lot of senior chances.
Rioli is 22 years old so has a lot of WAFL experience under his belt which should equip him well for the AFL level and because of this you can expect a greater output compared to the teenage rookies.
At bottom price of $170k, Rioli is at this stage my number one cash cow under $200k.
I hope you enjoyed reading this and got some good ideas for your Fantasy side.
I will be back with more Fantasy blogs soon.
Thanks for reading
- Dahmsy