There’s a new coach at GWS which could have implications on the team’s AFL Fantasy output.
The Giants are usually a high-scoring fantasy team but now have Adam Kingsley coming across as coach from Richmond, who do not play a fantasy-friendly game. Whether he employs a similar game plan is yet to be seen, but there could be some issues there for fantasy coaches.
Regardless, read on to find out about some players that we’re interested in at GWS.
Take a listen to our latest podcast: Pre-season 2023: GWS Giants feat. Dos from The Point of Difference Podcast
The Undervalued
Toby Greene had his worst AFL Fantasy return since 2018 after a season interrupted by suspension and injury. He only averaged 74.4 last season but I think he has some upside in 2023. With Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper leaving, the is a chance he gets some midfield time throughout the year. But even if he spends most of the season up forward, I still think he can average over 90 if he remains on the park. He’s a pest but he is one of my favourites and I reckon he could surprise a few people this year.
Braydon Preuss should be the number one ruck if he can remain fit and doesn’t get suspended. However, those two things are far from guaranteed. Regardless, I think he is going to slide down the draft board this season and he’ll be a player to target later in drafts if you miss the ruck run early on in the piece. Again, he should score fine if he can remain in the park so you could get a real bargain here if everything goes to plan. Make sure you pick up Matthew Flynn and Kieren Briggs as handcuffs though, just in case.
The Breakout Contenders
Everything is falling into place for Tom Green. With Taranto and Hopper leaving the club for Richmond, there is a huge hole in GWS’ midfield that will be filled by Green. We saw what he was capable of over the first few rounds of 2022 where he put up some massive scores, but struggled as he received more attention as the year went on. With another year of development and a strong pre-season under the belt, I think he’s a great option this year as a breakout contender. Expect big things.
The much-maligned Lachie Ash could be one of the diamonds in the rough next season. Coming off a season averaging 65 where he was thrown all around the place, a midfield spot could finally be his after the midfield departures mentioned earlier. He has already caught the eye of new coach Adam Kingsley which bodes well for a delayed breakout year. He’s also put up some massive scores in the past to demonstrate his fantasy ceiling, which included scores of 146 and 122 in 2021. If he gets the right role, there could be a breakout on the cards.
The Stash Options
He’s probably a couple of years away from being a good scorer, but I think Finn Callaghan is a good stash option. He didn’t impress in his first season, but he was primarily used on the wing in 2022 which probably seemed a little foreign to him considering he’d played as an inside midfielder for the majority of his underage career. I think he may need another season on the outside (or perhaps honing his craft in the VFL) before he steps up to an inside role. When that happens I think he should see a bump in his fantasy scoring.
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