By Nick Westerman and Adam Lazaroy
Coming into 2023, the Kangaroos represent one of the great unknowns in the AFL Fantasy landscape. Coach Clarkson has arrived and will be fully prepared to shuffle the magnets. There are veterans coming into the best 2022, young players looking to consolidate their place in the side, and a mountain of high draftees looking to make their mark. All this makes pretty much the whole North Melbourne team one of the biggest pre-season watches, from who can make the best 22, to what position players land in.
With limited information, we’ve tried to pick some diamonds from what has been a rough last few seasons for the Roos. Read on to find out who these options are.
Take a listen to our latest podcast: Pre-season 2023: North Melbourne Kangaroos Preview feat. Nathan from Hat Chat
The Undervalued
Liam Shiels averaged 84.2 in 2021. While not immediately eye-catching, that ranks him as the 9th best forward on average. Something he is certainly capable of if he gets a share of that midfield rotation, which all signs at this point in the pre-season are pointing to. He’s certainly not a sexy pick and doesn’t have much longevity at all, but as someone who may cost you almost nothing, Liam Shiels has some serious upside to get you over the line this year if you’re contending.
As someone making a remarkable comeback from cancer treatment and injury at 31 years of age, Ben Cunnington wouldn’t usually be anywhere near my watch list in his traditional midfield role. With the addition of forward status, however, and the fact that he will be in most leagues’ re-draft pools, Cunnington becomes extremely relevant to anyone in the premiership window. Keep in mind, that to be an F1-F2 at the start of this season, you only need to average above 80 (Lipinski is the 15th rated forward, with a 2022 average of 80.3). In the last decade, Cunnington has only averaged under 80 once when he has played more than 3 games in a season (75.3 in 2016). His age and injury history will have a lot of coaches overlooking him, but there won’t be many players with F2 value sitting in your draft pool. Grab him if you’re contending!
The Breakout Contenders
Can you call a third-year breakout for a player who has only played 14 games? In 2022 Will Phillips didn’t play a single game due to a bad bout of Glandular Fever; in 2021 he managed (even by rookie standards) a lowly 43. In good news for 2023, it seems he is back on track and was reported to have dominated in the intra-club scratch match (though he was in what appeared the second-string midfield). It will be competitive in the North engine room for minutes (Jye Simpkin, Ben Cunnington, and Luke Davies-Uniacke are all rightly ahead of Phillips) though it does seem he will be one to get a lot of time through the middle following the departure of Jason Horne-Francis. If no one has him stashed in your league, he is worth an early pick in your redrafts!
Tom Powell is another highly-rated Junior that was scoring for fun in his junior years (Averaging 119 in SANFL under 18s). Though he has struggled to get those midfield rotations, it is worth noting that in the first two games of 2022 where he had good minutes through the middle, he scored 86 and 76. If he is able to get that extra midfield time and put up scores like that, he could be a great option with his Mid / Fwd flexibility. There is no reason he couldn’t be in your starting forward line and with any luck, a great option in 2024 as a permanent midfielder. His 2022 average of 55 might mean you can pick him up in a trade for a minimal amount or if you’re lucky, a frustrated coach might have included him in their end-of-season delisting!
Griffin Logue is the definition of an unsexy, low-risk pick. He should be available in most leagues as part of your re-drafts and should take a few marks each game as an intercept defender. Whilst he only averaged 58 in 2022, he hasn’t been brought to North Melbourne to play in the VFL. With North likely to see most of the play in their defensive half and still only 24 years old, he could be a safe 70 average on your bench or as your last defender in deeper leagues for many years to come.
One of the most fascinating players to keep an eye on this season will be Darcy Tucker. He’s always shown glimpses of fantasy potential, but just as he looks set to break out, he picks up an injury and his season is done. There was a lot of hype about him last year, however, once he got on the park, he was unable to hold his spot either down back with Fremantle’s plethora of defenders, or in the middle, with Will Brody being a revelation at the coalface. Returning to the WAFL, Tucker responded with an average of 100, including a 4-game stretch where he went at 130.25 with a top score of 178. Like Griffin Logue, he was traded in to play, and there’s a wing there for him… if he can get his body right. Jump on, because if things break his way, he could be more than a handy option in your forward line.
Josh Goater was a 2021 draftee who many people had been keeping an eye on. The Goat announced himself with a debut 83 in 2022. If he can hold down his spot, he looks like a great fantasy option, with a strong junior pedigree playing as an intercept defender as well as a midfielder. If he can blend those two roles together, he could be in for a breakout year, and at only 19, someone who will provide you with value for years to come!
The Stash Options
Curtis Taylor is an interesting pick who looks to be building nicely, although slower than a lot of coaches may want. Taylor has improved his average each year he has been in the system, indicating steady growth as he matures. He also showed a rapid improvement in the back half of last year. In the first 12 games he averaged 53.9, however in the last 10 he lifted this to a respectable 77.7, including two tons. He is certainly a slow burn, but if you’re in a deeper league or have a rookie system in play, Curtis Taylor could well be worth a stash.
While small forwards rarely become fantasy stars, Harry Sheezel has the ability to run through the midfield and accumulate the ball (he had a 37 disposal game in the NAB league in 2022). He may be similar to Joshua Rachelle early in his career, with big scoring fluctuations and a lot of down games, however as he builds his tank and is added to the midfield rotation, he could become a very handy fantasy player, especially if he can hold his forward status. Stash him now if you can.
Tristan Xerri isn’t really a secret at this point, but he’s in this section because I don’t expect this to be his breakout year. In the 4-game sample where Todd Goldstein was the clear number 2 ruck (Goldy had 20 hit outs or less, and Xerri had more than 20 hit outs) Xerri averaged 79, while Goldy could only manage 46.5. What this shows is that there is definitely some upside for Xerri… once Goldy leaves. While Goldstein could put up some ok scores in a dual ruck setup, Xerri really needed to be the leading man there to be relevant. Given that Goldy turns 35 this year, there’s every chance that going forward, Xerri could be a strong option for us. The other positive going for him is that he’s shown that he can score in all categories, he just hasn’t put it together yet. In 2022 big X had a game with 8 tackles, multiple outings with 20 disposals, took 5 marks twice, had over 20 hit outs in 8 of his 12 games, and kicked 5 goals. That potential is tempting, and while it still may be a season or two away, it is worth a stash.
