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Team Analysis

Team Analysis 2022 – Gold Coast

The fantasy gems hidden on Gold Coast’s list aren’t as obvious as some teams, but I’ve dug deep to find you some names that might be worth considering.

Keep on reading to find out who I think is worth picking up in 2022!

Take a listen to our latest podcast: Pre-season 2022: Geelong, Gold Coast and GWS

Jeremy Sharp

After posting some promising junior fantasy scores in 2019 (averaging 118 in the WAFL Colts), he only played two games in 2020 for an average of 31. Many fantasy coaches would have been disappointed with this and probably expected a little more from Sharp even though it was his first season of senior footy.

However, he burst onto the scene last year and gave us an example of what he can do when he’s given a favourable role.

He came into Gold Coast’s senior team from Round 15 and put up fantasy scores of 79, 62 and 61 in his first three games. After that, he went BANG in Rounds 18 and 19, scoring back-to-back tonnes (123 and 112 AFL Fantasy points). He ended up with an average of 71 from his 9 games in 2021, but this included an injury-affected score of 9 in Round 23. If you take this score out, he averaged 79 for the season.

One minor caveat with Sharp’s scoring is he only got an opportunity after Lachie Weller got injured. Weller had been spending some time up forward but played on the wing in the weeks prior to Sharp’s selection. There’s also the fact that Sharp’s biggest games came when Brandon Ellis was injured and Sharp was given the main outside role in the Gold Coast Sun’s midfield.

However, he showed so much potential throughout 2021 that he should be lining up for a permanent spot in Gold Coast’s best 22 and his fantasy scoring should lift through natural progression, regardless of the players around him.

He’s a fantasy type and one that you can draft with confidence.

Wil Powell

Powell is one we’ve been suggesting for a few years now.

He played every game in 2021 for an AFL Fantasy average of 72. His top score of 138 AFL Fantasy points came against Carlton in Round 21 where he had 21 kicks, 7 handballs, 8 marks, 7 tackles and a goal. He also had two scores in the 90s and three scores in the 80s through 2021, showing his scoring ability.

A catalyst for his uptick in fantasy scoring last season was his shift from a wing to a half-back flank. He thrived in this position as he possesses an elite boot, going at a kicking efficiency of 80% in 2021. With a kick like this, he’s a player that Gold Coast will want to give the ball to and use to set up attacks.

He also became Gold Coast’s main kick-in taker throughout the season. He took 32% of the kick-ins last season (slightly ahead of Bowes) but stepped it up towards the end of the season, taking 48% of the kick-ins across the final five rounds.

With Jack Lukosius looking to move further up the ground and Jack Bowes being touted as an inside midfielder this season, Powell should be one of the main distributors coming out of defence this season and should see a boost in fantasy scoring.

I don’t think an 80 average is out of the question here.

Matt Rowell

I don’t think we need to talk about this guy too much.

Matt Rowell was riddled with injuries over his first two seasons.

He had a monster first 5 games of his career averaging 78 (97.5 BCV) before he was cruelly struck down with a shoulder injury. This resulted in a score of 0 in his fifth game of 2020, so if we take that out, he actually averaged 110 BCV in his first year of footy.

He returned to football in 2021 and was injured again in the first match of the season, this time with a knee injury. He returned again in Round 13 and played the remainder of the season but could only average 59 points per game from that point onwards. This was due to being given limited minutes and also spending time up forward to manage his return from injury.

While we’re talking about Rowell, I’ll take the time to remind you of his underage fantasy scoring. He played 7 games in 2019 for an AFL Fantasy average of 124 points. He also played every game of the Under 18 Championships for an average of 102.

Coming into his third year as an elite talent, there is no doubt he will be an elite scorer providing he can get his body right and stay fit.

Elijah Hollands

If it weren’t for an ACL injury this guy could have been the number one pick in the 2020 draft.

He was considered the best midfielder of the 2020 draft crop, despite not playing a game that year due to COVID-19. 

Take a look at his games from 2019 you’ll see he put up some good numbers as a bottom-ager. He played four NAB League games for the Murray Bushrangers, averaging 84.7 points going at 11 kicks, 6 handballs, 6 marks, 4 tackles and a goal per game.

His best individual performance came against Gippsland Power in Round 1 of 2019, where he had 12 kicks, 3 handballs, 10 marks, 3 tackles and an AFL Fantasy score of 90 points.

Whilst these numbers may not look like much on paper, I’ll remind you that he was a year younger than the midfielders he was competing against. Putting up numbers like this when playing against players who were close to AFL ready is quite impressive.

After being taken by Gold Coast at pick 7 the following year, he spent most of 2021 in rehab recovering from the ACL injury.

He returned to football in Gold Coast’s VFL side in June after 16 months out of the games and managed quite heavily upon returning. However, he put up an impressive score of 95 AFL Fantasy points in Round 15 which included 16 kicks, 11 handballs, 3 marks and 4 tackles.

Gold Coast Recruiting Manager Kall Burns recently stated that Hollands is likely to be used as a midfielder/forward in 2022, but also mentioned he could be used across half-back at times due to his elite disposal.

This indicates that an early-season debut is likely for Hollands.

It might take a year or two before he becomes super fantasy-relevant, but he is a player I would be looking to stash away if I had the opportunity.

Ben Ainsworth

This guy is such a frustrating fantasy player.

He looked like a genuine midfielder/forward prospect a couple of years ago but attended less than 1% of the CBAs in 2021. He played 17 games for an average of 69.5 playing up forward for the Suns and was one of their top goal scorers last season. This tells me that he’ll continue in the same role this year which won’t be great for fantasy scoring.

He was dropped from the AFL side for a while last season and showed what he could do as a midfielder in the VFL. From his three games at this level, he averaged 106 points which gave coaches a glimmer of hope that he could return to a midfield role at the senior level. Unfortunately, he continued as a forward upon returning.

I personally can’t see him returning to the midfield mix any time soon, so is he worth keeping as a forward?

Given the scarcity of forwards in fantasy these days, you could make a case for him but don’t hold him over a player that will average you more in another position. You will easily find another forward in the draft that can average similar numbers so only hold onto him if you’re desperate.

In start-up drafts, he’s one to monitor but don’t go too early on him, and don’t be too upset if someone pounces on him early.

Mabior Chol

Chol moved up to the Gold Coast after limited opportunity at Richmond behind Toby Nankervis and Ivan Soldo.

After the debacle that was Gold Coast’s ruck situation last season, it’s not surprising that they chased another ruckman in the offseason so they didn’t have to play Chris Burgess as their number one ruck (sorry Dos, I know he’s one of your boys).

The big question is was Mabior Chol only recruited as a backup for Witts, or are they going to play him in their best 22?

As we are all aware, Jarrod Witts got injured in the early stages of 2021 with an ACL injury. However, he should be ready to go in Round 1. So unless Stewart Dew has plans to play him as a forward he may find himself in the reserves at Gold Coast.

There is that chance he will play up forward and pinch-hit in the ruck, which could be handy particularly if he gets forward status at some stage throughout the year (he has forward status in Ultimate Footy but not AFL Fantasy). However, if Witts gets injured again then it should be go-time for Chol and he could see a big uptick in scoring.

He only averaged 60.5 last season, so in terms of fantasy, he’s nothing to write home about. But he’s a player I’d be looking to draft late and hope things fall into place.

Monitor what his role will be throughout the pre-season.

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