In this article, we’re going to take a look at the Gold Coast Football Club. With plenty of young talent on their list, there looks to be lots of players worth drafting in your keeper and deep-draft leagues.
Check out our latest podcast: Pre-season 2020: Geelong, Gold Coast and GWS.
Jack Lukosius (B,F)
For a young tall, I was incredibly impressed by Lukosius last year.
He started off in their forward line and as it was basically impossible to get a kick there last year, his move to the backline proved a masterstroke.
He averaged 52 points from 21 games, which is nothing amazing but for a first year tall it’s pretty solid scoring.
After the bye, his average moved up to 64 points per game which highlighted his scoring ability in defence. During that time he only had a low of 50 points and a high of 99 points.
In that 99 point PB game, he notched up 21 touches, 9 marks and 3 tackles which showed his all-round versatility.
Lukosius is athletic, covers ground well and takes a great grab.
I get excited about tall guys like Curnow, Naughton, Sicily etc. who can play those fantasy-friendly roles and this guy is in the same mould.
I’m going to make him one of my stashes of the season and while he may only string together a couple of good games in 2020, his value is just going to grow exponentially.
Watch out!
Ben Ainsworth (C,F)
It’s crunch time for Ainsworth in 2020.
He moves into his fourth year after playing 41 career games.
2019 was a PB season for him with a 65 point average which needs to lift dramatically in my opinion.
The kid has plenty of talent and class but has just never got a proper crack at it with injury.
He scored 88 and 73 in rounds 8 & 9 before injury ruined his season in round 10.
He came back towards the end of 2019 and played his best ever game in round 23 against GWS, collecting 27 touches and 96 points.
As an owner I’m excited to see some growth this year but I do have a slight worry that he could be a quality over quantity player.
I’m hoping that GWS game is a sign of things to come and with a full pre-season under his belt, the sky could be the limit in 2020.
I think we’re going to find out a lot in the Marsh Series about his role but he’s a free swing in 2020 as he’s still a C/F in fantasy.
If you own him, you have to hold him as I really believe this is his year.
Jacob Dawson (B)
Now, we’re not talking about the much-hyped Jordan here, we’re talking Jacob and he could be a huge 2020 smoky.
He’s one who will be high on my watch list in the pre-season and while I think he’s borderline best-22 it wouldn’t take much for him to become a mainstay in the Suns backline.
He played the last 6 games of 2019 with an average of 72.7 and had a 100 point PB against Collingwood with 22 touches and 14 marks.
His NEAFL form was amazing averaging 95 points from 12 games which included 4 tonnes and games of 122 and 139 points.
He moves into his 3rd year in the AFL and is a big chance to lock down a half-back flank spot especially with the ageing Hanley & Harbrow back there.
I think he will be a real sleeper and could be a massive bargain late in drafts.
Izak Rankine (F)
The number 3 draft pick missed all of 2019 with injury problems but seems to be fit and ready to go in 2020.
It’s going to be interesting to see what Rankine can do in 2020 as he is an absolute freak with the footy in his hands.
In 2018, he played plenty of senior footy in the SANFL and was incredibly impressive all throughout that season.
Now while he may be a future superstar of the game, fantasy-wise – he’s never really put the runs on the board.
He averaged 78 points at the Under 18 Championships. With the adjusted score for the shortened game time, his average equated to 94 points.
In the SANFL League, he was incredibly dangerous but only averaged 65 points.
He’s going to be a must-have in the salary cap format but we don’t see him that viable in the draft format unless he runs through the midfield.
At this stage, he’s shaping up to be a Cam Rayner kind of player so for 2020 just cool your jets on him.
Hugh Greenwood (F,C)
Big Hugh is likely to add a bit of grunt to the Suns midfield in 2020 after coming across from the Crows.
Greenwood should see plenty of midfield time but could also play an important role up forward.
He’s never averaged under 78 which is solid for a forward, but on the flip side, he’s never set the world on fire. His best season average was 82 in 2018.
Historically he’s a player who never really goes large but he is so consistent and rarely puts up a stinker.
At the Crows, he got stuck up forward quite a bit so if he plays more midfield time at the Suns we could see a nice bump in his scores.
Worst case scenario he’s a high-70’s average forward who will play every game in 2020 and we all need those kinds of players in our sides.
Anonymous
January 30, 2020 at 11:02 am
miles going to be injury cover now you think? had a few big games last year and was generally solid
Heff
January 30, 2020 at 11:30 am
It’s really hard to tell. There are a lot of players who could run through Gold Coast’s midfield now. Hopefully, the Marsh series gives us some clarity.
Mortimizer
January 30, 2020 at 1:26 pm
Could Rankine be a bit like C. Rozee? Rozee did not have much fantasy hype at the beginning of last year, his junior numbers were not that exciting, and he was part of a stacked SA team. Was Rozee just a product of being a highly skilled/athletic player now having the freedom to move up the ground? I can imagine Rankine running up a wing, or if the ball doesn’t make it into the forward line him being thrown in the midfield to find it.
Heff
January 30, 2020 at 8:37 pm
It’s possible. It’s just so hard to tell which midfielders Gold Coast are going to use. I’m not sure if he has the same tank as Rozee either.