Position 2022: Midfield Discussion
- Thread starter KLo30
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That is my D4-8 right there with a bunch of chash stashed in the bench in preuss et Al. I think Rioli at 336k is next cab off the rank unless Kemp (Sinn$) or skinner(pta) or a random turn up.
The bigger question is…where at the god damn dozen downgrade options going to come from!!!!
The only rarer than talk about a good forward rookie options talk about a floating donut to play!
The bigger question is…where at the god damn dozen downgrade options going to come from!!!!
The only rarer than talk about a good forward rookie options talk about a floating donut to play!
Yes and No 
I'd rather have more cash deployed on field, obviously.
But I don't see any cheaper options right now that actually make cash so while I'd get more points on field the first couple of rounds from say Macdonald on the pine instead, I'm backing that those three making 150k+ more than the alternatives is going to have more long term value over the season than the ~10 points I've got parked on the pine.
Still very tempted to push towards 5 premium defenders though and get an extra one on the field but I keep coming back to every time I elevate them on field I end up with a Macdonald type that seems just as bad as the back options, if not worse, and I'd rather not have 5 premiums as I did it last year and it's incredibly restrictive in what you can do.
I've struggled with it and honestly it just depends what you look for, for mine though at this point:
I'm not going to mention durability because they're all top notch. You'll notice the cons are pretty weak here but just trying to find anything that exists.
1. Touk Miller
Pros
- Highest upside of the group, imo.
- Gets Witts back this year, remember they had zero ruck last year, Witts is a top half of the league ruckman.
- Improving side, again imo, but no one to steal significant points.
- 2nd cheapest
Cons
- Least proven, last year his first 120+ season.
- Rowell returns, while I think this is a net positive as more ball is more spread points, he will take some of the contested ball away.
- Probably the weakest team of the 4, smaller pie.
2. Clayton Oliver
Pros
- Cheapest, 27k is not insignificant.
- Proven
- No competition, just a strong level of balance and continuity from last year.
- Gawn/Jackson ruck combo.
- Elite team, bigger pie.
- Only entering prime age now!
Cons
- Kicking can hold him back at times.
- Elite team that may ease off later in the season if things are safe.
- Has shown a susceptibility to tags
3. Jack Steele
Pros
- No one significant stealing points and the next best midfielder is out indefinitely, no one else can kick at all so he ends up being channeled to for kicking.
- Strong ruck support
- The way he finished last season indicates plausible upside.
- Does everything on the scorecard.
- Two strong seasons now.
Cons
- Was either rested or injured early last year, injury is annoying but played through and scored ok, rested could happen again and would make him an upgrade target again.
- Probably weak side means smaller pie.
- Expensive
4. Jack Macrae
Pros
- Most proven scoring.
- Big midfield pie
- Has scored well in basically every role.
- Still firmly in prime age
- Elite VC option while it matters (we should have close to all 4 when the rest of fixtures come out if they're all worth picking!)
- Most popular, has the least harm with, most harm without if things go wrong (for either case)
Cons
- Historically long peak at 120+ scoring. Only Ablett has achieved 5 straight 120+ seasons.
- Role uncertainty, he scores well in all roles but he scores better in the right one.
- So many pigs at the trough at the Dogs. He's better at basically all roles than the other guys but he's significantly better outside and on the wing compared to Dunkley, Treloar, Libba, Bont and even Smith.
- Most expensive
- Oldest, still in prime age but at 28, he's on the wrong end of it.
This is kind of like picking your favourite child, imo, every parent can do it but it pains them
I can totally buy the complete reverse order, for mine the upside potential and the potential to find value in the pick is the most important and, imo, Macrae has the most areas of concern that could see him slip 10 points but his captaincy value almost certainly means more to people who do like to loophole compared to me who just loses points doing it so it's not that important to me.
Ironically, imo, that's actually one of, if not, his biggest negatives. The list of players to go 120+ 5 times is literally Gary Ablett (unless I've missed someone when trawling for it), no one else has ever done it. Not Pendles, not Danger, not Swan, not Gawn (though he has a chance this year), not Dean Cox, you get it
Ash is a stud of a prospect but the tagging was very good for him last year. Was a very one way runner and it's a great way to teach that the defensive running is as important, possibly more important. One of the few times I genuinely agree with Cameron's move, I think he could probably do with another half season of it also.
He could be an absolute gun off half back tomorrow but they just don't need him there with Whitfield, Cumming, Perryman and Haynes all very good already.
I'd rather have more cash deployed on field, obviously.
But I don't see any cheaper options right now that actually make cash so while I'd get more points on field the first couple of rounds from say Macdonald on the pine instead, I'm backing that those three making 150k+ more than the alternatives is going to have more long term value over the season than the ~10 points I've got parked on the pine.
Still very tempted to push towards 5 premium defenders though and get an extra one on the field but I keep coming back to every time I elevate them on field I end up with a Macdonald type that seems just as bad as the back options, if not worse, and I'd rather not have 5 premiums as I did it last year and it's incredibly restrictive in what you can do.
I've struggled with it and honestly it just depends what you look for, for mine though at this point:
I'm not going to mention durability because they're all top notch. You'll notice the cons are pretty weak here but just trying to find anything that exists.
1. Touk Miller
Pros
- Highest upside of the group, imo.
- Gets Witts back this year, remember they had zero ruck last year, Witts is a top half of the league ruckman.
- Improving side, again imo, but no one to steal significant points.
- 2nd cheapest
Cons
- Least proven, last year his first 120+ season.
- Rowell returns, while I think this is a net positive as more ball is more spread points, he will take some of the contested ball away.
- Probably the weakest team of the 4, smaller pie.
2. Clayton Oliver
Pros
- Cheapest, 27k is not insignificant.
- Proven
- No competition, just a strong level of balance and continuity from last year.
- Gawn/Jackson ruck combo.
- Elite team, bigger pie.
- Only entering prime age now!
Cons
- Kicking can hold him back at times.
- Elite team that may ease off later in the season if things are safe.
- Has shown a susceptibility to tags
3. Jack Steele
Pros
- No one significant stealing points and the next best midfielder is out indefinitely, no one else can kick at all so he ends up being channeled to for kicking.
- Strong ruck support
- The way he finished last season indicates plausible upside.
- Does everything on the scorecard.
- Two strong seasons now.
Cons
- Was either rested or injured early last year, injury is annoying but played through and scored ok, rested could happen again and would make him an upgrade target again.
- Probably weak side means smaller pie.
- Expensive
4. Jack Macrae
Pros
- Most proven scoring.
- Big midfield pie
- Has scored well in basically every role.
- Still firmly in prime age
- Elite VC option while it matters (we should have close to all 4 when the rest of fixtures come out if they're all worth picking!)
- Most popular, has the least harm with, most harm without if things go wrong (for either case)
Cons
- Historically long peak at 120+ scoring. Only Ablett has achieved 5 straight 120+ seasons.
- Role uncertainty, he scores well in all roles but he scores better in the right one.
- So many pigs at the trough at the Dogs. He's better at basically all roles than the other guys but he's significantly better outside and on the wing compared to Dunkley, Treloar, Libba, Bont and even Smith.
- Most expensive
- Oldest, still in prime age but at 28, he's on the wrong end of it.
This is kind of like picking your favourite child, imo, every parent can do it but it pains them
I can totally buy the complete reverse order, for mine the upside potential and the potential to find value in the pick is the most important and, imo, Macrae has the most areas of concern that could see him slip 10 points but his captaincy value almost certainly means more to people who do like to loophole compared to me who just loses points doing it so it's not that important to me.
Ironically, imo, that's actually one of, if not, his biggest negatives. The list of players to go 120+ 5 times is literally Gary Ablett (unless I've missed someone when trawling for it), no one else has ever done it. Not Pendles, not Danger, not Swan, not Gawn (though he has a chance this year), not Dean Cox, you get it
Ash is a stud of a prospect but the tagging was very good for him last year. Was a very one way runner and it's a great way to teach that the defensive running is as important, possibly more important. One of the few times I genuinely agree with Cameron's move, I think he could probably do with another half season of it also.
He could be an absolute gun off half back tomorrow but they just don't need him there with Whitfield, Cumming, Perryman and Haynes all very good already.
Not going to lie, Touk Miller is one I have slept on, and has not appeared in any of my drafts since supercoach opened.
Yes I understand there are a few favourable factors going into 2022 that could represent some upside in Touk's scoring, but I just feel like (1) a 20 point jump to that 125 average range is EXTREMELY DIFFICULT to back up (2) taggers are coming (3) while the pie is larger, Rowell will play a greater role on the inside, and Anderson will steal more uncontested pill on the outside.
I've seen a couple of posters mention that Touk's untaggable, can someone point out which rounds he was tagged last year so I can have a closer look?
Yes I understand there are a few favourable factors going into 2022 that could represent some upside in Touk's scoring, but I just feel like (1) a 20 point jump to that 125 average range is EXTREMELY DIFFICULT to back up (2) taggers are coming (3) while the pie is larger, Rowell will play a greater role on the inside, and Anderson will steal more uncontested pill on the outside.
I've seen a couple of posters mention that Touk's untaggable, can someone point out which rounds he was tagged last year so I can have a closer look?