If memory serves Lyons only played a couple of regular season games after Ashcrofts injury and both were sub affected. So not sure it’s as simple to say he’s got Ashcrofts spot as they preferred others last year when Ashcroft went down. He wasn’t obviously injured and was the sub a lot, so something significant would have needed to change for him to suddenly rocket into a consistent best 22 spot.
I think you can arguably look at it differently when a player goes down from round 19-23 in a premiership contender where they’ve had a plan and structure all season.
But definitely agree it’s a risk to bring him in.
Just a different story from last year imo with Ashcroft known to be out for quite some time, Coleman out for a long time and very few midfielders due to come in to replace Lyons.
He is a risk to be dropped with a stinker but he also has potential to have a 30-40 point higher ceiling than the rookies priced 180-230k who don’t have locked in job security either.
Just because they were top picks doesn’t mean any of Reid (already mentioned he won’t play the full season), Hustwaite (arguably worse JS), Lazzarro (arguably equal JS and doesn’t have the scoring ceiling imo), Mckerchen (has JS but we don’t know his scoring potential), Sanders (not sold on him having great job security), Fyfe (injury history and sub risk), Mead (shaky JS), Windsor (scoring potential and JS?), Duursma (scoring output?), Watson (scoring output and JS?).
The rookies with far worse tanks at this point in their career have sub potential and shaky job security as we’ve seen many times, even if they were top picks.
He also doesn’t need to be a consistent best 22 all year lock. We literally only need him to play 5-6 games before Ashcroft is back and he’ll probably make more than a lot of rookies would across 8+ games.
Not saying he’s a lock but don’t see him as being a lot worse than any other 180-250k mid or forward priced player, given the scoring potential.