Does this Western Bulldog still have the dawg in him? Still more gas in the tank for this footy legend? Is this the player the one true must-have for the 2024 season? There are so many questions coming out of round 23. So, let's turn our attention back to fantasy footy for a second and identify some risers in form and others who should be falling out of favour with all fantasy coaches in our GameDay Squad Aussie Rules Round Review. Let us know your thoughts on who we have down below on all of our social channels twitter, facebook, instagram, discord.
RISERS
Dustin Martin – FWD, Richmond Tigers (155 points)
A champion of our game and a champion for fantasy for a long, long time, and maybe we put a line through him far too early? The way that Dusty Martin has ended the season, has proved that he still has a lot of gas in the tank! Eight games on the trot over 100+ GDS fantasy points which includes scores of 134 and his most recent 155 GDS fantasy point outing in round 22 shows he can still put up incredible scores but also and more surprisingly, consistently! Who knows what will happen with Dusty over the off-season, there are whispers swirling already that he could head up to the Gold Coast with Damien Hardwick, but definitely keep him in your plans for 2024, because he’s obviously not done yet!
Harry Sheezel – FWD, North Melbourne Kangaroos (147 points)
Just because we haven’t spoken about him in a while, I’m going to chat about Harry Sheezel… because its fun to do! The rookie has been an absolute monster for fantasy and North Melbourne, averaging 114 GDS fantasy points a game, he’s quickly become one of the most valuable player cards in all of GameDay Squad Aussie Rules! Through adversity in his teams on field performance and some position changes, he’s stood up through it all. With Jack Ziebell retiring, it should be safe to assume that Sheezel will resume a position down in defence for North in 2024, barring any big free agency moves. Harry Sheezel is going to be incredible for fantasy for the next ten years and if you still don’t have one (or more!) of his cards, I suggest you move heaven and earth to get this man in your line ups next year!
Liam Henry – FWD, Fremantle Dockers (128 points)
Three tonnes on the trot for young Fremantle Dockers winger Liam Henry! He gave us glimpses earlier in the season, notching up back to back scores of 142 and 136 GDS fantasy points in rounds 15 and 16. Henry then went on to perform well without setting the world alight, but has returned to form in recent weeks scoring 101, 100 and most recently 128 GDS fantasy points in a row! He’s really acclimatised well to his wingman role and ticks a lot of fantasy boxes in terms of potential scoring. Henry will be a big watch over the off-season and pre-season to see what role he plays. If he continues playing this wing role he could become a legit option in 2024, pending any position changes of course.
FALLERS
Jack Macrae – MID, Western Bulldogs (57 points)
Jack Macrae… That was a truly horrible watch for those who took a punt on him and gave hi one more last chance with Tom Liberatore missing the game. But truthfully, it’s been a tough watch pretty much all year for Jack Macrae owners, who have had their man removed from the midfield where he dominated for so long to play a high half forward role. His average of just 105 GDS fantasy points per game is down 15 points per game on his 2022 average of 120 GDS fantasy points per game and at his age of 29, that is a worrying sign. To add salt to the wound, according to early reports, the man who moved Macrae out of the midfield looks like he’s staying put for 2024. If Doggies coach Luke Beverage is to stay in the drivers seat in 2024, it only adds concerns to players like Jack Macrae and Bailey Smith who were so good in 2022. I wouldn’t blame you for holding Macrae because of his scoring history, but for me, he’s on my never again list (again, barring any position changes).
Any midfielder in the Finn Maginness firing line – MID, Anyone can get it (probably 0 points)
The Finn Maginness tour continues to wreak havoc amongst midfielders league-wide! Fantasy coaches remain scrambling, keeping far, far away from Hawthorn’s tagging threat. His latest scalp? Only one of fantasy’s safest and highest octane scorers - Clayton Oliver. Unfortunately, tagging is and always will be apart of footy that coaches will have to tip-toe around, although Maginness is one of the best we have had to deal with in a few season and is a threat to be taken seriously. Since assuming the role in a full-time sense he’s tagged out some of the best in the game, not even Nick Daicos and Tom Liberatore (when he was on the field) could let loose against him. This week Hawthorn play the Freo Dockers which means Andy Brayshaw and Caleb Serong are in the firing line… who does he go to?
Jack Viney – MID, Melbourne Demons (116 points)
I think Jack Viney is the ultimate sell high option right now. The guy has been a freak this year! Averaging 115 GDS fantasy points per game and he’s currently on a run of 10 scores over 100+ GDS fantasy points per game. The issue with Viney is that he’s realistically very rarely going to get concrete consideration week-to-week unless injury occurs to team mates Christian Petracca or Clayton Oliver. It is very rare for a third string midfield option to warrant selection with only 5 midfield lots to fill in GameDay Squad Aussie Rules. Viney has been without Clarry for the most part this season and Oliver was tagged in round 23, aiding an inflated average on the season. So while you can, float hi in some trades and try and get some value back while his scoring is so attractive to some!