Collingwood… 1 point from the Big Dance and about 1500 points from the top 8 for total Fantasy points! Love ’em or hate ’em, you have to admire what they did this season, culminating in a seismic rise into the AFL’s top 4. From a Fantasy perspective, very little to crow about with the exception of Jack Crisp for about 13 weeks and a young fella named Nick Daicos…

In these reviews, we will take a closer look at each club’s Fantasy snapshot for season 2022, whilst I nominate players for MVP, best rookie and biggest flop. I will also provide my two cents on what to look out for in 2023!

Most Valuable Player (MVP)

MVPs weren’t exactly popping out of the sprinkler at Pie land with just two players averaging over 90… One of those (Brodie Grundy) managed just six games! So… I guess it has to go to the other guy, that being Jack Crisp. While a Crispy ton was as rare as hens teeth following the R13 bye, he bought up 100+ in ten of his first thirteen outings! As durable as they come, again playing all 22 games and following the prelim final, bought his streak of consecutive games to an absurd 188. Crispy finished the season with a modest average of 94, the highest of any Pie.

Special mention to Darcy Cameron who was huge after Grundy went down as Collingwood’s #1 ruck from R7 onwards… The big fella averaged a solid 94 in this time and looks set to resume as #1 ruck in 2023 with Grundy linked to a trade away from the AIA Centre.

Best Rookie

N.Daicos. Period. What a season from the young man who well and truly lived up to the hype (and Daicos name)! The fact that there were weeks where Daicos was putting premos to shame speaks volumes of just how good he was. When it was all said and done, played every game, averaged 87, tonned on seven occasions (including 147 in R18 vs Crom) and took the mickey from time to time! He was even trusted with the kick-in duties most weeks which had coaches salivating at the quantity of cheap +3’s. Only had two scores below 60 and none below 50… For a rookie that is genuinely elite!

Biggest Flop

Look no further than Mr Chalk himself… T.Adams. An angry little man with a body more cooked than a burnt snag in summer! Starting the season around $850K, some spud coaches saw Adams as an under-priced option given the hefty price tags of the likes of Steele and Touk. Unfortunately, Adams got injured at least three or four times from memory and only eclipsed the ton on three occasions on his way to averaging 82 from 17 games… In all seriousness, hopefully he gets a clean bill of health and a bit of luck in 2023. Unfortunately, most signs point to him being a revolving trap! A shame given he has multiple 100+ average seasons to his name.

2023 Watchlist

Plenty to look out for at Pie land heading into 2023. A big trade period looms headlined by the impending exit of Brodie Grundy. From a Fantasy perspective, this puts Darcy Cameron right in contention for a starting ruck position in 2023 (of course, pre-season form will also influence our decision making here)! We are still none the wiser on Jordan De Gropey’s contract situation. If he did move on, this would leave a hole in Collingwood’s on-ball brigade… I imagine Nick Daicos will end up playing as a predominant midfielder but not sure if the Pies will pull the trigger as early as season 2023 with the likes of Crisp, Lipinski, Pendles, Adams and even J.Daicos all considered viable options. In other completely fantasy irrelevant news, Dan McStay McGo looks likely to land at Collingwood over the off-season.

So there you have it folks, the fourth of the Fantasy Fanatic’s 2022 Reviews! Stay tuned for more new content, Essington are up next.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! Feedback, comments and banter welcome.

Cheers legends,

Fantasy Fanatic #70