The Orange team… Certainly not a big big sound impending! Another season that pales into complete insignificance as they once again watch talent they developed seek trades elsewhere whilst at the peak of their powers. From a fantasy perspective, they’ve always had more relevance with a few players of interest in season 2022! Read on to find out how they fared!

*For the purposes of these articles, Fantasy numbers are from the H&A season only.

Most Valuable Player (MVP)

Without looking at the numbers, you’d imagine thousands of coaches out there would nominate Stephen Coniglio as their MVP. Unfortunately for Cog Dog, we can’t just forget the first nine round of the season where he shat the bed playing a forward pocket! Yin-Yang seasons don’t cut the mustard when you’re looking for the cream of the crop! Arguably, Josh Kelly had an inconsistent season but still managed to average 102 from his 21 games. Went on an absolute tear part way through the season with a five round patch of four 120+ scores in what was enough to nab MVP! You imagine there will be plenty more where that came from in 2023 with the off-season departures of Taranto and Hopper leaving big shoes to fill in the midfield!

Quick shoutout to Harry Himmelberg who was a completely different player after being shuffled into the back line mid-season in a big role change which saw his fantasy stocks go through the roof! His penetrating kick and ability to break the lines stood out as he buttered up for bulk kick-ins and cheap +6’s on the regular. His monstrous 161 vs Norf in R13 included 25 kicks and 16 marks! Absurd but if it was going to be against anyone…

Best Rookie

Following the departure of Leon Cameron, Mark McVeigh was not afraid to blood his youth. From a fantasy perspective, one stood out above the pack – Jacob Wehr. After debuting in R10, coaches had their doubts over Wehr’s job security following BWS’ R12 bye… He proceeded to become just about the safest 60 in the game for a month post-bye until he shat the bed with a 34 in R17 vs Port. Despite this, Wehr had well and truly done his job as coaches looked to launch into the final six weeks of the season. He managed an average of 59 in his 10 games, very solid indeed!

Biggest Flop

Again, a few different names spring to mind that are not easy to split here… so f*ck it, let’s have another poll!

2023 Watchlist

You know what they say – adversity breeds opportunity and the departures of Taranto, Hopper and Bruhn leaves bulk midfield minutes for the taking! They certainly weren’t lacking midfielders to begin with but guys like Kelly, Cogs and Tom Green would now appear to be the mainstays along with the likes of Perryman and Ash playing defensive-minded roles as needed. You add big Juicy Preussy to the mix and as he showed us time and time again, anything is possible! Could Lachie Shitfield Whitfield get more of a crack on ball? Toby Greene anyone? Fun fact: The man averaged 96 in his first season (back in 2012) playing purely as a midfielder! Elsewhere, if Himmelberg continues playing down back I think he can push a 90 average in 2023. Isaac Cumming is also a safe bet down back, taking his lion share of the kick-ins!

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

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

Cheers legends,

Fantasy Fanatic #70