Norf… Positives to come out of the season about as rare as hen’s teeth! Wooden Spooners in more ways than one, coming out dead last on the Fantasy ladder and managing to concede the most points as well…

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!

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

Most Valuable Player (MVP)

Needle in a haystack kind of vibes when I was looking for an MVP for Norf… All “Norf are shit” gags aside, a couple of guys did put their hand up with great seasons! Jy Simpkin was once again a solid citizen for the Kangas, averaging 95.5 in his 21 games. However, in the back-half of the season, it was Luke Davies-Uniacke (AKA UDL) who really caught my eye. Post-bye UDL averaged a sweet 106 from 9 games and for mine will become the main man in the Kangas engine room next season and beyond! A big call, but I think he’s the kind of guy you can build a list around. No doubt he’ll cop extra attention from opposition teams in years to come (assuming Norf show some ticker and challenge in a few games!).

Best Rookie

I’m sure this will trigger all 15 Norf fans nationwide, but it’s Cam Zuurhar’s best mate, JHF – really should be JGF for Jason Gorne-Francis… Paul “Two first names” Curtis and Flynn “no first names” Perez were also solid but when it was all said and done, JGF averaged 10 more points and played two more games. Personally, I think the lad showed glimpses of why clubs were prepared to make unprecedented draft pick offers prior to the 2021 draft! JGF will be an interesting watch in 2023, moving away from an “unstable” environment to arguably the most feral cheer squad in the Southern hemisphere. I’m sure Kochie can organise the Cash Cow on a Monday morning if JGF has a tough day at the office?

Biggest Flop

“Biggest” really doesn’t do this justice… This was just about the flop of all flops based purely on numbers! The man shed 40 points from his 2021 average, if anything vindicating just how disgustingly easy his role was in 2021! If you haven’t already guessed, it’s Jack Ziebell. Only managed to ton twice and was seemingly sh*tting sub-50 scores, with ten of his 19 games yielding absolute stinkers. A great servant of Norf Melbourne / Tassie Kangaroos but you’d have to have abnormally large kahunas to pick Z-Bull ever again!

2023 Watchlist

2023 will largely be about getting games into the up and coming young talent at Norf. Unsurprisingly, their draft hand is strong which will give them some quality come draft night. Don’t be surprised if these early picks get a run early in the season! From a fantasy perspective, we should have plenty of fresh meat to cast our eye over and they should come with better job security purely by virtue that they play for Norf! Elsewhere, UDL will be carrying a huge load in the midfield, the question is, can he maintain his late season 2022 form? If you think he can, you will be paying top dollar.

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

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

Cheers legends,

Fantasy Fanatic #70