Port Adelaide… “Never tear us apart” until we’ve cooked the season five weeks in and Kochie starts a riot in Alberton! From a fantasy perspective, Port fared a lot better and were the stingiest team going around, giving up the least amount of Fantasy points of any team in 2022.

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)

Despite ranking top three in the comp for Fantasy points for, no one really stood out for Port with no player averaging over 100. I’m sure many coaches far and wide would be singing Connor Rozee’s praises after finishing with a wet sail to post six tons in his final seven games including a huge 144 in Fantasy grand final weekend! However, much like Stephen ‘Cog Dog’ Coniglio, we can’t just forget about a woeful month to begin the season in which Connor averaged 44… So, despite underperforming by his lofty standards, Port’s MVP goes to Ollie Wines for his average of 98 from 21 games. Special mention to Karl Amon who averaged 97 from his 22 games.

Best Rookie

With a fairly solid list to pick from, we had over a handful of rookies get their chance – though most of them with dicey job security at best! I’m think of guys like Sam Hayes, Jed McEntee, Jackson “Mead for Speed” Mead, Josh Sinn and even the space cadet himself, Sam Skinner! One guy who did find his way into the side and managed to hold his spot was Jase Burgoyne. Jase strung together seven of eight games to finish off the season and averaged a very respectable 60.3 points per game! For a guy with such a slight build, his composure really impressed as per usual with any bloke named Burgoyne – cool as a cucumber. He’ll put on some size in the coming seasons and I expect he’ll forge his own path in Port colours!

Biggest Flop

It was a case of burnt Butters for coaches who selected Zac on the promise of more midfield minutes in season 2022… The little flog man got off to a flyer, averaging 117 from his first two games! He then proceeded to shit the bed, averaging 71 from his next 11 games – not good enough for a guy we were hoping to average about 90… Then of course after we all came to our senses and got rid of him, he bangs out four tons to finish the season! Pure sh*thousery and left coaches far and wide with permanent psychological injuries.

2023 Watchlist

Undeniably, the talk of the town heading into the 2023 season will be the arrival of Jason Gorne-Francis from Norf… From a fantasy perspective, I will be intrigued about how his inclusion potentially effects players like Rozee and (dare I say it!) Butters and their midfield minutes… Add in names like Wines, Drew and even the evergreen Trav Boak and their are plenty of mouths to feed! Elsewhere, despite causing a few aneurysms with his yo-yo like tendencies, Dan Houston may pick up a few minutes on a wing with the departure of Karl Amon. His penetrating kick and precise ball use going into attacking 50 would be valuable and as a spectator, was lacking for Port in 2022. On the rookie front, given what they had to give up to get JGF and Junior Rioli, I don’t imagine there will be a heap to crow about come the season proper – Josh Sinn will still be cheap but given his seemingly dicey job security, the selection would come with a degree of trepidation!

So there you have it folks, the thirteenth of the Fantasy Fanatic’s 2022 Reviews! Stay tuned for more new content, Richmond are next cab off the rank.

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

Cheers legends,

Fantasy Fanatic #70