Sydney… Bridesmaids in what can only be described as a royal dicking at the hands of the Cats. In fantasy land, a solid season with several big guns firing and some young talent starting to realise their full potential!

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)

Pills, Thrills and Callum Mills – that is all. Since transitioning into the midfield from half-back in 2021, Mills has elevated himself to uber-premo status! It was his ceiling in season 2022 that was a real feature, posting two scores of >150 as well as a 148! Fun fact: Mills only posted 30+ disposals twice this season… Thankfully, the man can fill a stats sheet averaging 6.6 marks and 6.3 tackles! That’s about 45 points alone in just marks and tackles every week. For his efforts, Pills Thrills also earnt a spot in the coveted Fantasy Fanatic’s 2022 All Australian team! There’s nothing suggesting Mills will slow down anytime soon, arguably now in the prime of his career at the age of 25. He’ll be ticking a truckload of boxes come 2023 and if you’re keen on him, lock and load without hesitation!

Best Rookie

Not a heap going on from a rookie perspective up their in Sydney with their list demographic consisting of plenty of second to fifth years players… However, we did have one guy who is not only a great story, but is now thriving at his new club at the top level. That man is Paddy McCartin! With decent rookies as rare as hens teeth in our defensive lines, Paddy was a shoe-in to play every week and averaged 55 in his 21 games. To come back from multiple concussion incidences is a credit to Paddy’s strength of character – fair to say it’s another great pickup from the Swannies… Many forget that he was a former pick #1! Hopefully that ‘Cost of Living Allowance’ will go toward Paddy’s next phat contract!

Biggest Flop

The Bloods had plenty of solid contributors across the board… One who did not fit the bill in this department was Peter Ladhams. After coming across from Port Adelaide in the off-season, Ladhams only managed 11 games at an average of 67 a piece! Coaches who got sucked in either at the start of the season, or when we had the Grundy conundrum were left with deadweight at R2. To make matters worse, the blonk decided to come up with a dog shot deep in to the season, all but ruling him out of featuring in the Grand final – hardly surprising given his history of blonk-like tendencies. Some things never change! From a fantasy perspective, wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him.

2023 Watchlist

With history not on their side, how the Bloods front up in 2023 will be an interesting watch, particularly given how comprehensively beaten they were by the pussies Cats. In Fantasy land, expect more of the same from ‘Pills Thrills’ and most likely Luke Parker – consistent beasts who continue to get to it done! Unfortunately, I can’t see Parker being available as a forward, though a positional change may be on the cards for the 30 year old with plenty of mouths to feed in the Swannies midfield! If Parker is only available as a mid, I’ll be steering clear. Elsewhere, we have a number of exciting young prospects that will be better with another preseason under their belt. The man who immediately springs to mind is Chad Warner who I see continuing his meteoric rise as a midfielder. Teams were starting to put more time into the Chad later in the season – a flag worth mentioning. James Rowbottom is another I’ll be watching closely who has probably flown under the radar a bit… He finished season 2022 with a wet sail, posting four tons in five outings as he continues to see increased midfield minutes. On the rookie front, the Swans hold picks 14 and 17 but they’ll have to be pretty special to demand a spot in a largely settled Sydney 22.

So there you have it folks, the third last of the Fantasy Fanatic’s 2022 Reviews! Stay tuned for more new content, the Glorified Traffic Cones are up next.

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

Cheers legends,

Fantasy Fanatic #70

ICYMI: One of many instances throughout the season where yours truly undeniably threw the toys out of the cot… Decided to be a smartass and trade in Lloooooyd at R3 rather than conform with 50% of the comp watching the Sic Dawg dine out on cheap +6’s for fun! Post R7 if anyone was wondering! This game sh*ts me sometimes…