Western Bulldogs… An indifferent season after coming close in 2021! Never seen them barrack so hard for Collingwood as Carlton snatched defeat from the jaws of victory to allow the Doggies to scrape into 8th position! Inevitably, it only added one week to their season. From a fantasy perspective, the dogs are always fairly relevant with several big names in Fantasy circles! Read on to find out how they fared.

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)

J… Dunkley – another elite season from the consistent beast that is Dunks! Doggies fans will be spewing knowing one of their best is on the move north to Brissy for season 2023 and beyond. Heading into the season, many coaches had doubts over Dunks role in the Doggies side with the Dogs sh*tting midfielders. Dunks put these doubts to rest and got off to a flyer tonning in the first seven games! Dunks did eventually spend a bit more time forward but tbh, it didn’t matter. He went on to play every game of the home and away season, posting an elite average of 108.8! Dunks also earnt a spot in Fantasy Fanatics All-Australian squad at F1 by the length of the Flemington straight.

Best Rookie

We had a few young pups coming through the ranks in season 2022. The likes of Rhylee West, Buku Khamis, Luke Cleary, Bobbie McComb and Lachie McNeil all featured at different stages throughout the season but struggled to cement a spot in the starting 22. One man who did come of age in the second half of the season was Rhylee West! He managed to play nine of the last ten games of the season as a pressure forward and bobbed up with four multiple goal games throughout the season. Rhylee finished the season with 14 games at a solid average of 55. The highlight was a massive 112 in R15 vs Hawthorn, where he managed 19 disposals, 6 marks, 5 tackles and 3.3. Doggies fans far and wide will be hoping for more of the same come 2023 and beyond!

Biggest Flop

As much as it pains me to say this… it’s Jack Macrae. I know what you’re thinking “Fantasy Fanatic has completely lost it, clearly heavily impaired when composing this article!” However, hear me out. 2022 was Macrae’s worst fantasy season since 2016 despite averaging a very cool 103. When it was all said and done, Macca had shed 13 points from his 2021 average, a greater than 10% decrease. Particularly post-bye, it wasn’t the same Jack Macrae that had been previously labelled a “must have” in Fantasy circles for years. Fun fact: Macrae only averaged 93 in the final 9 games of the season – unheard for a guy who has been known to rack up big Fantasy tons in his sleep. I’m not prepared to write him off and given the departure of Dunks, he may even be under-priced heading into season 2023 – you wouldn’t read about it!

2023 Watchlist

With the departure of the prolific Josh Dunkley, midfield minutes are up for grabs in a stacked Doggies outfit. This should only benefit the likes of Jack Macrae, Bazlenka Sm(n)iff and Adam Treloar who will be an interesting watch over the preseason. Dare I say it, both Macrae and Treloar could be under-priced given their exploits as prolific Fantasy footballers… On their midfield mix, perhaps it is time for son of a gun Rhylee West to get his crack – we know what old man was capable of! Either way someone is bound to get Bevo’d – an act of pure sh*thousery just to dick around with Fantasy coaches. Given the new combination of Max/Grundy at Melbourne, many would now argue that big Timmy English is the number one ruck in the game. The obvious flag is the selection (or non-selection) of Jordon Sweet. On the rookie front, the Dogs picked up key back Jedd Busslinger, small forward Charlie Clarke and general defender Harvey Gallagher… Certainly promising futures ahead of them but based on role I most likely won’t be touching any of these guys unless named early in the season!

So there you have it folks, the eighteenth and final of the Fantasy Fanatic’s 2022 Reviews! Stay tuned for more new content, keep your eye out for some EXCLUSIVE premium content.

So what did you make of the review series? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! Feedback, comments and banter welcome.

Cheers legends,

Fantasy Fanatic #70