After asking for comments on the concept of AFL depth charts in my last post, I decided to go ahead and construct charts for each AFL team. With the help of posters at BigFooty in a thread on the subject, I think the charts are fairly accurate now for most teams.
Adelaide depth chart
Brisbane depth chart
Carlton depth chart
Collingwood depth chart
Essendon depth chart
Fremantle depth chart
Geelong depth chart
Hawthorn depth chart
Kangaroos depth chart
Melbourne depth chart
Port Adelaide depth chart
Richmond depth chart
Sydney depth chart
St Kilda depth chart
Western Bulldogs depth chart
West Coast depth chart
One of the benefits of these charts is that at a glance, you can tell where certain teams are short of a few good players. Carlton is lacking at least one good small forward, for instance, as they have little after Eddie Betts. Adelaide doesn’t have much in the small forwards past Jason Porplyzia and Bernie Vince - indicating some of the reason why those two players had such good years. Adelaide also just opened up a hole in their backline with the retirement of Nathan Bassett and the delisting of Kris Massie, which if assistant coach John Reid was to believed on 5AA this week, will be filled by youth in the form of Greg Gallman, Aaron Kite and maybe Myke Cook. These are the sort of positional battles that the depth chart is made for.
At this point of the season, teams are clearing out dead wood from their lists in preparation for the drafts. This means that it’s instructional to look at all teams to see which “holes” in their depth charts need to be filled with draftees, rookies and recycled players with a view to picking them up for your fantasy teams next year. Here’s a short list of these:
- Collingwood outside mids, though Leon Davis and Alan Didak are pushing up a lot more these days to offset that
- Freo small forwards AND outside mids, and possibly inside mids… with all of their retirements and delistings, the Dockers are going to be one of the main players in the draft and will probably provide a fair few fantasy bench positions next season
- Kangaroo outside mids… Ben Ross impressed late this year and could be leaned on a lot in 09… unfortunately his price takes away a lot of his glamour
- Demons rucks… the Mark Jamar/Paul Johnson TOG split is not yet set
- Richmond forwards… Matthew Richardson might have given the Chas a shake with his excellent year but he broke down late on with stress-related problems so he might have to be anchored inside the 50 again this year to bolster what still looks to me like an undersized and underpowered attack
- Saints small forwards… Matthew Ferguson is the next big thing but can he get on the park?
- Bulldogs outside mids… Nathan Eagleton showed definite signs of slowing down late in the year and with no Farren Ray there’s a hole to be filled by some kids coming through
- West Coast small forwards… David Wirrpanda was a stopgap this year, Mark LeCras is often injured and they need a Cyril Rioli type.
Can you see any other weaknesses that teams need to shore up? Let us know in the comments.
Gallman= KD
Vince= OM
Douglas= SF
Dangerfield= OUTSIDE MID!!! you’re in Geelong aren’t you? should know that.
Ed Curnow= Gone
White, De Luca= Gone
Shurgoyne= OM
D.Motlop= KF
M.Motlop= SD
Lonie= Gone
Rodan= OM
Scott D Thompson= KD no question
Paul Wheatley 4th best SD? u hate him eh!
Cotchin= Outside mid
Jack= IM
Matt Maguire top KD for St.K?
Kreuzer= RU
Cooney= OM
Ryan Griffen is as much an outside mid as you can get!
Beau Wilkes a bit higher thanks.
Pendles= OM
Brennan= OM
Merrett > Roe
Big effort though
m0ntyman! ignore anything that ‘NTRabbit’ is saying about the Crows on bigfooty, he seems like an idiot. Douglas is a tagger, he has no clue.
I agree with most of what Rupe said.
Especially with Danger, Douglas, Vince, Motlops, Burgoyne, SDT, Cotchy and Griffen. I swear to god I have never seen Griffen anywhere near a pack,lol.
Do champdata have Griffen and Dangerfield listed as inside mids?
They’re freakin lunatics!
I’d have to disagree on some of those Power ones, Rupe. Marlon played as a small forward vs the Roos, didn’t he? And Rodan is well-known for dodging his way out of congested pack situations, it’s his signature move.
Scott DT played on small forwards, e.g. when he got toweled up by Porplyzia in that four-goal 3rd quarter. On Wheatley and Jack, I was guided by Demon supporters.
I would strongly disagree on Cooney as outside, he was in the top 10 for clearances. Griffen I’ll agree on, as well as Cotchin.
Kreuzer will be the Blues’ main CHF to start 2009. Pendles and Brennan are both inside, their roles have changed with personnel changes. I don’t rate Merrett and neither should the Lions.
…and Dangerfield?
I had Scott DT on my DT this year (painful) and while he can play on both talls and smalls, I think they’re grooming him as the next CHB. Played on Mooney one night I remember and mostly on talls other games.
I changed Dangerfield already.
ok nice, sorry i didn’t see.
the crows one is perfect now apart from Bernie being an outside mid
Nive work Monty but Rupe is right, Beau Wilkes should be 3rd or 4th on that list not last. and Mitch Brown, though i acknowledge he’ll play back next year, has never played an AFL game down back cus he played forward in 07 so how can he be no.3? Loving the placing of Hansen, mabye put him after Notte though =P.
Okay, I shifted Wilkes. The Eagles hierarchy seem to rate Brown very highly in the press, so that’s why he’s #3.
Why do clearances mean he’s inside??? Cross does the inside work and then gets it out to Coondawgfor the clearance.
Similar story with Rodan and Shurgoyne.
Marlon has been playing HBF in the SANFL and against the Dees and his brother plays virtually as a FF for Port.
“On Wheatley and Jack, I was guided by Demon supporters.”
Do Demons supporters even watch footy anymore?
Nah it’s probably fair, his possesions aren’t usually the most effective.
Vince= OM
Cooney is outside defs.
I would tip Marlon to play in defence next year and eventually take Purgoyne’s spot.
Scott D Thompson - Key Defender.
Ian, been said on many occasions publically by choco that marlon will take over from peter b.