A late start to his 2016 preseason after surgery on both knees led to Andrew Swallow posting his worst numbers since his breakout in 2009, almost dropping under 20 touches per game. Of the top 50 contested players in the league, he had the worst metres gained (182), with most of the blame attributable to a sharp shift towards handballing with three out of every five touches now by hand. He did not kick a goal last season either. The knee issues are going to follow Swallow throughout the rest of his career, so the question for fantasy coaches is whether he can claw back the 20 points of production he has lost since his 2012 peak. Perhaps stepping down from the captaincy in the off season will reinvigorate his game with the pressure eased. A slight uptick back to the 90s of the previous couple of seasons seems more likely, implying a middle round pick.
Suck it and see on Swallow
A late start to his 2016 preseason after surgery on both knees led to Andrew Swallow posting his worst numbers since his breakout in 2009, almost dropping under 20 touches per game. Of the top 50 contested players in the league, he had the worst metres gained (182), with most of the blame attributable to a sharp shift towards handballing with three out of every five touches now by hand. He did not kick a goal last season either. The knee issues are going to follow Swallow throughout the rest of his career, so the question for fantasy coaches is whether he can claw back the 20 points of production he has lost since his 2012 peak. Perhaps stepping down from the captaincy in the off season will reinvigorate his game with the pressure eased. A slight uptick back to the 90s of the previous couple of seasons seems more likely, implying a middle round pick.
Swallow carries Roo hopes
Andrew Swallow has a lot of weight on his shoulders, in the first year after his massive breakout year in 2009. As a 23-year-old he is leading the young Kangaroos midfield into this year, with Brent Harvey playing more up forward.
Swallow has been fairly consistent in both Dream Team and Supercoach. Take out his unusually low round 1 score and his next lowest scores were just a 77 (DT) and a 75 (SC). Very respectable, I reckon. I wouldn't say he garners a lot of attention, but certainly would be a great pick up in either form of fantasy game.
Averaging 95 in DT and 103 in SC is great for the youngster, especially in SC with eight tons so far this year with that massive high of 160 points. Swallow rarely gets those 30 disposal games, but makes up for it with his tackling skills.
He is a tough player who always keeps his head over the ball. If you want a reliable midfield upgrade, don’t be afraid to look Swallow's way.
