Former GWS Giant Caleb Marchbank was progressing without fault in his second year in blue, highlighted by a personal best 23-touch showing against Collingwood. That was before a peculiar non-displaced fracture was found in his neck after round 16, ending his season. To that point, Marchbank was chalking up 210 metres gained, 13 touches and five marks per game. Marchbank ditched the neck brace and was back running as of November, with the coaching staff optimistic that he'll be right to lace up for the preseason games. Alas, the injury cloud still looms, and he's never averaged over 70, so look elsewhere.
Brace for a march back
Former GWS Giant Caleb Marchbank was progressing without fault in his second year in blue, highlighted by a personal best 23-touch showing against Collingwood. That was before a peculiar non-displaced fracture was found in his neck after round 16, ending his season. To that point, Marchbank was chalking up 210 metres gained, 13 touches and five marks per game. Marchbank ditched the neck brace and was back running as of November, with the coaching staff optimistic that he'll be right to lace up for the preseason games. Alas, the injury cloud still looms, and he's never averaged over 70, so look elsewhere.
Backwards march for Marchbank
A right ankle injury sustained in round 3 last season put Caleb Marchbank out for all but one ill-advised appearance for the next three months. Upon return, any thought of him getting consistently close to the back baseline was disproven with some highly variable outputs. He had off-season surgery to correct chronic nerve pain in his back. Marchbank had been due some natural progression in year four to make him fantasy-relevant, and we should not write him off based on one injury-ruined season. When fit, he should be starting in someone's team as his role is less accountable and more creative than is usual fort a defender of his size. He should be picked up with a late flier.
Run on the Marchbank
GWS has a history of trading players after their initial two-year contract and watching them break out at their new club. Caleb Marchbank did that last year, slotting into a key position role in the Carlton back line and showcasing his intercept marking skills. The round 12 win over GWS where he beat Jeremy Cameron was his peak, then he fell away sharply after that with shoulder and arm injuries dropping his fantasy average by 25 points. Marchbank could become the next Jeremy McGovern, he has the tools to do it and his best fantasy scores come when he racks up marks from wayward opposition inside 50 kicks. The major question here is whether Carlton's midfield and all-ground defensive game plan is going to improve enough to allow him to play that role effectively on a consistent basis, or whether he will get swamped if the Blues' cooking turns sour. Someone in your league might punt on him in earlier than middle rounds.
