Ed Curnow has been one of the success stories of Carlton's 2020 campaign, graduating from a forward role last year to a return to the midfield where he cut his teeth as a junior. His Supercoach numbers have jumped over 20, and his adjusted Dream Team averages are similarly startworthy in draft leagues and would have made you a nice little packet if you had chosen him as a POD in salary cap competitions. He is nothing more than a B-rotation mid at this stage, but the Blues need depth in their midfield and he is now firmly a best 22 player.
Ed Curnow has been one of the success stories of Carlton's 2020 campaign, graduating from a forward role last year to a return to the midfield where he cut his teeth as a junior. His Supercoach numbers have jumped over 20, and his adjusted Dream Team averages are similarly startworthy in draft leagues and would have made you a nice little packet if you had chosen him as a POD in salary cap competitions. He is nothing more than a B-rotation mid at this stage, but the Blues need depth in their midfield and he is now firmly a best 22 player.
Pig in a tongue poke
When Ed Curnow was awarded forward status in 2019 after a spending time across the half forward line, he became a hot commodity. Sure, he dropped over 10 points from the previous campaign, but in doing so thrust himself into the top forward echelon. A clear move into an inside-mid role came after the bye and he smashed it out of the park, averaging 105 during that time. Don't let the fact that Curnow has surpassed the 30 milestone in the off season put you off; the tough nut should hold his scoring up to that standard again. He starts fantasy season 2020 without FWD classification, which means his draft position will drift into middle rounds. Perhaps a slight reach might be in order if you think he'll earn dual position status mid-season, for those leagues that enable it.
Ed Curnow was one of the good news stories out of an otherwise forgettable 2018 campaign for Carlton. He had a breakout when moved from attack to central midfield, lifting all his ratings to become a part of the centre bounce rotations. Coach Brendon Bolton has flagged a possible move to half back to use his speed off the mark, so his role in the JLT will be keenly watched by fantasy coaches.
Solid head on Ed
After a bruised larynx curtailed his previous campaign, Ed Curnow was only given a handful of hard tagging jobs last year and largely played pure midfielder to emulate his numbers from 2016. Highlights included 38 touches against the Suns, plus beating Zach Merrett in the disposal count by 24 to 16 in a round 8 win. Despite going like a first-round pick in the first half of the season, his fantasy average dropped thirty points after the bye following an umpire contact suspension. A solid base of tackles is a fine thing for an inside midfielder to wield, and in Curnow we have an experienced player who is in no danger of moving out of the engine room or getting demoted by young bucks coming through. Like his brother, though, his boat is going to rise and fall somewhat on the fortunes of the team as a whole, as evidenced by his drop off in production when the Blues started getting belted more often. He is worth an early pick.
Ed Curnow has enjoyed a shift from half forward to inside midfield this season in the absence of Bryce Gibbs. His averages in Dream Team and Supercoach have risen by 33 and 35 respectively, putting him into startable range in draft leagues and rewarding his owners in salary cap leagues, though his ownership figues are not above 7% in either AFL Dream Team, AFL Supercoach or AFL Fantasy. A recent injury to Marc Murphy will only solidify his new role in the short term, and he might even be a trade-in target after his early bye.
Cursed chains for Curnow
Before a bruised larynx injury ended his season early in round 13, Ed Curnow's numbers last year were variable enough that his fantasy owners might have been excused for benching him at times. Despite an average in startable range, half his scores dropped below replacement level. The main reason was a renewed focus on tagging, from which Curnow had been freed up in 2016. The Carlton gameplan shifted from freewheeling fun to control clamps, which meant defensive midfield work to nullify the most creative opposition midfielders. Curnow's draft value should fall to middle rounds as a consequence.
