Jack Lukosius left Gold Coast just as they were on the cusp of their first finals berth, and he has come to Port Adelaide at a time when their premiership window is also starting to open. Port have been fringe finalists in the past few years but the Butters/Rozee/Horne-Francis combo in midfield is still young and will see them contend for the next ten years, all things being equal. Luko has a chance to put his stamp on the Power forward line, which has struggled for identity since Charlie Dixon lost a yard and retired... albeit Mitch Georgiades' stocks have risen this year.
Jack Lukosius left Gold Coast just as they were on the cusp of their first finals berth, and he has come to Port Adelaide at a time when their premiership window is also starting to open. Port have been fringe finalists in the past few years but the Butters/Rozee/Horne-Francis combo in midfield is still young and will see them contend for the next ten years, all things being equal. Luko has a chance to put his stamp on the Power forward line, which has struggled for identity since Charlie Dixon lost a yard and retired... albeit Mitch Georgiades' stocks have risen this year.
Jack Lukosius spent a fair bit of time last week in the loss to the Bulldogs in Ballarat in defence, especially at the end to which the strong wind was blowing. This underlines his structural importance to the Suns, even if his personal contribution with ball in hand can be highly variable. He is a key utility whose best position when he is in form is centre half forward, and today with no Levi Casboult in the side he should be given the responsibility of playing the most difficult position in footy against arguably the best defender in the league in Sam Taylor. Good luck, kid.
Jack Lukosius has been on the radar of many a fantasy coach over his short career, moving from attack to defence and now holding down centre half back for the Suns. CHB can be a lucrative position for fantasy - think Michael Hurley, who specialises in getting active on the rebound - or if you're more in the Daniel Talia back-shoulder mode then you're not all that useful. So far Lukosius has shown himself to be a bit more of a Hurley than a Talia, but he hasn't blossomed into the full product yet. Maybe 2021 will be the year.
Luko is no fluke
Starved of opportunity as a key forward, Jack Lukosius played his best football when swung to defence in the second half of the season. Kicking a major in a mere two of the first 10 rounds, Lukosius demonstrated his talents as a third tall defender including a 21-touch, nine-mark performance against Will Hoskin-Elliott and the Magpies in round 20. Initially drafted to fulfil a half forward role, it appears from preseason training that Stuart Dew is going to persist with this half back role for another year. Limited evidence suggests he may improve his fantasy scoring as a defender. A dependable ball user with time on his side, expectations are high for Lukosius making him a watchlist candidate.
Jack Lukosius has been used all about the ground in his first year at the Suns, which is not out of the ordinary for a young tall just learning the caper. His body is clearly not big enough to handle playing a key forward role just yet, though key defender is less taxing. He has spent most time starting on a wing, without getting much footy. Coaches in daily fantasy coaches will eye him off as a one-day starter who could deliver a big score one of these weeks, but it's difficult to see when that is going to happen in the short term.
Jack Lukosius is a key position player and most likely will settle in attack for the Gold Coast, but he has been moved up to a wing in the short term to get him into the game, as playing third tall for a team with a poor midfield doesn't give you much touch of the leather. In that role he hasn't got all that much more of it either, but he looms as an interesting fantasy option in daily fantasy because he will probably get a handle on it in one game and today might be the one.
Lukosius could be Rooey II
It is high praise indeed to be compared to the great Nick Riewoldt, and not since his time have we seen a key forward with the tank of Jack Lukosius. He starts at CHF then roams far and wide, burning off opponents through superior work rate and racking up uncontested marks in link play like Rooey used to. His upside may be better than Riewoldt if he can better the Saint champion's goalkicking exploits, as he has a prettier goalkicking action. If we take Riewoldt as the template, Lukosius would debut in round 15 and start very slowly as Rooey did in 2001. Gold Coast is a different club with more urgent priorities in 2019, and he should trot out in round 1 to be presented to a long-suffering fan base as their new Great White Hope. Like Riewoldt, however, it is highly likely that he will struggle when flying against bigger bodies in his first year, making him a very questionable start in draft leagues.
