Jack Steele came across from St Kilda at a time when Melbourne needed an older head in midfield to steady a ship suddenly deserted by multiple premiership stars. Long-term injury to Jack Viney exacerbated the situation even further, but Steele has been an invaluable (and cheap) part of the Demons' bright start to the campaign. He has not been playing Viney's defensive mid role, leaving that to Tom Sparrow, but has stepped into Clayton Oliver's pure inside mid slot, leaving Caleb Windsor to make his strong case to replace Christian Petracca in the inside-out role.
Jack Steele came across from St Kilda at a time when Melbourne needed an older head in midfield to steady a ship suddenly deserted by multiple premiership stars. Long-term injury to Jack Viney exacerbated the situation even further, but Steele has been an invaluable (and cheap) part of the Demons' bright start to the campaign. He has not been playing Viney's defensive mid role, leaving that to Tom Sparrow, but has stepped into Clayton Oliver's pure inside mid slot, leaving Caleb Windsor to make his strong case to replace Christian Petracca in the inside-out role.
Jack Steele has been the primary leader at St Kilda even before he assumed the captaincy, and he has given his best years to the club after transferring from GWS earlier in his career. His leadership qualities are evident on the field, but results from his personal play have been a lot harder to find. He seems to have been playing within himself for a number of years now, carrying injury or just not able to have an impact on games as he once did. Not every midfielder has to be able to sprint away from congestion like a bat out of hell, but this Sainter lost his wings a while ago now.
Jack Steele was one of the more popular buys at the start of the season following a stellar 2021 but he hasn't really given enough of a return on the premium price that you paid for him if you invested before round 1. That's not to say he's been terrible, as he posted fantasy tons in every game before last week's downer against the all-conquering Demons. His numbers are down by double digit amounts, nevertheless, and his many owners hope for a lift in output leading into the bye period lest he be one of those on the chopping block as you chase top eight mids.
Jack Steele has been a rolled gold premium this year, no one is disputing that now. As the other personnel in the St Kilda midfield have rotated through due to injury or poor form, he has been the rock around which other players have rotated. He has pumped out premium fantasy scores week after week, which already has fantasy coaches promising to have him in their teams from round 1 next year as well. He will be defending a lot of points next year, and things can change quickly in footy, but he seems a premium asset for years to come.
Jack Steele went head to head with Stephen Coniglio in round 1 and probably broke even on the day, limiting Cogs' uncontested ball to 12 out of 24 touches. For his own part, Steele couldn't manage a mark all day and received the ball nine times on the outside compared to 10 inside. Perhaps the wet conditions at the Showground played a part in that, but it speaks to Steele's role in the team which is to run both ways rather than spreading to receive, which can tend to limit his personal fantasy output. He may be a Supercoach special at this point.
Steele has iron grip
Former Giant Jack Steele was regularly tasked with tagging duties in 2019, taking on premium inside midfielders with regular effectiveness. He also continued to demonstrate his ball winning capacities, culminating in a third place finish at the best and fairest, and produced tremendous defensive effort as exemplified by his 18 tackles against North Melbourne in round 16. Steele started preseason on running duties after a post season kneecap surgery. Preseason comments from the man himself have suggested he's set for greater attacking roles in 2020, a prospect that whets the appetite for fantasy coaches. A consistent and durable player over the past three seasons with a potential for upside, someone in your league should reach for him in early rounds.
Steele has St Elmo's fire
A tackling machine who lacks polish and athleticism, Jack Steele needs to be used as an inside midfielder to be effective at AFL level. He had a poor start to 2018, dropping below the marks set in his first season at the Saints, but a shift to a tagging role eventually unlocked a new level of statistical output with four fantasy tons in a row in August. On season averages alone Steele is a middle-round selection. Look closer and you will see a big upward inflection on his scores in the new role, one which can often mean the death of fantasy relevance but given his scoring is predicated on tackles, he has found a way to score while stopping an opponent. This makes him an interesting reach candidate with upside.
Strength of Steele
In his first season after crossing from the Giants, Jack Steele stepped into the engine room shoes of the absent David Armitage to have a breakout season. He faded around the bye and was dropped for a couple of weeks, then came home strongly in fantasy finals time. Steele was a signature example of better opportunity at a new club leading to greater output. Going into 2018 he should be joined at the coalface by Armitage, which might limit his upside though he should at least reproduce his 2017 numbers. A solid middle-round pick.
