Geelong wanted more tackling pressure and they got it though Luke Dahlhaus, with the ex-Dog averaging five tackles to lead the club in that stat. Dahlhaus came out like a house on fire with a fantasy ton average to round 3, then struck some inconsistency to end with his lowest average since 2013, although not dissimilar to his final year at Whitten Oval. Chris Scott adores Dahlhaus' forward pressure, so as long as that remains evident he won't lose his spot in the 22. We shouldn't expect too many surprises from him come 2020 as his role in the team is fairly stable, and that's exactly why he should be picked in the later of the middle rounds.
Dust in the doll house
Geelong wanted more tackling pressure and they got it though Luke Dahlhaus, with the ex-Dog averaging five tackles to lead the club in that stat. Dahlhaus came out like a house on fire with a fantasy ton average to round 3, then struck some inconsistency to end with his lowest average since 2013, although not dissimilar to his final year at Whitten Oval. Chris Scott adores Dahlhaus' forward pressure, so as long as that remains evident he won't lose his spot in the 22. We shouldn't expect too many surprises from him come 2020 as his role in the team is fairly stable, and that's exactly why he should be picked in the later of the middle rounds.
Luke Dahlhaus may not be much of a fantasy player across the 22 games of a regular season as his output can be highly variable depending on how many goals he kicks, but in the back end of September his value comes to the forefront as he could very well be the difference between winning and losing. When the whips are cracking in a closely contested final, as this one might still be despite pre-game hype over Richmond's advantages, he could still be the matchwinner if the Cats bring the same intensity and dare as they did last week against the Eagles.
Luke Dahlhaus is a half-forward flank in the classic mould, but in a Geelong side with a lot of midfielders who rotate forward he can go missing at times. With Sam Menegola missing today and probably for a while afterwards, he will be relied upon more than usual to deliver the ball inside 50 and jag a snag or two himself. Stringing four quarters together has always been the problem for fantasy purposes, so this is a good time for him to start doing it.
Luke Dahlhaus has been recruited as a forward, even though his time at the Western Bulldogs was filled more and more as an inside mid by the end of his tenure. Technically he does start deep at centre bounces, but in the modern game he has as much licence as most others to chase the footy, which makes for some decent scores especially when the Cats midfield is purring, which is most weekends at the moment. There is always the looming prospect of a very slow day when Geelong has a bad one.
Dahlhaus moves house
An ankle injury in round 18 prematurely ended Luke Dahlhaus’ last of eight seasons with the Bulldogs, his fantasy scores dropping to a five-year low with fewer touches and the lowest goal tally of his career. If we consider 2018 an outlier, the premiership-winning Dog’s consistency and scoring ability was up there with the best of the league’s forwards. Geelong play a fantasy-friendly style of football and we can guarantee that Dahlhaus will be involved in plenty of link-up play between midfield and forward. Given the Cats’ star-studded engine room, it’s reasonable to assume that he will roam forward often in 2019. Watch Dahlhaus closely in preseason, as he deserves a pick in middle rounds.
Luke Dahlhaus has suddenly become much more relevant for fantasy coaches after a couple of very startable scores playing off a half back flank, after spending much of his earlier time at the Bulldogs off a HFF and not doing much. The Dogs have been throwing the magnets around a fair bit lately trying to find a combination that works, but this is one move they are likely to keep in place for a while if they value his ability to find the football and provide drive from defence. He looms as an interesting POD option post-byes in salary cap competitions.
Rational drop for Dahlhaus
Inexorably, Luke Dahlhaus' ratio has worsened from 10:7 in his breakout season of 2012 to 11:15 in 2016 and 9:16 last year, even as his contested rate dropped below 40%. He has maintained a plateau of about 25 disposals per game over the last three years, yet his fantasy scores have dropped due solely to that handball-happy mix. His hurt factor also fell away, with more rebound 50s but less inside 50s and metres gained. The team had a poor one last year, granted, but this trend has been going on for years with Dahlhaus and shows no sign of letting up. He didn't cop a single tag last year, which is an indication that oppo analysts don't fear him any more. He might get treated like Chad Wingard and asked to play forward pocket for a year or two, which would further destroy his scoring. He's one dilemma Luke Beveridge has to solve in 2018; leave him to others.
