Coming off a dominant September 2018 culminating in a North Smith Medal, Luke Shuey posted a career-best set of figures in both disposals and fantasy points, shifting his ratio from 12:12 to 17:10. His additional duties outside the coalface showed up in his contested rate dropping by seven points, while maintaining a top ten ranking in clearances - all of those ranked above him handballed more often than kicking, and weren't close to his metres gained rate of over 450. West Coast most definitely has a singular system in midfield, and Shuey has changed his game to suit that system. Tim Kelly will feel right at home in his new digs because all those around him are complete inside-outside players like him, even those who were exclusively inside beasts. Perhaps we will start talking about the interchangeable nature of the Eagle mids like we used to about the Crowbots. Shuey is arguably the greatest of them, deserving a look in early rounds.
More seagull in this eagle
Coming off a dominant September 2018 culminating in a North Smith Medal, Luke Shuey posted a career-best set of figures in both disposals and fantasy points, shifting his ratio from 12:12 to 17:10. His additional duties outside the coalface showed up in his contested rate dropping by seven points, while maintaining a top ten ranking in clearances - all of those ranked above him handballed more often than kicking, and weren't close to his metres gained rate of over 450. West Coast most definitely has a singular system in midfield, and Shuey has changed his game to suit that system. Tim Kelly will feel right at home in his new digs because all those around him are complete inside-outside players like him, even those who were exclusively inside beasts. Perhaps we will start talking about the interchangeable nature of the Eagle mids like we used to about the Crowbots. Shuey is arguably the greatest of them, deserving a look in early rounds.
Luke Shuey will lead the West Coast Eagles into battle for another finals series in the chase for back-to-back flags, but he will also be the backbone of a lot of fantasy sides this weekend for daily fantasy purposes. His scoring average in standard leagues has been elite this year due to the team's strategy of precision kicking to position across half back, and he has waxed the ball with Brad Sheppard so much that both of them lifted their ratings so high that they can be considered premium fantasy backs. Maybe the key to Essendon winning is shutting him down.
Luke deserves a shoey
If you take out round 7's early hamstring injury, plus the first two games after he returned and looked underdone, Luke Shuey delivered much the same sort of season in 2018 that he has done since coming into his full powers in 2012, with premiership and Norm Smith medals as the icing on the cake. The free kick count actually went against him last year, putting a lie to his reputation as a ducker. He was tagged a few times, to little effect. Shuey is not the sort of player who is going to post a 150 and win your draft league match single-handed. He's not often going to let you down either, which is an underrated asset for fantasy. His lack of upside means he's going to go in middle rounds, and whoever gets him can largely set and forget that slot in their midfield squad. Sometimes that all you want out of a draft pick!
Sink the slipper, Shuey
The arrival of Sam Mitchell last season did precisely nothing to Luke Shuey's fantasy averages, though he did move outside a little more with his contested rate dropping six points and his ratio shifting from 12:14 to 14:13 with more marks and less tackles - a trend that has continued for a couple of years now. He copped a few tags but didn't suffer at all, showing a pleasing lack of variability in output. Mitchell and Matt Priddis sailing into the west means Shuey is now the premier contested ball winner at the club, the only remaining Eagle in the top 60 in the league for that stat. More pressure will undoubtedly come on his shoulders in 2018, and he can't shrug it off to win free kicks every time. He is good enough despite the ducking reputation to carry the midfield, and should be taken in early rounds.
