Matthew Kreuzer

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Crash course for Kreuzer

Entering his 13th season in blue, Matthew Kreuzer has missed six or more games in half of them, including last year. Minor knee surgery delayed his start (did you expect otherwise?) before finding a rather consistent rhythm after the byes. With the crux of his scoring in the 70s and 80, while miles away from his 2017 All-Australian form, Kreuzer's output fluctuated wildly around the ruck baseline.
Kreuzer holds his own as Carlton's number one ruck until youngster Tom De Koning is ripe for picking, with Marc Pittonet a more solid if unspectacular option as a mature-aged recruit. If you pick Kreuzer you probably should get at least one of those two as a handcuff, because he's highly likely to go missing for long stretches. A simpler solution would be to avoid him altogether, if you can.

Crash course for Kreuzer

Entering his 13th season in blue, Matthew Kreuzer has missed six or more games in half of them, including last year. Minor knee surgery delayed his start (did you expect otherwise?) before finding a rather consistent rhythm after the byes. With the crux of his scoring in the 70s and 80, while miles away from his 2017 All-Australian form, Kreuzer's output fluctuated wildly around the ruck baseline.
Kreuzer holds his own as Carlton's number one ruck until youngster Tom De Koning is ripe for picking, with Marc Pittonet a more solid if unspectacular option as a mature-aged recruit. If you pick Kreuzer you probably should get at least one of those two as a handcuff, because he's highly likely to go missing for long stretches. A simpler solution would be to avoid him altogether, if you can.

Kreuzer out of control

Coming off a banner year in 2017, Matthew Kreuzer continued the wildly variable trend of his career with a trough last season. Groin and ankle injuries, concussion and finally an elevated heartbeat all interrupted his campaign, producing scores that were startable only half the time, and ending after round 17. He had an off-season procedure to correct the last of those problems, then a knee clean-out in January that delayed his preseason.
It wasn't the first time that Kreuzer had burned fantasy coaches across eleven years, but it was the worst time. Anyone who used an early pick on him hoping for another fantasy ton average might as well have chosen Zac Dawson. He turns 30 early in the new season, and there are two first rucks plus two ruck/forwards on the Blues list. Their prudence should tell you something. He's a lottery ticket, and that late knee problem should scare off most.

Kreuzer's cup runneth over

The stars finally aligned for Matthew Kreuzer to maximise his potential in his tenth season. A full preseason with no injuries was the start. The removal of third men up in ruck certainly helped. Most notably, Andrew Phillips was banished to the VFL and he got only occasional support from Levi Casboult. He delivered personal bests in disposals, hit outs and tackles, and his clearance rate was second only to Stefan Martin among rucks.
You could have picked Kreuzer up quite late in most drafts last season, but he delivered the value of a first round pick. He has significant miles on the clock for a ruckman at the age of 28, which also means he's at the height of his powers and the cliff is a fair way off yet. Charlie Curnow's development means he won't be shifted to forward/ruck as was his fate earlier in his career. Even with the higher ruck baseline this year, his value is solid.