Noah Answerth is now the preferred back pocket lockdown defender at the Brisbane Lions, after the departure in the off season of Brandon Starcevich. He kept Nick Watson goalless last week, no mean feat this season, and that is the calibre of opponent he faces every week. That role can be highly dependent on events upfield, as pressure on delivery inside 50 is a big determinant of whether he can get in position to prevent crumbing scores. His position in the team is not predicated on rebound statistics, which means he's not much of a fantasy player.
Noah Answerth is now the preferred back pocket lockdown defender at the Brisbane Lions, after the departure in the off season of Brandon Starcevich. He kept Nick Watson goalless last week, no mean feat this season, and that is the calibre of opponent he faces every week. That role can be highly dependent on events upfield, as pressure on delivery inside 50 is a big determinant of whether he can get in position to prevent crumbing scores. His position in the team is not predicated on rebound statistics, which means he's not much of a fantasy player.
Questions over Answerth
Plying his trade as a hard-running rebound defender, Noah Answerth exceeded all expectations in his debut campaign. Regularly manning the opponent's best small forward, expect Answerth to add attacking elements to his game as confidence grows to better his personal best of 18 disposals. The Lions will expect more offensive output in the wake of Luke Hodge's retirement. Exactly how capable Answerth is in this facet of the game remains to be seen. A watchlist candidate as we head into preseason.
A man's value in Answerth
Brisbane is not a club that has succeeded recently in turning raw kids into 200-game roleplayers, but in Noah Answerth they may have more than usual to work with. He spent much of his last TAC Cup season as a lockdown defender, but also played central midfield to good effect as a top-ager, going at rates of about 20 disposals and 75 fantasy points per game. Answerth's profile reminds one a lot of Nick Robertson: not anyone's idea of a physically gifted prototype athlete, but a hard worker and natural footballer who will (hopefully) get the best out of himself. The Lions need that sort of contributor to complement their recent high draft picks, and it would not surprise to see him play a lot of senior footy in 2019. Nevertheless, he's not worth drafting at this early stage.
