There is little hyperbole in suggesting wingman Ricky Henderson shocked the football community in 2019. The ex-Crow produced his best season yet, culminating in five score assists and 443 metre gained per outing. Chatter about an All-Australian jumper dissipated as his form dropped away slightly post-bye, but he ended up setting personal bests in all major stats. Suffering seasons of injuries and form struggles throughout his seven seasons in Adelaide, Henderson has played in 91% of fixtures across the past three seasons. Like a fine wine, Henderson's 2019 has demonstrated the difficulty in predicting future fantasy scores. Select him in middle rounds, as he probably has one more good season in him.
Henderson on a bender
There is little hyperbole in suggesting wingman Ricky Henderson shocked the football community in 2019. The ex-Crow produced his best season yet, culminating in five score assists and 443 metre gained per outing. Chatter about an All-Australian jumper dissipated as his form dropped away slightly post-bye, but he ended up setting personal bests in all major stats. Suffering seasons of injuries and form struggles throughout his seven seasons in Adelaide, Henderson has played in 91% of fixtures across the past three seasons. Like a fine wine, Henderson's 2019 has demonstrated the difficulty in predicting future fantasy scores. Select him in middle rounds, as he probably has one more good season in him.
Ricky Henderson appeared in a lot of round 1 fantasy teams this season as a cut-price defender, with coaches hoping that he would have enough job security and get enough of the ball to justify selection as a cash cow. He has fulfilled all of those criteria, perhaps even outperforming expectations by keeping his spot in a Hawthorn side that has a lot more depth at half back than his previous club Gold Coast. As his price nears his rolling average, however, his owners will be watching to gauge the right time to cash him in.
Henderson trends up
Blighted by injuries throughout his career, Ricky Henderson managed his first 20-game season in 2018, highlighted by a repositioning to the wing which produced increased averages across disposals, tackles and score involvements. His season highlight came in the qualifying final against the Tigers, registering 29 touches in an otherwise disappointing Hawthorn performance. As the Hawks continue to replenish their list, it remains to be seen what role is in store for Henderson. Now the wrong side of 30, his ability to utilise his motor may become somewhat hampered as Father Time begins to have his say. Despite the career-high numbers, as a midfield only option his value has waned. Select in the latter stages of the draft, as his scoring history suggests he can provide adequate bench relief.
Ricky Henderson returned after a midseason layoff due to a thumb fracture a few weeks ago and has started posting some noticeable scores, including two Supercoach tons in his last three. He has mostly played on a wing in his Essendon career, with a bit of HFF thrown in, and due to his age he can be forgiven for not impacting as much on the contest as he develops. Now he is showing signs of following the likes of Macrae, Duncan and Gaff to finding the key to unlocking a much more effective inside-outside game, perfect for fantasy.
Ricky is a wickie
After seven seasons at the Crows, Ricky Henderson arrived at Hawthorn to replace the run and carry of the Fremantle-bound Bradley Hill. This quickly translated into career-high disposal numbers, though he was a victim of the Hawks' early poor form when dropped from the senior side for three matches after the Geelong loss in round 4. He was in the bottom 15 for contested percentage in the league, with his heat map centred on the right HBF. In his favour, Henderson has managed to avoid serious injury for the past two seasons, previously having struggled with knee, leg and back injuries. While much attention on Henderson comes for his disposal efficiency, it is still over 80% though much of that can be attributed to the lack of pressure on the outside as he often had most of a wing to aim at. For fantasy purposes, only select Henderson as late bench depth given his midfield-only eligibility.
