Former Kangaroo Ryan Clarke disappointed in his first season in red and white, producing three fewer disposals and eight fewer points per game than his last at Arden Street. After averaging 25 touches in the preseason, many jumped on the midfielder who then let them down. Three scores of 90+ were overshadowed by four scores below 50. As a tagger in some games, Clarke was not particularly fearsome as an opponent at times and he will need to improve on past performance with Dylan Stephens and Lewis Taylor adding outside midfield prowess and fighting for his spot. At this stage, we're yet to see enough to warrant a selection. Pass.
Burner tag on Clarke
Former Kangaroo Ryan Clarke disappointed in his first season in red and white, producing three fewer disposals and eight fewer points per game than his last at Arden Street. After averaging 25 touches in the preseason, many jumped on the midfielder who then let them down. Three scores of 90+ were overshadowed by four scores below 50. As a tagger in some games, Clarke was not particularly fearsome as an opponent at times and he will need to improve on past performance with Dylan Stephens and Lewis Taylor adding outside midfield prowess and fighting for his spot. At this stage, we're yet to see enough to warrant a selection. Pass.
Clarke's new marathon
The ex-Kangaroo has teased fantasy coaches with outlier games that mimic premium status. With a five-game average of 90 to close out 2017, many coaches linked Ryan Clarke to a breakout season on the horizon. This wasn’t the case, with his 2018 average just on 70. While Clarke has no problem finding the ball, his consistency at North Melbourne was severely lacking. He rotates between wing and half back and has a knack of accumulating marks. With a new guernsey and a more fantasy-friendly team to support him, Clarke’s stats are more likely to rise than fall. His role in the team is still unclear, but he aims to line up in the midfield in place of Dan Hannebery. It is his back eligibility that keeps him relevant for fantasy so keep an eye on Clarke heading into round 1 as, while he’ll be fighting for his spot, he could be a diamond in the rough with a late pick.
Clarke nears finish line
It has taken Ryan Clarke a while to wind up, and it was July when he finally started getting enough footy to justify a senior spot in his second year at a rate of 26 touches and seven marks for 90 fantasy points from his final five matches. Three-quarters of his possessions are uncontested as is often the case with wingmen, with the vast majority of his footy between the arcs. Clarke was another reason why North felt they could offload Sam Gibson, as he was born to play a wing. Perhaps there will be some pressure on him at some point to get more damaging with his disposal, as he has high efficiency but a low inside 50 count. He has high upside based on that small sample, and should move up draft boards through middle rounds.
