Toby McLean will be hoping to recreate his stellar end to 2019 where he averaged more than two goals per game.
Toby McLean will be hoping to recreate his stellar end to 2019 where he averaged more than two goals per game.
McLean not showing up
It's been a swift fall from grace for Toby McLean, whose scoring plummet has been a direct result of positional change. In the last year and a half, out went McLean from the midfield brigade and in went Josh Dunkley, with their inverted scoring patterns speaking for themselves. McLean has the potential to bounce back to great heights, but midfield vacancies appear few and far between. Expect McLean's output to improve in 2020 with a budding Dogs lineup pushing for finals yet again, with his forward eligibility meaning you should take him in the second half of the draft.
Toby McLean has spent more time in the VFL than at AFL level this season, but that stint at reserves level seems to have done him good as he has strung together two bags of three goals on his return to the senior side. As a fantasy player he doesn't get involved enough in link work up the ground to put enough of a solid base under his scoring, meaning that his startable scores only come when he boots multiple goals, and he's not at the level yet where that is going to happen every week. He's an occasional daily fantasy play at best at this stage.
Toby in midfield or not to be
A creative and oft-devastating forward craftsman, Toby McLean delivered career highs in disposals, marks and tackles in 2018, amassing the 22nd most tackles across the competition with 5.6 score involvements per game. The Bulldog slowed with a diminished role in the midfield following the bye with lower disposal and tackle figures leading to a drop in fantasy scores of 22 points, though that may have been a result of a shoulder knock in round 13. The development of Josh Dunkley along with the return of Tom Liberatore makes for a crowded engine room. Dunkley’s run of form coincided with McLean’s worst run for the season, and the numerous midfield options at coach Luke Beveridge’s disposal might push him back to a high forward role, especially as Footscray seek greater scoring power. Be willing to pay a premium after his career-best season, as he won’t be available after the eighth round.
Brilliant grin by McLean
Dropped twice before the bye last season, Toby McLean lifted his fantasy scores by 12 in the second half including five of his six tons, bettering his previous best of 25 disposals eight different times. All of the five disposals he added over his 2016 numbers were handballs, and he more than doubled his inside 50 count to rank in the 60s. Importantly for the team, given their struggles to find a defensive forward to play alongside him, he also added two tackles per game. It would be unfair to say that McLean suffered from second-year syndrome as he has a premiership medal still dangling from his neck (not his girlfriend's!), but the flipside of that curse is that year three is often when a skinny player fills out and finds out how high his ceiling can be. He now has a tank to run through midfield, he just needs to swing his boot at the footy a bit more to complete his game, making him a middle-round pick drifting upwards with some potential.
