Tom Rockliff was flying as high as he ever had to start 2019, revelling in his new role of a half forward flank after switching with Travis Boak to put the captain in the guts. Then two in-game concussions in quick succession ruined his season, followed by a PCL injury. He started 2020 brightly again but then trailed off and has missed through suspension and injury. In his absence the Power have cemented top spot on the ladder, and adding him to their 22 would be cream on the cake at this point. As a fantasy asset his stocks are very low, which means he represents value.
Tom Rockliff was flying as high as he ever had to start 2019, revelling in his new role of a half forward flank after switching with Travis Boak to put the captain in the guts. Then two in-game concussions in quick succession ruined his season, followed by a PCL injury. He started 2020 brightly again but then trailed off and has missed through suspension and injury. In his absence the Power have cemented top spot on the ladder, and adding him to their 22 would be cream on the cake at this point. As a fantasy asset his stocks are very low, which means he represents value.
Another Rocky roller coaster
If you reached for Tom Rockliff in your fantasy draft last year you would have been delighted with his start,including 44 touches in round 1, another 41 in the first Showdown and... then the other shoe dropped, as he pulled a hamstring in round 10. His triumphant return in the second Showdown presaged a poor August during fantasy finals, then he went in for his third shoulder surgery in two years which delayed his twelfth preseason considerably. When you bring Rocky into your fantasy side, you buy a ticket to magic carpet ride that has as many hard bumps and vertiginous flips as soaring highlights. You know that at some point he will peel off a sensational run of scores, and if you come up against him in your league he could take the game away from you in a jiffy. To own him is to tie your team’s fortunes to him. Some coaches love the thrill. Draft him early if you dare.
Tom Rockliff has had an up and down time of it since his transfer from Brisbane to Port Adelaide, suffering more than his fair share of injuries and also not keeping up a decent floor on his fantasy scoring from what used to be very high expectations of him. Next year might be the first in a long while that fantasy coaches put a line through him, as while he is still capable of the big game as in days of yore, his poor games are just not good enough for premium status. Maybe today, in the deadest of dead rubbers, will remind us how good he still can be.
Tom Rockliff is part of a Port Adelaide midfield that has been recast somewhat this year with Travis Boak entering and Brad Ebert leaving to play forward, plus adding a few new faces in the short term to cover Ollie Wines. His own role has shifted away from half forward duties and more towards permanent midfield, but he is not the sort of player who spreads for cheap possessions on the outside so it is tempting to conclude that he is a Supercoach special for fantasy purposes. We will discover more about his ceiling over the course of 2019.
Rock and roll the dice
It was a disaster debut season for Tom Rockliff at Port Adelaide, but only by his lofty standards: a curtailed preseason following shoulder surgery, terrible numbers in the first month starting off a HFF, a calf putting him out for a month, a post-bye return to midfield, then a shoulder injury in round 13 that he carried for the rest of the year which led to a second reconstruction. His fantasy average ended up over 50 points lower than his career best. Some coaches burned a first round pick on Rockliff, such was the goodwill from some glorious years at Brisbane. Still only 29, his injury history is longer than that of much older men still in the league. Apart from fitness, the only worry would be if the Port hierarchy shift him to the Chad Wingard role where he interchanges forward with Robbie Gray. He is the sort of player who will make or break your team. Do you dare reach for him in early rounds? Go on, you know you want to.
Tom Rockliff is sitting as the eighth midfielder in a lot of salary cap squads at the moment, as you could have picked him up cheaply in the middle part of the season to take advantage of his early bye. But is it worth burning a precious trade to upgrade him now that it appears he might not quite get near the top eight midfield scorers? His owners will be hoping for less stopping roles and more kick chasing in the old Lions style. This is the sort of coin flip on which fantasy seasons hang, and there's just no telling which way is right.
Rocky II: redemption
Playing a leadership role for a Brisbane side in transition last season, Tom Rockliff's game became slightly more contested, gaining in clearances and inside 50s even though he lost a kick and five handballs per game from his previous form. His average ended up back in the midfield also-rans by his lofty standards, though he has showed in previous years that he can accumulate like no one else in the game if he is left in the guts to work under the packs and can avoid collision injuries. Rockliff joins Port at a time when they need more grunt at the coalface, which is his natural game anyway so he will no doubt roll the sleeves up and get stuck in without much thought of him mouldering up forward. He should be at the height of his powers at his age, and the shift in environment could be the best thing that happened to him. He has as much upside as anyone this season, so he may get taken in the first round of your draft. Just don't start him in Showdowns, as he is likely to tag Bryce Gibbs.
Rockliff climbs rookie wall
Tom Rockliff had an eye catching NAB Cup this year, so a lot of fantasy coaches were surprised to see he wasn’t picked round 1 or 2 by coach Voss. However, he's turned his fortunes around having played nine of the last 10 games with Dream Team and Supercoach averages of 79.3 and 77.
Not bad for a highly rated teenager that slipped through to the pre-season draft in 2009, and seemingly couldn’t have the impact of Bushranger teammates Steele Sidebottom and Jack Ziebell.
Rockliff is an interesting player. He’s hard at the contest, is good under pressure, and runs around for a few cheap kicks in the backline, so his scoring always has a high ceiling without question. Had a great game against North Melbourne (116/140), and is building more confidence on field as he finds his feet at Brisbane.
With a number of injuries occurring, don’t even think about moving him out just yet. Let him ripen, and earn his Rising Star nomination, then cull him for a nifty profit. He could just yet be the pick of the three Bushy teammates by the end of his career.
