Grant Birchall has been a great player for a long time, though the first part of his career at Brisbane was hallmarked by injury. He has now got continuity back into his footy, and is the plan B for rebounding for the Lions when teammates can't get the footy in the hands of Daniel Rich. In this role he is more capable these days of the odd kick clanger than when he was at Hawthorn, in an age of footy where there is more pressure on the ballcarrier. As a fantasy asset he is of rare daily fantasy use only, if you can pick the rare day when he gets lots of possession.
Grant Birchall has been a great player for a long time, though the first part of his career at Brisbane was hallmarked by injury. He has now got continuity back into his footy, and is the plan B for rebounding for the Lions when teammates can't get the footy in the hands of Daniel Rich. In this role he is more capable these days of the odd kick clanger than when he was at Hawthorn, in an age of footy where there is more pressure on the ballcarrier. As a fantasy asset he is of rare daily fantasy use only, if you can pick the rare day when he gets lots of possession.
Birch fit for the chop
Crafty three-time premiership player Grant Birchall continues to miss matches with persistent knee and hamstring issues, playing one out of every eight possible matches over the past three seasons. The rebounding defender was involved in non-contact and running drills in the pre-Christmas training phase at his new club. A smooth mover and effective decision maker at his best, the years on the sidelines are likely to have limited the former Hawk's performance level. Keep tabs on his preseason, as his selection hinges on fitness. Select in the speculative latter rounds if he escapes through preseason unscathed.
Birchall on outside looking in
Four-time premiership player, Grant Birchall, has managed a mere five home and away matches over the past two seasons due to a series of adductor and right knee injuries, and is on yet another comeback trail after requiring cartilage removal surgery in late December. At his best, Birchall is both a reliable ball winner and effective user, recording the second highest disposal retention rate across the competition in his last full season. The former first round draft pick comes with a large chunk of risk heading into the 2019 campaign. There is no question mark over his position in the starting team, especially after the departure of Ryan Burton this off season. He needs to make it through the rest of preseason and then the JLT series for the drafter to have any modicum of confidence. Now the wrong side of 30, it remains to be seen whether the number 14 will ever return to the top level. This makes him nearly undraftable.
Birch in the lurch
A jaw dislocation followed by a knee injury limited Grant Birchall to just six senior matches in 2017. Lacking continuity, the veteran Hawk delivered his lowest possession average over the course of his career. He had a poor preseason leading into 2018 with a knee arthroscope in December meaning more than a month off. When fit, his contested rate is the lowest in the league at 16.8%. The Hawks defence has taken on a different complexion since Birchall last pulled on the brown and gold, with younger talls up the spine. Having maintained consistent scoring levels from the previous five years before his shocker, if you think he can achieve full fitness at some stage in 2018 expect him to gain as a value selection in the second half of the draft.
