Daniel McStay has returned to the Collingwood senior side after a long injury layoff at a time when his club were in desperate need of fit blokes of six feet or over. His best role is as a third tall forward, the Leigh Brown of his day who makes his teammates better by halving contests and competing at ground level to release the footy to better users. He is not best suited to being the focal point of an attack, let alone a giraffe among a fleet of mosquitoes. The wheels have just about fallen off the Magpies this year, and the best McStay can do is keep the plates spinning.
Daniel McStay has returned to the Collingwood senior side after a long injury layoff at a time when his club were in desperate need of fit blokes of six feet or over. His best role is as a third tall forward, the Leigh Brown of his day who makes his teammates better by halving contests and competing at ground level to release the footy to better users. He is not best suited to being the focal point of an attack, let alone a giraffe among a fleet of mosquitoes. The wheels have just about fallen off the Magpies this year, and the best McStay can do is keep the plates spinning.
Daniel McStay has been the subject of some recent contract talk, coming into his free agency and out of contract at the Lions after long years of service. Is he worth big coin for a club looking to secure a flag at the top of their premiership clock? Or do his unimpressive personal stats belie a replacement-level footballer who doesn't merit such interest. True footy watchers would know how Brisbane plays with and without him, how he straightens up a team and endlessly breaks packs with marking contests to keep attacks going. Not a fantasy player, but a good one.
Daniel McStay has never been a star in his own right at AFL level, instead playing a role at centre half forward to not let the team down in that vital position. His main aim tonight will be to prevent the Geelong tall defenders from dominating in the air, as they so often can when the pressure is on in midfield regardless of the opposition. Tom Stewart in particular is a major threat on the intercept, and McStay will have his hands full trying to keep Brisbane attacks going past half forward.
No to McStay, full stop
Coach Chris Fagan provided Daniel McStay with positional consistency in 2019, and the key forward responded by kicking multiple goals on seven occasions, including three in the one-point victory against Alex Keath and the Crows in round 9. McStay is heavily relied upon to force the ball to ground in marking contests, a role vital to the Lions and worthless to fantasy scoring. Never a useful option, expect nothing to change from a fantasy perspective in 2020.
Daniel McStay is the sort of bit player who has lifted his output this year to help the team rise precipitously into the top two. He had a quiet one last week, though he wasn't alone. Perhaps the strategy of isolating Charlie Cameron alone inside 50 won't work in September against stronger opposition, which means McStay has more of a direct job to do playing CHF in a side which desperately needs one if it is going to play a more traditional forward structure. He doesn't need to dominate, but to play his role and contribute to a decent level.
Dan must McStay at CHF
There was a Josh Schache-sized hole in the Brisbane attack last season, and Daniel McStay shifted from CHB to CHF to fill it. A haul of 9.12 before the byes was deemed insufficiently accurate, and he spent a few weeks in the NEAFL working on his goalkicking. A bag of three goals on his return and 13.6 in total for the remainder of the season justified the holiday, even though it did nothing for his fantasy average. Given the club didn't bring in a genuine CHF to replace him, it appears McStay will have plenty more opportunity to work on his finishing skills. Marcus Adams can play forward but CHF might be beyond him, while Eric Hipwood is still too young and may not be suited to the hardest position on the ground anyway. He is not anywhere near productive enough in this role to be worth drafting.
McStay stays back
Despite nominally being a swingman, a tally of five goals for Daniel McStay across 31 games in the past two seasons is an indication of how the need in defence has been greater at Brisbane. He was asked to play CHB in 2017, only rarely lifting his fantasy scores into startable range when he managed double figures in marks. Coach Chris Fagan comes from the Hawthorn system where flexibility is valued. McStay has that in spades, though none of the roles he can play are relevant for fantasy, particularly not when talls at both ends in a minnow team like the Lions are usually flat chat getting a touch. Not much help from free agent additions either.
