Hugh McCluggage comes up against his doppelganger tonight in Sam Walsh, both accumulating midfielders and garbologists who sweep between contests mopping up loose footy. Is this the sort of player who can turn a game by himself, or is he a weathervane who is reliant on others to get things started? They are both receivers from Neale and Cripps respectively, but it's what they do with it that is the difference in quality of the scoring chances they set up. Their performance is also reliant on others to block for them, to unlock their best game.
Hugh McCluggage comes up against his doppelganger tonight in Sam Walsh, both accumulating midfielders and garbologists who sweep between contests mopping up loose footy. Is this the sort of player who can turn a game by himself, or is he a weathervane who is reliant on others to get things started? They are both receivers from Neale and Cripps respectively, but it's what they do with it that is the difference in quality of the scoring chances they set up. Their performance is also reliant on others to block for them, to unlock their best game.
Hugh McCluggage has always been thereabouts as a fantasy player, a solid starter in draft leagues but never taking the final step to become an accumulating fantasy premium in salary cap competitions. His numbers are historically similar to Sam Walsh, playing garbologist with a roving commission to link up untidy plays by teammates and keep the ball moving. To join the upper echelons, he would have to change his role to be more inside, something which does not look like happening at this stage of his career. He's the finished article, lacking that last bit of upside.
Hugh McCluggage was a point of difference pick in round 1 for fantasy this year, coming into year six never quite having joined the top echelons of midfielders. He has certainly shown that he can compile some gargantuan numbers on his day, only going past 30 disposals once for the season so far but supplementing his scoring with some very healthy mark and tackle numbers, plus a few bags of goals. His scoring floor is more of a worry, albeit he has delivered every week since the byes. He's worth a look next season as he may have reached his ceiling, still a bit underpriced.
Hugh McCluggage is the designated garbologist of the Brisbane side, mopping up spillages and loose balls from broken play with his customary skill and grace. That role can lead to big scores for fantasy purposes but also be less than productive when games are more accountable with one-on-one contests. Like Jack Macrae and Sam Walsh, his ceiling is a top 8 midfielder, but he hasn't quite hit those heights yet as his scoring floor is still too low for most tastes. This might be the year he lifts that floor; early signs are not overwhelmingly positive, though.
Hugh McCluggage had a bit of a shoot-out with fellow young gun Sam Walsh in the midfield at the Docklands last week, neither player being accountable nor anyone going to them, and it was the Lions who eventually prevailed with McCluggage's touches proving more damaging. Perhaps that's because Brisbane had better targets to aim at, but Walsh also has some good pieces in front of him. Having both of them in your fantasy squad last week was the right play, and their owners will trust that they will be allowed to freewheel week after week like that.
Hugh McCluggage has been steadily lifting his ratings over three seasons at Brisbane, and into year four he should be reaching almost all the way into the top echelons of engine room influence, if not fantasy scoring. He is a complete midfielder, not blessed with scintillating speed off the mark but possessing just about every other skill that an inside/outside mid needs. He should be on track to average a fantasy ton this season, putting him in the conversation for underpriced premium in salary cap midfields.
Load up on McCluggage
Steady improvement was the story of Hugh McCluggage's 2019 season, dropping below the 20-disposal threshold in only three matches and doubling his goal output to one, including two on six occasions. The third selection in the 2016 national draft, McCluggage demonstrated tremendous consistency. Entering his fourth season, a year often eulogised as a breakout period for talented youth, the sky is the limit for McCluggage. Taking him in the early-mid round selections seems viable, with the potential upside on show for all to see meaning someone in your league is probably going to reach for him on the hope that he'll lift himself into fantasy ton range.
Hugh McCluggage has not captured the limelight much as the Lions have dragged themselves out of perennial bottom four territory all the way to a round 22 top-of-the-table clash today, but he's a vital cog in their midfield. A hamstring problem a month ago caused him to miss a game after some stellar form, and since then his numbers have faded somewhat. He's going to be an interesting prospect next year as a candidate to jump into premium midfielder territory in year four, but it's 2019 that his owners care most about now and he's been struggling.
Hugh McCluggage doesn't get much notice from the mainstream footy media despite his high draft position tucked away in a middling side far interstate from the bigger population centres, but he is quietly putting together a case to be considered a breakout campaigner. Brisbane started his career on the HFF, partially to protect his young body, and only gradually started feeding him centre bounce attendances last year. In 2019 he looks and plays much more like a midfielder, with the inside/outside tools to join the elite. Will it be this year?
No weight limit for McCluggage
There was more of everything for Hugh McCluggage in 2018: more disposals, tackles, marks, inside 50s, rebound 50s, clearances, metres gained and, perhaps most importantly, seven points on his contested rate to take him to 35%. The only part still missing from his game is centre clearances, as he has still been coming off a HFF to join the midfield scrum with not much in the way of centre bounce attendances. Brisbane have quite rightly been treating the kid with kid gloves, as McCluggage looks a 250-game player and he deserves an apprenticeship. Perhaps his most impressive stat was a disposal efficiency breaking through 70%, underlining the quality that comes from a top draft pick. This is the year to start drafting him, as he will gain further responsibility and start stringing together startable scores. A late pick will get him.
Light load for McCluggage
As expected given his reputation, Hugh McCluggage played as many senior minutes as he could in his first year at Brisbane. The role they had him play was off a HFF instead of his natural game in the middle, which shielded him from knocks with only four of his 15 disposals being contested. It also meant he got half the weight of ball of his junior days. Those numbers can be put in the bin for fantasy prediction purposes. McCluggage is an inside/outside star in the making, and when the club shifts him to the guts he will look like a different player. When will that happen? Maybe not in 2018, at least to start with. Brisbane should be in no hurry, and you can wait on him too.
