Tim English was well beaten at stoppages 24 to 42 last week by former teammate Jordon Sweet, but the Bulldogs ended up edging Port Adelaide for stoppages despite getting belted on the scoreboard and English contributed two goals from his 17 disposals, eight marks and five tackles. This is a common set of numbers for the Bulldogs who tend to wilt against good teams, and it raises the question of whether English merits All-Australian status... or are his talents wasted? Perhaps it's an indictment on his team's attack that they rely on him to drift forward to score. His owners don't care.
Tim English was well beaten at stoppages 24 to 42 last week by former teammate Jordon Sweet, but the Bulldogs ended up edging Port Adelaide for stoppages despite getting belted on the scoreboard and English contributed two goals from his 17 disposals, eight marks and five tackles. This is a common set of numbers for the Bulldogs who tend to wilt against good teams, and it raises the question of whether English merits All-Australian status... or are his talents wasted? Perhaps it's an indictment on his team's attack that they rely on him to drift forward to score. His owners don't care.
Tim English is one of a number of what you might call middle-aged rucks trying to knock off the grand old men of fantasy rucks in the current era. Brodie Grundy and Max Gawn have been the set-and-forget combo for a good five years now, though their starts to 2022 have some fantasy coaches looking elsewhere for value. English fits the modern mould of a ruckman who works hard around the ground to accumulate, albeit his work at stoppages ranges from poor to average. His scoring floor is low, but there is undeniable upside compared to the premium incumbents.
Tim English has always showed promise as a ruckman, but the Bulldogs have had to suffer through some years of low output while his body matured. Five seasons is usually how long it takes for a ruckman to hit his peak in the AFL system, and English is hitting his straps at the end of year five. His last month in particular has featured a high floor, which has been his problem in the first half of the year as he can go missing in some matches. He is not of much use this year for fantasy purposes but 2022 should see the best version of his game.
Wave the pom poms
It was a career-best showing from Tim English in 2019, establishing himself as one of the competition's most exciting young ruckmen. He held his own against Matthew Kreuzer in round 5 as the top-scoring Dog of that match and, despite losing the hit out count, dominated Shane Mumford around the ground in the elimination final loss. English will benefit from a few extra kilos on his slender frame. With athleticism unmatched by many his size, 2020 could be the year that he explodes. Don't be afraid to start him as your on-field ruck, and consider a reach for him in middle rounds when the top tiers of established ruckmen are off the table.
English's Brentrance
The first seven weeks of last season provided enough for Tim English to signal what he has to offer, demonstrating his ability to contribute around the ground with a disposal high of 19. Suffering a foot injury which eventually put an early end to his season, English struggled to enforce his youthful frame in the ruck contests, recording a lowly 14 hit outs per outing. English will aim to increase his time spent in the ruck, the role he favours. Splitting time with Tom Boyd as the senior ruck across his final four outings, English was forced to spend extended minutes in the forward line. Struggling to adapt to the role, the Bulldog recorded a solitary goal at senior level. A youngster with tremendous upside, the Bulldog may prove a quality and relatively inexpensive bench ruck.
You can beat English
It was clear that Tim English was not ready for AFL level from his two senior games half way through 2017, though his VFL form was quite impressive for one so young with averages of 16 hit outs, 13 disposals and 74 fantasy points. The Dogs are currently searching for the right result in ruck with a division populated by an array of incomplete answers to the question. English may be the long term solution, though it would be too early to pick him this season for fantasy.
