Tom Liberatore has, like his famous father Tony, always been an inside midfielder at heart despite the roles that his coach has asked him to do over the years. Not really a forward, most comfortable reefing out handballs from under packs, he fits the mould of the classic bull mid. In today's AFL, however, accumulating possessions between contests is almost of equal importance to help the team's transition game, and Liberatore showed last week on the wide expanses in Perth that he can also do that, making him a fully-rounded mid contending for top eight fantasy scorers.
Tom Liberatore has, like his famous father Tony, always been an inside midfielder at heart despite the roles that his coach has asked him to do over the years. Not really a forward, most comfortable reefing out handballs from under packs, he fits the mould of the classic bull mid. In today's AFL, however, accumulating possessions between contests is almost of equal importance to help the team's transition game, and Liberatore showed last week on the wide expanses in Perth that he can also do that, making him a fully-rounded mid contending for top eight fantasy scorers.
Tom Liberatore has been moved into central midfield in the past run by the Bulldogs after spending some weeks in the earlier part of the season coming off a half forward flank. This is a long-standing problems for fantasy coaches when assessing players under Dogs coach Luke Beveridge: you just never know when he is going to shift your favourite player in or out of the position where he is closest to the ball. On the plus side, Libba has FWD designation. On the minus side, Bevo could swing him out to a flank at a moment's notice to kill his scoring floor. An eternal fantasy dilemma.
Tom Liberatore is yet another victim of the embarrassment of riches that is the Western Bulldogs midfield. The departure of Patrick Lipinksi in the off season caused Luke Beveridge to move Libba from the engine room to a half forward flank in round 1, a role to which his skills are poorly suited. There are others in the Bulldogs list with more talent forward of the ball, so maybe there will be a reversion to more traditional jobs in future weeks. Fantasy coaches with long memories know not to bet on Bevo, though, as he is one of the more stubborn coaches in the league.
Tom Liberatore used to be one of a number of Bulldog midfielders whose fantasy value was ruined somewhat by a tendency to rest forward for long periods, a role which is not really suited to his skill set. These days the Dogs play a more traditional structure in midfield with players staying in their places for longer, which has unlocked Libba's value at the coalface. He can rack up clearances and tackle almost as well as his old man on his day, but he isn't quite in the top echelon of fantasy midfielders because he lacks accumulation on the outside.
Classic Libba role
Right knee soreness hampered the injury-prone Tom Liberatore after a couple of in-game knocks, for which he's gone under the knife in the off season to repair cartilage damage in the same knee as the ACL tear the year prior. A four-round average of 105 to start the season reminded us all of his immense potential, although he cracked the ton just once more. Liberatore is and always will be fantasy-relevant due to his ability to win his own footy and his hunger to tackle. The risk of injury looms permanently, so make sure you have adequate bench cover. Someone in your league will reach for him based on massive upside, and that coach will most likely pay too much for not enough startable scores.
Libba's personal Vietnam
A season finished moments into the opening round, luckless Tom Liberatore suffered his second ACL tear. Splitting his time between midfield and attack during the 2017 campaign, the Bulldog recorded a career-low 17 possessions per outing and failed to hit the scoreboard much. It has been five years since we saw his best, when he strung together seven 110+ scores in a row. Struggling to rekindle his form since his initial ACL injury, Liberatore will aim to regain his status as a clearance behemoth. Both Josh Dunkley and Toby McLean advanced their midfield craft during the last season, adding to the competition the premiership player will face. Worthy of some late draft speculation, take Libba in the last five rounds.
Too much liberty for Libba
The Tom Liberatore story summed up the Bulldogs's 2017 campaign. He shaved half his head in the off season, played five minutes of rep footy for Vietnam, looked to have gained in skinfolds, picked up some knocks, did a few jobs and disappeared in other games, and delivered his worst numbers since his 2011 debut including less than six kicks per game. Liberatore's year was so poor that there was speculation he would be delisted. His ratio has drifted further towards handball since being at parity in 2013 during his run of best form, and that is the key to him regaining notice from fantasy coaches: if he gets fit and motivated, he will get ball on boot more often. He is a JLT watchlist special, to see if he woke up yet.
