Over the next 30 days, they'll hand pick 30 fit-for-purpose players for your starting NAB AFL Fantasy squad.
We begin with the best backline options and finish with the cream of the midfield crop. Today, it's a quality Hawthorn backman whose precision kicking game was cruelled by a serious knee injury last year.
Fantasy lock-ins: defenders
- Jeremy Laidler (Sydney Swans)- Matthew Fuller (Western Bulldogs)
- Kade Kolodjashnij (Gold Coast)
In 2012, Suckling remained a valuable Fantasy defender who, despite adding an attacking aspect to his game where he registered 27 scoring shots, saw his average drop to 83 over the 22 games.
Coming into 2013, Suckling looked good value as he was priced eight points below what we knew he was capable of, only to have an ACL injury strike during the NAB Cup, ending his campaign for the season.
That brings us to 2014 where Suckling presents some of the best value for our starting Fantasy line-up. As long as his knee is ready to go, Suckling is well entrenched in the Hawks' best 22 after his high retention rate and drive was missed by the club last year - and will be needed even more after the retirement of trusted kick Brent Guerra.
Finding a defender who can ’go big’ is hard, but check out these numbers.
In 2011, Suckling adopted a quarter-back role to enable the Hawks to take full advantage of his beautiful left foot.
He began to take a lot of uncontested marks and was a key to the Hawks switching play and controlling the footy.
Twice in that season he took over 15 marks and he registered thumping scores of 141, 133, 120, 111, 126 and 111 in that time.
In 2012, he twice took over 10 marks and again registered impressive scores for the year with 105, 102, 127, 122 and 112.
Obviously, coming off a serious injury is always a concern, and it is never easy to break back into a Premiership team. But if his body is ready to go, he only makes the team stronger and will walk into round one.
It is vital however that we track his progress during the NAB Challenge to ensure he looks fit, and there is a role for him.
The only concern regarding the automatic selection of this under-priced premium is that Sam Mitchell and Grant Birchall are also great options in the backline and despite the temptation to select them all, it could cause some big headaches during the bye rounds.
LOCKABILITY: 4.5/5
The undeniable value that Suckling presents at this price is too good to pass up. To be able to purchase a defender who has the ability to end the season as a top 10 scorer in his position, for such a low price is a no brainer.
Even if he is struggling to find his best form, Suckling will work as a nice mid-priced cash cow to upgrade to a premium during the season. If he looks fine in the NAB Challenge, lockability is a 5.
Tomorrow Calvin looks at a former No. 1 draft pick who could be on the verge of a breakout. Check out #AFLFantasy on Twitter or follow @RoyDT and the official account @AFLFantasy.
The pre-season AFL Record is the complete guide to the new-look NAB AFL Fantasy football competition. AFL Fantasy experts Warnie, Roy and Calvin (aka The Traders) detail everything you need to know about Fantasy football. There are Fantasy prices and profiles of every player. The 124-page pre-season Record will be on sale at newsagents nationally from February 7 for $9.95.
