The Tigers scraped into the final eight last season and in 2023, they will be one of the most discussed teams when it comes to AFL Fantasy.
Before we dive into the new recruits and the other players to write down into your Fantasy Black Book, let's reflect on some standout performances from last season.
Nick Vlastuin (DEF, $798,000) had his best Fantasy season to date, averaging 90. On Draft Day, this would rank him inside the top 15 defenders available.
For the first time in his career, Toby Nankervis (RUC, $758,000) played the full 22 games, one of only six Tigers to do so. In the past, Nankervis has battled injuries but put that aside last year to average a very respectable 86.
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Lock them in
Exciting news fantasy fans... Tim Taranto (MID/FWD, $846,000) has held his forward status and will slot straight into the Richmond midfield!
Taranto has been a Fantasy star over the past four seasons, averaging 104, but his role at Greater Western Sydney during that time was somewhat inconsistent.
Taranto only attended 44 per cent of the centre bounces last season, a number that should increase this year, alongside his average of 96.
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Track their pre-season
Why would we want to track the pre-season of Richmond's most expensive player?
Well… it all comes down to where Jayden Short (MID, $867,000) is playing.
From round seven onwards last year, Short became a full-time midfielder for the Tigers, averaging 95. The thing is, Short is different to other players and actually scores better in defence, where he averaged 107 in his first six games last year.
If Taranto and Jacob Hopper push him back into defence, then maybe Short has some upside this season.
However, Fantasy track-watchers are already out and about and have seen Short training with the midfield group. Not what we want to hear, but let's keep watching.
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Dual-position tempter
Due to several unfortunate factors in 2022, Dustin Martin (MID/FWD, $677,000) had his lowest Fantasy output since debuting in 2010. He averaged 72 across eight games, well below the 81, 94, 97 and 93 in the previous years.
Martin has returned to pre-season training and even though he might spend more time forward this year, the supply from the midfield should be the best it has been in some time.
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Bargain basement
Selected at No.49 in the NAB AFL Draft, Kaleb Smith (DEF, $204,000) was the first player Richmond snapped up. Smith is damaging off half-back and averaged 71 in the WAFL Colts.
We can't expect big things straight away, but Smith does have a Fantasy potential and is a name to keep track of for the future.
Bigoa Nyuon (DEF, $200,000) was drafted in 2019 and debuted last season in round nine against Hawthorn when he scored 23. He continued to develop and hone his craft in the VFL last season, playing 17 games to average 59. Will the 197cm defender be called upon again?
Draft sleeper
It wasn't that long ago that Hopper (MID, $716,000) was averaging 94 as a full-time midfielder for the Giants. He found a new team in the off-season and should join the likes of Trent Cotchin and Dion Prestia in their midfield brigade.
Due to a knee injury, Hopper only played seven games to average 66 and therefore sits outside the top 100 rank midfielders based on average. Bump him up your rankings!
Buyer beware
Even though Shai Bolton (MID/FWD, $658,000) was Richmond's third most used midfielder last season, where will he fit now?
Bolton averaged 74 and attended 56 per cent of the centre bounces (behind Cotchin and Prestia) but with the inclusions of Hopper and Taranto, alongside a healthy Martin… where will he play now?
|
Player |
Position |
2022 Average |
2022 Games |
2023 Price |
|
Jayden Short |
MID |
97.9 |
22 |
$867,000 |
|
Tim Taranto |
MID/FWD |
95.5 |
16 |
$846,000 |
|
Nick Vlastuin |
DEF |
90.1 |
16 |
$798,000 |
|
Dion Prestia |
MID |
89 |
18 |
$788,000 |
|
Toby Nankervis |
RUC |
85.6 |
22 |
$758,000 |
|
Jacob Hopper |
MID |
66.1 |
7 |
$716,000 |
|
Trent Cotchin |
MID |
79.2 |
18 |
$701,000 |
|
Daniel Rioli |
DEF |
78.4 |
22 |
$694,000 |
|
Dustin Martin |
MID/FWD |
72.4 |
8 |
$677,000 |
|
Tom J. Lynch |
FWD |
76.1 |
18 |
$674,000 |
|
Shai Bolton |
MID/FWD |
74.3 |
22 |
$658,000 |
|
Jack Graham |
MID/FWD |
74 |
20 |
$655,000 |
|
Liam Baker |
DEF/FWD |
69.6 |
22 |
$616,000 |
|
Nathan Broad |
DEF |
69.5 |
22 |
$615,000 |
|
Kamdyn McIntosh |
MID |
67.8 |
20 |
$600,000 |
|
Marlion Pickett |
MID |
64.7 |
18 |
$573,000 |
|
Jack Ross |
MID |
62.5 |
13 |
$553,000 |
|
Jack Riewoldt |
FWD |
62.3 |
20 |
$552,000 |
|
Noah Cumberland |
FWD |
63 |
7 |
$508,000 |
|
Tyler Sonsie |
MID/FWD |
62.7 |
6 |
$489,000 |
|
Noah Balta |
DEF/FWD |
53.5 |
17 |
$474,000 |
|
Hugo Ralphsmith |
DEF |
53 |
13 |
$469,000 |
|
Jason Castagna |
FWD |
52.2 |
16 |
$462,000 |
|
Ivan Soldo |
RUC/FWD |
48.5 |
13 |
$429,000 |
|
Dylan Grimes |
DEF |
43.7 |
15 |
$387,000 |
|
Ben Miller |
DEF |
43.2 |
10 |
$383,000 |
|
Thomson Dow |
MID |
47 |
6 |
$366,000 |
|
Maurice Rioli |
FWD |
40.9 |
14 |
$362,000 |
|
Josh Gibcus |
DEF |
40.5 |
17 |
$359,000 |
|
Robbie Tarrant |
DEF |
40.3 |
19 |
$357,000 |
|
Rhyan Mansell |
DEF |
53 |
2 |
$357,000 |
|
Judson Clarke |
FWD |
42.3 |
3 |
$296,000 |
|
Kaleb Smith |
DEF |
- |
- |
$204,000 |
|
Bigoa Nyuon |
DEF |
23 |
1 |
$200,000 |
|
Jacob Bauer |
FWD |
- |
- |
$200,000 |
|
Mate Colina |
RUC/FWD |
- |
- |
$200,000 |
|
Sam Banks |
DEF/MID |
- |
- |
$200,000 |
|
Tom Brown |
DEF |
- |
- |
$200,000 |
|
Steely Green |
MID |
- |
- |
$200,000 |
|
Seth Campbell |
FWD |
- |
- |
$200,000 |
|
Tylar Young |
DEF |
- |
- |
$200,000 |
|
Samson Ryan |
RUC/FWD |
- |
- |
$200,000 |
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