THERE have been unprecedented changes at the Hawks, with stars Jordan Lewis and Sam Mitchell moving clubs. From a Fantasy perspective, this is really exciting because it creates huge holes at a great club that need to be filled. How this happens remains to be seen, but as a Fantasy coach, I’m pretty keen to work it out and make the most of it. 

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Tom Mitchell (MID, $638,000) is a genuine Fantasy star with averages of 107 and 106 over the last two years despite random spanners thrown at him by Swans coach John Longmire within that time. In 2016 he managed to reach triple figures on 12 occasions with nine of those scores over 110 and an elite six over 130. He has a massive ceiling with a top score of 163 from 41 disposals, eight marks, ten tackles and a goal against the Roos in round 10, 2016. He said goodbye to the Swans with a huge performance in the Grand Final where he laid 13 tackles and kicked two goals for 141. Mitchell is certainly a contender to become the next Fantasy Pig if he is allowed to consistently spread his wings at the Hawks.

Jarryd Roughead (FWD, $373,000) is a genuine star who comes in well under-priced after missing 2016. Over the past four years he has averaged elite returns as a forward including 92, 87, 89 and 88. Make sure the big Rough is ready to be unleashed prior to round one, and if he is, jump on board!

Isaac Smith (FWD/MID, $538,000) is a great pick up this year for a number of reasons. The first to catch my eye was that he is available as a forward, which is a huge bonus given his ability to roam up the ground and collect possessions at will. He may well have greater responsibility in the midfield given the experience lost over the trade period. Finally, he comes in under-priced after dropping his average by eight points to 89 last year. He has a nice ceiling as he displayed by his 146 in round 21 against North Melbourne, and after knocking up 12 hundreds in 2015, he is a safe pick.

Jaeger O’Meara (MID, $364,000) is one of the genuine bargains of the year. If he is ready to go in round one, it’s fair to assume his horrid run of injuries are behind him and we can focus on the fact he is an absolute superstar. Over his first two seasons (way back in 2013 and 2014), he burst onto the scene with remarkable averages of 89 and 93 from 22 games respectively. I think the 'Jaeger Bomb' is going to bring a whole new meaning to a 'third-year break-out' and it will be well worth the wait.

Harry Morrison (DEF, $150,000) is an interesting prospect and time will tell if the Hawks shake up results in a greater willingness to get some games into the youngsters. Taken at pick No.74, Morrison is touted as an intercept specialist across the half-back line but he is far more talented than just that. He finished equal fourth in agility and the beep test at the draft combine while also finishing second in the goalkicking test. Well worth a look for a basement price if he is in the mix for games.

Luke Hodge (DEF, $525,000) wasn't himself last year, managing just three hundreds during the regular season which was largely cruelled by injury. Fast forward to the end of the year however, and Hodgey started to enforce his usual influence upon games where (including finals) he averaged 102 over the last six and recorded a low of just 93 within that time. Based on that, and the fact it was only back in 2015 that he averaged 111, he has some value being priced at 87.

 

Hawthorn positions and prices for 2017

Player

Pos

2017 Price

Tom Mitchell

MID

$638,000

Isaac Smith

MID/FWD

$538,000

Jack Gunston

FWD

$530,000

Luke Hodge

DEF

$525,000

Shaun Burgoyne

DEF

$520,000

Cyril Rioli

FWD

$512,000

Liam Shiels

MID

$499,000

Josh Gibson

DEF

$494,000

Grant Birchall

DEF

$490,000

Luke Breust

FWD

$474,000

Ricky Henderson

DEF/MID

$468,000

Billy Hartung

MID

$437,000

Will Langford

MID

$427,000

Jonathon Ceglar

RUC

$418,000

Taylor Duryea

DEF

$415,000

Paul Puopolo

FWD

$410,000

Daniel Howe

DEF/MID

$405,000

Brendan Whitecross

FWD

$404,000

Ben McEvoy

RUC

$394,000

Jarryd Roughead

FWD

$373,000

Jaeger O'Meara

MID

$364,000

James Sicily

FWD

$361,000

James Frawley

DEF

$354,000

Jonathan O'Rourke

MID

$341,000

Ben Stratton

DEF

$315,000

Ty Vickery

FWD

$311,000

Kade Stewart

FWD

$307,000

Kaiden Brand

DEF

$304,000

Jack Fitzpatrick

RUC

$299,000

Ryan Schoenmakers

FWD

$265,000

Tim O'Brien

FWD

$261,000

Ryan Burton

DEF/FWD

$260,000

Kurt Heatherley

DEF

$244,000

Kieran Lovell

MID/FWD

$195,000

Marc Pittonet

RUC

$189,000

Blake Hardwick

FWD

$176,000

Dallas Willsmore

MID

$150,000

Teia Miles

MID/FWD

$150,000

Luke Surman

DEF/RUC

$150,000

Mitch Lewis

FWD

$150,000

James Cousins

MID

$150,000

Harry Morrison

DEF

$150,000

Oliver Hanrahan

MID/FWD

$150,000

Conor Glass

DEF/MID

$150,000

Conor Nash

DEF

$150,000