Each week, we will do a deep dive into a player that had a strong performance in the previous round. The player may not have had the top score of the weekend but a solid outing nonetheless. I’ll look to cover the previous rounds performance, outlook for the season ahead, outlook for 2024 and beyond and my recommendation for this player. Let us know your thoughts on who we have down below on all of our social channels: twitter, facebook, instagram, discord.
Player of the Week
Player Name: Jordan Dawson
Age: 26
Club: Adelaide Crows
Position: Defender
Round 5 Score: 156
2023 Ave Score: 126
Round 5 Performance
I mean wow! What a performance from Dawson as he lit up the Adelaide Oval to kick off the inaugural Gather Round. At one point it looked like Dawson was on for the high score record, but to the delight of Carlton's midfield, he slowed down a touch to end the game. He's obviously been elite to this point in the season but his midfield role has started to propel him to new heights. Dawson racked up 21 kicks, 11 marks, 4 handballs and 9 tackles which equated to a score of 156 GDS fantasy points on the day! The guy is elite.
2023 Outlook
With the captains armband wrapped around his arm and a new midfield role that he is seemingly relishing, the sky is genuinely the limit for Dawson. His role inside is clear and seems consistent, in the first two rounds, Dawson only attended one centre bounce. In the past three games however, Dawson is averaging a career-high 69% CBAs per game which includes a massive 90% centre-bounce-attendance percentage in round 3! Dawson is an absolute star and with more opportunity than ever to take his already high scoring ceiling to a new level, he has every chance to finish as a top-3 defender this season.
GDS Dynasty Ranking
While it is easy to get carried away with how dominant Dawson is right now, it would be silly not to consider his long term dynasty forecast as well. While for 2023, his midfield time is an incredible asset to have for someone who already scores so well, but will that mean a position change in 2024? and is that entirely a bad thing? Admittedly, we do only have a small sample size of Dawson as a midfielder, but the sample size we do have is promising to say the least! In those three games as a majority midfielder, Dawson has put up scores of 97 (in his first game), 147 and 156 GDS fantasy points in those outings. Clearly, his scoring ceiling is huge when playing as a MID but is it sustainable? Nobody will have a clear answer but if I were a betting man, I'd suggest yes! Midfielders are the premier scorers for the most part in GDS fantasy Aussie Rules, and when Dawson does rest down back, he is still entirely capable of those easy kick/marks we have been so used to. So, if Dawson does remain a midfielder long-term and is forced a fantasy position change, he is still a must-start in my opinion.
Kerm's Call
Dawson is nothing short of a superstar, a player so versatile he can do everything and anything that is asked of him and he can do it better than most on the field. Owning him is easy as well, Dawson is about as safe as they come and with a ceiling that i'm not even sure we have seen yet, the prospect of owning him for a long time as a dynasty option is incredibly exciting!