Bit of a rundown of some players - mainly from a SuperCoach perspective.
There are no out and out locks for West Coast, but I think you could find a few good PODs and some excellent players for your draft leagues.
Defenders:
Hurn - took his game to another level last year and there is no indication this will change, generally plays every match and is our dedicated kicker from def.
With the rule changes he could see a slight increase in his score, but he doesn't play-on THAT often, although once JK, JD Vardy and Naitanui are all playing he will likely start to go long more trusting the talls to mark.
McGovern - king of intercept marks and generates most of his points from this. With the 6-6-6 rule change there is some talk that it could be more difficult to intercept possession.
Personally I don't think it will have a huge impact, if anything a player who can read the ball better should be advantaged by it. Our mids are generally good defensively, and will try to force the long, high ball into the our defensive 50 for McGovern to gobble up.
Barrass - LOCK Here2tellyouwhy
Personally wouldn't consider any other eagles for Defensive spots
Midfielders:
Gaff - Does miss the first 2 weeks with his suspension, so don't pick Rd. 1, however he could be an astute pick for Draft League as he might drop down the pecking order a little.
Last year he added a contested side to his game (to a degree) which saw his points increase while still maintaining a high overall disposal count. Certainly one to consider if you get an early injury to a premo player, will be a good POD.
Shuey - Never been a massive SC scorer, will give you a 100 avg at best which isn't enough for a mid at his price. Only consider if you really want something different, another good option for Draft. Only real upside is that the tag may go to Yeo which could free him up - see GF day (definitely watch it again).
Redden - Probably my pick of the mids given he's cheaper in price, yet showed last year that he is very capable of posting big scores.
After a terrible start to the year he went on to average 109 in 21 matches (incl finals). So basically played a full year for a premo scoring average.
I can't see his role changing given his best games were in finals, we'll be looking to use him as much as possible in the centre square.
Another excellent choice for a Draft League as he should go pretty late.
Yeo - The most likely to go huge of the West Coast mids, he has all the makings of a premium SC player. Marks, Contested Possession, Goals, tackles and likes to kick over handballs.
The only concern is a tag that might go to him - as we saw on GF day (still managed an 83 from 19 touches).
His pre-season was slightly interrupted with a toe injury, but he was carrying it for much of last year as well, so I almost view it as an upside that he's now injury free.
No longer has Fwd or Def status which is a shame, but should still be considered as a mid.
No other mids likely to feature.
Rucks:
Just lock in Gawn and Grundy
Forwards:
Darling - I love the bloke, so I'll just give some stats to tell the story as otherwise it could be seen as heavy bias.
Pre injury (both with and without JK in the side) he played 10 matches for an average of 109, top score of 181 against the Tigers.
He has 1 shocker with a 42 against the Blues in there as well.
He then had a score of 14 and -1 as he battled injury, over a 7 game stretch he averaged 50 (still recovering from injury). The upshot of this is that he's very much under-priced.
Across the last 4 games of the season (incl. finals) he averaged 100 again.
He's priced at an 86 average.
He's more than capable of a 100 average.
You do the maths...
Kennedy - Currently battling multiple injuries and generally is a bit too up and down. A late Draft pick could be good as he does have a high ceiling, but also very prone to a 30-40 point game.
Willie Rioli - OK this is a left-field pick, and not one I would really suggest, but if you want to take a gamble or have a spot left on your draft bench I think Willie could be an interesting choice.
He has worked SUPER hard in the off-season on his fitness, he wants to play more midfield and last year when given the opportunity he played the role very well.
When in the centre square he had the 2nd best clearance differential of any player at West Coast, with the 6-6-6 rule, winning the CC is more important than ever, so expect to see Willie starting in the middle a lot more.
He'll still play the majority in a fwd pocket role, and he's shown he can play that role with aplomb so should still score OK when forward.
But it's the role-change with more midfield minutes that could see his price rise.
A huge risk, but one that could be very beneficial.
Petruccelle - Keep an eye on him throughout the JLT as he is looking very likely to have a spot on the ground in Rd 1.
Might not be the highest scorer as he's more an impact player than an accumulator, but certainly worth a look.
Kicked 3 goals in a qtr of the practice match (albeit against some WAFL-level opposition).
That's about all I'd consider from West Coast to be Fantasy-friendly.
Other rookies may appear (Brander, Ainsworth, Brayshaw and Watson the most likely), but it's too early to tell just yet if they'll get a run early.
There are no out and out locks for West Coast, but I think you could find a few good PODs and some excellent players for your draft leagues.
Defenders:
Hurn - took his game to another level last year and there is no indication this will change, generally plays every match and is our dedicated kicker from def.
With the rule changes he could see a slight increase in his score, but he doesn't play-on THAT often, although once JK, JD Vardy and Naitanui are all playing he will likely start to go long more trusting the talls to mark.
McGovern - king of intercept marks and generates most of his points from this. With the 6-6-6 rule change there is some talk that it could be more difficult to intercept possession.
Personally I don't think it will have a huge impact, if anything a player who can read the ball better should be advantaged by it. Our mids are generally good defensively, and will try to force the long, high ball into the our defensive 50 for McGovern to gobble up.
Barrass - LOCK Here2tellyouwhy
Personally wouldn't consider any other eagles for Defensive spots
Midfielders:
Gaff - Does miss the first 2 weeks with his suspension, so don't pick Rd. 1, however he could be an astute pick for Draft League as he might drop down the pecking order a little.
Last year he added a contested side to his game (to a degree) which saw his points increase while still maintaining a high overall disposal count. Certainly one to consider if you get an early injury to a premo player, will be a good POD.
Shuey - Never been a massive SC scorer, will give you a 100 avg at best which isn't enough for a mid at his price. Only consider if you really want something different, another good option for Draft. Only real upside is that the tag may go to Yeo which could free him up - see GF day (definitely watch it again).
Redden - Probably my pick of the mids given he's cheaper in price, yet showed last year that he is very capable of posting big scores.
After a terrible start to the year he went on to average 109 in 21 matches (incl finals). So basically played a full year for a premo scoring average.
I can't see his role changing given his best games were in finals, we'll be looking to use him as much as possible in the centre square.
Another excellent choice for a Draft League as he should go pretty late.
Yeo - The most likely to go huge of the West Coast mids, he has all the makings of a premium SC player. Marks, Contested Possession, Goals, tackles and likes to kick over handballs.
The only concern is a tag that might go to him - as we saw on GF day (still managed an 83 from 19 touches).
His pre-season was slightly interrupted with a toe injury, but he was carrying it for much of last year as well, so I almost view it as an upside that he's now injury free.
No longer has Fwd or Def status which is a shame, but should still be considered as a mid.
No other mids likely to feature.
Rucks:
Just lock in Gawn and Grundy
Forwards:
Darling - I love the bloke, so I'll just give some stats to tell the story as otherwise it could be seen as heavy bias.
Pre injury (both with and without JK in the side) he played 10 matches for an average of 109, top score of 181 against the Tigers.
He has 1 shocker with a 42 against the Blues in there as well.
He then had a score of 14 and -1 as he battled injury, over a 7 game stretch he averaged 50 (still recovering from injury). The upshot of this is that he's very much under-priced.
Across the last 4 games of the season (incl. finals) he averaged 100 again.
He's priced at an 86 average.
He's more than capable of a 100 average.
You do the maths...
Kennedy - Currently battling multiple injuries and generally is a bit too up and down. A late Draft pick could be good as he does have a high ceiling, but also very prone to a 30-40 point game.
Willie Rioli - OK this is a left-field pick, and not one I would really suggest, but if you want to take a gamble or have a spot left on your draft bench I think Willie could be an interesting choice.
He has worked SUPER hard in the off-season on his fitness, he wants to play more midfield and last year when given the opportunity he played the role very well.
When in the centre square he had the 2nd best clearance differential of any player at West Coast, with the 6-6-6 rule, winning the CC is more important than ever, so expect to see Willie starting in the middle a lot more.
He'll still play the majority in a fwd pocket role, and he's shown he can play that role with aplomb so should still score OK when forward.
But it's the role-change with more midfield minutes that could see his price rise.
A huge risk, but one that could be very beneficial.
Petruccelle - Keep an eye on him throughout the JLT as he is looking very likely to have a spot on the ground in Rd 1.
Might not be the highest scorer as he's more an impact player than an accumulator, but certainly worth a look.
Kicked 3 goals in a qtr of the practice match (albeit against some WAFL-level opposition).
That's about all I'd consider from West Coast to be Fantasy-friendly.
Other rookies may appear (Brander, Ainsworth, Brayshaw and Watson the most likely), but it's too early to tell just yet if they'll get a run early.