The third in the series in which Terry examines the Defender rookies that have been kicking around in all our minds. For mine, defence has the most rookies that I believe will perform well early this year. Also, just want to give a huge shout out to Terry for doing this! Its a fantastic read and I know that Ive been pretty run off my feet this last week!


Third in the series. Gold Coast predominate here, but you need to be a good judge to determine who will start R2. As with the forward rookies, players most likely to start R1 are highlighted in bold. Many coaches will have a mix of GC and Heppell (unless you start him as a MID), with Puopolo and Duigan the likely choices after that. Depending on how many DEF rookies you decide on, there are still some good prospects after these more obvious ones.

Defence is a paddock rich in grass this year, although there are more dual position prospects amongst the FWD rookies than DEF.
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Adelaide

Brodie Smith 123,600
Hard to get a fix on Smith given limited glimpses from NAB. Likely to play this year but perhaps not R1 (watch for injuries).

Andy Otten 185,100
Flagged as a certainty and a bargain, Otten’s NAB performances have been at times subdued. Does he need time to regain confidence? Will be in a lot of teams, but perhaps consider value elsewhere first.

Brisbane

Ryan Lestor 103,600
Been given a run as a FWD in the NAB and, while slipping under the radar, has probably done enough for a start. Good smokie.

Carlton

Nicholas Duigan 103,600
Good enough NAB and will now be in 80% of teams. Should get 10-12 games this year and should be ahead of Dare in the pecking order. Watch out for the return of other DEF such as Bower.

Collingwood

Simon Buckley [MID] 110,200
Impressive NAB has created some restlessness amongst coaches. Can he get a start in this outfit though? Suggest wait and see.

Essendon

Michael Hibberd [MID] 103,600
Hibberd or Heppell, which way will Hird go? Fair NAB performance, if not a bit lost at times. Certainly will get game time, but perhaps not R1. Hopefully will be a good downgrade target.

Dyson Heppell [MID] 153,600
NAB performance would have the coach grinning and will get early game time. As with all young rookies, watch out he doesn’t run out of puff in the later rounds. A popular pick.

Fremantle

Nick Lower 103,600
Former Port 20 game player who has shown a bit during NAB and is now off the rookie list. Likely to be warming a lot of SuperCoach benches.

Gold Coast

Josh Toy 110,200
Big wraps early but did not turn that into NAB performance. May have to wait.

Joe Daye 110,200
One of two Sun Days, likely to have to wait for his chance.

Danny Stanley 117,700
One of two Stanley Suns, has shown a bit and may get a chance early.

Karmichael Hunt 117,700
RL convert who will likely be a dour defender not racking up big numbers. Upside is he will play most games this season and will appreciate over time.

Michael Coad 123,700
Some reasonable performances in NAB and will be blooded at some stage.

Seb Tape 128,600
As of press time, considered the most likely starter with Hunt. Came into calculations later in the NAB when GC were on the defensive.

Hawthorn

Will Sierakowski 103,600
Fair way down the pecking order but there has been some positive reports and is one to watch.

Paul Puopolo 103,600
Will possibly get a start due to sheer willpower from Super Coaches. Has the body for it and did okay in the NAB. Does Clarko have a youth policy this year?

Kyle Cheney 163,500
Former Melbourne player who was impressive on debut with them and will likely be first cab off the rank if a spot opens up. Was given a fair amount of ground time in the NAB. If sent to Box Hill will be one to monitor.

Melbourne

James Strauss 111,900
A name often tossed about but did not show a great deal in NAB. Maybe late season.

North Melbourne

Cam Pedersen 109,700
Hasn’t put a foot wrong in the NAB and North defenders may get a bit of work this year.

Robbie Tarrant 184,900
Good enough NAB and could get 10-12 games this year not beyond him. Just that little bit expensive.

Port Adelaide

Cam O’Shea 103,600
Big wraps from a small amount of TOG. Has shown promise from a taste of NAB and will get a run throughout the year.

Richmond

Jake Batchelor 103,600
Good steady NAB has helped push him up the pecking order. Would suggest 8-10 games are likely, but may not be there when we need him most (remember Webberly).

St. Kilda

Jamie Cripps 103,600
Would be a starter in most other teams however Saints have reputation for holding the youngsters back. If they suffer a string of losses, most likely to get a run.

Western Bulldogs

Christian Howard 110,200
Interesting prospect and limited NAB time was okay. Tempting, but cannot trust Rodney Eade.