Deck of Dream Team 2012: Jason Porplyzia

Name: Jason Porplyzia
Club: Adelaide
Assistant Coach 2012 Price: $202,500
Position: Forward
Bye Round: 11
2011 Average: 16
2011 Games Played: 1
Predicted Average: 80

Why should I pick him?

Potential and plenty of it.  When fit and healthy this guy can flat out play and can score!  He kicks a lot of goals and was known for being bloody accurate.  In his last fully fit year of 2009 he kicked 57.20 and averaged 76pts (from 24 games) and looked like he was going to be just what the Crows needed up forward.  In 2010 he still kicked 22.17 and averaged 68 but he did spend much of that year injured and playing with a shoulder that only needed a stiff breeze to dislocate it.  He was also asked to play in the midfield for some of the season which put further pressure on his shoulder.  He finally succumbed to it late in the season.  He had the surgery and rehab and then came out in 2011 against the Hawks and lasted about 5 minutes before the wing popped out again.  In that 5 mins he took a mark, kicked a goal and scored 16 dt points.

Adelaide last year really lacked a player like Porps and tried to use Dangerfield in that role of the roving smallish forward that can take a grab.  It didn’t work and hurt Danger’s stats badly.  If they play Tippett up forward as a lone big man then Porplyzia can play the perfect lead out guy and with his accurate leg he should be one of their main avenues to goals.

His bye is fairly nice from the perspective of who he shares it with, it is really only the big man Jono Brown at Brisbane that is of any real concern and any GWS rookies you have.  Others to consider in this equation are Petrie and Darling if you have them.

Why shouldn’t I pick him?

The man is a walking crash test dummy.  He has had his shoulder out of place more than it has been in place throughout his career.  He has had surgery and taken a year out of the game to get it right, but until he gets back into the full contact of the AFL and not just out on Max Basheer reserve at West Lakes against teammates we just won’t know how strong this repair job has really been.

The only other concern is just as I have posted for all Crows players and that is how Sando will use them.  In 2010 Craigy experimented with Porps in the midfield and that just didn’t work for him as he only averaged half a disposal more than as a forward and his scoring output halved.  So the hope for DT and Crows fans will be that he gets put back where he is most comfortable and that is up forward.

Deck of DT Rating:

Jack.  With the background that this guy has and the form that he has shown in the past, he is going to very hard to go past at such a low price.  I will be keenly watching his form in the NAB and of particular note will be whether he is hard at it or tries to protect his shoulder a bit.  I think he may be tentative early on, but hopefully by the end of the NAB he will be going full on and will return to the DT player he was before and possibly beyond.  At the moment he is in my team just because of what he can do and that super low price he has, I can’t see him dropping out unless that wing gets broken again in preseason.

Find me in twitterland @pkd73.