Daniel Menzel – Deck of Dream Team 2013

Name: Daniel Menzel
Club: Geelong
Position: Fwd
Assistant Coach 2013 Price: $232,100
Bye Round: 12
2012 Average: 0 (’11 Av. 62.2)
2012 Games Played: 0
Predicted Average: 69

 

Why should I pick him?

When fit, Daniel Menzel has a massive upside. Trust me, this kid can play. He is exceptional overhead for a player of his size and when the ball hits the deck, he has the skills and pace to kick a goal. Menzel only needs a few opportunities to have a significant impact on a game and good things happen more often than not when he has the ball in his hands.

He reminds me a lot of Stevie J especially when Stevie played as a permanent forward. They both are extremely evasive and both can kick them from pretty much anywhere and anyhow. With Stevie J passing on a few tricks to his younger teammate, you can expect Menzel to add various strings to his game in years to come.

Whether it’s in the forward pocket or on a forward flank, Menzel is in Geelong’s best 22 so there is no job security issues here, it’s just whether Menzel can stay fit and consistently get on the park.

Why shouldn’t I pick him?

Two knee recos in less than 2 years is an incredibly tough break for any young player.  In September 2011, Menzel ruptured the ACL in his right knee and in June 2012 in his VFL comeback match, he damaged the ACL in his left knee. On December 21, Menzel went under the knife again and had keyhole surgery on the strained ACL that was most recently reconstructed. Bad Omen?

With his latest setback, Menzel will be eased back into full training and given ample time to get back to full fitness. You can write him off for Round 1. At best, I think he would be aiming for a round 8 return (mid May).

Menzel predominately plays in the forward 50, which limits his DT scoring output. For a player with his skill, he probably doesn’t push up the ground enough. Menzel has scored 100 or more on only one occasion and that was when he kicked 5 goals. As a DT coach, you can’t be picking players who constantly need to be kicking bags of goals to crack 100.

Menzel comes at a high price for a player that did not see any action in 2012. In my opinion, his price tag only allows him to earn you $70,000 – $80,000 at best before you look to upgrade him. In my view, there are far better mid priced (Bock, Gray) and rookie (Lee, Growden) forward line options that will earn you a significant amount of money with decent scoring output.

Deck of DT Rating.

Joker – Picking Menzel in your initial side is just not an option, as he won’t figure until well into the season. Even when he does string a couple of games together, I’d still stay clear as his scoring ability does not appeal. Hopefully Menzel can use this upcoming season as a building block for 2014 where I hope he will be encouraged to push up the ground and play a Stevie J/Chappy type role.

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