Paul Duffield – Deck of Dream Team 2013

Name: Paul Duffield
Club: Fremantle
Position: Defender
Assistant Coach 2013 Price: $426,800
Bye Round: 11 (Shared with Brisbane, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide, Richmond & Western Bulldogs)
2012 Average: 82.8
2012 Games Played: 19
Predicted Average: 95

 

Why should I pick him?

Because barring injury, Duffield will be a top six defender next season. Big call? Maybe. But how’s this for a stat? In the past three seasons, Duffield has averaged 80 points per game over 62 games as a defender. Not good enough? Well, 47 of those games were alongside Greg Broughton & 15 games were played without him. In the games with Greg Broughton, Duffield averaged only 75 points per game. As he will be for the entirety of next year, in games he has played without Broughton, Duffield averaged 97 points per game! Boom! Just can’t get enough of that wonderful Duff!

Duffield went down with an untimely “injury” last year (technically he was dropped, but anything out of Ross Lyons office is questionable), missing from rounds 12 to 15, adding to the list of donuts for coaches across the bye rounds, but in the past four seasons, Duffield has actually only missed 2 other games, so despite his negative wrap, he is consistently getting on the park. His 2012 season average was affected by injury and a sub-vest, giving him a nice little discount, but he ended last season on fire, with an average of 102 points per game (without Greg Broughton), with a string of 104, 113, 125 & 109 in the last four rounds.

Despite missing three games in 2012 and a sub-affected score of 30 in round 15, Duffield was still the 17^th highest scoring Defender in AFL Dream Team, with the 10^th highest average. Taking out his sub affected 30, and his two shocking games against the Suns and the Swans, Duffield averaged 91.5 across the season. Priced at an average closer to 80, it makes him very tempting, just like Duff beers new nectar honey larger – if Gods sweat, they’d sweat Duffs nectar honey! Oh yeah!

 

Why shouldn’t I pick him?

A natural hatred of Ross Lyon by some coaches may influence things. The man hates Dream Team. For all we know next season Ross will treat Duffield like he did Sam Gilbert and have him playing out of the forward pocket instead of rebounding off the half-back flank, or maybe feeling like he needs a spell of eight games in the WAFL to improve his hand-balling accuracy or marking technique or… something. Oh no! At the same time, he may play him like Brendan Goddard, which is what I see happening, but who the hell knows? Add in the x-factor of Danyle Pearce and his role next season, Duffield’s exact role is still a little cloudy.

Putting Lyon aside, as mentioned earlier Duffield did have two very poor games early last season (consistency), scoring just 40 against the Swans in round 2 (although he did score all of these points up to the half way of the second quarter – and then flat-lined) & 38 against the Suns in round 6 (when Campbell Brown sat next to him in the front row behind the Suns goals).

For others, it’s that they just won’t get over the pain of carrying Duffield through the bye rounds, only to be rewarded with a sub affected 30 and followed by a 66 on return. If you were one of the few that traded him out for him to go on and average over 100, that probably wouldn’t have helped his chances in returning to this years line-up. That’s a mug you don’t want to chug!

 

Deck of DT Rating

QUEEN – Duffman has to be considered due to his ability to score well and his durability over the past four season, but obviously with only six defender spots to fill next year, you’d want to be sure he will up his game. For me, I can see him doing it and look forward to a near 95 average from him next season. For a defender, that’s approaching auto-lock territory. He’s in my team – Oh yeah! Are you ready to get Duffed?

 

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