Sam Walsh – Deck of DT 2019

Name: Sam Walsh
Team: Carlton Blues
Position: MID
Price: $270,000
Bye round: 14
2018 average: N/A (TAC Cup + Under-18 AFL Championships: 117.8)
2018 games played: N/A (12 – TAC Cup, 4 – Under-18 AFL Championships)
Predicted average: 75-80
Draft range: Undrafted, potential last bench spot

Click here for 2019 Fantasy prices.

Why should I pick him?

To pay up or not? That’s a question fantasy coaches are faced with annually when a new crop of youngsters enter the AFL ranks. There are always $170K players who fill out the final few spots in our squads, but the rookies with an inflated price tag are always a mainstream talking point. One of the most popular players picked at the moment in Sam Walsh (41.3%) is squarely in the middle of this debate and there are several reasons why you should pay up the extra coin to start with Carlton’s newest star.

Fantasy scores haven’t been kind to No. 1 overall picks in recent times. The last two top selections Cameron Rayner (2018, 56.8 average), Andrew McGrath (2017, 70.5 average) put forth dull fantasy seasons in year one as both guys spent chunks of time playing as a forward/defender respectively, hampering their scores. There’s no such fear for Walsh, who put forth one of the most consistent and complete pre-AFL seasons we’ve seen from a draft prospect.

The ball-winning youngster DOMINATED the TAC Cup averaging a hair under 120 fantasy points from his 12 games last year, before backing it up with an average of 112 in his four National Championship contests. Throughout those matches, Walsh averaged 31 touches a game displaying a kick-happy style (18.2 kicks compared to 13.0 handballs) to his play as well – always a bonus. Averaging over five tackles a contest only further highlights how much of a unit this kid is.

Priced at just 37, there’s a high likelihood that Walsh can average double that in year one, slotting into a Carlton midfield that’s crying out for another contested ball winner to help out Patrick Cripps. The Blues were the second-worst team winning contested footy in 2018 and given Walsh’s talents his job security is sky high, with Brendon Bolton eager to find a winning formula sooner rather than later. It’s unlikely that opposing coaches will put all their time and effort into shutting down Walsh with his Brownlow calibre teammate in Cripps set to be a defensive focal point. Even if Walsh does start to dominate matches and warrant some attention, he has proven throughout his junior days that he can win the ball inside or outside, only strengthening his case for selection.

As someone who paid up for Tim Taranto, Andrew Brayshaw and Tim Kelly in year’s past I’m a fan of spending the necessary money on expensive rookies with great job security. While you can save some money and choose another cash cow, I can’t see a scenario where Walsh plays less than 20 games in 2019, barring injury of course. Should he hold his spot in the Carlton side then Walsh could be a long play for the upcoming season, giving us a reliable rook who shapes as one of our final upgrades after he has fully fattened in price.

All reports coming out of Carlton’s pre-season training indicate that Walsh is a near lock for a Round 1 debut, with Kade Simpson declaring that he’s ‘yet to see a weakness’ in their newest recruit. Good enough for me.