Darcy Tucker – Deck of DT 2023

Player	Darcy Tucker
Club	North Melbourne
Position	MID/FWD
Price	$457,000
Bye	15
2022 avg	51.6
2022 gms	12
Proj. avg	70-75
Draft range	Late.

Click here for 2023 Fantasy Classic prices.

Why should I pick him?

Have you heard of the ‘new club rule’? It’s basically science. When a player goes to a new club they always have a scoring bump… Just disregard all the times that it hasn’t happened. But it can be amazing what a trade to a new club can do to a player. I’m not sure if it’s repaying the faith shown in the player, or the new opportunity given to them (probably a combination of both) but it can have a huge effect on their scoring. Just take Nick Hind for example two years ago, and Will Brodie last year. A change of scenery can be the catalyst for increased scoring.

Apart from this hard and fast ‘new club rule’, Darcy Tucker has been a player that has shown promise in the past. He’s always been a player who has seen himself as a midfielder but has never been able to lock down a role. This has led to him playing roles in both defense and up forward in the past. If he is to get a midfield position, he is most likely suited to an outside position on a wing, despite him seeing himself as an inside midfielder. Looking at North Melbourne, there probably is a role on the outside for him there. Over the years we’ve seen many players rotate through the wings, including the likes of Luke McDonald, Bailey Scott, Jaidyn Stephenson, Flynn Perez, Curtis Taylor and Lachie Young to name a few. None of these guys have truly made the position their own (with a few of those names more likely to settle down back) there is a chance he could work his way into the mix and find a spot there.

It would be remiss of me not to mention his WAFL form in the later stages of 2022. He averaged 120.4 over his last 5 games (taking out an injury affected score of 10) which included a monster score of 178. It felt like Tucker was out to prove a point and just feasted in the magoos to impress any suitors. So he’s shown us he has a fantasy game, it all comes down to opportunity and whether he can shoot his shot.

Why shouldn’t I pick him?

There’s lots of reasons.

First of all, he’s Darcy Tucker. As my old co-host Kaes always says: “He promises the world, but delivers an atlas.” I think this sums up Tucker well. He’s a player that’s always looked the goods but has never delivered. Even in Freo’s days at the bottom of the ladder, he still struggled to get a permanent gig and deliver consistently.

He’s also had quite a few issues with injury in the past which has prevented him from playing. In the past we have seen some soft tissue injuries, an issue with his hand and more complex medical issues that have kept him on the sidelines. Even as I write this he’s only just resumed training which leaves him behind the eight ball to be ready for round one. Given his injury history, he’s definitely one that could hurt you and force a trade at some stage.

His price is also a little awkward. Listed at $457k, he’s at that price point where you could drop him down to a couple of rookies, or spend up and find yourself a more reliable option. There’s also a few other value options in this price range and it probably wouldn’t be wise to start all of them in your side, so Tucker could fall by the wayside when it comes to selecting your team.

Deck of DT Rating.

JACK

Darcy Tucker could go either way.

If the stars align and he locks down a spot in the midfield and delivers on what he’s promised in the past, he could be a value option. And whilst I think that he’s a chance of producing some decent scores if everything goes to plan, I’d be wary of starting him given his injury history. He’s a player that is likely to get injured at some stage and force a trade.But if you have no options in his price range, you could do a lot worse, so factor Darcy Tucker in when selecting your AFL Fantasy sides in 2023.

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